Organization of Islamic Cooperation

Since the adoption of the Cairo Declaration of Human Rights in Islam (CDHRI) in 1990, there was an ongoing debate between Western and Muslim states regarding the compatibility of its provisions with human rights standards. The adoption of Ten-Year Program of Action in 2005 was a turning point in the OIC human rights agenda. The establishment of the Independent Permanent Human Rights Commission (IPHRC) paved the way for the revision of the CDHRI in 2020 and it was described as a monumental success. This article shall review the in which the OIC has re-engaged to human rights after 30 years of controversies with a descriptive and analytical method. First, we will study the general framework of the revised Declaration and the challenges of the adoption process, and then we will evaluate the changes made in its content by comparing the two declarations. The paper concludes that the revised declaration may bring OIC human rights rhetoric in alignment with UN human rights language, nevertheless, the IPHRC failed to carry out its mandated task in bringing human rights standards in harmony with Islamic teachings and values, especially where it simply copied and pasted the text of international human rights instruments.

Improving the status and position of women, and identifying effective pathways to address the associated challenges, has for decades been a key priority across diverse societies, engaging numerous international and non-governmental organizations. The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), as the only comprehensive intergovernmental body committed to Islamic teachings at the international level, has actively contributed to ongoing global efforts in this domain. This study examines first-hand OIC documents up to 2024, with a focus on activities during the last decade, to explore whether these initiatives have evolved into a particularist and transregional model in normative and institutional terms, or remain limited compared to global standards. The findings suggest that while OIC activities in the field of women have shown increased quantitative and qualitative momentum, they largely operate within a soft-law framework lacking binding conventions and effective enforcement mechanisms. Moreover, internal divergences across OIC institutions and member states, coupled with external pressures, have so far prevented the emergence of a coherent or influential model for women’s rights promotion. As such, the OIC has yet to establish a significant normative or operational presence either within its member states or on the broader transregional stage.