Jakarta, IO – The first-ever Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) meeting on Youth Activity in Indonesia has just concluded, under the patronage of the OIC Secretary General and the Government of the Republic of Indonesia. The Indonesian Government, operating through the Ministry of Youth and Sport, in coordination with all related Ministries, Regional Governments and Higher and Professional Institutions, hosted the OIC Youth Conference on Cultural Activity, an effort that promotes cooperation on multicultural programs among members. The program ran from 7 to 14 July 2023, and was held simultaneously in Jakarta Special Region Province and East Kalimantan Province.
The Conference attracted most OIC members, hailing from 57 countries from every continent. The program of the Conference, set by the Committee, allowed a clearer picture of the diversity of Indonesia, including ethnic groups, culture, religions, panoramic views and others. The program gave a chance for the OIC Secretariat and participants to fortify cooperation in fields of education, social empowerment and entrepreneurship for Youth, in order to be proactive in solving challenges faced by OIC member countries in a spirit of collaboration. The reality is that OIC member countries are at differing levels of economic development, with some classified as “high-income”, others as “middle-income” and the rest classified as “low-income” countries.
The Committee also arranged a mock-up OIC meeting conference of for students in Indonesia, allowing them to familiarize themselves with the role of procedures and how issues are to be discussed, reaching a common ground/resolution for the sake of member countries. This activity also encourages the passion of Indonesia students to become diplomats engaging in collaborative actions to resolve multilateral or global problems.
The OIC is the second-largest gathering, after the United Nations. This organization was initially established to face the brutality of Israeli troops with the burning of Al Aqsa Mosque and the oppression of legitimate Palestinian rights toward their land. Nowadays, the organization revitalizes its role, by promoting technical cooperation among members. Admittedly, the issues of Palestine and Al Quds still there but economic and technical cooperation and assistance are very dynamic for the spirit of humanity, the welfare of ummah and the commitment to maintaining world peace.
To achieve that objective, most OIC member countries have gone through the same experience on their journey to nationhood. Most members of OIC were colonialized by other nations. This period of colonialization was abolished with the resistance of local leaders and their societies, which actually are in diverse in their culture. In the case of Indonesia, despite hosting many religions and cultures in Indonesia, with a spirit of “Unity in Diversity”, the Indonesian founding fathers and society struggled to gain independence from colonial masters. This independence was a remarkable and historical moment, one that cannot be separated from the Indonesian Youth movement. Indonesia Youth successfully connected their independence movement against colonialist oppression with their massive action in the form of a Youth Pledge (Sumpah Pemuda) in 1928. From this point of view, Indonesian Youth has shown a level of tolerance, despite living in different cultures and ethnic groups. Indonesian Youth has pledged and committed itself together to become one Nation and One Language.