The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) region consists of more than 1.6 billion Muslims and one third of it is constituted by youth. The main raison d’être of the OIC Youth Capital International Programme is to provide a yearlong stage to foster cooperation among the Member States in the field of youth policy as well as enhance Muslim youth solidarity, fostering inter-cultural diversity and the spirit of “unity” of youth from the OIC geography through various activities. The Programme is envisaged to encompass a chain of activities and events in the field of culture, academic life, youth leadership, entertainment, sports (e-games/e-sports), and youth capacity building within the understanding that the interests and benefits of Muslim youth are celebrated all year long.
- To contribute to the development of youth work and youth policies in the OIC Member States;
- To establish a vibrant space where Muslim youth can come together, build meaningful relationships, and strengthen their sense of solidarity;
- To create a learning environment for the youth with different cultural and geographical backgrounds through enhanced cooperation;
- To provide a platform for the Muslim youth to introduce and promote their cultures and traditions innovatively and creatively;
- To promote the active citizenship of Muslim youth from various parts of the world that has different cultures but common values;
- To strengthen the brotherly ties and promote the spirit of unity;
- To promote active youth participation through social, cultural, artistic, and academic activities.
The Implementing Agency is ICYF and responsible for the development of the Programme’s implementation procedure and supervision of its realization. ICYF cooperates with the OIC Member States and relevant OIC organs within the framework of the Programme’s other implementation instruments.
Each OIC Member State may propose candidate city or cities to the General Secretariat of the OIC and the ICYF Secretariat, nominating them as candidates for the title of “OIC Youth Capital City.” To be eligible, these cities must fulfill the following requirements:
The Member State will submit:
- The filled in, duly signed and stamped “Application form” (Annex 1);
- The “Support Letter” signed by the Mayor/Governor of the town or city that shows interest in running and hosting “The OIC Youth Capital City”. Submitting the above-said support letter by the Member State is not obligatory but strongly recommended.
The submitting agency is kindly expected to submit the application in one of the OIC’s official languages (Arabic, English, or French.)
There should be a minimum of 10 activities targeting minimum 1000 young people scheduled for the year, and the diversification of the activities should be as follows:
- Minimum of 2 Cultural Events
- Minimum of 1 Academic Event
- Minimum 1 Entertainments
- Minimum 1 Social Events
- Minimum 1 Sport Events
- Minimum 1 Intercultural Dialogue Event
- Minimum 3 Youth Leadership and Capacity-Building Events
For further inquiries, kindly email oicyouthcapital@icyforum.org