INTRODUCTION

Introduction

  1. The OIC Youth Capital International Programme was initiated by the Islamic Cooperation Youth Forum (ICYF), an international institution affiliated to the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), at its 2nd General Assembly held on 9-11 October 2014 in Istanbul, Türkiye and approved by the 42nd Session of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) held on 27-28 May 2015 in Kuwait. [OIC CFM Res. No.: 8/42-C (b)]. Recently, the 15th Session of the Islamic Summit Conference, which is the supreme authority of the OIC, held on 4-5 May 2024 in Banjul, The Gambia, has commended the ICYF due to its successful projects such as the OIC Youth Capital International Programme [Final Communiqué, para. 181].
  2. The 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.
  3. The city of Istanbul (Türkiye) was honored by being selected as the First OIC Youth Capital, which was implemented between May 2015 and May 2016. According to the resolutions No.OIC/ICYSM-3/2016/R9-Y and 8/43-C adopted respectively by the 3rd Session of the Islamic Conference of Youth and Sports Ministers held on 5-7 October 2016 in Istanbul, and the 43rd Session of the OIC CFM held on 18-19 October 2016 in Tashkent, Uzbekistan,  the cities of Putrajaya (Malaysia), Shiraz (Iran), and Fez (Morocco) have been welcomed as the hosts of the OIC Youth Capital 2017. The selection of Al-Quds Al-Sharif (Palestine) as the OIC Youth Capital 2018 has been applauded by the 45th Session of the OIC CFM held on 05-06 May 2018 in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The city of Doha (Qatar) has been selected as the OIC Youth Capital 2019. The ICYF Executive Board in its capacity as the OIC Youth Capital Selection Committee has extended the implementation period of the Dhaka (Bangladesh) OIC Youth Capital 2020 till July 2021 due to inevitable outcomes of the COVID 19 Pandemic. The city of Kazan (Tatarstan, Russia) has been selected as the OIC Youth Capital 2022 to enhance the solidarity and to foster inter-cultural diversity and the spirit of “unity” among the Muslim youth in the OIC region and beyond. The city of Niamey (Niger) has been selected as the OIC Youth Capital 2023. However, due to the political circumstances and situation that occurred during the first half of the year in Niger, the ICYF Secretariat has been unable to implement the OIC Youth Capital 2023 together with the relevant authorities in Niger. In November 2023, the ICYF Executive Board has selected the city of Shusha (Azerbaijan) as the OIC Youth Capital 2024 to host the 10th edition of the Programme, and the city of Marrakech (Morocco) as the OIC Youth Capital 2025.
  4. The programme contains various youth events and activities throughout the year with the following objectives:

4.1. To contribute to the development of youth work and youth policies in the OIC Member States;

4.2. To establish a vibrant space where Muslim youth can come together, build meaningful relationships, and strengthen their sense of solidarity;

4.3. To create a learning environment for the youth with different cultural and geographical backgrounds through enhanced cooperation; 

4.4. To provide a platform for the Muslim youth to introduce and promote their cultures and traditions innovatively and creatively;

4.5. To promote the active citizenship of Muslim youth from various parts of the world that has different cultures but common values;

4.6. To strengthen the brotherly ties and promote the spirit of unity;

4.7. To promote active youth participation through social, cultural, artistic, and academic activities.