Jeddah (UNA) – Mr. Niyazi Akar, Deputy Minister of Justice of Turkey, affirmed his great sense of responsibility when addressing two fundamental issues, namely: youth and human rights, at the 26th Ordinary Session of the Independent Permanent Human Rights Commission of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, and the session held today, Sunday, December 14, 2025, entitled: “Youth Development in OIC Member States: Challenges and Opportunities from a Human Rights Perspective.”
He said, “As heirs to a civilization that rose up with the command ‘Read,’ and valued knowledge with the principle ‘Seek knowledge even if it is in China,’ it is our first duty to provide our youth with justice, fairness, and knowledge. Our geographical region includes the youngest age group in the world, and these young people are our greatest strength and a trust from God. We cannot properly safeguard this trust except by protecting their rights and eliminating the dangers they face.”
He emphasized that Gaza is where the most fundamental rights of young people are being violated en masse today, explaining that it is not only buildings that are targeted there, but also the dreams of young people, their educational opportunities, their right to a healthy life, and their hopes for the future. Every young person in Gaza reminds us of the shared responsibilities that the international community must bear. He stated that this painful reality imposes a moral and legal obligation on everyone to stand against any violation of young people's rights and to develop sustainable solutions that reconnect them with life.
He summarized the main challenges facing young people today as follows:
• Inequality in access to quality education
• High youth unemployment rates
• Social exclusion
• Increased hate speech, misinformation, and extremism on digital platforms
• Loss of a sense of belonging and trauma resulting from conflicts and forced migration
He explained that these risks not only directly affect young individuals, but also impact the stability of societies and their ability to develop.
Mr. Akar stressed that there are opportunities as great as those risks to be offered to young people, the most important of which are listening to them, involving them in decision-making processes, and reviving the culture of consultation with the younger generation.
He added, “Moreover, we have a shared responsibility to transform the opportunities offered by the digital age into safe and inclusive platforms for young people in terms of access to information and freedom of expression. Enhancing young people’s awareness of human rights through education is not just a social policy option; it is a condition for achieving justice, peace, and sustainable development, and this is also one of the requirements of our great religion, Islam.”
He explained that Islam, with its dynamic nature, considers youth to be the backbone of society; and advises raising youth, through education, on the values of mercy, conscience, responsibility, justice, fairness, virtue and community service, indicating that protecting youth from harmful currents, supporting their personal development and preparing them for life, also means protecting the future of society.
He emphasized that the youth-focused initiatives undertaken by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the Independent Permanent Human Rights Commission are of paramount importance in fostering shared awareness and developing effective policies in member states through examples of best practices. He noted that the issue is not merely about providing opportunities for young people, but about recognizing and upholding the rights with which they are born. They are not only the architects of the future, but also of the present. The suffering in Gaza should serve as a call to action, a call that must be heeded.
He explained that in Turkey, they have placed rights-based support for youth at the heart of national policies, where projects are being implemented in a wide range of fields, from education to employment, from volunteering to developing digital skills, from youth entrepreneurship support programs to international youth exchanges, considering the empowerment of youth to be individuals who contribute to peace, development and social justice as a fundamental goal at both the national and international levels, announcing the readiness to share Turkish experiences and capabilities with the countries of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and to contribute to joint projects.
In this context, he pointed out that the Islamic Cooperation Youth Forum, an organization affiliated with the Organization of Islamic Cooperation operating in Istanbul, makes important contributions to strengthening youth cooperation between Turkey and the member states of the organization, calling on all member states to participate more effectively in the forum’s activities.
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