Organization of Islamic Cooperation—Oic

Abstract

The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) was formally established, as the Organization of the Islamic Conference, at the first conference of Muslim heads of state convened in Rabat, Morocco, in September 1969. OIC’s Directorate of Culture, Social and Family Affairs comprises two separate departments, the Cultural Affairs Department, which focuses on Islamic cultural issues, the protection of Islamic sites and interfaith dialogue, and the Social and Family Affairs Department. An OIC Plan of Action for the Advancement of Women in Member States was adopted in November 2016 by the sixth session of the Ministerial Conference on Women. OIC’s Department of Humanitarian Affairs works to co-ordinate the delivery of emergency relief and rehabilitation assistance to Muslim communities affected by conflict or natural disasters. The OIC supports education in Muslim communities, and was instrumental in the establishment of Islamic universities in Niger and Uganda, the American Islamic College of Chicago, and the Islamic Solidarity Centre in Guinea-Bissau.