13th OIC Summit in Istanbul Turkey:
Unity and Solidarity for Justice and Peace
Dr. Mozammel Haque
Introduction
Turkish
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan hosted more than 30 heads of state and
government as well as top officials from 57-member countries of the
Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) for the two-day Summit in Istanbul,
Turkey from 14-15 April, 2016. The theme of the Conference was “Unity and
Solidarity for Justice and Peace.” The 13th Islamic Summit aimed at
overcoming differences in the Muslim world.
Prominent
guests at the meeting included Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud and
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani.
The
two-day summit of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation OIC) got underway on
Thursday, 14 April 2016 with a speech by Erdogan from the Summit venue in
Istanbul, the former capital of the Ottoman Empire from where the Ottoman
sultans for centuries ruled Muslims from the Balkans to Arabia.
Turkey
has said it wants to use the meeting to narrow differences between the world's
estimated 1.7 billion Muslims. However, the gathering risks being overshadowed
by disputes on issues ranging from Syria to Yemen.
While
the summit marks one of the most significant gatherings of heads of state for
years in Istanbul, some prominent leaders such as Jordan's King Abdullah and
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi was notable by their absence.
[Acknowledgement]
This write-up is prepared from the sources: OIC website, press agencies, Saudi
Gazette, Arab News and Al-Jazeera English website.
Background information of
the OIC
The
Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) (formerly Organization of the Islamic
Conference) is the second largest inter-governmental organization after the
United Nations which has membership of 57 states spread over four continents.
The Organization is the collective voice of the Muslim world and ensuring to
safeguard and protect the interests of the Muslim world in the spirit of
promoting international peace and harmony among various people of the world. The
Organization was established upon a decision of the historical summit which
took place in Rabat, Kingdom of Morocco on 12th Rajab 1389 Hijra (25 September
1969) as a result of criminal arson of Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied Jerusalem.
In
1970 the first ever meeting of Islamic Conference of Foreign Minister (ICFM)
was held in Jeddah which decided to establish a permanent secretariat in Jeddah
headed by the organization’s secretary general. Mr. Iyad Ameen Madani is the
10th Secretary General who assumed the office in January 2014.
BOX
Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC)
(Formerly Organisation of the Islamic Conference)
Founded on 25 September 1969 &
Holds international Summit every three year
Member – 57 Islamic Countries
Representing 1.5 billion Muslims worldwide
Head Quarter – Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Present Secretary General – Mr. Iyad Madani
OIC protecting and defending true image of Islam
OIC promoting trade & economic ties between member
countries
OIC calls itself collective voice of Muslim world
Israeli-Palestine conflict is high on the agenda at this OIC
Summit
OIC Summit is meant to address rising threats of
Islamophobia & Sectarianism
The
present Charter of the Organization was adopted by the Eleventh Islamic Summit
held in Dakar on 13-14 March 2008 which laid down the objectives and principles
of the organization and fundamental purposes to strengthen the solidarity and
cooperation among the Member States. Over the last 40 years, the membership has
grown from its founding members of 25 to 57 states. The Organization has the
singular honour to galvanize the Ummah into a unified body and have actively
represented the Muslims by espousing all causes close to the hearts of over 1.5
billion Muslims of the world. The Organization has consultative and cooperative
relations with the UN and other inter-governmental organizations to protect the
vital interests of the Muslims and to work for the settlement of conflicts and
disputes involving Member States. In safeguarding the true values of Islam and
the Muslims, the organization has taken various steps to remove misperceptions
and have strongly advocated elimination of discrimination against the Muslims
in all forms and manifestations.
The
Member States of the OIC face many challenges in the 21st century and to
address those challenges, the third extraordinary session of the Islamic Summit
held in Makkah in December 2005, laid down the blue print called the Ten-Year
Program of Action which envisages joint action of Member States, promotion of
tolerance and moderation, modernization, extensive reforms in all spheres of
activities including science and technology, education, trade enhancement, and
emphasizes good governance and promotion of human rights in the Muslim world,
especially with regard to rights of children, women and elderly and the family
values enshrined by Islam.
On the back drops of the
Summit
This
Summit took place in Istanbul in the back drops of ISIL, Daesh terrorism,
Syrian conflict sending hundreds of thousands of refugees to the unwelcoming European
borders. Turkish Foreign Minister,
Mevlut Cavusoglu, said the summit was being held at a time when "the
Islamic world is experiencing many disputes within itself.
"Fratricidal
conflict causes great pain. Sectarianism divides the Ummah," he told OIC
foreign ministers on Tuesday, using the Arabic world for the Muslim community.
Still he was optimistic and said, "Hopefully, this summit will pave the
way for healing some wounds."
Issues discussed
The
issues included the question of Palestine and the Arab-Israeli conflict,
conflict situations in the Muslim world and migration, situation of Muslim
communities in non-OIC member states, combating terrorism and violent
extremism, Islamophobia, and the humanitarian situation in the Muslim world.
Twelve
issues were tabled for discussion by leaders of the Muslim world at the meeting
started Thursday (14 April 2016). There was also discussion on the OIC Program
of Action: 2016-2025, advancing scientific cooperation among member states in
the areas of health, higher education and environment, advancing cultural,
social and information cooperation in the Muslim world, poverty eradication and
development of infrastructure in the OIC member states, legal and statutory
issues, and empowering OIC to deliver on its mandate.
Opening Speech of Turkish
President
Recep Tayyip Erdogan
Fight Sectarianism
Turkish
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday, the 14th of April, 2016 urged
Muslim leaders gathered for the OIC summit to end sectarian divisions in the
Islamic world and join forces to fight terror. “I believe the greatest
challenge we need to surmount is sectarianism. My religion is not that of
Sunnis, of Shiites. My religion is Islam,” Erdogan said in his opening speech.
“We should be uniting. Out of the conflicts, the tyranny, only the Muslims suffer,” he said, adding the summit meeting could be a “turning point” for the whole Islamic world.
Re-structuring of the UN Security Council
He
also called for the re-structuring of the UN Security Council, so that the Muslim
world has an effective voice. Erdogan lashed out at Daesh and Boko Haram
extremists in Nigeria as two “terrorist organizations that are serving the same
evil purpose.”
Multinational
Police Coordination centre
He
said that the OIC had accepted a Turkish proposal to set up a Multinational Police
Coordination Centre for Islamic states to fight militants, to be based in
Istanbul. “We need to establish an organization to further strengthen
cooperation in the fight against terror,” he said.
Unify the Muslim world
Several
leaders have expressed their commitment to unify the Muslim world in the face
of severe political, economic and social challenges.
Palestinian question,
In
his speech, read out by Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Soukry, President Abdul
Fattah El-Sisi said that as the chair of the previous summit, Egypt had done
everything it could to advance the cause of Muslims across the globe. This
would continue under Turkey, as the new chair, particularly with regard to
action on the Palestinian question, which should be resolved with Al-Quds
Al-Sharif as its capital. He commended the OIC for holding a summit on
Palestine in Indonesia in March.
Erdogan
agreed with El-Sisi’s call for action on Palestine, and also endorsed the call
for unity among Muslim nations to tackle the problems of vulnerable
communities. He said Turkey was doing everything it can to help refugees, and
had already saved around 100,000 from drowning in the Aegean Sea.
Surmount Sectarianism
In
his opening speech, Turkish President Erdogan said, “I believe the greatest
challenge we need to surmount is sectarianism. My religion is not that of
Sunnis, of Shiites. My religion is Islam.”
“We
should be uniting. Out of the conflicts, the tyranny, only the Muslims suffer,”
he said, adding the summit meeting could be a “turning point” for the whole
Islamic world.
Condemn daesh
Erdogan
lashed out at the Daesh (the so-called IS) militants who seized swathes of
Syria and Boko Haram extremists in Nigeria as two “terrorist organizations that
are serving the same evil purpose.”
Opening Speech of King
Salman bin Abdulaziz
Addressing
the opening session of the 13th Islamic Summit Conference of Organization of
Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in the Turkish city of Istanbul on Thursday, the
CUSTODIAN of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman called for adopting a strong
position against attempts by some vested interests in blatantly interfering in
the internal affairs of some member countries and thereby inciting sectarian
strife and divisions.
“The
present day realities make it incumbent on us to stand united more than ever to
fight the scourge of terrorism as well as to protect the younger generation
from its fierce attack. Terrorism targets the youths to get out of the path of
their righteous religion and be driven by those who are creating turmoil using
the name of our religion, which has nothing to do with them,” he said.
King
Salman referred to the major initiative taken recently by the Kingdom in
combating terror. “We have made a serious step in this direction through
forming an Islamic military alliance, consisting of 39 countries, in order to
coordinate all efforts through intellectual, media, financial and military
initiatives based on the OIC’s principles and objectives.”
King
Salman said by interfering in the internal affairs of others, some vested
quarters were instrumental in further aggravating the sectarian division within
the Ummah. “The Muslim world is reeling under conflicts and crises that are
represented by the blatant interference in the affairs of a number of Islamic
countries apart from sowing seeds of discord and division, and inciting
sectarian strife. Armed militias are being used to destabilize our security and
stability so as to spread their influence and domination,” the King said and
called for a strong position to prevent such interference and maintain the
security and safety of the Muslim world.
Solution
to Palestinian issue
King
Salman also called for finding solutions to the burning issues facing the
Muslim world. “Finding a just solution to the Palestinian issue in accordance
with the Arab peace initiative and international legitimacy resolutions is in
the forefront of these issues,” he said.
End to Syrian crisis
“Putting
an end to the Syrian crisis in accordance with the decisions of Geneva 1 and
Security Council resolution 2254, as well as to support the existing efforts to
end the Libyan crisis are other top issues. On the Yemeni issue, we support the
UN efforts for the success of consultations to be held in Kuwait in implementation
of Security Council resolution 2216,” the King said hoping that the summit
would come out with decisions that would further bolster solidarity and achieve
more collaboration for the betterment of the Muslim Ummah.
OIC Secretary General Iyad
Madani
In
his keynote address, OIC Secretary General Iyad Madani said the pan-Islamic
body has put the fight against terrorism as it main priority but at the same
time he noted that only 21 member states have so far ratified the OIC agreement
in this regard.
He
urged all Palestinian factions to resolve their differences in order to form a
consensus government. He announced that the OIC is working with Iraq to hold
the 2nd Makkah Conference to achieve reconciliation in that country.
Madani
appealed to the development of humanitarian work in the organization, and
announced that the 14th session of the Islamic Summit will be held in Gambia in
2018.
Iyad
Madani, secretary general of the 57-member Islamic bloc, said the summit took
over 200 decisions. The conference expressed concern over the rising tide of
xenophobia, Islamophobia and anti-Muslim racism in Western countries, and
called on Western states to take necessary measures to combat these and to
ensure the safety and well-being of Muslims there.
Condemning
Israel’s continued occupation of the Palestinian territories and its increasing
atrocities, the summit confirmed full solidarity with the Palestinian people in
their struggle to free themselves from the 49-year-long occupation and called
on the global community to support efforts to empower the state of Palestine by
all means.
The
Summit proceedings concluded on Friday, the 15th of April 2016 with
the adoption of a resolution on Palestine, the OIC Ten-Year Program of Action
for 2015-2025, the final communiqué, and the Istanbul Declaration.
Final Closing Session
Turkish
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who chaired the final session of the OIC
summit, lamented the fact that Muslim countries who are “the heirs of a
civilization that was built on columns of peace and justice are being
remembered more for wars, armed conflict, sectarianism and terrorism.”
Chairing the final session of the summit, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that sectarianism, racism and terrorism are the three largest challenges confronting the Muslim world. “As Muslims, we cannot overcome our difficulties without achieving unity in spite of our differences.” The Turkish leader said establishing an international arbitration body in Istanbul was part of the OIC 2025 Action Plan, endorsed by the summit.
Erdogan
also welcomed a decision reached a day earlier to create a Turkey-based police
coordination centre aimed at increasing cooperation against terrorism.
Final Communique of The
OIC Summit
Muslim leaders of the 57-member organization
OIC discussed at the OIC Istanbul Summit a range of issues such as the
humanitarian fallout from Syria’s civil war and passed their final resolutions.
Deplored
Iran’s interference
The OIC said in its final summit communiqué,
“The conference deplored Iran’s interference in the internal affairs of the
states of the region and other member states including Bahrain, Yemen, Syria,
and Somalia, and its continued support for terrorism,”. It “deplored Iran’s
interference” and “continued support for terrorism” not only in Syria but also
Bahrain, Yemen and Somalia.
Condemned Daesh
The Communique also expressed strong
condemnation of the Daesh group and the role of Iran and its proxies in
regional conflicts. The conference pledged to combat terrorism in all its forms
and condemned Daesh for its use of chemical weapons in Iraq.
The final declaration expressed hope that
negotiations that started in Geneva on April 13 would contribute to resolving
“the Syrian crisis as soon as possible.”
Bilateral
Cooperation Council
At the sidelines of the summit, Turkey and
Saudi Arabia signed a memorandum to create a bilateral cooperation council.
Jeddah-based English daily Arab News
summarises the OIC Summit’s final communiqués which denounces Tehran’s plots as
follows:
• Islamic Summit Conference supports
Islamic Military Alliance for Combating Terrorism
• OIC rejects Iran’s inflammatory statements on execution of judicial decisions in Saudi Arabia
• OIC rejects Iran’s inflammatory statements on execution of judicial decisions in Saudi Arabia
• Muslim leaders denounce aggression
against Saudi missions in Tehran, Mashhad
• OIC communique deplores Iran’s continued
support for terrorism
• Summit deplores Iran’s interference in
internal affairs of Bahrain, Yemen, Syria and Somalia
• Leaders rap Hezbollah for terrorist activities in Syria, Bahrain, Kuwait, Yemen
• Leaders rap Hezbollah for terrorist activities in Syria, Bahrain, Kuwait, Yemen
• Hezbollah under fire for supporting
terrorist activities that undermine security of OIC states
• Leaders stress need to preserve Syria’s
unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity
• Summit reaffirms its principled support
for rights of Palestinians
• Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq and Turkey
commended for generously hosting Syrian refugees
• Member states & international community urged to support Syrian refugees
• Member states & international community urged to support Syrian refugees
• Daesh condemned for using chemical
weapons against the civilians
• Summit reiterates continued support for
legitimate Yemeni government of President Hadi
• OIC reaffirms support for people of Kashmir and calls on India to implement UN resolutions
• Conference reiterates its principled position against terrorism in all its forms
• OIC reaffirms support for people of Kashmir and calls on India to implement UN resolutions
• Conference reiterates its principled position against terrorism in all its forms
Istanbul Summit Final Declaration
A
pan-Islamic summit, bringing together leaders from across the Islamic world,
concluded in the Turkish city of Istanbul on Friday, the 15th of
April, 2016 with a pledge to combat terrorism, cast aside sectarian differences
and address regional conflicts. Followings are part of the final declaration of
the Istanbul Summit published in Saudi Gazette.
Deploring its interference
The 13th
Summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) harshly criticized
Iran, deploring its interference in the internal affairs of regional states and
other member countries including Bahrain, Yemen, Syria, and Somalia, and its
continued support for terrorism, according to the final communiqué issued at
the end of the two-day summit.
Condemned Hezbollah
The
conference condemned Hezbollah for its role in terrorist activities in Syria,
Bahrain, Kuwait, Yemen, and for supporting terrorist movements undermining
security of OIC states.
Defend human dignity
The
leaders emphasized their shared commitment to defend human dignity by working
toward alleviating poverty, addressing social injustices and creating equal
opportunities for Muslim minorities.
Interaction with other religions and cultures
The
summit recognized the need for the Islamic world to enhance its outreach and
interaction with other religions and cultures through constructive dialogue,
mutual understanding and moderation.
Condemned terrorism and sectarianism
The
OIC condemned terrorism and sectarianism in all their forms and manifestations
regardless of motive and wherever and by whomever committed, and call for equal
determination toward all terrorist organizations. It renewed unwavering
commitment to strengthening cooperation between the OIC and other international
organizations to prevent and combat the scourge of terror.
Rejected
all attempts to affiliate terrorism
The
conference rejected all attempts to affiliate terrorism with any nationality,
civilization, religion or ethnic group, and refuse provision of any direct or
indirect support to the groups that call for violence, extremism and terrorism.
Fostering tolerance, respect, dialogue
The
summit also emphasized the importance of fostering tolerance, respect, dialogue
and cooperation among different cultures, civilizations and peoples, besides
reiterating that intercultural dialogue, mutual respect and finding common
grounds for solidarity are the only means to build peaceful, prosperous and
socially cohesive communities.
Solidarity with Muslim minorities
The
summit expressed solidarity with Muslim minorities in many non-OIC member
states who still face serious oppression and whose rights are disregarded in
many cases.
Enhancing the role of Muslim youth
The
conference encouraged efforts aimed at strengthening and enhancing the role of
Muslim youth in society, and improving the conditions for their education and
employment.
Contribution of Muslim women
The
conference underlined the importance of the contribution of Muslim women to
social life as well as of strengthening the role of women in development of
Islamic countries.
Increase
intra-OIC trade to 25 percent
The
Muslim leaders reaffirmed their resolve to increase intra-OIC trade to 25
percent in the coming ten years. They also welcomed the adoption of the
“OIC-2025: Program of Action,” setting ambitious targets in various fields for
the member states to achieve over the next ten years.
The
leaders also vowed their commitment to continue efforts aimed at increasing the
effectiveness of the OIC in making justice and peace prevail all around the
world. — With input from Agencies
Summit Resolution on
Sustainable Development
Jeddah-based English daily Saudi
Gazette summarises the OIC Summit’s final communiqués on Sustainable
Development as follows:
The
13th Summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), which concluded
in the Turkish city of Istanbul on Friday (15 April 2016), underscored its
keenness and unveiled its program of action aimed at achieving sustainable
development of member states in all spheres of life.
Affordable and clean energy
In
the final communiqué, issued at the end of the conference, over 50 heads of
state and top officials from across the Islamic world have emphasized that
access to affordable and clean energy is crucial for achieving sustainable
development for the member states. They also acknowledged the importance of
integrated water resources management, through conservation, prudent use, and
bringing down of wastage to the minimum.
Adoption of the ‘2030 Sustainable Development Agenda,
The
summit welcomed the adoption of the ‘2030 Sustainable Development Agenda,’
which has 17 goals and 169 targets. The conference vowed its commitment to
their successful implementation within the stipulated time frame, taking into
consideration the role of national authorities in cooperation with
international bodies.
Sustainable
development finds a key place in the OIC Program of Action for the next decade
(2016-2025). The summit called upon the member states, the OIC organs and
institutions, international partners as well as other stakeholders to undertake
all necessary measures for its effective implementation.
Ten-year Program of Action (2006-2015)
The
conference noted with satisfaction the successful conclusion of the Ten-year
Program of Action (2006-2015), which provided the Islamic Ummah with a forward
looking blueprint with a view to enhance Joint Islamic Action in various
domains.
Enhance well being
The
OIC reiterated its commitment to work together for a better tomorrow and
enhance the well being of around 1.7 billion peoples in the 57 member states.
It also affirmed commitment to address the shortcomings in the previous decade
and to introduce the necessary improvements for the effective implementation of
the new program of action.
Culture must be used as leverage for a sustainable
development
The
summit emphasized that culture must be used as leverage for a sustainable and
inclusive development, along with Islamic values, the most significant aspect
of which is to mainstream culture as a strategic tool for achieving OIC goals.
Childcare and well being
The
conference entrusted the OIC General Secretariat with the task of developing a
strategy for the OIC in the field of childcare and well being in the Muslim
world, which takes into account, among other things, the health, psychological
and educational conditions of children and mothers in areas of conflict, and
the issue of child marriage and violence against children. It reaffirmed that
preserving the wellbeing and physical health of children is a duty of every
parent and society as prescribed by Islam.
The
conference welcomed the significant improvement in health care coverage and
services in the member states leading to declining trends in child mortality
rates from a higher base rate of 125 deaths per 1,000 births in 1990 to 66
deaths per 1,000 births by 2013.
Media, including the social media
The
OIC gathering stressed that the media, including the social media, is the most
effective tool for spreading information and shaping public opinion. The summit
recognized the decisive role it can assume in projecting the bright image of
Islam as well as that of the member states to the outside world and achieving
the objectives of Islamic solidarity. The conference also called for investment
in the development of media infrastructure, improving the professional
capacities of media workers, facilitating easy access by the public to
information, enhancing OIC media institutions and deepening coordination among
them to advance Joint Islamic Action in all fields.
Developing knowledge-based society
The
Istanbul meet acknowledged the need for developing knowledge-based society
through supporting research and technology for the overall development of the
member states. For that purpose, it encouraged expansion and intensification of
research and development activities in the institutions and centres of
excellence including those in the OIC subsidiary and affiliated ones.
OIC Secretary General felicitated
Muslim
leaders acclaimed OIC Secretary General Iyad Madani. “The Muslim leaders
commended the efforts of the OIC Secretary General Iyad Madani for his
initiatives aimed at promoting and defending unified position on issues of
common concern, including the dialogue among civilizations and religions;
promoting interfaith harmony, tolerance and non-discrimination; and
safeguarding historic and Islamic character of the holy places as well as
Islamic heritage.”
This
write-up is prepared from the sources: OIC resources, press agencies, Saudi
Gazette, Arab News and Al-Jazeera English website.
