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Makkah,
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia- SPA-Dulkedah,6 1426- December,8 2005(IINA)
Based on the views and recommendations of scholars and intellectuals,
convinced of the potential for the Muslim Ummah to achieve its renaissance,
and in order to take practical steps towards strengthening the bonds of
Islamic solidarity, achieve unity of ranks, and project the true image and
noble values of Islam, a Ten-Year program of Action has been developed, which
reviews the most prominent challenges facing the Muslim world today, as well
as ways and means to address them in an objective and realistic way in order
to serve as a practicable and workable program for all OIC member states.
In the intellectual and political fields, there are major issues, such as
establishing the values of moderation and tolerance, combating extremism,
violence and terrorism, countering Islamophobia, achieving solidarity and
cooperation among member states, conflict prevention, the question of
Palestine, the rights of Muslim minorities and communities, and rejecting
unilateral sanctions. All of these are issues which require a renewed
commitment to be addressed through effective strategies.
In the economic and scientific fields, the Ummah needs to achieve higher
levels of development and prosperity, given its abundant economic resources
and capacities. Priority must be given to enhancing economic cooperation,
intra-OIC trade, alleviating poverty in OIC member states, particularly in
conflict-affected areas, and addressing issues related to globalization,
economic liberalization, environment, and science and technology.
As for education and culture, there is an urgent need to tackle the spread of
illiteracy and low standards of education at all levels as well as a need to
redress ideological deviation. In the social field, it is imperative to focus
on the rights of women, children and the family.
In implementing the new vision and goals for the Muslim world, the role of
the OIC is central, which requires its reform in a way that meets the hopes
and aspirations of the Ummah in the 21st century.
To achieve this new vision and mission for a brighter, more prosperous and
dignified future for the Ummah, we, the Kings and Heads of State of the OIC
member states, decide to adopt the following Ten-Year Program of Action, with
a mid-term review, for immediate implementation.
1. Intellectual and political issues
I. Political Will
1. Demonstrate the necessary political will in order to translate the
anticipated new vision into concrete reality and call upon the Secretary
General to take necessary steps to submit practical proposals to the Islamic
Conference of Foreign Ministers.
2. Urge member states to fully implement the provisions of the OIC charter
and resolutions.
II. Solidarity, joint Islamic action
1. Demonstrate strong commitment and credibility in Joint Islamic Action by
effective implementation of OIC resolutions, and limit the adoption of
resolutions to those that can be practically implemented. In this context,
the Secretary General should be empowered to fully play his role in following
up the implementation of all OIC resolutions.
2. Affirm commitment to Islamic solidarity among the OIC member states
vis-à-vis the challenges and threats faced or experienced by the Muslim Ummah,
and endeavor to develop a legal framework to define member states duties and
obligations in this regard.
3. Participate and coordinate effectively in all regional and international
forums, in order to protect and promote the collective interests of the Muslim
Ummah, including UN reform, expanding the Security Council membership, and
extending the necessary support to candidatures of OIC member states to
international and regional organizations.
4. Continue to support the issue of Al Quds Al Sharif as a central cause of
the OIC and the Muslim Ummah, and support the struggle of Muslim peoples to
safeguard their legitimate rights.
III. Moderation in Islam
1. Endeavor to spread the correct ideas about Islam as a religion of
moderation and tolerance in order to fortify Muslims against extremism and
narrow-mindedness.
2. Condemn extremism in all its forms and manifestations, as it contradicts
Islamic and human values; and address its political, economic, social, and
cultural root-causes, which are to be faced with rationality, persuasion, and
good counsel.
3. Emphasize the inter-civilizational dialogue, based on mutual respect and
understanding, and equality are prerequisites for international peace and
security, peaceful co-existence, and participation in developing the
mechanism for that dialogue.
4. Encourage inter-religious dialogue and underline common values and
denominators.
5. Ensure the OIC s participation as a proactive partner in the dialogue
among civilizations and religions, as well as in initiatives and efforts
exerted in this regard.
6. Utilize the different mass media in order to serve and defend the causes
of the Muslim Ummah, promote the noble principles and values of Islam, and
correct misconceptions about it.
7. Strive for the teaching of Islamic education, culture, civilization, and
the jurisprudence and literature of difference; call on member states to
co-operate amongst themselves in order to develop balanced educational
curricula that promote values of tolerance, human rights, openness, and understanding
of other religions and cultures; reject fanaticism and extremism, and
establish pride in the Islamic identity.
IV. The Islamic Fiqh Academy (IFA)
1. Reform the Islamic Fiqh Academy to make it the supreme jurisprudential
authority for the Muslim Ummah, adopt competence and jurisprudential,
scholarly, and professional aptitude as criteria for the membership of the
IFA; and mandate the OIC Secretary-General to convene eminent persons to
select the working group that will conduct the detailed study to develop the
IFA s work in accordance with the following objectives:
a. Coordinate religious ruling 9fatwa) authorities in the Muslim world.
b. Combat religious and sectarian extremism, refrain from accusing Islamic
schools of heresy, emphasize dialogue among them, and strengthen balance,
moderation, and tolerance.
c. Refute fatwas that take Muslims away from the parameters and constants of
their religion and its established schools.
V. Combating terrorism
1. Emphasize the condemnation of terrorism in all its forms, and reject any
justification or rationalization for it, consider it as a global phenomenon
that is not connected with any religion, race, color, or country, and
distinguish it from the legitimate resistance to foreign occupation, which does
not sanction the killing of innocent people.
2. Introduce comprehensive qualitative changes to national laws and
legislations in order to criminalize all terrorist practices as well as all
practices to support, finance, or instigate terrorism.
3. Affirm commitment to the OIC convention on combating terrorism participate
actively in international counter-terrorism efforts, and endeavor to
implement the recommendations of the International Conference on Combating
Terrorism, held in Riyadh in February 2005, including the establishment of an
International Center for Combating Terrorism, as well as the recommendations
of the Special Meeting of OIC Foreign Ministers on Terrorism, held in Kuala
Lumpur in April 2002.
4. Support efforts to develop an International Code of Conduct to Combat
Terrorism.
VI. Combating Islamophobia
1. Emphasize the responsibility of the international community, including all
governments, to ensure respect for all religions and combat their defamation.
2. Affirm the need to counter Islamophobia, through establishing an
observatory at the OIC General Secretariat to monitor all forms of
Islamophobia, issue an annual report thereon, and ensure cooperation with
international Non-Governmental Organization (NGOs) in the West in order to
counter Islamophobia.
3. Endeavor to have the United Nations adopt an international resolution to
counter Islamophobia, and call upon all States to enact laws to counter it,
including deterrent punishments.
4. Initiate a structured and sustained dialogue with the parties concerned in
order to project the true values of Islam and empower Muslim countries to
help in the war against extremism and terrorism.
VII. Human Rights
1. Seriously endeavor to enlarge the scope of political participation, ensure
equality, public liberties, social justice, transparency, and accountability,
and eliminate corruption in the OIC member states.
2. Call upon the Islamic Conference of Foreign Ministers to consider the
possibility of establishing an independent permanent body to promote human
rights in the member states, in accordance with the provisions of the Cairo
Declaration on Human Rights in Islam.
3. Mandate the OIC general secretariat to cooperate with other international
and regional organizations to protect the rights of Muslim minorities and
communities in non-OIC member states, and promote close cooperation with the
governments of the states hosting Muslim communities.
VIII. Palestine and occupied Arab territories
1. Make all efforts to end the Israeli occupation of Arab and Palestinian
territories occupied since 1967, including East Jerusalem, the Syrian Golan,
and the rest of the occupied Lebanese territories, and extend effective
support for the Palestinian people s right to self-determination and the
establishment of their independent state with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its
capital.
2. Maintain a united stand on the comprehensive resolution of the Palestinian
question according to OIC resolutions, UN resolutions (242, 338, 1515 and UN
General Assembly Resolution 194), the Arab Peace Initiative, and the Roadmap,
in concert and consultation with the UN, the Quartet, and other stakeholders,
such as to make full withdrawal as a prerequisite for establishing normal
relations with Israel, and for providing the OIC with a greater role in
establishing peace.
3. Support the efforts of Al-Quds Committee in protecting the Palestinian
presence in Al-Quds and safeguarding the city of Al-Quds heritage and Arab
and Islamic identity, affirm the sanctity of Al-Aqsa Mosque and its
facilities against any violations, counter the policy of judaization of the
Holy City, and support the Palestinian institutions in Al-Quds and establish
the University of Al-Aqsa.
4. Extend full support to the Palestinian Authority in its efforts to
negotiate for the inalienable Palestinian rights and extend necessary
assistance to ensure control of all Palestinian territories, international
crossings, reopen Gaza airport and seaport, and connect Gaza with the West
Bank in order to ensure free movement of the Palestinians.
5. Work together wit the international community to compel Israel to stop and
dismantle its settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories and the
occupied Syrian Golan; remove the racist separation wall built inside the
Palestinian territories, including within and around the city of Al-Quads, in
accordance with the relevant UN resolutions and the opinion of the
International Court of Justice (ICJ).
IX. Conflict resolution and peace building
1. Enhance cooperation among the OIC member states and between the OIC and
international and regional organizations in order to protect the common
rights and interests of the member states in conflict resolution and in
peacekeeping and confidence building.
2. Strengthen the role of the OIC in confidence-building, peacekeeping and
conflict resolution in the Muslim world.
X. Reform of the OIC
1. Reform the OIC through restructuring, and consider changing its name,
review its Charter and activities and provide it with highly qualified
manpower, in such a manner as to promote its role, reactivate its
institutions and strengthen its relations with NGOs in the OIC member states;
empower the secretary-general to discharge his duties and provide him with
the necessary powers and sufficient flexibility and the resources that enable
him to carry out the tasks assigned to him.
2. Establish a mechanism for the follow-up of resolutions by creating an
Executive Body, comprising and the summit and Ministerial Troikas the OIC
host country, and the General Secretariat. The Member State concerned should
be invited to participate in the deliberations of these meetings.
3. Call for strengthening all OIC specialized and affiliated organs in order
to play their aspired role, and reinforce coordination with the General
Secretariat, and request it to review the activities of these organs and
dissolve those that prove to be inefficient.
4. Mandate the Secretary General to prepare a study to strengthen the role of
Islamic Solidarity Fund and develop Fund and develop it, and submit the study
to the Islamic Conference of Foreign Ministers.
5. Urge Member States to pay in full and on time their mandatory
contributions to the General Secretariat and Subsidiary Organs, in accordance
with relevant resolutions, in order to enable Member States to avail
themselves of the facilities and services offered by OIC subsidiary organs
and specialized and affiliated institutions.
2. Development, social economic and scientific issues
i-Economic Cooperation
Call upon the Member States to sign and ratify all existing OIC trade and
economic agreements, and to Implement the provisions of the relevant OIC Plan
of Action to Strengthen Economic and Commercial Cooperation among OIC Member
State.
. Mandate COMCEC to promote measures to expand the scope of intra-OIC trade,
and to consider the possibility of establishing a Free Trade Zone between the
Member State in order to achieve greater economic integration to raise it to
a percentage of 20% of the overall trade volume during the period covered by
the plan.
Promote endeavors for institutionalized and enhanced cooperation between OIC
and regional and international institutions working in the economic and
commercial fields.
Support OIC Member States in their efforts to accede to the World trade
Organization (WTO), and promote concerted positions between the member States
within the WTO.
Call upon the OIC Member States to facilitate the freedom of movement of
businessmen and investors among them, and conduct a feasibility study on the
Draft Makkah Visa Agreement for Businessmen proposed by the Islamic Chamber
for Commerce and Industry.
Support expanding electronic commerce among the OIC Member States and call on
the Islamic Chamber of Commerce and Industry to strengthen its activities in
the field of data and expertise exchanges between chambers of commerce of the
member States.
Call upon the Member States to coordinate their environmental for a so as to
prevent any adverse effects of such policies on their economic development.
II. Supporting the Islamic Development Bank
Consider achieving development programmes, eliminating illiteracy for both
genders, eradicating diseases and epidemics, particularly Polio and AIDS, and
combating poverty and unemployment, as urgent strategic objectives of he
Muslim Ummah; strive also to mobilize all available resources in order to
achieve these objectives by establishing an IDB special fund. As a concrete
expression of the unity and interdependence of the Muslim World, each OIC
Member State should allocate an annual percentage of its budget, according to
its financial resources, however little it may be. The IDB Board of Governors
should be entrusted to implement the above proposals.
Commission the IDB Board of Governors to consider making a substantial
increase in the Bank s authorized, subscribed, and paid-up capital, so as to
enable it to strengthen its role in providing financial support and technical
assistance to OIC member States, and strengthen the Islamic Corporation for
Trade Finance recently established within the IDB
Urge the IDB to develop its mechanisms and programmes aimed at cooperation
with the private sector and to consider streamlining and activating its
decision-making process.
Urge the IDB and its institutions to study and explore investment
opportunities and intra-OIC t4rade, and to conduct other feasibility studies
to provide the necessary information to develop0 and promote joint ventures.
III. Social solidarity in the face of natural disasters
Islam advocates solidarity with, and assistance to all the needy without
discrimination, which requires the Islamic States to avoid and adopt a clear
strategy on Islamic relief action and support the trend towards cooperation
and coordination between individual relief efforts of Islamic States and
Islamic civil society institutions on the one hand, and between those of
international civil society institutions and organizations on the other hand.
IV. Supporting development and poverty alleviation in Africa.
Promote activities aimed at achieving economic and social development in African
countries, including supporting industrialization, energizing trade and
investment, transferring technology, alleviating their debt burden and
poverty, and eradicating diseases; welcome the New Economic Partnership for
African Development (NEPAD).
Call upon the Member States to poverty in the Least-Developed Member States
of the OIC.
Support the efforts of the Low-income OIC Members States to find effective
ways and mechanisms to alleviate their external debt burden.
Urge international specialized institutions and organizations to exert
greater efforts to alleviate poverty in the Least- Developed Member States
and assist Muslim societies, the refugees and displaced in the OIC Member
States, and Muslim Minorities and Communities in non-OIC Member States to
contribute to the World Fund for Solidarity and Combating Poverty.
V. Higher Education, Science and Technology.
Effectively improve and reform higher education institutions and curricula,
link postgraduate studies to the comprehensive development plans of the
Islamic World. At the same time, priority should be given to science and
technology and facilitating academic interaction and exchange of knowledge
among the academic institutions of Members States.
Urge the member States to strive for quality education that promotes
creativity, innovation, and research and development.
Assimilate highly-qualified Muslims within the Muslim World, develop a
comprehensive strategy in order to utilize their competencies and prevent
brain migration phenomenon.
Call upon Islamic countries to encourage research and development programmes,
taking into account that the global percentage of this activity is 2% of the
Gross Domestic Product (GDP), and request Member States to ensure that their
individual contribution is not inferior to half of this percentage.
Study feasibility of creating an OIC Award for Outstanding Scientific
Achievements by Muslim scientists.
Encourage public and private national research institution to invest I
technology capacity-building.
Review the performance of the OIC-affiliated universities so as to improve
their effectiveness and efficiency, and call for participation in the two
Waqfs (Endowments) dedicated t the two universities in Niger and Uganda.
Urge the IDB to further enhance its programme of scholarships for outstanding
students and HI-Tech specializations aimed at developing the scientific,
technical, and research capabilities of scientists and researchers in the
Members States.
VI. Right of Women, Children, and the Family in the Muslim World.
Strengthen laws aimed at enhancing the advancement of women in Muslim
societies in economic, cultural, social, and political fields, in accordance
with Islamic values of justice and equality: and aimed also at protecting
women from all forms of violence and discrimination and adhering to the
provisions of the Convention on the Elimination of all forms of
Di8scrimination against Women.
Give special attention to women s education and female literacy.
Expedite developing The Covenant on the Rights of Women in Islam , in
accordance with Resolution NO. 60/27-P and the Cairo Declaration on Human
Rights in Islam.
Strive to provide free, compulsory, and quality primary education for all
children.
Strength laws aimed at preserving the rights of children, enjoying the
highest possible health levels, taking effective measures in order to
eradicate poliomyelitis and protect them from all forms of violence and
exploitation
Encourage the Member States to sign and ratify the OIC Covenant on the Rights
of the Child in Islam, the United Nations Deceleration on the Rights of the
Child in Islam, the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and its annexed
Optional Protocols, and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of
Discrimination against Women and its Optional Protocol with regard to the
Girl Child.
Call upon the OIC to contribute towards projecting Islam as a religion that
guarantees full protection of women s rights and encourages their
participation in all walks of life.
Accord necessary attention to the family as the principal nucleus of the
Muslim society, exert all possible efforts, at all levels, to face up to the
contemporary social challenges confronting the Muslim family and affecting
its cohesion, on the basis of Islamic values.
VII. Mass Media
Call upon TV channels and the mass media to deal with in International mass
media effectively in order to enable the Muslim world to express its
perspective on international developments.
Call on the mass media in Member States, including satellite channels, to agree
on a Code of Ethics that caters for diversity and pluralism and safeguards
the Ummah s values and interests.
Mandate the Secretary-General too prepare a report to evaluate the current
situation of IINA, ISBO, and the OIC information Development; consider ways
and means to activate the role and mechanisms of the media within the
framework of the OIC System; and submit proposals, in this regards, to the
Islamic Conference of Information Ministers for consideration.
VIII. Cultural Exchange among Member States
1. Accord attention to Arabic as the language of Qur an develop programmes
for translation between the languages of the Muslim Ummah, and implement
programs of cultural exchanges among the OIC Member States, including
Observer States
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