OIC Youth Day: Secretary-General Urges Member States, OIC Institutions to Promote Volunteerism Among Youth

On 3 September every year, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) celebrates OIC Youth Day. This event is in accordance with a resolution passed during the 44th Session of the Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) in Abidjan, Republic of Côte d’Ivoire, in 2017. The purpose of this day is to recognize the contributions made by youth in OIC member states towards development and raise awareness about the challenges and issues these young people face. The aim is to promote greater youth participation in decision-making, implementation, and evaluation and to work together to address OIC Member States' challenges in this area.

On this occasion, H.E. Mr. Hissein Brahim Taha, the OIC Secretary-General, congratulated the young men and women in the OIC Member States. He also commended the efforts made by the Member States and the initiatives launched by the concerned organizations and institutions to support youth empowerment and enhance their participation.

The Secretary-General announced that the General Secretariat, in collaboration with the Ministry of Sports in Saudi Arabia and the Chair of the 5th Session of the Islamic Conference of Youth and Sports Ministers (ICYS), has chosen the slogan for the OIC Youth Day for 2023 to be "Youth Volunteerism and Social Responsibility." He urged the Member States and their organizations and institutions to support and promote volunteer work among young people. He emphasized that volunteerism embodies a societal message aimed at enhancing participation in building human capacities and skills, achieving social solidarity, and expressing the vitality of society and the readiness of its members for dedication and sacrifice.

It is worth noting that the ICYS, hosted by Saudi Arabia in September 2022, called on the OIC Member States and relevant institutions to develop and implement programs and activities related to volunteering as a crucial factor that enables young people to acquire relevant skills and build their capabilities, including employment and entrepreneurship development.

In addition, the Secretary-General highlighted that the ICYS 5th Session and the CFM 49th Session decided to upgrade the Youth Unit in the General Secretariat to the Department of Youth and Sports to raise the level of representation on youth and sports issues in the OIC ecosystem. He renewed his call to the Member States and their concerned bodies to support the Department of Youth and Sports in carrying out its entrusted tasks. He also called for concerted efforts to implement the OIC resolutions on youth empowerment and activate the OIC Youth Strategy to contribute to achieving the OIC goals in this field.

September 03, 2023