Jeddah Declaration
Forty-First Session of the Council of Foreign Ministers
of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation
Session of Exploring Areas of Islamic Cooperation
Jeddah – Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
20 – 21 Shaaban 1435H
18 – 19 June 2014

We, Foreign Ministers and Heads of Delegation of Member States of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), participating in the Forty-first Session of the Council of Foreign Ministers, holding in Jeddah under the theme “Exploring Areas of Islamic Cooperation”, at a time in which the Muslim world is facing huge political, economic, social, cultural and scientific challenges, declare as follows:

We renew our commitment to the objectives and principles of the Charter of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, to coordinate our joint efforts in order to address all challenges and threats facing Islamic countries, and to strengthen the bonds of unity and solidarity among us, to secure advance our common interests in the international arena. We affirm the central role of the OIC in promoting Islamic solidarity, in accordance with the Charter and the Ten-Year Programme of Action.

We renew our commitment to support our Organisation (Organisation of Islamic Cooperation), raise the level of its effectiveness, support the efforts of the Secretary General towards continuing the process of its restructuring and developing its systems in all fields, in order to augment its capabilities and impact within and outside the Muslim world, with a view to uplifting the Islamic Ummah, addressing the challenges facing it in all fields, exploring future prospects and widening the umbrella of cooperation with international partners, including opening new regional offices for the Organisation.

We reiterate that the cause of Palestine and Al-Quds Al-Shareef (Jerusalem) is the central issue of the Islamic Ummah, and hold Israel, the occupying power, fully responsible for the stoppage of the peace process due to its failure to release the fourth batch of Palestinian prisoners and its continuation of the policy of settlement, blockading and judaization of Al-Quds Al-Shareef (Jerusalem) , its failure to accept the Arab peace initiative and other international terms of reference as basis for peace. We also affirm our absolute rejection of recognizing Israel as a Jewish state, and request the international community urgently to enthrone a just and comprehensive peace based on ending Israeli occupation of Arab and Palestinian lands since 1967, to enable the Palestinian people exercise their inalienable rights, including the right to self-determination, establish the sovereignty of their independent state on the borders of 4 June 1967, with Al-Quds as its capital, and to find a just solution to the issue of Palestinian refugees in accordance with General Assembly resolution no. 194. We also express our condemnation of Israel’s continued occupation of the Syrian Golan Heights and Lebanese lands, and affirm our support for these two countries to reclaim their entire territories occupied by Israel since 1967.

We affirm our strong condemnation of Israel’s continued Al-Quds Al-Shareef (Jerusalem) racial policy based on hostility, settlement, judaization of and changing its geographic and demographic status, and the attempt to impose Israeli sovereignty on the Blessed Al-Quds Mosque and attack worshipers in its courtyard, which is a provocation to the sensibility of the Islamic Ummah and a defiance of the will of the international community. We welcome the formation of the ministerial contact group on Al-Quds Al-Shareef (Jerusalem) , and call for prompt action to convey the message of the OIC on Al-Quds Al-Shareef (Jerusalem) to the states having political, moral and ethical responsibility for this issue. We support the effort of the OIC to implement the Strategic Plan for the Development of Al-Quds Al-Shareef (Jerusalem) , which was adopted by the 40th session of the Council of Foreign Ministers held in Conakry, Republic of Guinea, and the recommendations of the 20th session of the Al-Quds Committee, held in Marrakech, Kingdom of Morocco. We call for the mobilization of necessary resources to support the Bayt Mal Al-Quds Al-Shareef (Jerusalem) Agency of the Al-Quds Committee to execute development projects for the benefit of the Holy City. We also welcome the Secretary General’s call for the establishment of waqfs in Member States for the benefit of Al-Quds Al-Shareef (Jerusalem).

We welcome the Palestinian national reconciliation agreement which led to the formation of the national reconciliation government and affirm our support for it. We reiterate our support for the Palestinian prisoners in Israeli occupation prisons, for their resilience, and reiterate our continuous defence for them until freedom, justice and their dignity in their homeland are realized. We renew our total support for the Palestinian position demanding Israel, the occupying power, to stop settlement and commit to the time frame stipulated for negotiations on the basis of the 4 June 1967 borders, to halt its unilateral practices, and abide by the international terms of reference as a basis for serious and meaningful negotiations to achieve a two states solution.

We emphasize our commitment to support the Syrian people to realize their legitimate aspirations and reiterate our support for a political solution based on the Geneva (1) Communiqué and urge all parties to apply pressure on the Syrian regime to engage constructively in the democratic transformation in the country. We reject the presidential elections held and their entire results as they contravene the Geneva Communiqué, which called for establishment of a transitional governing body to supervise constitutional reforms, leading to the conduct of free and fair elections, with the aim of reviving the political process to implement the transitional phase under the leadership of all Syrian parties. We call on the regime in Syria to implement Security Council resolution 2139, which called for the delivery of humanitarian assistance to Syrian civilians without hindrance. We strongly condemn the failure of the Syrian regime to implement this resolution. We emphasize our strong commitment to guaranteeing humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian people. We call on all Member States and relevant international actors to increase their contribution on the basis of the principle of burden sharing, given the growing numbers of Syrian refugees in neighbouring countries. We recall the provision of the final documents of the meetings of the friends of Syrian people, especially the declaration agreed upon during the fourth ministerial meeting held in Marrakech, Kingdom of Morocco on 12 December 2012, in which the participants recognized the National Coalition of Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces as the legitimate representative of the Syrian people.

We are concerned by the developments in Libya, and call on all Libyan parties to enter into a comprehensive and inclusive national dialogue to arrive at a compromise solution that will end the crisis in the State of Libya and lay the foundation for building lasting constitutional institutions. We call for concerted efforts by all Libyans to preserve the unity, security and stability of the State of Libya.

We call for an immediate end to all forms of violence against Muslims in Central Africa and affirm their right to secure life and to the protection of their basic rights as citizens. We support the efforts of the Secretary General and his Special Envoy in Central Africa which continues to be subjected to violence and gross human rights violations. We call on Member States to provide necessary humanitarian assistance to the victims of the conflict and to the neighbouring states hosting the refugees.

We reiterate the importance of the security, sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity and legal rights of all Member States and the need for peaceful resolution of conflicts, in accordance with the principles of the OIC Charter. We call for the strengthening of the OIC’s role in mediation and quiet diplomacy as means of conflict prevention and resolution. We also support the efforts and good offices of the Secretary General and special representatives in conflicts resolution.

We express our solidarity with Yemen, Mali, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Somalia, the Sudan, Cote d’Ivoire, Union of the Comoros, Djibouti, and Bosnia and Herzegovina as well as with the peoples of Jammu and Kashmir, Turkish Cyprus and Kosovo, in their aspiration for a life of peace, security and development.

We reaffirm our condemnation of terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, and our rejection of any excuse of justification thereof. We also reiterate our solidarity with OIC Member States which have suffered terrorist acts; emphasize the need to combat all terrorist practices and all forms of support, financing and incitement; and underscore that terrorism cannot in any way be associated with any religion, ethnicity, faith, values, society or community. We also insist on the need to distinguish between terrorism and legitimate resistance to foreign occupation, which does not shed the blood of innocent civilians, but seek to regain its rights. We reaffirm further our commitment to reinforcing cooperation and coordination among OIC Member States in combating terrorism, particularly with the OIC Treaty, which entered into force on 7 November 2002. We call for concerted international efforts to counter terrorism and commend the efforts of the international center established by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to combat terrorism under the banner of the UN and commend its support thereto. In this regard we condemn the attack against the Consulate General of Turkey which led to the kidnapping of Turkish diplomats and citizens, which calls for the need for their unconditional release.

We condemn the violent activities of the extremist Boko Haram group and reaffirm our unwavering solidarity and support to the people and government of Nigeria in their efforts to eliminate this rebel group which threatens peace and stability in the region and smears Islam and its values and ideals.

We reaffirm our staunch solidarity with and support for Africa in its endeavors to confront the multifarious challenges confronting the continent especially in addressing poverty, underdevelopment, peace and security. While assuring the people of the continent of our determination to further strengthen our partnership, we encourage the authorities to continue to pursue an inclusive, equitable and comprehensive development agenda that would reinforce societal peace and harmony.

We reaffirm our complete rejection of all forms of fanaticism, extremism and closure, as well as the importance of countering misguided and perverse thinking with all available means; and call again for the consolidation of the authentic Islamic values of moderation, openness, tolerance, dialogue and diversity. We also call for combating extremism disguised in religion and doctrine and for refraining from accusing the followers of other Islamic schools of thought of apostasy, consistent with the provisions of the Ten-Year Programme of Action adopted by the 3rd Extraordinary Islamic Summit Conference held in Makkah Al-Mukarramah in December 2005. Based on that, we call on Member States to deepen dialogue among followers of Islamic schools of thought, promote moderation, centrism and tolerance and to take all measures to end sedition and sectarian frictions. In this regard, we welcome again the proposal of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz, May Allah protect him, to establish a Center for Dialogue among Islamic schools of thought which was endorsed by the Fourth Extraordinary Islamic Summit Conference held in Makkah Al-Mukarramah on 26-27 Ramadan 1433 H. (14-15 August 2012), The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has laid the necessary foundation for the Centre and call on the OIC General Secretariat to implement this resolution promptly in coordination with the host country (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia) with a view to enabling the Center to play its role.

We call on Islamic countries to unite against exclusionary sectarian policies which led to the emergence of sedition pervading the political arena and created chaos that are not easy to overcome and endangered peace, stability and sovereignty of many states. In the light of current condition, we consider it incumbent on Member States to invite all constituents, groups and factions to participate genuinely to shape the future of their states and to equate between all the various factions without discrimination or exclusion on ethnic and sectarian grounds.

We call for tolerance and invite the international community to prevent incitement to hatred and discrimination against Muslims and to take effective measures to combat the defamation of religions and negative stereotyping of people on religious or ethnic grounds. We request the Secretary General to continue OIC initiatives aimed at effectively countering hatred against Islam through discussions and deliberations in different international fora. We urge the international to criminalize these acts and enact appropriate laws and legislations to avoid such creating condition detrimental to relation and joint economic interest with OIC Member States. We also reaffirm our commitment to the promotion of dialogue among civilizations and to expanding the scope of relations between the Islamic world and all cultures and civilizations. We support the efforts of the Secretary General in champion the causes of Muslim communities and minorities in non-OIC Member States, and invite him to continue these efforts in line with the resolutions of the Islamic Summit and the Council of Foreign Ministers, and guided by the firm principle of respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the countries to which they belong, consistent with international law and conventions.

We call for an end to continued violence and discrimination against the Rohingya Muslim community in Rakhine state in Myanmar and support the Secretary General’s decision to appoint a special envoy to Myanmar. We support satisfactory solutions guaranteeing the rights of the Rohingya Muslim community, not subjecting them to oppression, dispossessing them of their legitimate rights, and facilitating the process of delivering humanitarian assistance to them.

We call for continued efforts to advance and promote human rights in Member States; we support the work of the Independent Permanent Human Rights Commission (IPHRC) in undertaking its full missions consistent with its mandate; and welcome the designation of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to host IPHRC headquarters.

We urge the Secretary General to prepare a comprehensive work plan after the end of the lifespan of the Ten-Year Programme of Action in all areas, particularly economic, social, humanitarian, cultural and scientific and technological fields.

We affirm the resolutions of the OIC inviting Member States to sign and ratify all current trade and economic agreements concluded in the framework of the OIC and to implement the sections contained in the relevant work aimed at promoting economic and trade relations among Member States.

We urge Member States that are yet to announce their contributions to the capital of the Islamic Solidarity Fund for Development to do so promptly, and urge those that pledged contributions inconsistent with the size of their economies to increase those contributions. We urge Member States that have announced their contributions but yet to pay to redeem their pledges, and invite the management of the Fund to stimulate joint financing.

We urge the General Secretariat to restructure the Islamic Chamber of Commerce and Industry and its commercial system to make it more effective in enabling businessmen to play influential role in promoting cooperation between Islamic chambers in Member States by developing new mechanisms that would contribute to establishing an economic system in accordance with appropriate practical programmes and financial rules to increase discovery of investment opportunities and to develop it to increase intra-trade, organize trade fairs and symposia that would remove impediments to the exchange of goods and services between Member States while involving businessmen in making economic decisions for the Islamic community.

We emphasize the need to consolidate the on-going OIC cooperation on harmonization of Halal Food Standards, Accreditation and Certification and promoting international recognition for OIC Halal standards.

We reaffirm the need to adopt ways and means to expand and develop medium and small scale enterprises in Member States, including the programmes run by the Islamic Development Bank Group, as a powerful tool to address the issues of financial exclusion, poverty, women empowerment and unemployment.

We highlight the need for concerted efforts to promote cultural cooperation and interaction among the peoples of Member States, and invite the General Secretariat to coordinate with OIC Specialized Organs and Member States to set up cultural programmes contributing to the Ummah’s cohesion through its cultural diversity.

We invite the General Secretariat to work toward training youthful and enlightened elements reflecting the tolerance and moderation of Islam by holding periodic youth sessions and camps alternatively among Member States, with the aim of spreading the values and principles of centrism and moderation, and the development of the spirit of volunteerism in them, to organize book fairs for Islamic states abroad to spread the tolerant Islamic cultural identity and counter any attempts to mislead and entice Muslim youth or exploit them for suspicious purposes contradictory to the tolerant and moderate Islamic values, through enlightenment about the notions of centrism, moderation and partnership among youth in Member States.

We urge Member States to coordinate their positions within the OIC on the issue of Generic Top-Level Domains (GTLDs) with an Islamic identity and posing religious sensitivity and considerations, in the framework of the meetings of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN); and we invite the Secretary General to form a specialized group from the Member States to follow up this important issue.

We welcome the State of Kuwait’s offer to host the 42nd Session of the CFM in 2015.

We express our utmost gratitude to the Secretary General, Iyad Ameen Madani, for his vision to develop the OIC and joint Islamic action; and commend the upliftment of the role of the OIC as a key actor at the regional and international levels.

We express our sincere appreciation to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Ibn Abdulaziz Al-Saud and to the Government and people of Saudi Arabia for the efforts they exerted in the organization of the conference and for their generosity and characteristic hospitality, which led to the success of the 41st CFM.

Jeddah on Thursday 21 Shaaban 1435 H. (19 June 2014)