The ninth Ministerial Conference on Women of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) convened in Islamabad on Monday, resulting in the adoption of the Islamabad Declaration. This declaration reaffirms the commitment of OIC member states to enhance the socio-economic and political empowerment of women and girls across the Muslim world. A key highlight of the conference was the launch of a new initiative aimed at promoting women’s digital inclusion throughout OIC countries.
The Islamabad Declaration outlines a pledge by participating ministers and delegation heads to reinforce policies and institutional frameworks that guarantee women’s active participation in political, economic, and public spheres. Member states were encouraged to eliminate obstacles hindering women’s access to education and employment, while expanding opportunities for quality education, vocational training, and leadership development.
Economic empowerment also featured prominently, with calls to improve women’s access to employment, financial services, entrepreneurship support, and social protection programs. The declaration promotes the development of inclusive financial systems such as Islamic finance, microfinance, and digital financial services. It further urges enhanced support for women-led small and medium-sized enterprises by facilitating better access to capital, innovation, and trade prospects.
Notably, the declaration emphasizes the importance of women’s involvement in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), as well as emerging fields like artificial intelligence. It calls for bridging the digital gender gap by expanding affordable digital infrastructure, connectivity, device access, and digital literacy initiatives, especially in rural regions.
In a significant development, the conference introduced the Islamabad Initiative on Women’s Digital Inclusion. This voluntary OIC platform aims to promote digital literacy, entrepreneurship, STEM education, AI skills, cybersecurity awareness, and equitable access to digital technologies for women and girls across member states. The initiative invites participation from interested countries, OIC institutions, and development partners through training programs, scholarships, mentorship, and sharing of expertise.
The declaration also urges member states to strengthen measures against all forms of violence targeting women and girls, including cyber harassment, online abuse, exploitation, and technology-facilitated threats. It calls for enhanced cooperation to combat Islamophobia, xenophobia, discrimination, and hate speech directed at Muslim women and girls.
Moreover, the declaration expresses solidarity with the women and girls of Palestine and Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), urging the international community to provide legal, humanitarian, economic, educational, and psychosocial support to alleviate their hardships.
Concluding the declaration, the conference reaffirmed that empowering women and girls through education, skills development, leadership, and economic participation is vital for the progress, resilience, and prosperity of OIC societies. Appreciation was extended to the Government of Pakistan for hosting the event, with special thanks to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for his patronage. An omnibus resolution was also adopted during the conference.
OIC Assistant Secretary-General Ambassador Dr. Tarig Ali Bakheet, in his concluding remarks, highlighted the collective determination of member states to elevate women’s status as a cornerstone of sustainable development and the Muslim Ummah’s prosperity. He welcomed the omnibus resolution as a significant milestone, providing a comprehensive roadmap to strengthen cooperation and address evolving challenges facing women in the Islamic world.
Dr. Bakheet emphasized that the true measure of success lies not in resolutions alone but in the commitment to their effective implementation and achieving tangible results. He called on member states, OIC bodies, international partners, and stakeholders to collaborate closely to ensure the resolutions and recommendations translate into real improvements for women and girls.
Congratulating Pakistan on assuming the chairmanship of the Ministerial Conference on Women, he expressed confidence in the country’s leadership to guide the execution of the conference’s decisions. Dr. Bakheet reaffirmed the General Secretariat’s dedication to working alongside Pakistan, the OIC Women Development Organisation, relevant institutions, and member states to sustain the momentum generated and convert it into concrete achievements.
He concluded by praying for greater unity among OIC member states and urged continued joint efforts to uphold the dignity, empowerment, and well-being of women across the Muslim world.
