Organization of the Islamic Conference

Organization of the Islamic Conference - OIC
The Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) was established on 25 September 1969 on the occasion of the first Conference of the Muslim World which was held in Rabat - capital of Kingdom of Morocco.

Al Sakhrah Mosque The 55-member Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) is the body representing the world´s 1.2 billion Muslims.

It was formed in 1969 after the burning of al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, with a view that Islamic governments should "consult together with a view to promoting close cooperation and mutual assistance in the economic, scientific, cultural and spiritual fields, inspired by teachings of Islam."

Foreign ministers of OIC member countries meet annually, while summit conferences occur every three years

In his address to the 1994 OIC summit meeting in Casablanca, Morocco, King Hussein called for Muslims to embrace openness, progress and dialogue in order to revitalize the Islamic nation. He stressed the need for Muslims to emphasize the civilized and tolerant message of Islam.

Presently, OIC operates with 55 members comprising of: Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Benin, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brunei, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt, Gabon, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Kyrghystan, Lebanon, Libya, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan, Suriname, Syria, Tajikstan, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Turkey, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, and Yemen.

The meeting of Heads of State and Government constitute the highest policy making organ of the OIC. The Summit Conferences enable the leader of the Islamic world to periodically review the conditions within the Islamic world as well as the entire spectrum of international political developments from an Islamic perspective.

Five Islamic Summit Conferences have been held in: Rabat - Morocco - in 1969, Lahore - Pakistan - in 1974; Makkah Al-Mukarramah and Taif - Saudi Arabia - in 1981; Casablanca - Morocco - in 1984 and Kuwait - The State of Kuwait - in 1987. The summits are now held triennially and the Sixth Islamic Summit was held in Senegal in 1990.

The Home page of the Permanent Delegation of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) to the United Nations offices in Geneva and Vienna, is available at the following Internet web site: http://www.oic-un.org

The site provides basic information on a number of important regional and international topics interested to governmental, intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations as well as research institutions, universities, news agencies and individuals who follow the work of the OIC.