Maldives has signed the Statute of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Women’s Development Organisation, a new body established under the auspices of the OIC to promote the role and empowerment of women within member states. Aspiring to the principles and objectives of the organisation, the Parliament of Maldives gave consent to the application for membership in September 2019.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdulla Shahid signed the statute following a meeting with the Secretary-General of OIC Dr. Yousef bin Ahmed Al-Othaimeen, at the OIC General Secretariat in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Foreign Minister Shahid arrived in Jeddah to attend the Opening Ceremony of the Commemoration of the Golden Jubilee of OIC.
During the meeting, Minister Shahid and Secretary-General Al-Othaimeen discussed ways in which Maldives can further contribute to the deliberations within the OIC. The secretary-general welcomed the decision by the Government of Maldives to open a consulate in Jeddah, which is also where the OIC General Secretariat is located.
The OIC remains one of the principle international organizations which the Maldives actively participates. In March 2019, Foreign Minister Shahid attended the 46th Council of Foreign Ministers Meeting in Abu Dhabi, and in May 2019 President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih attended the 14th Islamic Summit which was held in Makkah.
OIC is the second largest inter-governmental organisation after the United Nations with a membership of 57 states, and is the collective voice of the Muslim world. Its main objective is to safeguard and protect the interests of the Muslim world, and strives to promote peace, tolerance and harmony amongst the various peoples of the world.
Maldives became a member of OIC in 1976 during the presidency of Ibrahim Nasir.