Organization of the Islamic Cooperation (OIC)

Also available in the following language: French, Arabic

Objective of the Organization:

To strengthen cooperation and solidarity between the Member States, to protect the rights and interests of the Islamic World.

Date of Establishment:

25 September 1969

Headquarters:

Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

Secretary General:

Hissein Brahim Taha

Member Countries:The OIC has 57 members. *

Afghanistan, Albania, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Benin, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Brunei Darussalam, Burkina Faso, Algeria, Djibouti, Chad, Indonesia, Morocco, Cote d’Ivoire, Palestine, Gabon, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Guyana, Iraq, Iran, Cameroon, Qatar, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, the Comoros, Kuwait, Libya, Lebanon, Maldives, Malaysia, Mali, Egypt, Mauritania, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Uzbekistan, Pakistan, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somali, Sudan, Surinam, Syria*, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan, Togo, Tunisia, Türkiye, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Oman, Jordan, Yemen.

*Syria's membership was suspended at the Fourth Extraordinary Islamic Summit Conference of OIC held in Makkah on 14-15 August 2012.

Observer Countries: The Organization has 5 Observer Countries: Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (by the name of Turkish Cypriot State), Bosnia and Herzegovina, Central African Republic, Russian Federation, Thailand.

Türkiye’s Membership status:Türkiye has been a member since the establishment of the Organization.

Representation of Türkiye within the OIC:Türkiye decided to establish a Permanent Representation to the OIC by the Decree of the Council of Ministers dated 22 May 2014 and the Permanent Representative Office was inaugurated in Jeddah on 24 July 2015.

History of the Organisation:

The Organization of Islamic Conference was established by the decision of the First Islamic Summit Conference held in Rabat on 22-25 September 1969, upon the reactions of the Islamic World, provoked by the arson attack against Al-Aqsa Mosque, the third holy site in Islam and located in Israeli occupied Jerusalem, by an Australian extremist Jew on 21 August 1969.

The Office of Secretariat General was established at the 1st Meeting of the Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs in March 1970, a Secretary General was appointed and it was decided that the Secretariat would operate in Jeddah until the liberation of Jerusalem.

The name of the Organization of Islamic Conference was changed to the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) at the 38th meeting of the Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs (CFM) held in Astana on 28-30 June 2011.

OIC Charter:

The new Charter, adopted at the 11th OIC (Organisation of the Islamic Conference) Summit held in Dakar on 13-14 March 2008 replacing the OIC Charter adopted in the 3rd CFM Meeting held in Rabat in 1972, is the main founding document of the Organisation. The Charter states the Organisation’s objectives and principles and determines the rules for membership, observer status, amicable settlement of disputes, budget, finance as well as operational rules.

The new Charter, which revised and substituted the previous Charter of 1972, has been a crucial milestone for reforming the Organisation. The New Charter establishes the legal basis and the organs necessary for the cooperation and activities among the Islamic countries in accordance with the contemporary requirements of the new environment, which have emerged as a result of radical changes in the international fora since 1972.

Türkiye signed the new Charter at the 35th CFM Meeting (in Kampala/Uganda on 18-20 June 2007) and the Charter entered into force on 16 June 2012 as concerns Türkiye.

The text of the Charter can be accessed through the following link:

https://www.oic-oci.org/upload/documents/charter/en/oic_charter_2018_en.pdf

OIC Organs

1. Islamic Summit

2. Council of Foreign Ministers

3. Standing Committees

4. Executive Committee

5. International Islamic Court of Justice (It shall be the Organisation’s principal judicial organ following the entry into force of its status)

6. Independent Permanent Human Rights Commission

7. Committee of Permanent Representatives

8. General Secretariat

9. Subsidiary Organs

10. Specialized Organs

11. Affiliated Institutions

Islamic Summit:

The Islamic Summit, which is the highest-level decision-making body of the Organisation, consists of the Presidents and Prime Ministers of the Member States. It meets once every three years in one of the Member States, holds consultations to achieve the goals specified in the OIC Charter and adopts resolutions on the policies to be followed to this end.

Member States host the Summit meetings alternately on the basis of the geographical groups (Arab, Asia and Africa). This rule applies to other OIC meetings as well. 15 Summits and 8 Extraordinary Summit Meetings have been held in various member states since its foundation.

Türkiye assumed the Chairmanship-in-Office of the OIC Summit for three years after the Summit held in Istanbul on 14-15 April 2016 with the theme of "Unity and Solidarity for Justice and Peace" and handed over this duty to Saudi Arabia with the 14th Summit held in Mecca on 31 May 2019. The 15th Islamic Summit was held in Banjul, the capital of Gambia, on 4-5 May 2024.

On the other hand, in cases where the interests of the Islamic world necessitate, Extraordinary Summit meetings may also be held in order to review the critical issues for the Islamic world and to determine the policies the Organisation will pursue.

In this regard, upon the call issued by the President of the Republic of Türkiye, both 6th and 7th Extraordinary Summits were held in Istanbul respectively on 13 December 2017 and on 18 May 2018, following the developments in Jerusalem and Palestine.

The Arab League (AL) Summit, which was scheduled to be held in Riyadh on 11 November 2023 to address the ongoing Israeli military aggression against the Palestinian people, and the 8th Extraordinary Islamic Summit, which was scheduled to be held on 12 November 2023, were merged under one roof and held in Riyadh on 11 November 2023 under the name of “OIC-AL Extraordinary Joint Summit”.

Council of Foreign Ministers:

The Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM), which is the secondary decision-making organ following the Summit, is held once a year in one of the Member States. As is the case with the Summit Meetings, Extraordinary Sessions of the CFM may convene, when necessary, for the critical issues concerning the Islamic world.

The CFM makes decisions on issues about fulfilling purposes and implementing general policies of the Organisation, reviews the progress in implementing the decisions taken in the previous Islamic Summits and CFM Meetings, evaluates and approves the budgets of the Secretariat and subsidiary organs and elects the Secretary General.

Türkiye hosted CFM Meetings three times: in 1976 (7th CFM), in 1991 (12th CFM) and in 2004 (31st CFM).

Türkiye will participate in the 50th CFM hosted by Cameroon in Yaoundé on August 27-29, 2024.

Türkiye will host the 51st OIC CFM, scheduled to be held in 2025.

Standing Committees:

The OIC established the following Standing Committees so as to further address the critical issues for the Organisation and the Member States. Kings, Presidents and Prime Ministers chair the Standing Committees. These Committees are established in accordance with the Summit’s resolutions or upon the suggestions by the Council of Foreign Ministers.

1. Al-Quds Committee

(Chaired by the King of Morocco)

2. Standing Committee for Information and Cultural Affairs (COMIAC)

(Chaired by the President of Senegal)

3. Standing Committee for Economic and Commercial Cooperation (COMCEC-İSEDAK)

(Chaired by the President of the Republic of Türkiye)

4. Standing Committee for Scientific and Technological Cooperation (COMSTECH)

(Chaired by the President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan)

Executive Committee

The Executive Committee consists of 8 members, including the Summit and CFM Troika (former, current and future Term Chairpersons), Saudi Arabia as the host of the Secretariat as well as the Secretary General of the OIC and meets when necessary.

Following the attack launched by Hamas on Israeli territories on October 7, OIC Executive Committee convened physically on October 18, 2023 in Jeddah at ministerial level with open-ended participation in order to address Israel’s ongoing military aggression against the Palestinian people. 22 ministers, including Minister of Foreign Affairs of Türkiye, participated in the meeting.

Lastly, the Extraordinary Meeting of the OIC Executive Committee at ministerial level with open-ended participation on “the continued crimes of Israeli occupation forces against Palestinian people and their aggression against Iran’s national sovereignty” was held on 7 August 2024.

Delegations from 47 Member States, including eight ministers (Iran-Acting Minister, Gambia, Jordan, Somalia, Pakistan, Malaysia, Maldives, and Algeria) participated in the meeting, where Türkiye was represented by the Deputy Minister H.E. Nuh Yılmaz.

The declaration adopted after the meeting condemned the war crimes and genocide committed by Israel since 7 October 2023 as well as the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, Chief of the Hamas Political Bureau, emphasized the centrality of the Palestinian cause in the OIC, warned on the increase in the illegal settlements of Israel, highlighted the human rights violations committed by Israel on the ground, and condemned labelling of UNRWA by Israel as a terrorist organization, prevention of its activities, and confiscation of the taxes collected by Palestine, and called on the United Nations to stop Israel’s attacks, and the Member States to act together in international organizations, and underlined the importance of the holy places of Muslims and Christians, and the continuation of the activities of the OIC Contact Group on Palestine, of which Türkiye is a member.

Secretary General:

The Secretary General, who is the chief administrative official of the Organisation, is elected from among nationals of the Member States for a period of five years by the CFM in accordance with the principles of equitable geographical rotation and equal opportunity and can serve for maximum of two terms.

The Secretary General is responsible for bringing to the attention of the competent organs of the Organisation matters which concern the Organisation; following-up the implementation of decisions, resolutions and recommendations of the Islamic Summits and CFM; coordinating the work of the relevant Organs of the Organisation; preparing the programme and the budget of the General Secretariat and submitting annual reports to the CFM on the work of the Organisation.

OIC Secretary General, who served until today:

1- Tunku Abdul Rahman (Malaysia) 1971-1973

2- Hassan Al-Touhami (Egypt) 1974-1975

3- Amadou Karim Gaye (Senegal) 1975-1979

4- Habib Chatty (Tunisia) 1979-1984

5- Syed Sharifuddin Pirzada (Pakistan) 1985-1988

6- Dr. Hamid Algabid (Niger) 1989-1996

7- Dr. Azeddine Laraki (Morocco) 1997-2000

8- Dr. Abdelouahed Belkeziz (Morocco) 2001-2004

9- Prof. Dr. Ekmeleddin İhsanoğlu (Türkiye) 2005-2013

10- İyad Ameen Madani (Saudi Arabia) 2014-2016

11- Dr. Yousef bin Ahmad Al-Othaimeen (Saudi Arabia) 2016-17 November 2021

12- Hissein Brahim Taha (Chad) 17 November 2021- incumbent

OIC Secretary General have usually been appointed by consensus among the Member States during the CFM. However, an election was held at the 31st CFM Meeting in Istanbul in June 2004 for the first time and Prof. Dr. Ekmeleddin İhsanoğlu was elected Secretary General. Prof. İhsanoğlu, the first Turkish citizen to hold this position, took office on 1 January 2005 and served for two terms (until the end of 2013).

Hissein Brahim Taha, who was elected as the joint candidate of the African Group as the OIC Secretary General following the elections held at the 47 th CFM (27-28 November 2020, Niger), took over from his predecessor Yousef Al-Othaimeen (Saudi Arabia) on 17 November 2021.

Hissein Brahim Taha, Secretary General of the OIC, paid his first visit to Türkiye in November 2021 to attend the 37th COMCEC Ministerial Meeting and was received separately by the President, Vice President and Minister of Foreign Affairs .

Secretary General Taha, visited Türkiye on 21-23 February 2023 to show solidarity and support to Türkiye after the earthquakes occurred in Türkiye on February 6.

Lastly, Secretary General Taha attended the 39th Ministerial Session of the Standing Committee for Economic and Commercial Cooperation (COMCEC) of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Istanbul on 2-5 December.

The Independent Permanent Human Rights Commission

The Independent Permanent Human Rights Commission (IPHRC), which was decided to be established within the framework of the OIC Ten-Year Programme of Action adopted at the 3rd Extraordinary Session of the Islamic Summit Conference held in Mecca on 7-8 December 2005, started its activities in Jeddah in 2012 with the adoption of the Statute of the IPHRC at the 38th Session of the CFM of the OIC held in Astana between 28-30 June 2011.

Türkiye hosted the Second Ordinary Session of the IPHCR in 2012 and the Seminar on Combating Islamophobia in 2018.

The IPHRC consists of 18 members, six members each from the Asian, African and Arab groups. Dr. Hacı Ali Açıkgül, former Head of the Human Rights Department of the Ministry of Justice, represents Türkiye in the IPHRC.

Türkiye's Relations with the OIC

Türkiye has been a member of the OIC since its establishment and has actively contributed to its activities. The TRNC has had observer status in the OIC since 1979 and regularly participated in the OIC Summit and the CFM meetings. It has been decided that the TRNC, formerly represented by the name “Turkish Cypriot Muslim Community” in the OIC, would be represented by the name “Turkish Cypriot State”, as mentioned in the Annan Plan, at the 31st Islamic Conference of Foreign Ministers (CFM) held in Istanbul on 14-16 June 2004. With the decisions adopted under the title “Situation in Cyprus” in the Summit and the CFM, the OIC reiterates its cooperation and solidarity with the TRNC and supports the resolution of the Cyprus issue.

OIC also supports the protection of the rights and interests of Muslim Turkish minority and settlement of their problems, with the decisions it takes every year, concerning the Turkish minority living in Greece, Western Thrace and the Dodecanese islands.

Türkiye is the drafter, presenter and follower of numerous political, legal and Muslim minority-related resolutions adopted at the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers meetings. It hosts the OIC sectoral meetings (at Ministerial level).

Türkiye raised the issue of comprehensive reform of the OIC” in 2017. In this context, the draft resolution titled “Brainstorming Session on the Comprehensive Reform of the OIC” prepared under the leadership of Türkiye was adopted at the 45th CFM held in Dhaka on 5-6 May 2018.

The first meeting of this Session was held in Jeddah in October 2018 and the second meeting was held in Bangladesh in February 2020 under the co-chairmanship of Türkiye.

Türkiye continues its efforts for the comprehensive reform of the OIC, which is the only political platform which unites the Islamic world under a single roof and stands out as the intergovernmental organization with the largest number of members after the UN, in order to ensure that it can realize its true potential.

OIC Organizations in Türkiye:

Türkiye hosts the following organs of the Organization;

- two subsidiary organs:

  • Statistical, Economic and Social Research Centre for Islamic Countries (SESRIC),
  • Research Centre for Islamic History, Art and Culture (IRCICA)

- A Standing Committee: The Standing Committee for Economic and Commercial Cooperation of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (COMCEC)

- and four affiliate institutions:

  • Islamic Cooperation Youth Forum (ICYF)
  • Organization of Islamic Cooperation Broadcasting Regulating Authorities Forum (IBRAF)
  • Federation of Consultants from Islamic Countries (FCIC)
  • Standards and Metrology Institute for Islamic Countries (SMIIC)

- and a representation of specialized institution: Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) Office of Türkiye.

In addition, OIC Arbitration Centre commenced its operations in Istanbul since November 2021, while the establishment of OIC Media Forum (OMF) and OIC Police Cooperation and Coordination Centre (PCCC) are underway.

The Standing Committee for Economic and Commercial Cooperation of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (COMCEC)

COMCEC is chaired by H.E. Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, President of the Republic of Türkiye, and holds its meetings in Türkiye every year, once at the Ministerial level and once at technical level as Monitoring Committee.

COMCEC’s new strategy and revised Statute were adopted at the 4 th Extraordinary Islamic Summit held in Mecca in 2012. The new COMCEC strategy was confirmed at the 13 th Islamic Summit Final Communique held in Istanbul.

The Working Groups and COMCEC Project Funding instruments, established by the Strategy, are becoming steadily more important. Establishing an OIC Arbitration Centre and bringing the OIC Preferential Trade System into force as soon as possible are among the priorities of Türkiye with regards to COMCEC.

The 39 th Ministerial Session of COMCEC, chaired by the President of Türkiye, was held in Istanbul on 2-5 December 2023 with the theme of “Improving the e-Commerce Capacities of the OIC Member Countries”. The 40 th Session of COMCEC is planned to be held in Türkiye on 2-5 November 2024, under the theme of “Digital Transformation in Payment Systems in the OIC Member Countries”.

Organization of Islamic Cooperation Research Centre for Islamic History, Art and Culture (IRCICA):

IRCICA, the headquarters of which is located in Istanbul, acts as a focal point and meeting place for scholars, researchers, artists, institutions, organisations working on Islamic history, culture, civilization and art; endeavours to eliminate prejudice against Islamic culture and civilization, to project their correct image, to inform the world opinion on their role and place in world civilization, and to promote a better understanding and dialogue between Muslim countries and other societies of the world; undertakes research in these fields and publishes books, bibliographies, catalogues, albums and other reference works to reinforce awareness of these subjects in public opinion.

Prof. Dr. Mahmud Erol Kılıç, a Retired Ambassador, has occupied the position of Director General for IRCICA since May 2021.

Statistical, Economic and Social Research and Training Centre for Islamic Countries (SESRIC):

Located in Ankara, SESRIC is responsible for collecting, collating and disseminating socio-economic statistics regarding the Member States, for the use of the Member States; researching, evaluating and reporting the economic and social development in the Member States to help generate proposals that will enhance co-operation among them; organizing training programmes in selected fields geared to the expressed needs of the Member States, as well as to the general objectives of the OIC.

Following the termination of the term of office of the previous Director General Nabil Dabur, former Turkish Minister of Family, Labour and Social Services, Zehra Zümrüt Selçuk was elected as the Director General of SESRIC and assumed her duty as of 27 March 2023.

Islamic Cooperation Youth Forum (ICYF):

The Islamic Cooperation Youth Forum (ICYF), one of the affiliated organizations of the OIC, was established in Istanbul under the name of “Islamic Conference Youth Forum for Dialogue and Cooperation” by the Founding General Assembly convened in Baku on 1-3 December 2004 in accordance with the decision adopted at the 31 st meeting of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) held in Istanbul in 2004. At the 3 rd General Assembly held in 2018, the name of the organization was changed to ICYF.

ICYF has over 40 members from national youth organizations of OIC member states and international youth organizations. (In OIC, institutions and organizations, not countries, become members of the structures with the status of relevant organizations.)

Taha Ayhan has been serving as the President of ICYF since December 2018.

The Standards and Metrology Institute for Islamic Countries (SMIIC):

The Standards and Metrology Institute for Islamic Countries (SMIIC) of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), headquartered in Istanbul, was established in 2010 and has 29 members including Türkiye (Türkiye, UAE, Algeria, Morocco, Guinea, Libya, Cameroon, Mali, Pakistan, Sudan, Somalia, Tunisia, Jordan, Gabon, Gambia, Iran, Senegal, Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, Egypt, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Palestine, Benin, Niger, Suriname, Mauritania, Uganda and Malaysia) and 2 observer members (TRNC and Bosnia and Herzegovina). The membership of all OIC member countries to SMIIC is a primary objective of the mentioned Institute.

SMIIC aims to harmonize the standards which adversely affect trade in Islamic countries, establish common standards, develop a joint certification system, and also carries out laboratory tests and quality control, issues certificates of conformity to standards and quality, and provides training opportunities to member countries.

Technical Committees under SMIIC operate in areas such as Halal Food Issues, Halal Cosmetics Issues, Service Place Certification Issues, Renewable Energy, Tourism, Agricultural Activities, Transport, Accreditation, Terminology and Finance.

The Ministry of Development and TSI prioritize the implementation of SMIIC and the certification of halal food standards within SMIIC, stressing that this will greatly contribute to the economic interests of our country, especially our exports to Islamic countries. Establishing common standards and a certification system among Islamic countries is of particular importance considering the halal food market, which is worth over 1 trillion US Dollars annually.

İhsan Övüt has been serving as the Secretary General of SMIIC since April 2018.

The OIC Centre for Police Cooperation and Coordination

The proposal to establish a centre under the name of "The OIC Centre for Police Cooperation and Coordination" in Istanbul, where membership is voluntary and with the status of an expert organisation, in order to strengthen cooperation among the organisations of the member countries and to carry out capacity building activities, was accepted at the 13th Islamic Summit hosted by Türkiye.

The Charter of the Centre was submitted to and approved by the 45th CFM held in Dhaka on 5-6 May 2018. The Charter was signed by Türkiye at the 46th CFM held in Abu Dhabi on 1-2 March 2019.

Currently, the number of Member States which have signed the CPCC Regulation has reached up to 6 with Mauritania, Benin, Guinea-Bissau, Gambia, and Libya in addition to Türkiye.

The OIC Media Forum

The establishment of the OIC Media Forum, which is intended to contribute to the realization of concrete projects, the organisation of training programs, and the development of programs to fight against Islamophobia among the information institutions of the OIC member countries, was decided at the 9th Meeting of the OIC Ministers of Information (Libreville, Gabon, 19-20 April 2012); the establishment of the Forum with its headquarters in Istanbul was confirmed at the 40th CFM (Council of Foreign Ministers) held in Conakry, the capital of Guinea, on 9-11 December 2013 and the Forum was granted the status of an OIC related institution.

The number of signatories to the Agreement is three, Türkiye, Somalia, and Gambia.

OIC Ten-Year-Programme of Action:

OIC Ten Year Programme of Action, prepared based upon the views of scholars and intellectuals, was adopted by the 3rd OIC Extraordinary Summit Conference held in Mecca in 2005 in order to take practical steps towards strengthening the Islamic solidarity, projecting the noble values and true image of Islam, and addressing the challenges facing the Muslim world in an objective and realistic way.

The next Ten-Year Action Programme covering the years 2016-2025 has been finalized by the 13th Islamic Summit Conference held in Istanbul on 14-15 April 2016.

The said Programme is a comprehensive and elaborated road map composed under the headings of political will, solidarity and joint Islamic action, moderation and tolerance in Islam, Islamic Law, Islamic Fiqh Academy, fight against terrorism, fight against Islamophobia, human rights and good governance, Palestine and the occupied Arab territories, prevention and settlement of the conflicts, peace settlement, economic cooperation, supporting the Islamic Development Bank, social solidarity in the face of natural disasters, poverty alleviation in Africa, higher education, science and technology, rights of women, youth and children and family in the Islamic world, and cultural exchange among member states.

Parliamentary Union of OIC Member States (PUIC)

The 18th Conference of the Parliamentary Union of the OIC Member States (PUIC) was held in Abidjan (the Ivory Coast) on 2-5 March 2024 with the theme of "Climate Change in the World: What Can the PUIC Member States Do?" Türkiye participated in the meeting by a delegation headed by the President of the Turkish Grand National Assembly, Mr. Numan Kurtulmuş.