Esteemed Delegates,

It is with great honour that I introduce myself as the Chair of the Organization of Islamic
Cooperation (OIC). Hi! My name is Huzaifa and I am from India. I am currently pursuing my
Engineering degree at the International Islamic University Malaysia and I will be assisting you as one
of your Board of Dais for the 3rd Asia World Model United Nations, alongside my esteemed colleague
Aysen. I have been relatively active in the MUN scene with having participated in various National and
International conferences as a Delegate, Chair and Secretariat Member. Besides MUN, I enjoy involving
myself in various kind of events and competitions and exploring new avenues.
First, I would like to congratulate you on being selected to attend AWMUN III and thank you
for taking time out of your hectic schedules. I am delighted to welcome all the delegates coming from
various parts of the world to attend AWMUN, where you will be learning and experiencing how
decisions are made at an international level in the United Nations and at the same time developing
various soft skills such as public speaking, critical thinking and negotiation. And of course, having fun
in the various activities that the Secretariat has planned for you. I am probably just as excited as you are
and am delighted to have the opportunity to facilitate and accommodate each and every one of you as
delegates, and as individuals.
For beginners and first-timers, I just want to let you know that there’s nothing to be worried
about. Everyone has to start somewhere. Whether it’s an interest in politics and International Relations
or a passion for public speaking and self-development that brought you to AWMUN, I want you to be
confident and believe in your ability to voice out your opinions and ideas. For experienced delegates,
there is no limit to improvement and excellence. Strive to be better than you already are. Use this as a
platform to test your limits.
Regarding the study guide, its scope is only to outline and illustrate the main aspects of the
agenda and simply to facilitate by giving a starting point to further research. Delegates are encouraged
to go above and beyond this study guide in order to develop a truly well-rounded and effective
perspective on the agenda. However, if at any point any questions arise, please do not hesitate to email
me or Aysen and we will try to get back as soon as possible. I hope to get to know each and every one
of you and look forward to meeting you all. See you in Bali!

Best Regards
Huzaifa Fazal
Chair of OIC

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Most esteemed participants,

It is my utmost pleasure to welcome you to the Asia World International Model United Nations
Conference 2019. My name is Ayşen Köse and I am studying in Istanbul Kültür University Faculty of
Law, Turkey.
The organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), with its 57 member states, is the second largest
inter-governmental formation after the United Nations. The Organization’s missions evolved through
the decades and today, it aims not only to gather Muslims around the globe for political, economic and
social progress but also to fight against Islamophobia and extremism. “When these issues are not
addressed properly,” (The Muslim 500, n.d.) like one of the former Secretary Generals of OIC Mr
Ekmeleddin İhsanoğlu warned, we can not solve the problems the world is facing today and this gives
an opening to the extremism and hate among people. So in the third edition of AWMUN, we have a
chance to address one of the most important and vital ongoing crises, the situation of refugees.
Please read this study guide carefully, but also please keep in mind that this is a mere guide for
you to introducing the OIC and the topic at hand. So we highly encourage you to do your own research
as well.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank firstly to honourable Secretary-General Mr Kishan
Deepak Buxani and esteemed Under-Secretary General Ms Bioantika for giving us a chance to create
this committee with Mr Mohammad Huzaifa Fazal. Also, I would like to thank to my colleague Mr Fazal
for his commitment to create this committee together.

Kind Regards
Ayşen Köse
Co-Chair of OIC

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 TABLE OF CONTENTS

TABLE OF CONTENTS 3
INTRODUCTION TO COMMITTEE 4
INTRODUCTION TO THE TOPIC 6
IMPORTANT DEFINITIONS 8
CURRENT ISSUES 10
PAST ACTIONS 16
KEY CHALLENGES AND POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS 20
QARMAs 21
BIBLIOGRAPHY 22

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 INTRODUCTION TO COMMITTEE

The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) is an intergovernmental

organization founded in 1969. It is the second largest intergovernmental organization
in the world, only coming after the United Nations. The OIC consists of 57 member
states that cover 4 continents and forms a combined population of 1.78 billion which is
about 24% of the world’s population (Lars Eglitis n.d.). 56 out of 57 members of OIC
are also member states of the United Nations (UN), with the exclusion being the state
of Palestine. Most members (53) are Muslim majority countries with the exception of a
few, such as those in South America and West Africa. They are not necessarily
countries with a Muslim majority population, nonetheless, have large Muslim
populations. The OIC describes itself as the “voice of the Muslim world” and a means
to protect and safeguard the “interests of the Muslim world in the spirit of promoting
international peace and harmony among various people of the world” (Organisation of
Islamic Cooperation n.d.). Arabic, French and English have been established as the
official language of the OIC. Being recognized as a collective voice of the Muslim world,
the OIC also has permanent delegations to the European Union (EU) and the United
Nations (UN).
OIC was established in response following the Al Aqsa mosque fire of 1969, by
a decision of a historic summit that took place in the Kingdom of Morocco in September
of the same year. The fire destroyed an 800-year-old pupit and part of the roof that
was made of wood (Lieber 2017). Former Mufti of Jerusalem, Amin al-Husseini, then
called for all Muslim head of states to convene a summit. The summit, an Islamic
conference, was attended by 24 countries and passed a resolution that declared that
close cooperation and mutual assistance should be bolstered among Muslim
governments in various fields (James Ciment 2012). The meeting of the Islamic
Conference on Foreign Minister (ICFM) was first held six months later in Jeddah, Saudi
Arabia. Later in 1972, the OIC adopted its first charter in the 3 rd ICFM session held.
The current charter of the OIC was adopted in 2008 and has become the
fundamental pillar and a guideline regarding future actions of the OIC in an attempt to
tackle the modern requirements that the 21 st century presents. The charters, present
and past, have detailed the principles and objectives of OIC’s fundamental but crucial

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purpose of strengthening and improving the cooperation and solidarity amongst its
member states. Membership has increased to 57 members from its 30 founding
members, which is granted by consensus of the organization. The organization works
towards settling any conflicts or disputes amongst member states and serves to protect
the interests of Muslims at an international level as it has cooperative and consultative
relations with many intergovernmental organizations and the United Nations. Members
of OIC have faced, and continue to face, many challenges in the 21st century and in an
attempt to address these challenges, a blueprint called the 10-year Program of Action
was laid down in 2005 and successfully concluded in 2015. A follow-up Program of
Action was adopted in 2015 called the OIC-2025 (Organisation of Islamic Cooperation
n.d.).
The OIC-2025 has 18 priority areas and focuses on 107 goals. These range
from issues of Poverty Alleviation, Peace and Security, Palestine and Al-Quds,
Environment, Climate Change and Sustainability, Trade, Education, Health, Human
rights, Media and Public Diplomacy, Science, Technology and Innovation, Agriculture
and Food Security, Joint Islamic Humanitarian Action, and many more. In terms of
taking action, OIC grants all its member states equality in terms of rights and
obligations and any decision was taken must be by consensus. If consensus is unable
to be obtained then the decision is taken by a two-thirds majority vote of all members
present (Organisation of Islamic Cooperation n.d.)
The Organization of Islamic Cooperation is composed of 3 main bodies:
● The Islamic Summit, convening every 3 years to discuss and take policy
decisions
● The Council of Foreign Ministers, convenes every year and considers how to
implement the general policy of OIC by adopting resolutions and reviewing the
progress of their implementations
● The General Secretariat, is the executive organ and is entrusted with the
implementations of all decisions that the preceding 2 bodies agree upon.
Furthermore, under OIC’s umbrella, there are many subsidiary organizations
and specialized institutions as well such as the Islamic, Educational, Scientific and
Cultural Organisation; the Statistical, Economic and Social Research and Training
Centre for Islamic Countries; the Islamic Centre for the Development of Trade, the
Islamic Fiqh Academy, and many more.

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 INTRODUCTION TO THE TOPIC

According to the UN Refugee Agency, a refugee is “a person forced to flee

their country because of violence, persecution or war”. (Unrefugees.org, n.d.) Our
world is currently witnessing the highest levels of displacement recorded throughout
history. At the end of 2016, an unprecedented 65.6 million people around the globe
have been forced to flee from their home because of conflicts and persecution. (Un.org,
n.d.) Among them, there are almost 22.5 million refugees, over half of whom are under
the age of 18. Today, two-thirds of all refugees globally come from just five countries:
Afghanistan, Syria, Myanmar, South Sudan, and Somalia. (Unrefugees.org, n.d.)
Due to the high numbers of refugees and limited sources of the hosting
countries, refugees’ accession to the basic rights such as education, healthcare,
employment and freedom of movement is not provided sufficiently. (Un.org, n.d.) Apart
from the cultural, social and humanitarian importance of the situation, the economies
and policies of the affected countries have been considerably damaged. These are
briefly the main reasons in broad terms why the ongoing refugee crisis should not be
understood as a specific problem for the countries affected by that but a far-reaching
issue which needs to be addressed by the global community.

“Because the refugee crisis is a humanitarian challenge that must be

collectively owned and collectively solved, whether we are talking about
legal frameworks, institutional responses or funding.” – Kristin Sandvik
(European Council on Foreign Relations)

The ongoing refugee crisis is one of the most important issues the Organisation
of Islamic Cooperation Member States around the world face today. As an organisation
which has members from four continents and that almost two-thirds of the world’s
forced migrants originate from its Member States, OIC has to play a significant role in
the global debate on migration. At the same time, OIC member states host over half of
all refugees and asylum seekers around the world, with many of the states serving as
countries of “origin, transit, and destination” at the same time. (COMCEC, 2016) Many
of the host countries, despite their scarce resources, are displaying a great sense of
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solidarity. The OIC Member States, individually and collectively, take action due to their
sense of solidarity that is deeply rooted in Islamic values, in order to provide assistance
and asylum to all those who are seeking protection and aid. (Unhcr.org, 2017) The
Syrian refugee crisis may be the most known example of the abovementioned role of
OIC and its Member States. Refugees originated from Syria (which was suspended
from the Organisation at 2012) fleed to the neighbouring countries such as Turkey,
Lebanon, Iraq, Egypt and Jordan at the beginning (which are all members of the OIC).
(Connor, 2018) These countries served as a destination for most of the refugees, and
transit for some of them. In order to respond to the crisis actively, regional meetings
held, bilateral and multilateral agreements signed (such as EU-Turkey Refugee
Agreement), and many other actions taken by the states or organisations.
In light of these issues, for the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, it is crucial
to examine and address the current situation to develop possible responses, whether
collective or individual in nature, to current and future crises, in order to help refugees
worldwide who needs assistance and aid because they were forced to flee from their
homeland.

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 IMPORTANT DEFINITIONS

a. Refugee
The UNHCR, in 2011, defined refugees as “who are outside their country
of nationality or habitual residence and unable to return there owing to serious
and indiscriminate threats to life, physical integrity or freedom resulting from
generalized violence or events seriously disturbing public order." (United
Nations High Commissioner for Refugees 2011).

b. Internally Displaced Person (IDP)

“An internally displaced person, or IDP, is someone who has been forced
to flee their home but never cross an international border. These individuals
seek safety anywhere they can find it—in nearby towns, schools, settlements,
internal camps, even forests and fields. IDPs, which include people displaced
by internal strife and natural disasters, are the largest group that UNHCR
assists. Unlike refugees, IDPs are not protected by international law or eligible
to receive many types of aid because they are legally under the protection of
their own government.” (UNHCR n.d.). There are about 40 million people
around the world that are internally displaced.

c. Stateless Person
Stateless people are those people who are not a citizen in any nation.
Citizenship allows for many rights such as economic, political, social, etc of an
individual. It is a legal bond between a government and its people. This bond
can be broken for a number of reasons, including legal, technical, sovereign, or
administrative oversights or decisions. It is important to note that the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights states that every individual has the right to a
nationality, yet there are about 10 million people around the world that are either
stateless or at the risk of being stateless.

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d. Asylum Seekers
Asylum seekers are people who flee their own country and seek refuge
in another country by applying for asylum, which is a right to being recognized
as a refugee and receive legal international protection. Asylum seekers may be
displaced people or refugees but not economic migrants. Asylum seekers must
be able to demonstrate that their fear of persecution in their own countries is
well-founded. The number of migrants applying for asylum is increasing day by
day. In 2017, there were 1.7 million asylum claims.

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 CURRENT ISSUES

The displacement of people is not a recent phenomenon. It has been occurring

since the very beginning of the formation of nations. The problem has taken an
exponential turn for the worse in recent times with the number of refugees increasing
at an alarming rate around the globe. What’s worse is that for the foreseeable future,
the alarming numbers are expected to continue to rise. The United Nations High
Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) estimates that there are 68.5 million people who
are forcibly displaced worldwide. Out of this, 24.5 million are categorized as refugees
– over half of whom are still under the age of 18. From the 24.5 million refugees, 19.9
million of them are registered under the mandate of the UNHCR and 5.4 million are
refugees from the state of Palestine registered under the United Nations Relief and
Works Agency (UNRWA).
Two – Thirds of the refugee population originates from only 5 countries; namely
Syria with 6.3 million refugees, Afghanistan with 2.6 million refugees, South Sudan with
2.4 million refugees, Myanmar with 1.2 million refugees and Somalia with 986 thousand
refugees. Out of these 5 countries, Syria, South Sudan and Somalia are Member states
of the OIC. It can be seen that countries from which refugees originate the most are
Member states of the OIC, and countries that host the most amount of refugees are
also countries that are members of the OIC. Turkey hosts about 3.5 million refugees,
Uganda and Pakistan host about 1.4 million refugees, Lebanon hosts 1 million
refugees and Iran hosts 979 thousand refugees. These are the top refugee-hosting
countries and are all part of the OIC. Therefore, Member states of the OIC are deeply
involved in the refugee crisis and thus play a crucial role in curbing the problem by
providing reliable protection and solutions that are durable. However, providing such
solutions has been very difficult to implement. OIC and its member states are under
strong pressure to design frameworks that better protect and address the challenge
meaningfully. Often times, OIC member states serve as countries of destination, origin
and even transit for refugees. These movements of people happen frequently happen
within or near OIC countries, with persecution and conflict driving people out of their
countries to look for refuge and protection in neighbouring countries that also happen

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to be OIC countries. For example, 86% of refugees from Syria have sought refuge in
Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan (UNHCR 2019).
These countries usually also sit along routes of major transit that refugees go
through. South Asian countries such as Malaysia and Indonesia are used as transit
points by Afghani and Iranian refugees to reach Australia. Somali and Nigerian
refugees may transit through Morocco, Sudan or Libya on the way to Europe. Refugees
flee their homes for various different reasons that can include ethnic and political
oppression, violent conflicts, instability of the state or even environmental factors. Of
those who pass international borders, many are granted refugee status by the host
country or UNHCR, while others are granted different statuses. Many even lack any
form of legal status because host countries may only provide limited protection
frameworks or because sometimes refugees themselves choose to remain
underground.
Varying approaches have been taken to humanitarian protection by OIC
countries. These depend considerably on the regional context of the issue and national
interests. Some member states, notably those in Southeast Asia and the Middle East,
have adopted some form of a legal framework that provides asylum seekers and
refugees protection. However, only 35 out of 57 states have ratified the 1951 Refugee
Convention, about one-third haven’t. Moreover, only 29 member states have a
comprehensive national asylum system in place. These systems usually include
mechanisms of refugee status determination (RSD), outline refugee rights, and grant
legal residencies to refugees for a specified duration of time – and how to renew a
refugee status. Consequently, as a result of a lack of such systems in place, the burden
of reviewing asylum claims and providing refugee services in these countries often falls
on the UNHCR (Pompeo 2018).

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 Nonetheless, all OIC countries broadly abide by UNHCR’s work and uphold
their obligation of non-refoulement as almost all of them have ratified the United
Nations Convention against Torture. Furthermore, many countries have also joined
regional initiatives that are focused on tackling the protection issues of refugees in an
effort to implement the 1951 Convention. These regional initiatives include the 1969
Convention by the Organization of African Unity (OAU) that addresses some specific
areas of refugee protection in the African Continent. It is also legally binding. The
Convention amended the definition of refugees to a broader perspective and endorsed
the 1951 Convention, reiterating Africa’s support for it. Another regional initiative is the
Almaty Process that acts as a regional consultative process aimed at tackling the
refugee crisis through collaborations between governments. Although not all such
initiatives have been wholly successful in their implementation and end result, they
play an important role as catalysts for the development and implementation of regional
solutions.

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Refugee trends and protection frameworks in place
● Middle East
The middle east has witnessed large scale movements of refugees due to
intense conflicts taking place in many countries. The invasion of Iraq led by the US in
2003 and the ongoing Syrian Civil war that started in 2011 have been major
contributors to the displacement of people.
The Syrian Civil war started when protests from the Arab Spring evolved into
civil war as hundreds and thousands were killed. This resulted in a rebel group being
formed to overthrow the ruling government (Al Jazeera News 2018). A complex multi-
dimensional war was created as a result when different groups tried to gain power,
throwing the country into chaos with increased violations of human rights (Lucy
Rodgers 2016). The government and rebel groups have been accused of using
chemical weapons, big-scale bombings and seizing of cities against civilians. This led
to many fleeing Syria as not only were they collateral victims but also because they
were forced to serve the military under the Assad regime (Marion Couldrey 2014).
Those who refused to serve the military were imprisoned and tortured.
Iraq has also been plunged in chaos after the US invasion in 2003, where 400,
000 Iraqi refugees fled the country. Not long after, in 2006 – 2007, a sectarian war
engulfed the lands displacing more than 5 million people. This sectarian conflict
continued even after the Multi-National Forces withdrew from Iraq in 2011, due to
falling oil prices and a weak economy. Other populations such as the Palestinians and
the Yemenis have also been forced to flee their countries. Repeated national and
international wars between neighbouring Arab countries and Israel have displaced
thousands of Palestinians. Yemenis have been displaced forcibly due to the civil war
that broke out in Yemen between the Houthi rebels, a minority group, and the
government in 2015 (Ahelbarra 2015). It is reported by the Regional Mixed Migration
Secretariat (RMMS) that an estimated 177 thousand people have been forced to flee
Yemen to countries such as Oman, Djibouti and Saudi Arabia (Yemen Country Profile
2016). It is feared that even more may be displaced across international borders if the
situation in Yemen is not improved (Almigdad Mojalli 2015).
Even though most of the countries in the middle east are non-signatories of the
1951 Conventions, they have provided protection for huge populations of refugees.
However, this has occurred without the development of regional cooperation between
countries to address protection issues and national asylum frameworks and as a result,
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it has led to different populations receiving different treatments depending on when
and from where they were displaced. Furthermore, a characteristic that can be
observed in refugee movements in the Middle East is that of chain displacement. This
occurs when countries that have been providing protection and security to refugees
are no longer able to offer asylum due to conflicts within their own borders or due other
factors and thus force refugees to return to their home countries. For example, Iraqi
refugees in Syria had to flee because of the Syrian Civil War, Ethiopian and Somali
refugees fled Yemen due to the increased violence attributed to the Yemeni Civil war.
This, especially, presents itself as a problem when refugees have no country of origin
to go back to, like in the case of Palestinian refugees. They have faced particular
difficulties in seeking asylum due to their uncertain status of citizenship (Bolongaro
2016). They are often denied the right to register with UNHCR and thus not eligible for
services such as resettlement, health care and assistance (Morrison 2014) and as a
result, left stranded in neighbouring countries without much support and assistance.

Protection Frameworks:
“Middle Eastern countries have largely taken an ad hoc approach to offer
protection for refugees and asylum seekers” (Kathleen Newland 2016). Most countries
have not put in place any framework to deal with asylum requests and engage in low
regional cooperation. They instead act on a responsive basis, responding to a crisis as
they arise. There is also very limited ratification of international norms and frameworks.
Only 2, Yemen and Turkey, out of 12 countries have ratified the 1951 Convention, with
Turkey also ratifying the 1967 Protocol. However, Turkey has maintained some
geographical limitations and thus only obligates itself to provide asylum to people
fleeing Europe. Jordan and Lebanon, 2 major refugee hosts, have not signed the 1951
Convention.
Some countries such as Iraq, Syria and Oman do have some forms of national
asylum regimes however, Iraq and Syria both currently lack any capacity to implement
such frameworks due to domestic instability. Turkey has seen progress as it is in the
process of implementing their national asylum regime. Other countries in the region
are yet to develop and implement their own. Without developing national asylum
legislation, countries have responded to refugees through measures that are better
defined as ad hoc or bilateral measures. These are often based on the individual
interests or history between the countries. Lebanon and Jordan had granted Syrians
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visa-free travel while Lebanon also provided temporary residence permits (SEELEY
2012). Many other Gulf countries have taken in refugees and have eased their visa
policies to accommodate refugees. However, there has been a lack of any substantial
regional cooperation amongst the middle eastern countries to address the
humanitarian need. No overarching framework exists. Thus refugees are at the mercy
of particular interests of these nations, which can be changed any time.

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 PAST ACTIONS

1. OIC Ministerial Conference on Refugees in the Muslim World and Ashgabat

Declaration of the International Ministerial Conference of the Organization of
Islamic Cooperation on Refugees in the Muslim World (2012)
The Organization of Islamic Cooperation held an international ministerial
conference on “Refugees in the Muslim World” in coordination with the United
Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) and the Government of
Turkmenistan. The meeting was the first conference of the OIC exclusively
focusing on the situation of refugees in the Muslim world and related issues.
Representatives of all OIC Member States, non-member states, NGOs and
international organizations took part in the event. At the end of the conference,
a declaration which has 19 articles was published by the OIC Member States.
They expressed their deep concern over the situation of refugees around the
world and pointed out that most of the refugees are hosted by the OIC Member
States. The Declaration emphasized the values of OIC and submitted some
actions which can be taken and the possible solutions.

2. Joint Communiqué between the Central Committee for Implementation of

Stability and Development in the Rakhine State of the Republic of the Union
of Myanmar and OIC (2013)
The joint communiqué between the Central Committee for
Implementation of Stability and Development in the Rakhine State of the
Republic of the Union of Myanmar and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation
set a foundation for future cooperation, not limited to but especially, with the OIC
and its Member States. It also encouraged the Government of Myanmar to
implement an all-inclusive and transparent verification process which will lead
to the granting of citizenship for the Rohingya Muslim minority in the future.

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3. Forced Migration in the OIC Member Countries: Policy Framework Adopted
by Host Countries (2016)
This report has been commissioned by the OIC COMCEC Coordination
Office to the Migration Policy Institute (MPI). It is a detailed report on the forced
migration and international protection which analyzes the roots of the forced
migration in and from the OIC Member States with the case studies about the
countries such as Turkey, Jordan and a few others.

4. The 68th Session of the Executive Committee of the UNHCR (2017)

Permanent Delegation of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation to the
United Nations Office in Geneva made a statement at the in the 68 th Session of
the UNHCR. On their statement, the delegation stated that all countries have to
redouble their collective efforts of solidarity and also to bring solutions which are
comprehensive and innovative. They mentioned that many of the OIC Member
States are experiencing acute crises that originate from the other OIC States,
which makes the OIC Member States both host countries and countries of
origin. Against their scarce resources, many of the host countries display
solidarity. They also stated that the OIC has actions on Palestinian, the Afghan,
the Yemeni, the Somali, the Iraqi, the Syrian refugees and they are very
concerned by the crisis unfolding in the Rakhine State in Myanmar.

5. Establishment of the Waqf Fund for Support of the Palestinian Refugees

(2019)
The Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organisation of Islamic
Cooperation agreed on establishment and operationalization of a waqf
endowment fund in order to support Palestine refugees on 2 March 2019. The
idea of such a waqf fund envisaged by the of the United Nations in a report in
2017 and announced at the OIC’s 7th Extraordinary Islamic Summit Conference
in Istanbul on May 2018. Afterwards, The General Secretariat of the OIC held a
meeting of an Experts Committee of the OIC Member States in order to discuss
the draft Statute of the Waqf Fund for Support of the Palestinian Refugees on
December 2018. Ultimately, the Council of Foreign Ministers of the OIC agreed
on establishment and operationalization of the waqf endowment fund on March
2019.
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 The OIC Secretary General stated at the meeting of an Experts
Committee on December 2018 that “the meeting comes in light of the worsening
financial crisis of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine
Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA)”. Especially right after the suspension of
the United States of America’s contributions and the worsening financial crisis’
impact on the social, humanitarian, and economic situation of the Palestinian
refugees, such a waqf fund’s importance significantly increased. For these
reasons, the main aim of the Waqf will be to sustain and strengthen the
UNRWA’s services to Palestine refugees around the region. The Waqf will be
housed within the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) and UNRWA will rely on it
to promote their programmes.

6. 3rd Conference on Supporting the Future of Syria and the Region (2019)
Secretary-General of OIC Mr Al-Othaimeen addressed the 3rd
Conference on Supporting the Future of Syria and the Region which held on 13-
14 March 2019 in Brussels. The Secretary-General stated that the Syrian crisis,
which has triggered one of the worst humanitarian disasters and the terrible
results it caused such as claimed lives and displaced people since 2011. He
urged the international community and especially the OIC Member States to
exert more efforts in the field by bridging the funding gap for humanitarian needs
and also by providing funding for humanitarian assistance to Syrian refugees
and IDPs.

7. 4th Geneva Interfaith Dialogue in Commemoration of World Interfaith

Harmony Week (2019)
OIC Deputy Permanent Observer in Geneva Ambassador Aissata Kane
has stressed in the message of OIC that “common faith on multilateralism was
at the core of the international solidarity and cooperation that led to the adoption
of two milestone global compacts on refugees and migrants”. He urged all
United Nation Member States and also their international partners on behalf of
OIC, to put humanity at the centre of these two compacts on worldwide
migration.

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 Apart from the resolutions and press releases about the refugee crisis,
Organisation of Islamic Cooperation Member States, individually and collectively under
the roof of the Organisation, work to provide protection and aid to the refugees and
asylum seekers. Most of the actions taken by the OIC are about the refugee crisis
originated from Syria, Palestine, Rohingya and Afghanistan. These actions can be
listed but not limited to international and regional support; to assemble and cooperate
with other governmental and non-governmental organizations to ensure peace and
security; political leadership for dialogue; hosting refugees all around the world;
founding funds; setting field hospitals and sending medical assistance.

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 KEY CHALLENGES AND POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS

Even though each refugee crisis is different and differences exist amongst
different countries and regions, several key challenges have emerged that are
commonly faced by these countries. Identifying them will provide a holistic
understanding of the problems faced and the impacts that certain actions will cause.
These can then be used to develop effective long-lasting solutions that help manage
the refugee crisis.
● Refugee migration is a very dynamic and complex process. It is nowhere near
a linear process.
● The international legal framework dealing with refugees is outdated and static
while the causes have evolved significantly and thus placing the burden to cope
with the refugee crisis on regional and national systems to fill in the holes.
● Both internal and external dynamics of a country play a huge role in the national
approaches a country takes towards the protection of refugees, which evolve
over time. These are often influenced by political dynamics, the country’s
identity, regional cooperation, etc.
● Where a person is from and who exactly that person is playing a significant role
in determining access to core rights, legal status and protection.
● A country’s ability to provide protection for refugees depends on its capacity to
implement protection frameworks, whether regional or national.
● After the provision of basic human rights and safety, the next most significant
challenge for refugees is to able to earn a living legally in displacement. This
requires supportive frameworks from hosting government.
● Finally, to help uplift the economic situation and alleviate poverty, refugees need
access to affordable and safe housing.

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 QARMAs

These are questions that delegates are expected to address in their resolutions,
however, this list of questions are not to be deemed wholly exhaustive but merely as a
starting point to guide thought-provoking aspects of the issue. Delegates are highly
encouraged to go above and beyond the demands of these questions in order to
develop truly well-rounded and effective solutions that tackle the topic at hand.
1. How can the OIC play a stronger role in tackling the global refugee crisis?
2. Should the OIC focus only on the refugee crisis that involves member states?
3. How can accountability of human rights violations of refugees be upheld?
4. How can repatriation be ensured in a safe and timely manner?
5. Should ratifying the 1951 Convention be obligated to member states?
6. How can national services in host countries be utilized to help improve poverty
alleviation strategies for refugees?
7. What can be done to ensure a holistic and sustained international support to
host countries to meet their obligations to refugees?
8. What are the root causes of forced migration and how can they tackle?

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