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Charter of the
Organisation of the Islamic Conference

1

Charter of the
Organisation of the Islamic Conference

ا ا
ا

In the name of Allah, the most Compassionate, the m ost Merciful

We the Member States of the Organisation of the Is lamic
Conference, determined:
to acknowledge the Conference of Kings, Heads of St ate and Government of
the Member States convened in Rabat from 9 to 12 R ajab, 1389 H,
corresponding to 22 to 25 September 1969, as well a s the Conference of
Foreign Ministers held in Jeddah from 14 to 18 Muha rram 1392 H
corresponding to 29 February to 4 March 1972;
to be guided by the noble Islamic values of unity a nd fraternity, and affirming
the essentiality of promoting and consolidating the unity and solidarity among
the Member States in securing their common interest s at the international
arena;
to adhere our commitment to the principles of the U nited Nations Charter, the
present Charter and International Law;
to preserve and promote the lofty Islamic values of peace, compassion,
tolerance, equality, just ice and human dignity;

to endeavour to work for revitalizing Isla m’s pion eering role in the world
while ensuring sustainable development, progress an d prosperity for the
peoples of Member States;

to enhance and strengthen the bond of unity and so lidarity among the Muslim
peoples and Member States;

to respect, safeguard and defend the national sove reignty, independence and
territorial inte grity of all Me mber States;

to contribute to international peace and security, understanding and dialogue
among c ivilizations, cultures and religions and pro mote and encourage
friendly relations and good ne ighbourliness, mutual respect and cooperation;

to promote human rights and fundamental freedoms, good governance, rule of
law, democracy and accountability in Me mber States in accordance with their
constitutional and le gal systems;

2

to promote confidence and encourage friendly relations, mutual respect and
cooperation between Member States and other States;
to foster noble Islamic values concerning moderati on, tolerance, respect for
diversity, preservation of Islamic symbols and comm on heritage and to defend
the universality of Islamic religion;

to advance the acquisition and popularization of k nowledge in consonance
with the lofty ideals of Isla m to achieve intellect ual excellence;

to promote cooperation among Me mber States to achi eve sustained soc io-
economic development for effective integration in t he global economy, in
conformity with the principles of partnership and e quality;

to preserve and promote all aspects related to env ironment for present and
future generations;

to respect the right of se lf-determination and no n-interference in the domestic
affairs and to respect sovereignty, independence an d territorial integrity of
each Member State;

to support the struggle of the Palestinian people, who are presently under
foreign occupation, and to empower them to attain t heir inalienable rights,
including the right to self-determination, and to e stablish their sovereign state
with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital, while safegu arding its historic and
Islamic character, and the holy places therein;
to safeguard and promote the rights of women and t heir participation in all
spheres of life, in accordance with the laws and le gislation of Me mber States;

to create conducive conditions for sound upbringin g of Muslim children and
youth, and to inculcate in them Isla mic va lues thro ugh education for
strengthening their cultural, soc ial, moral and eth ical ideals;

to assist Muslim minorities and communities outsid e the Member States to
preserve their dignity , cultural and religious identity;

to uphold the objectives and principles of the pr esent Charter, the Charter of
the United Nations and international law as well as international humanitarian
law while strictly adhering to the principle of non -interference in matters
which are essentially within the domestic jurisdict ion of any State;

to strive to achieve good governance at the interna tional level and the
democratization of the international relations base d on the princ iples of
equality and mutual respect among States and non-in terference in matters
which are within their domestic jurisdiction;

Have resolved to cooperate in achieving these goals and agreed to
the present amended Charter.

3

CHAPTER I

Objectives and Principles

Article 1

The objectives of the Organisation of the Isla mic C onference shall be:

1. To enhance and consolidate the bonds of fraterni ty and solidarity a mong the
Member States ;

2. To safe guard and protect the common interests and s upport the le gitimate
causes of the Member States and coordinate and unif y the efforts of the
Member States in view of the challenges faced by th e Islamic world in
particular and the international community in gener al;

3. To respect the right of self-determination and n on-interference in the domestic
affairs and to respect sovereignty, independence an d territorial integrity of
each Member State;

4. To support the restoration of complete sovereign ty and territorial integrity of
any Member State under occupation, as a result of a ggression, on the basis of
international law and cooperation with the relevant international and regional
organisations;

5. To ensure active participation of the Member Sta tes in the global polit ical,
economic and socia l decision-making processes to se cure their common
interests;

6. To promote inter-state relations based on justic e, mutual respect and good
neighbourliness to ensure global peace, security an d harmony;

7. To reaffirm its support for the rights of people s as stipulated in the UN Charter
and international law;

8. To support and empower the Palestinian people to exercise their right to self-
determination and establish their sovereign State w ith Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its
capital, while safeguarding its historic and Islami c character as well as the
Holy places therein;

9. To strengthen intra-Isla mic economic and trade c ooperation; in order to
achieve economic integration leading to the establi shment of an Islamic
Common Market;

10. To exert efforts to achieve sustainable and com prehensive human
development and economic well-be ing in Member State s;

11. To disseminate, promote and preserve the Islami c teachings and values based
on moderation and tolerance, promote Islamic cultur e and safeguard Islamic
heritage;

4

12. To protect and defend the true image of Islam, to combat defamation of Isla m
and encourage dialogue among c ivilisations and reli gions;

13. To enhance and develop science and technology a nd encourage research and
cooperation among Member States in these fields;

14. To promote and to protect human rights and fund amental freedoms including
the rights of women, children, youth, elderly and p eople with special needs as
well as the preservation of Isla mic family values;

15. To emphasize, protect and promote the role of t he family as the natural and
fundamental unit of society;

16. To safeguard the rights, dignity and religious and cultural identity of Muslim
communities and minorities in non-Member States;

17. To promote and defend unified position on issue s of common interest in the
international fora;

18. To cooperate in combating terrorism in all its forms and manifestations,
organised crime, illicit drug trafficking, corrupti on, money laundering and
human trafficking;

19. To cooperate and coordinate in humanitarian eme rgencies such as natural
disasters;

20. To promote cooperation in social, cultural and information fields among the
Member States.

Article 2

The Member States undertake that in order to realiz e the objectives in Article 1, they
shall be guided and inspired by the noble Islamic t eachings and values and act in
accordance with the following principles:

1. All Member States commit themselves to the purpo ses and principles of the
United Nations Charter;

2. Member States are sovereign, independent and equ al in rights and obligations;

3. All Member States shall settle their disputes th rough peaceful means and
refrain from use or threat of use of force in their relations;

4. All Me mber States undertake to respect national so vereignty, independence
and territorial integrity of other Member States an d sha ll refrain from
interfering in the internal affairs of others;

5. All Member States undertake to contribute to the maintenance of international
peace and security and to refrain from interfering in each other’s internal
affairs as enshrined in the present Charter, the Ch arter of the United Nations,
international law and international humanitarian la w;

5

6. As mentioned in the UN Charter, nothing contained in the present Charter
shall authorize the Organisation and its Organs to intervene in matters which
are essentially within the domestic jurisdiction of any State or related to it;

7. Member States shall uphold and promote, at the national and international
levels, good governance, democracy, human rights an d fundamental freedoms,
and the rule of law;

8. Member States shall endeavour to protect and pre serve the environment.

CHAPTER II
Membership

Article 3
1. The Organisation is made up of 57 States member of the Organisation of the
Islamic Conference and other States which may acced e to this Charter in
accordance with Article 3 paragraph 2.

2. Any State, member of the United Nations, having Muslim majority and
abiding by the Charter, which submits an applicatio n for me mbership may
join the Organisation if approved by consensus only by the Council of Foreign
Ministers on the basis of the agreed criteria adopt ed by the Council of Foreign
Ministers.

3. Nothing in the present Charter shall undermine t he present Me mber States’
rights or privileges re lating to membership or any other issues.

Article 4
1. Decision on granting Observer status to a State , member of the United
Nations, will be taken by the Council of Foreign Mi nisters by consensus only
and on the basis of the agreed criteria by the Coun cil of Foreign Ministers.

2. Decision on granting Observer status to an inte rnational organisation will be
taken by the Council of Foreign Ministers by consen sus only and on the basis
of the agreed criteria by the Council of Foreign Mi nisters.

CHAPTER III

Organs

Article 5

The Organs of the Organisation of the Isla mic Confe rence shall consist of:

1. Islamic Summit
2. Council of Fore ign Ministers
3. Standing Committees

6

4. Executive Committee
5. International Islamic Court of Justice
6. Independent Permanent Commission of Human Righ ts
7. Committee of Permanent Representatives
8. General Secretariat 9. Subsidiary Organs
10. Specia lized Institutions
11. Affiliated Institutions

CHAPTER IV

Islamic Su mmit

Article 6

The Isla mic Summit is composed of Kings and Heads o f State and Government of
Member States and is the supreme authority of the O rganisation.

Article 7
The Islamic Summit shall deliberate, take policy de cisions and provide guidance on
all issues pertaining to the realization of the obj ectives as provided for in the Charter
and consider other issues of concern to the Member States and the Ummah.

Article 8

1. The Isla mic Summit sha ll convene every three yea rs in one of the Member States.

2.
The Preparation of the Agenda and all necessary arr angements for the convening
of the Summit will be done by the Council of Foreig n Ministers with the
assistance of the General Secretariat.

Article 9

Extraordinary Sessions will be held, whenever the i nterests of Ummah warrant it, to
consider matters of vital importance to the Ummah a nd coordinate the policy of the
Organisation accordingly. An Extraordinary Session may be held at the
recommendation of the Council of Foreign Ministers or on the init iative of one of the
Member States or the Secretary-General, provided th at such init iative obtains the
support of simple majority of the Member States.

CHAPTER V

Council of Foreign Ministers

Article 10

1. The Council of Foreign Ministers shall be conven ed once a year in one of the
Member States.

7

2. An Extraordinary Session of the Council of Fore ign Ministers may be convened at
the initiative of any Member State or of the Secret ary-General if such initiative is
approved by a simple majority of the Member States.

3. The Council of Foreign Ministers may recommend c onvening other sectorial
Ministerial meetings to deal with the specific issu es of concern to the Ummah.
Such meetings shall submit their reports to the Isl amic Summit and the Council of
Foreign Ministers.
4. The Council of Foreign Ministers shall consider the means for the implementation
of the general policy of the Organisation by:
a. Adopting decisions and resolutions on matters of common interest in
the implementation of the objectives and the genera l policy of the
Organisation;
b. Reviewing progress of the implementation of the decisions and
resolutions adopted at the previous Summits and Cou ncils of Fore ign
Ministers;
c. Considering and approving the programme, budget and other financial
and administrative reports of the General Secretari at and Subsidiary
Organs;
d. Considering any issue affecting one or more Me mb er States whenever
a request to that effect by the Member State concer ned is made with a
view to taking appropriate measures in that respect ;

e. Recommending to establish any new organ or commi ttee;

f. Electing the Secretary General and appointing t he Assistant Secretaries
General in accordance with Articles 16 and 18 of th e Charter
respectively;

g. Considering any other issue it deems fit.

CHAPTER VI

Standing Committees

Article 11
1. In order to advance issues of crit ical importanc e to the Organisation and its
Member States, the Organisation has formed the foll owing Standing
Committees:
i. Al Quds Committee

ii. Standing Committee for Information and Cultural Aff airs
(COMIAC)
iii. Standing Committee for Economic and Commercia l
Cooperation (COMCEC)

8

iv. Standing Committee for Scientific and Technolo gical
Cooperation (COMSTECH).

2. The Standing Committees are chaired by Kings and Heads of State and
Government and are established in accordance with d ecisions of the Summit
or upon the recommendation of the Council of Fore ig n Ministers and the
membership of such Committees.
CHAPTER VII

Executive Committee

Article 12

The Executive Committee is comprised of the Chairme n of the current, preceding and
succeeding Islamic Summits and Councils of Foreign Ministers, the host country of
the Headquarters of the General Secretariat as well as the Secretary-General as an ex-
officio me mber. The Meetings of the Executive Commi ttee shall be conducted
according to its Rules of Procedure.
CHAPTER VIII
Committee of Permanent Representatives
Article 13

The prerogatives and modes of operation of the Comm ittee of Permanent
Representatives shall be defined by the Council of Foreign Ministers.

CHAPTER IX

International Islamic Court of Justice

Article 14

The International Isla mic Court of Justice establis hed in Kuwait in 1987 sha ll, upon
the entry into force of its Statute, be the princip al judic ial organ of the Organisation.

CHAPTER X

Independent Permanent Commission on Human Rights

Article 15

The Independent Permanent Commission on Human Right s shall promote the civil,
polit ical, socia l and economic rights enshrined in the organisation’s covenants and
declarations and in universa lly agreed human rights instruments, in conformity with
Islamic values.

9

CHAPTER XI

General Secretariat

Article 16

The General Secretariat shall comprise a Secretary- General, who shall be the Chief
Administrative Officer of the Organisation and such staff as the Organisation requires.
The Secretary-General shall be elected by the Counc il of Foreign Ministers for a
period of five years, renewable once only. The Secr etary-General shall be elected
from among nationals of the Member States in accord ance with the principles of
equitable geographical distribut ion, rotation and e qual opportunity for all Member
States with due consideration to competence, integr ity and experience.

Article 17

The Secretary General shall assume the following re sponsibilit ies:

a. bring to the attention of the competent organs of t he Organisation matters
which, in his opinion, may serve or impair the obje ctives of the Organisation;

b. follow-up the implementation of decisions, resoluti ons and recommendations
of the Islamic Summits, and Councils of Fore ign Min isters and other
Ministerial meetings;
c. provide the Member States with working papers and m emoranda, in
implementation of the decisions, resolutions and re commendations of the
Islamic Summits and the Councils of Foreign Ministe rs;

d. coordinate and harmonize, the work of the relevant Organs of the
Organisation;
e. prepare the programme and the budget of the General Secretariat;

f. promote communication among Me mber States and facil itate consultations
and exchange of views as well as the dissemination of information that could
be of importance to Member States;
g. perform such other functions as are entrusted to hi m by the Islamic Summit or
the Council of Foreign Ministers;

h. submit annual reports to the Council of Foreign Min isters on the work of the
Organisation.

Article 18

1. The Secretary-General shall submit nominations of Assistant Secretaries
General to the Council of Foreign Ministers, for ap pointment, for a period of
5 years in accordance with the principle of equitab le geographical distribut ion

10

and with due regard to the competence, integrity an d dedication to the
objectives of the Charter. One post of Assistant Se cretary General shall be
devoted to the cause of Al-Quds Al-Sharif and Pales tine with the
understanding that the State of Palestine shall des ignate its candidate.

2. The Secretary-General may, for the imple mentatio n of the resolutions and
decisions of the Islamic Summits and the Councils o f Fore ign Ministers,
appoint Special Representatives. Such appointments a long with mandates of
the Special Representatives shall be made with the approval of the Council of
Foreign Ministers.

3. The Secretary-General shall appoint the staff of the General Secretariat from
among nationals of Member States, paying due regard to their competence,
eligibility, integrity and gender in accordance wit h the principle of equitable
geographical distribution. The Secretary-General ma y appoint experts and
consultants on temporary basis.
Article 19

In the performance of their duties, the Secretary-G eneral, Assistant Secretaries
General and the staff of the General Secretariat sh all not seek or accept instructions
from any government or authority other than the Org anisation. They shall refrain from
taking any action that may be detrimental to their position as international officials
responsible only to the Organisation. Member States sha ll respect this exclusive ly
international character, and shall not seek to infl uence them in any way in the
discharge of their duties.

Article 20

The General Secretariat shall prepare the meetings of the Islamic Summits and the
Councils of Fore ign Ministers in close cooperation with the host country insofar as
administrative and organizational matters are conce rned.

Article 21

The Headquarters of the General Secretariat shall b e in the city of Jeddah until the
liberation of the city of Al-Quds so that it will b ecome the permanent Headquarters of
the Organisation.

CHAPTER XII
Article 22
The Organisation may establish Subsidiary Organs, S pecia lized Institutions and grant
affiliated status, after approval of the Council of Fore ign Ministers, in accordance
with the Charter.

11

Subsidiary Organs

Article 23

Subsidiary organs are established within the framew ork of the Organisation in
accordance with the decisions taken by the Islamic Summit or Council of Fore ign
Ministers and their budgets sha ll be approved by th e Council of Foreign Ministers.

CHAPTER XIII
Specialized Institutions

Article 24

Specia lized inst itutions of the Organisation are es tablished within the framework of
the Organisation in accordance with the decisions o f the Islamic Summit or Council
of Foreign Ministers. Membership of the specialized institutions sha ll be optional and
open to members of the Organisation. Their budgets are independent and are
approved by their respective legislative bodies st i pulated in their Statute.

Affiliated Institutions

Article 25

Affiliated institutions are entities or bodies whos e objectives are in line with the
objectives of this Charter, and are recognized as a ffiliated inst itutions by the Council
of Foreign Ministers. Membership of the institution s is optional and open to organs
and institutions of the Member States. Their budget s are independent of the budget of
the General Secretariat and those of subsidiary org ans and specialized institutions.
Affiliated institutions may be granted observer sta tus by virtue of a resolution of the
Council of Foreign Ministers. They may obtain volun tary assistance from the
subsidiary organs or specialized inst itutions as we ll as from Me mber States.

CHAPTER XIV

Cooperation with Islamic and other Organizations

Article 26

The Organisation will enhance its cooperation with the Islamic and other
Organizations in the service of the objectives embo died in the present Charter.

12

CHAPTER XV

Peaceful Settlement of Disputes

Article 27

The Member States, parties to any dispute, the cont inuance of which may be
detrimental to the interests of the Islamic Ummah o r may endanger the maintenance
of international peace and security, shall, seek a solution by good offices, negotiation,
enquiry, mediation, conciliation, arbitration, judi c ial settlement or other peaceful
means of their own choice. In this context good off ices may include consultation with
the Executive Committee and the Secretary-General.
Article 28

The Organisation may cooperate with other internati onal and regional organisations
with the objective of preserving international peac e and security, and settling disputes
through peaceful means.

CHAPTER XVI

Budget & Finance

Article 29

1. The budget of the General Secretariat and Subsid iary Organs shall be borne by
Member States proportionate to their national incom es.

2. The Organisation may, with the approval of the I slamic Summit or the Council
of Foreign Ministers, establish special funds and e ndowments (waqfs) on
voluntary basis as contributed by Member States, in dividuals and
Organisations.These funds and endowments sha ll be s ubjected to the
Organisation’s financial system and sha ll be audite d by the Finance Control
Organ annually.

Article 30

The General Secretariat
and subsidiary organs sha ll administer their financial affairs
according to the Financial Rules of Procedure appro ved by the Council of Fore ign
Ministers.
Article 31

1. A Permanent Finance Committee shall be set up by the Council of Fore ign
Ministers from the accredited representatives of th e participating Member
States which shall meet at the Headquarters of the Organisation to finalize the
programme and budget of the General Secretariat and its subsidiary organs in
accordance with the rules approved by the Council o f Foreign Ministers.

13

2. The Permanent Finance Committee shall present an annual report to the
Council of Fore ign Ministers which sha ll consider a nd approve the programme
and budget.

3.
The Finance Control Organ comprising financial/audi t ing experts from the
Member States shall undertake the audit of the Gene ral Secretariat and its
subsidiary organs in accordance with its internal r ules and regulations.

CHAPTER XVII
Rules of Procedure and Voting

Article 32

1. The Council of Foreign Ministers shall adopt its own rules of procedure.

2. The Council of Fore ign Ministers sha ll reco mmend the rules of procedures of
the Islamic Summit.

3. The Standing Committees shall establish their ow n respective rules of
procedure.
Article 33

1. Two-third of the Member States shall constitute the quorum for the meetings
of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference.

2. Decisions shall be taken by consensus. If consen sus cannot be obtained,
decision shall be taken by a two-third majority of members present and voting
unless otherwise stipulated in this Charter.

CHAPTER XVIII

Final Provisions
Privileges and Immunities

Article 34

1. The Organisation sha ll enjoy in the Member State s, immunit ies and privile ges
as necessary for the exercise of its functions and the fulfilment of its
objectives.

2. Representatives of the Member States and officia ls of the Organisation shall
enjoy such privileges and immunities as st ipulated in the Agreement on
Privile ges and Immunities of 1976.

3. The staff of the General Secretariat, subsidiary organs and specialised
institutions shall enjoy privile ges and immunities necessary for the

14

performance of their duties as may be agreed betwee n the Organisation and
host
countries.

4. A Member State which is in arrears in the paymen t of its financial
contributions to the Organization shall have no vot e in the Council of Foreign
Ministers if the amount of its arrears equals or ex ceeds the amount of the
contributions due from it for the preceding two ful l years. The Council may,
nevertheless, permit such a Member to vote if it is satisfied that the failure to
pay is due to conditions beyond the control of the Member.

Withdrawal

Article 35
1. Any Member State may withdraw from the Organisat ion by notifying the
Secretary-General one year prior to its withdrawal. Such a notification shall be
communicated to all Member States.

2. The State applying for withdrawal shall be bound by its obligations until the
end of the fiscal year during which the application for withdrawal is
submitted. It shall also settle any other financial dues it owes to the
Organisation.

Amendments

Article 36

Amendments to the present Charter shall take place according to the following
procedure: a. Any Member State may propose amendments to the present Charter to
the Council of Foreign Ministers;

b. When approved by two-third majority of the Coun cil of Fore ign
Ministers and ratified by a two-third majority of t he Member States, it
shall come into force.

Interpretation

Article 37
1. Any dispute that may arise in the interpretation , application or implementation
of any Article in the present Charter shall be sett led cordially, and in all cases
through consultation, ne gotiation, reconciliation o r arbitration;

2. The provisions of this Charter shall be implemen ted by the Member States in
conformity with their constitutional require ments.

15

Article 38

Languages of the Organisation shall be Arabic, Engl ish and French.

Transitional Arrangement

RATIFICATION AND ENTRY INTO FORCE

Article 39
1. This Charter shall be adopted by the Council of Foreign Ministers by two-third
majority and shall be open for signature and ratifi cation by Member States in
accordance with the constitutional procedures of ea ch Member State.

2. The instruments of ratification shall be deposit ed with the Secretary General
of the Organisation.

3- This Charter replaces the Charter of the Organis ation of the Islamic
Conference which was registered in conformity with Article 102 of the
Charter of the United Nations on February 1, 1974.

Done at the city of Dakar (Republic of Senegal), th e Seventh day of Rabi Al-Awal,
One Thousand Four Hundred and Twenty-nine Hijra, co rresponding to Fourteenth
day of March Two Thousand and Eight.
OIC-CHART ER-FINAL-miscdoc-ah -08