Charter of the OIC (The Organization of the Islamic Conference)

The Representatives of The Kingdom of Afghanistan, the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, the State of the United Arab Emirates, the State of Bahrain, the Republic of Chad, the Arab Republic of Egypt, The Republic of Guinea, the Republic of Indonesia, the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the State of Kuwait, the Republic of Lebanon, the Libyan Arab Republic, Malaysia, the Republic of Mali, the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, the Kingdom of Morocco, the Republic of Niger, the Sultanate of Oman, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the State of Qatar, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Republic of Senegal, the Republic of Sierra Leone, the Somali Republic, the Democratic Republic of Sudan, the Syrian Arab Republic, the Republic of Tunisia, the Republic of Turkey, and the Yemen Arab Republic, meeting in Jeddah from 14 to 18 Muharram, 1392H (29 February - 4 March, 1972); (30 members).

REFERRING to the Conference of the Kings and Heads of State and Government of Islamic countries held in Rabat, 9 - 12 Rajab, 1389 (22 - 25 September 1969);
RECALLING the First Islamic Conference of Foreign Ministers held in Jeddah, 15 - 17 Muharram 1390 (23 - 25 March, 1970), and the Second Islamic Conference of Foreign Ministers held in Karachi, 27 - 29 Shawal 1390 (26 - 28 December, 1970);
CONVINCED that their common belief constitutes a strong factor for rapprochement and solidarity among Islamic people;
RESOLVED to preserve Islamic spiritual, ethical, social and economic values, which will remain one of the important factors of achieving progress for mankind;
REAFFIRMING their commitment to the United Nations Charter and fundamental Human Rights , the purposes and principles of which provide the basis for fruitful cooperation among all people;
DETERMINED to consolidate the bonds of the prevailing brotherly and spiritual friendship among their people, and to protect their freedom, and the common legacy of their civilization restoring particularly on the principles of justice, tolerance and non-discrimination;
IN THEIR ENDEAVOR to enhance human well-being, progress and freedom everywhere and resolved to unite their efforts in order to secure universal peace which ensures security, freedom and justice for their people and all people throughout the world.
APPROVES the present Charter of the Islamic Conference:-

ARTICLE I
The Islamic Conference:
The Member States do hereby establish the Organization of "The Islamic Conference".


ARTICLE II
Objectives and Principles:
A) Objectives:
The objectives of the Islamic Conference shall be
• to promote Islamic solidarity among Member States;
• to consolidate cooperation among Member States in the economic, social, cultural, scientific and other vital fields of activities, and to carry out consultations among Member States in international organizations;
• to endeavor to eliminate racial segregation, discrimination and to eradicate colonialism in all its forms;
• to take necessary measures to support international peace and security founded on justice;
• to coordinate efforts for the safeguarding of the Holy Places and support of the struggle of the people of Palestine, to help them regain their rights and liberate their land;
• to back the struggle of all Muslim people with a view to preserving their dignity, independence and national rights;
• to create a suitable atmosphere for the promotion of cooperation and understanding among Member States and other countries.
B) Principles:
The Member States decide and undertake that, in order to realize the objectives mentioned in the previous paragraph, they shall be inspired and guided by the following principles:-
• total equality between Member States;
• respect of the right of self-determination, and non-interference in the domestic affairs of Member States;
• respect of the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of each Member States;
• settlement of any conflict that may arise by peaceful means such as negotiation, mediation, reconciliation or arbitration;
• abstention from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity, national unity or political independence of any Member States.


ARTICLE III Conference bodies:
The Islamic Conference is made up of:-
1. the Conference of Kings and Heads of State and Government
2. the Conference of Foreign Ministers, and
3. the General Secretariat and Subsidiary Organs.


ARTICLE IV
Conference of Kings and Heads of State:
The Conference of Kings and Heads of State and Government is the supreme authority in the Organization.
The Islamic Summit Conference shall convene periodically, once every three years.
It shall also be held whenever the interest of Muslim Nations warrants it, to consider matters of vital importance to the Muslims and coordinate the policy of the Organization accordingly.


ARTICLE V
Conference of Foreign Ministers:
Conference sessions:

1.
a) The Islamic Conference shall be convened once a year of whenever the need arises at the level of Ministers of Foreign Affairs or their officially accredited representatives. The sessions shall be held in any one of the Member States.

b) An extraordinary session may be convened at the request of any Member State or at the request of the Secretary General, if approved by two-thirds of the Member States. The request may be circulated to all Member States in order to obtain the required approval; and
c) The Conference of Foreign Ministers has the right to recommend the convening of a Conference of Heads of State or Government. The approval can be obtained for such a Conference by circulating the request to all Member States.

2. The Islamic Conference of Foreign Ministers shall be held for the following purposes:-
a) To consider the means of implementing the general policy of the Conference.

b) To review progress in the implementation of resolutions adopted at previous sessions.

c) To adopt resolutions on matters of common interest in accordance with the aims and objectives of the Conference set forth in this Charter.

d) To discuss the report of the Financial Committee and approve the budget of the Secretariat General.

e)
1. To appoint the Secretary General.
2. To appoint four Assistants to the Secretary General on recommendation of the Secretary General; (The post of a fourth Assistant Secretary General will be for the cause of Al-Quds Al-Sharif and Palestine), and
In recommending his Assistants, the Secretary General shall duly take competence, integrity and duly take into consideration their dedication to the Charter's objectives as well as the principle of equitable geographical distribution.
f) To fix the date and venue of the coming Conference of Foreign Ministers;
g) To consider any issue affecting one or more of the Member States whenever a request to that effect is made with a view to taking appropriate measures in that respect

3. Resolutions or recommendations of the Conference of Foreign Ministers shall be adopted by a two-third majority.

4. Two-thirds of the Member States in any session of the Conference of Foreign Ministers shall constitute the quorum.

5. The Conference of Foreign Ministers decides on the basic procedures which it follows and which could be good for the Conference of Kings and Heads of State and Government. It appoints a Chairman for each session. This procedure is also applied in subsidiary organs set up by the Conference of Kings and Heads of State and Government and also by the Conference of Foreign Ministers.

ARTICLE VI
The General Secretariat:
1. The General Secretariat shall be headed by a Secretary General appointed by the Foreign Ministers Conference for a period of four years renewable once only.
2. The Secretary General shall appoint the staff of the General Secretariat from amongst nations of Member States, paying due regard to their competence and integrity, and in accordance with the principle of equitable geographical distribution.
3. In the performance of their duties, the Secretary General, his Assistants, and the staff of the General Secretariat, shall not seek or receive instructions from any government or authority other than the Conference. They shall refrain from taking any action that may be detrimental to their position as international officials responding only to the Conference. Member States undertake to respect this quality and the nature of their responsibilities, and shall not seek to influence them in any way in the discharge of their duties.
4. The Secretariat General shall work to promote communication among Member States and provide facilities for consultations and exchange of views as well as the dissemination of information that may have common significance to these States.
5. The headquarters of the Secretariat General shall be in Jeddah pending the liberation of "Baitul Maqdis" (Jerusalem).
6. The General Secretariat shall follow up the implementation of the resolutions and recommendations of the Conference and report back to the Conference. It shall also directly supply the Member States with working papers and memoranda through appropriate channels, within the framework of the resolutions and recommendations of the Conference.
7. The General Secretariat shall prepare the meetings of the Conference in close cooperation with the host states insofar as administrative and organizational matters are concerned.
8. In the light of the agreement on immunities and privileges to be approved by the Conference:
a) The Conference shall enjoy, in the Member States, such legal capacity, immunities and privileges as may be necessary for the exercise of its functions and the fulfillment of its objectives.
b) Representatives of Member States shall enjoy such immunities and privileges as may be necessary for the exercise of their functions related to the Conference; and

The Staff of the Conference shall enjoy the immunities and privileges necessary for the performance of their duties as may be decided by the Conference.

ARTICLE VII Finance:
• All expenses on the administration and activities of the Secretariat shall be borne by Member States proportionate to their national incomes.
• The Secretariat shall administer its financial affairs according to the rules of procedure approved by the Conference of Foreign Ministers.
• A Standing Financial Committee shall be set up by the Conference from the accredited representatives of the participating States, and shall meet at the Headquarters of the General Secretariat. This Committee shall in conjunction with the Secretary General, prepare and supervise the budget of the General Secretariat in accordance with the regulations approved by the Conference of Foreign Ministers.
ARTICLE VIII
Membership:
The Organization of the Islamic Conference is made up of the States which took part in the Conference of Kings and Heads of State and Government held in Rabat and the two Foreign Ministers' Conferences held in Jeddah and Karachi, and signatory to the present Charter. Every Muslim State is eligible to join the Islamic Conference on submitting an application expressing its desire and preparedness to adopt this Charter. The application shall be deposited with the General Secretariat, to be brought before the Foreign Ministers' Conference at its first meeting after the submission of the application. Membership shall take effect as of the time of approval of the Conference by a two-third majority of the Conference members.


ARTICLE IX
Islamic Organization:
The General Secretariat shall act within the frame-work of the present Charter with the approval of the Conference to consolidate relations between the Islamic Conference and the Islamic Organizations of international character and to bolster cooperation in the service of the Islamic objectives approved by this Charter.



CHARTER X
Withdrawal:
Any Member State may withdraw from the Islamic Conference by sending a written notification to the Secretariat General, to be communicated to all Member States.

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

ARTICLE XI
Amendment:
Amendment to this Charter shall be made, if approved and ratified by a two-third majority of the Member States.

ARTICLE XII
Interpretation:
Any dispute that may arise in the interpretation, application or implementation of any Article in the present Charter shall be settled peacefully, and in all cases through consultations, negotiations, reconciliation or arbitration.

ARTICLE XIII
Language: Languages of the Conference shall be Arabic, English and French.

ARTICLE XIV
Ratification:
This Charter shall be approved and ratified by Member States of the Organization of the Islamic Conference in accordance with the procedure prevailing in their respective countries. This Charter goes into effect as of the date of deposition of the instruments of ratification with the General Secretariat by a simple majority of the States having participated in the Third Islamic Conference of Foreign Ministers held in Jeddah from 14 to 18 Muharram 1392 (29 February - 4 March, 1972).
This Charter has been registered in conformity with Article 102 of the United Nation’s Charter on February 1st, 1974.