The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) founded on September 25, 1969 as the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) is an international organization of Islamic countries. On June 28, 2011 by the decision of the 38th session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the OIC held in Astana it was renamed the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.
The founding treaty of the OIC is the Charter (signed on September 25, 1969 and revised on March 14, 2008) reflecting the purpose, direction, functions and foundation of the organization.
Objectives of the OIC:
- strengthening Muslim solidarity,
- strengthening cooperation between Muslim States in the economic, social, cultural, scientific and other fields,
- elimination of racial discrimination,
- maintaining international security, supporting the struggle of Muslim peoples in defense of their dignity and independence.
In accordance with the Charter, one of the tasks of the OIC is to create favorable conditions for the education of young people.
Currently, the OIC includes 57 Member States. Among them are Azerbaijan, Albania, Algeria, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bahrain, Benin, Brunei, Burkina Faso, Gabon, Guyana, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Djibouti, Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Iraq, Iran, Yemen, Kazakhstan, Cameroon, Kyrgyzstan, Qatar, Comoros, Ivory Coast, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Malaysia, Mali, Maldives, Morocco, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Syria (temporarily suspended), Somalia, Sudan, Suriname, Sierra Leone, Tajikistan, Togo, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Turkey, Uganda, Uzbekistan and Chad.
Five countries have the status of an observer state with the OIC. They are Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Central African Republic, Thailand, Russia, the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.
The highest decision-making body in the OIC is the General Secretariat.
In 2004 the Islamic Cooperation Youth Forum (ICYF) was established. It is an international non-profit organization bringing together the leading youth organizations of the OIC Member States as well as international youth organizations operating in the OIC Region and youth organizations representing Muslim minorities in the world.
The Russian Federation in the Islamic Cooperation Youth Forum is represented by the Tatarstan Republican Youth Public Foundation "Selet" (since 2012).
Since 2014 the Public Organization "Academy of Youth Diplomacy" (the Republic of Tatarstan) has also been participating in the development of youth relations through the OIC.
Since 2020 the Project Office for International Youth Cooperation in the direction "Russia– the Organization of Islamic Cooperation" has been operating in Kazan on the basis of "Selet". The founders are the Federal Agency for Youth Affairs and the Ministry for Youth Affairs of the Republic of Tatarstan.
Sources: the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation and the collection "30 years of state youth policy of the Russian Federation" (30 years of state youth policy of the Russian Federation / MIREA – Russian Technological University. - M., 2022. - 340 p.)