Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC)

Purpose

Safeguard the interests of the Muslim world, promote solidarity among member states, and advance cooperation in political, economic, cultural and scientific fields.

Members:

57 member states

Headquarters:

Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

History

The OIC was founded in 1969 (originally as the Organisation of Islamic Conference) following a summit held in Rabat, Morocco, in response to the burning of the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, and is the second-largest intergovernmental organization in the world after the UN.

Structure

• Islamic Summit (Heads of State/Government)
• Council of Foreign Ministers
• General Secretariat, headed by the Secretary-General

Key facts

• Represents the collective voice of the Muslim world and regularly addresses issues such as Palestine, Kashmir and Islamophobia
• Current Secretary-General: Hissein Brahim Taha (Chad), since 2021

Pakistan's relationship

Founding member (1969); has hosted multiple OIC summits, including the landmark 1974 Lahore Islamic Summit and the 1997 Islamabad summit.