Indonesia promotes women’s rights at the OIC Ministerial Conference

Indonesia encourages Organization of the Islamic Conference (OCI) to become a united, adaptable and beneficial organization for the Ummah and the world.

The OIC must continue to strengthen unity, solidarity and the spirit of collaboration to overcome the challenges facing the Umma and the world today. The Indonesian national statement was delivered by the Director of Multilateral Cooperation, Ambassador Tri Tharyat, on behalf of the Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs, at the 49th OIC Ministerial Conference in Nouakchott, Mauritania, on March 16-17, 2023.

Indonesia delivered four main messages at the meeting. Firstly, in relation to the promotion of women’s rights. Islam highly respects and defends the rights of women. The contribution of women in the Islamic world is also genuine. Indonesia encourages the OIC to make the issue of women’s rights one of the main agendas of interest. “The OIC must be at the forefront in furthering the promotion of women’s rights in Islam,” said Director General Tri Tharyat.

Second, the OIC must play a more significant role in addressing the situation in Afghanistan. Indonesia encourages the OIC to urge the Taliban government to repeal policies that limit women’s rights, including education. Indonesia also expressed its willingness to participate in the visit of scholars from OIC member countries to Afghanistan.

United For – United With – The Girls and Women of Afghanistan

Indonesia’s commitment to promoting women’s rights in Afghanistan is evident. In December 2022, Indonesia, together with Qatar, organized the International Conference on Education for Afghan Women, which succeeded in gathering international aid commitments for the education and health sectors in Afghanistan.

The third message that Indonesia conveyed was about supporting the struggle for Palestinian independence. During the Israeli occupation, Indonesia stressed the importance of the OIC coming together and taking concrete steps to support Palestine. This includes support for requests for Advisory Opinions from the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and promotion of the peace process.

The last point conveyed by Indonesia was the importance of the OIC strengthening concrete cooperation in the field of development. Especially so that the OCI can provide tangible benefits for the well-being of the population. Some of Indonesia’s proposed areas of cooperation include vaccine development, disaster preparedness and management, and the halal industry. Indonesia also encourages the OIC’s collaboration with various parties, such as the Center for South-South Cooperation in Jakarta.

Indonesia encourages the OIC to urge the Taliban government to repeal policies that limit women’s rights, including education

The OIC was created in 1967 to increase Islamic solidarity and become a forum for cooperation in the political, economic, social, cultural and scientific fields. The OIC is made up of 57 Islamic or Muslim-majority countries from Asia and Africa.

As the country with the largest Muslim population in the world, Indonesia has always played an active role in promoting the work and cooperation of the OIC.