The Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) comprises of 57 nations spread over four continents and is the second largest international body after the UN. The organisation was established in 1969 after the Al-Aqsa Mosque was set on fire by an extremist Zionist. The purpose of this organisation was to strengthen solidarity and co-operation among Islamic countries in politics, economics, cultural, scientific as well as its social aspect.
The organisation initially started as a political forum, based on the realisation that effective joint political action has to be complemented by wide-ranging joint economic action. In fact, the charter of the Organisation of Islamic Conference, approved in February 1972, reiterated the necessity of co-operation for community-wide economic progress and the need to help the individual member countries to develop their productive capacities at an accelerated pace.
As has been the history of the organisation, it has made a list of promises at the end of every summit and no serious efforts were made to materialise them. The OIC has failed to respond meaningfully to any of the crises facing Muslim world or demonstrate any unity of thought and action apart from issuing high-sounding declarations. The reason is very obvious; the member states lack unity among their rows. There are conflicts going on between the member states. Further, most of the OIC countries are facing sheer economic hardship and trying to recover from the effects of the global economic crisis and recession.
In the changing global political arena, the future role of the OIC has become very crucial. It is high time to review its past performance and practically adopt new strategies to make it a voice of Islamic World. We can pin fresh hopes with the 38th session of the OIC Foreign Ministers, going to be held in Astana from June 28-30. Kazakhstan is chairing the Ministerial Conference of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference in exceptionally difficult time, when there is turmoil in the Middle East and North Africa, which coincided with the period of unrest in the Arab world. The political regime changes in Tunisia and Egypt, and the humanitarian catastrophe Libya is facing today have set in motion a wave of many hundred thousand refugees. These events have triggered dramatic radicalisation of public opinion in other OIC countries, leading to an aggravation of internal contradictions, including between religious and ethnic groups.
Despite the turmoil and tribulations in the Muslim world the organisation has high expectations for Kazakhstan's chairmanship for 2011, as the country has a high international reputation, a meaningful and active foreign policy and is an excellent example of an advanced and dynamically developing state. Becoming a member of the OIC in 1995, Kazakhstan increased co-operation with countries in this fast-growing region on several fronts, providing economic and trade relations with 42 member countries of the OIC. Identified were four main areas of economic co-operation; trade, transport, travel and finance. Kazakhstan's presidency in the organisation is viewed as an important political event in the life of the country and new steps towards the consolidation of political authority of the country in the Muslim world. It is hoped that it will be a qualitative continuation of the country's multilateral diplomacy, which will also further enhance the nation's international prestige.
The organisation has supported a number of Kazakh initiatives, including the convening of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA) and the Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions. The OIC has shown appreciation for Kazakhstan's role in promoting inter-civilizational and inter-faith dialogue, and recognised the country's pivotal role in bridging communication between the "East" and "West". Kazakhstan closely co-operates with the OIC in the spheres of culture, education, science and technology. Working with the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (ISESCO) enables Kazakhstan to successfully implement national projects, such as the preservation and restoration of cultural property and the exchange of experience in the learning and teaching of languages, as well as the history and culture of the Islamic world. It is an honour that Almaty has been officially designated by IESCO as the "Capital of the Islamic culture in Asia" for 2015.
For Kazakhstan, co-operation with OIC financial institutions is important, particularly the Islamic Development Bank (IDB), which is one of the biggest investors in the Muslim world. In addition to their financial support, IDB institutions have extensively shared their knowledge on Islamic banking with Kazakhstan. Kazakhstan has developed close relations with the specialised, subsidiary and affiliated institutions of the OIC. In recognition of its achievements in the fields of social and economic development, Kazakhstan was unanimously elected as the Deputy Chairman of the OIC Standing Committee on Economic and Commercial Co-operation (COMCEC) in October 2010. COMCEC is responsible for promoting trade and economic co-operation among the Organisation's Member States. It oversees large-scale projects designed to introduce a preferential trade system within the OIC area, to harmonise tariff policies, support industrial, financial and banking systems, as well as tourism and agriculture.
It is time to use the enormous positive potential of co-operation within the Organisation of the Islamic Conference. The Muslim world's collective economic potential is inexhaustible, and the Kazakh chair should focus on combining efforts in order to develop truly effective mechanisms of economic co-operation, mutual assistance and development promotion in the interests of each member state.
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