UN Secretary-General said the United Nations and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation ( OIC) should work together to address the ongoing crises in Syria and Mali, a UN spokesperson told reporters here on Thursday.

"The secretary-general has sent a message to the 12th session of the Islamic Summit Conference which is taking place in Cairo, telling the leaders gathered there that the violence and humanitarian crisis in Syria and Mali are of particular concern," said Martin Nesirky, Ban's spokesperson, at the daily briefing.

According to Nesirky, Ban said in his message that the Syrian conflict continues and gains deeply worrying sectarian undertones, and it is the collective responsibility of the two organizations to remind all warring parties of their obligations under human rights and international humanitarian law.

The UN chief also underlined the necessity to ensure all parties in Syria avoid any further militarization and engage in a political process.

"On Mali, the secretary-general said that the United Nations recognizes the seriousness of the situation and the threat posed by anti-government armed groups to international peace and security," said Nesirky. "He calls again for the implementation of all aspects of Security Council resolution 2085."

The secretary-general also stressed the importance of working together to combat the menace of terrorism, and of taking action to deal with rising intolerance and discrimination, such as Islamophobia, added Nesirky. Enditem