THE Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), historically speaking, is the second-largest intergovernmental organization in the world after the United Nations (UN). With as many as 57 member states across four continents, it serves as the collective political and diplomatic voice of the Muslim world for peace and harmony. The OIC, as such, aims to enhance solidarity and cooperation among the member states in political, economic, social, cultural, scientific and humanitarian fields. As a founding member of the OIC, Pakistan greatly values its role and contribution as an institutional expression of Pan-Islamic sentiment and remains committed to the values and objectives of the organization, as promoting relations with the Muslim countries is its constitutional obligation and a key pillar of its foreign policy.
On its part, the OIC has consistently and unequivocally supported, and continues to support, the Kashmir cause through a series of pronouncements, including the communiqués issued by the Islamic Summits and the resolutions adopted by various sessions of the Council of Foreign Ministers. Pakistan is all set to open a new chapter of its continued cooperation and participation in OIC activities as it hosts the 9th OIC Ministerial Conference on Women, being held at the Convention Centre, Islamabad, on July 12 and 13, 2026, for which all possible arrangements have been made by the Federal Ministry of Human Rights in a quite befitting manner.
The important OIC moot will deliberate, through delegates from the member countries and possibly also from some concerned international organizations, on “Socio-Economic and Political Empowerment of Women in the OIC Countries: Challenges and Way Forward”, while the three sub-themes include “Enhancing Political and Professional Participation of Women”, “Advancing Women’s Access to Economic Resources and Financial Systems” and “Bridging Gender Gaps in Technology and Digital Participation”.
According to the information available from the organizers of this apparently quite meaningful and forward-looking moot vis-à-vis women’s empowerment in relevant fields in modern times, the 9th OIC Ministerial Conference aims to develop a synthesis for creating an enabling environment for women in the member countries in which they could fully participate, exploit and realise their potential for contributing to the socio-economic development of their respective motherlands. The advancement of women is not merely a social objective but also a strategic necessity for the collective progress of the Muslim Ummah. There are around 940 million females living in the OIC member states, constituting 49.3 percent of the total population of the OIC member countries.
However, their role in and contribution to the socio-economic development of their societies are often suboptimal. This is largely due to various social, cultural and political norms and practices that consequently limit their participation in society and render their needs invisible. Ensuring fair participation of women in society is of the utmost importance for the OIC member countries for eliminating gender disparities and maximizing women’s positive, desirable and meaningful contributions to the socio-economic development of their countries. According to the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report 2025, although there has been moderate progress in narrowing gender disparities, full parity is still projected to be more than a century away at current rates of progress. Global parity in 2025 stood at [figure missing in original text], with significant gaps persisting in women’s political empowerment and economic participation.
The finalised themes for the upcoming moot, as briefly mentioned above, represent a sophisticated synthesis of Islamic values, demographic realities and modern economic demands and follow up on the 8th Ministerial Conference in Cairo, Egypt, to bridge the gap between declarative policy and practical implementation through the lens of the socio-economic and political empowerment of women. The upcoming moot’s central theme, “Socio-Economic and Political Empowerment of Women in the OIC Countries: Challenges and Way Forward”, as a matter of fact, acknowledges that human development can only reach its optimum level through the full participation of all gender identities. This realisation is duly anchored in the OIC Charter and the constitutional principles of the member states. As far as the host country, Pakistan, is concerned, its Constitution also adheres to egalitarianism, equality, socio-economic well-being and the full participation of women in national life. The Father of the Nation and great Muslim leader, Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, articulated a democratic state based on Islamic principles of social justice.
Further, the OIC-2025 Programme of Action identifies women’s empowerment as a key priority, recognizing that wide gender disparities continue to marginalize women in several member states. To bridge these gaps, the conference has prioritized enhancing women’s political and professional participation, expanding access to economic resources and financial systems and bridging gender gaps in technology and digital participation. These priorities recognize that political, economic and digital inclusion are essential for women’s full participation in national development. The scribe wishes the organizers and participants success, hoping the conference will produce practical recommendations to enhance women’s role in national life and reduce gender disparities across the OIC member states.
—The writer is a Lahore-based columnist and retired Deputy Controller (News), Radio Pakistan, Islamabad.
