UNITED NATIONS, Nov 9: A United Nations conference of ministers from nearly 50 Muslim countries and representatives of more than 20 international, Arab and Muslim organizations has called for end to harmful traditional practices, including child marriage and female genital mutilation, and gender discrimination in education.

A declaration issued at the end of the First Islamic Ministerial Conference on the Child, organized by the UN Children’s Fund), the Organization of Islamic Conference and the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization also urged action to address the unacceptably high rates of child and maternal mortality in some Muslim countries.

“Unicef is privileged to have been part of the dynamic process that has led to such a strong declaration — a declaration that addresses head-on all of the major challenges confronting children in OIC countries and does so in a way that calls for action to be supported by ever greater Islamic solidarity,” Unicef Deputy Executive Director Rima Salah told the closing session in Rabat on Tuesday.

The declaration will be submitted to the next meeting of OIC foreign ministers and the next Islamic summit for adoption and support.

The more than 200 participants expressed alarm over the dire situation for children in many Muslim countries, where some 4.3 million children under five years of age die each year from preventable diseases and malnutrition, and stressed the need for an urgent collective response commensurate with the challenges.

OIC member states accounted for a quarter of the world’s 2.3 billion children and enabling them to live, thrive and reach their full potential, while respecting and nurturing Islamic values, including tolerance, solidarity and protection of the vulnerable, was critical for the entire world, the participants said.