The Permanent Commission for Human Rights of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) launched the “Jeddah Declaration 2025” through an introductory meeting organized by UNA.

Jeddah (UNA) – The Executive Director of the Independent Permanent Human Rights Commission, Dr. Hadi bin Ali Al-Yami, announced today, Tuesday, during an introductory meeting organized by the Union of OIC News Agencies (UNA), the launch of the “Jeddah Declaration 2025 for Youth Empowerment, Development and Peace.” He explained that the Jeddah Declaration 2025 is a preliminary and guiding document that expresses a collective vision of the OIC member states, and affirms that youth are partners in peace, makers of development, and bearers of their rights and responsibilities. He pointed out that the declaration aims to link human rights with the agenda of youth, development and peace, and that it is consistent with the priorities of member states and their national visions, and opens the door to practical initiatives and future partnerships.

Dr. Al-Yami explained that the Jeddah Declaration is based on three main pillars:

Empowering youth through education, participation, capacity building, fair opportunities, and inclusive development as a human right and a tool for conflict prevention, as well as sustainable peace through youth involvement in conflict prevention and post-conflict building.

Jeddah Announcement 2025:

• This declaration was adopted following the thematic discussion on “Youth Development in OIC Member States: Challenges and Opportunities from a Human Rights Perspective”, which was held on 14 December 2025 during the 26th Ordinary Session of the Independent Permanent Human Rights Commission of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation in Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

• In addition to the members of the body and representatives of member states and observer states of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the discussion was attended by experts from the United Nations, the General Secretariat of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the International Islamic Fiqh Academy, the Statistical, Economic and Social Research and Training Centre for Islamic Countries (SESRIC), the Digital Cooperation Organization, the Islamic Cooperation Youth Forum, the Islamic Solidarity Sports Federation, the Union of News Agencies of the OIC Member States, the Human Rights Commission of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and the National Human Rights Committee of the State of Qatar.

• The thematic discussion reviewed the range of international and regional human rights instruments and mechanisms concerned with protecting and promoting the rights of young people, and highlighted the key challenges facing youth in OIC member states in fully enjoying their rights. The discussion also put forward practical proposals to enhance the role of young people in contributing effectively to building more peaceful and resilient societies.

• Guided by the principles and values ​​of Islam derived from the Holy Quran and the Sunnah of our Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, affirming that respect for human dignity is the foundation of rights and freedoms; and taking into consideration also the Charter of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the Cairo Declaration on Human Rights of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the Covenant of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation on the Rights of the Child in Islam, the Plan of Action of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation for the Advancement of Women, the Ten-Year Plan of Action of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the 2019 Tashkent Declaration of the Independent Permanent Human Rights Commission, and relevant OIC resolutions that promote youth rights, human rights education, human development, good governance, and the rule of law;

• Recalling the principles of the Charter of the United Nations, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action, the Declaration on the Right to Development, the Sustainable Development Goals, the Outcome Document of the United Nations Summit for the Future, and other relevant international human rights instruments and United Nations resolutions protecting the rights of young people;

• Recognizing that youth empowerment is a fundamental element of the “right to development,” as affirmed in United Nations General Assembly Resolution 41/128, which emphasizes the duty of States to create conditions conducive to enabling young people to participate fully and equitably in political, social and economic life, and to build their capacities to contribute to development;

• Based on comprehensive deliberations, the body adopted the “Jeddah Declaration for Youth Empowerment, Development and Peace” to serve as a framework to guide the formulation of youth policies and programs in member states:

• She affirmed that Islam places great importance on the dignity, rights, and responsibilities of young people, considering them a trust and a fundamental element for achieving social harmony. Within the framework of the interdependence of rights and responsibilities, Islam emphasizes that the realization of young people's rights must be accompanied by the fulfillment of corresponding duties by both the state and society, thus providing an enabling environment based on justice, equal opportunities, and inclusivity. This includes guaranteeing access to education, decent livelihoods, participation in decision-making, and protection from discrimination and violence, in accordance with Islamic values ​​and internationally recognized human rights principles.

• It recognized that “youth” is a transitional period from childhood to adulthood, independence, and an awareness of interdependence as members of society. In practice, rather than a precisely defined age group, “youth” is a cultural concept grounded in the political, economic, social, and cultural contexts and perceptions of different societies, resulting from the transition from dependency to independence, which occurs at different stages with respect to different rights. Given the fluidity of the concept, the United Nations, when implementing youth policies and strategies at the national level, adheres to the age group and a more flexible definition of “youth,” as determined by the member state itself.

• She affirmed that youth rights encompass civil, political, economic, social, and cultural rights, freedoms, and protections specifically related to young people. These rights are rooted in the broader framework of human rights, but are specifically designed to address the unique needs and challenges young people face during their transition from childhood to adulthood. However, some are denied these rights because of their young age. This sometimes affects young people explicitly, through legal age restrictions, but more importantly, through negative attitudes, beliefs, prejudices, and stereotypes about youth that deprive them of opportunities to enjoy their rightful entitlements.

• She further explained that the rights of young people include: (a) protection of young people’s access to amenities and services such as food, clothing, shelter, education, etc.; (b) protection from abuses, including physical, mental and psychological harm; and (c) the opportunity to participate and engage as partners in making decisions that affect them throughout their life cycle.

• She highlighted that despite the normative frameworks for human rights, gaps exist in the recognition and implementation of youth-specific rights due to: (a) legal recognition, as many countries lack legal protections specific to youth and distinct from children's rights; (b) age group marginalization, as young people are often caught between human rights frameworks for children and adults, resulting in limited attention to their needs; and (c) global inequalities, as young people in low-income areas face systemic barriers to education, health, and employment, exacerbating cycles of poverty. It remains a well-established fact that there is no single framework or instrument that defines youth-specific rights at the global level.

• She emphasized that the international human rights perspective on youth rights underscores their crucial role in building a just, equitable, and sustainable world. By bridging the normative gaps between childhood and the transition to adulthood, societies can create frameworks that recognize and empower young people as active participants in social, economic, and political development.

• She noted that the OIC region has one of the largest youth populations in the world, representing a significant demographic asset for driving development, stability, and prosperity. However, young people across the region continue to face significant obstacles and challenges that prevent them from fully enjoying their human rights. These challenges include persistently high unemployment rates and a lack of job opportunities, limited access to quality and inclusive education, and significant barriers to entrepreneurship, access to financial resources, and political and economic participation. Furthermore, young people suffer from a lack of mental health and psychosocial support services and limited opportunities for civic engagement. Deep-rooted structural inequalities, such as poverty, discrimination, the digital divide, unilateral coercive measures, and unequal access to services in rural and urban areas, exacerbate these challenges.

• She also noted that young women and girls sometimes suffer from additional and overlapping forms of discrimination, including challenges related to access to scientific education, exposure to violence and harmful practices based on age and gender, exclusion from economic opportunities, wage inequality, increased exposure to digital harassment, and inadequate online protection mechanisms.

• She expressed concern that young people in many regions, including within OIC member states, continue to face increasing vulnerability to extremism due to a combination of socioeconomic marginalization, injustice, political exclusion, exposure to conflict and foreign occupation, digital manipulation, and lack of access to quality education and employment opportunities. While the majority of young people reject violence and seek constructive avenues for engagement, extremist groups of various faiths often target disenfranchised or frustrated youth, exploiting their grievances, limited knowledge of religious tenets, and manipulating political narratives and distorting reality.

• She stressed the need for effective preventive strategies, including enhancing educational opportunities and quality, critical thinking skills, expanding equal economic opportunities, promoting inclusive governance and civic participation, protecting young people from online manipulation and harmful digital content, and encouraging community programs that promote resilience and social cohesion.

• She affirmed that the right to form a family is a fundamental right recognized in international human rights law and enshrined in Islamic law. For young people in OIC member states, protecting and strengthening the family, based on marriage between a man and a woman, remains central to their social, emotional, and moral development, enabling them to face the challenges of modern life and contribute positively to their societies. Young people must be empowered to exercise their right to marry, form a family, and raise children in order to preserve the social fabric, strengthen community cohesion, and safeguard the resilience of societies throughout the OIC region.

• She explained that advancements in digital technology, artificial intelligence, and online platforms offer unprecedented opportunities for young people to access education, employment, entrepreneurship, and civic engagement. This requires equitable access to digital knowledge, along with effective safeguards to prevent cyberbullying, misinformation, digital exploitation, and the risks of exclusion from digital economies. Investing in youth-led technological innovation, skills development, and digital empowerment is a pivotal element in building knowledge-based societies across the OIC region.

• It condemned the grave and systematic human rights violations suffered by Muslim youth in the occupied Palestinian territories, including the Gaza Strip, where young people continue to face genocide, extrajudicial killings, torture, enforced disappearances, physical injuries, sexual violence, starvation as a weapon of war, and other forms of inhumane treatment perpetrated with impunity by the Israeli occupation regime. These violations deprive young people of their most basic rights, including the rights to life, liberty, security, education, health, freedom of expression, peaceful assembly, movement, and protection from discrimination, and severely impede their social, psychological, and economic development.

• It strongly condemned the systematic human rights violations suffered by young Muslim men and women in conflict-affected areas around the world. These violations include physical and psychological trauma, violence, persecution, discrimination, and abuse, both on the ground and across digital platforms. In this regard, the Commission drew urgent attention to the plight of young people in Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Rohingya Muslim youth in Myanmar, and Muslim communities in the Central African Republic, where protracted conflict, violence, forced displacement, and systematic discrimination continue to deprive young people of their fundamental rights and future prospects. It also expressed concern about the rise of Islamophobia, hate speech, and stigmatization targeting young Muslim men and women in non-OIC member states, which undermines their safety, dignity, and livelihoods.

• It called on the international community to fulfill its legal and moral obligations to protect young people from all forms of hatred and abuse, ensure accountability for human rights violations, promote inclusion and equal opportunities, and take effective measures to combat Islamophobia and all forms of discrimination, in line with international human rights law and principles.

• It was determined that the active participation of youth in post-conflict humanitarian efforts, peacebuilding, and development is essential for achieving lasting stability and enhancing resilience in OIC member states affected by conflict and crises. Given that young people in these contexts possess unique perspectives, energy, and innovative capabilities, they must be recognized not only as beneficiaries of aid but also as active partners in recovery, reconciliation, transitional justice, and community reconstruction. Therefore, integrating youth into humanitarian response, peace processes, and development planning is crucial for the full enjoyment and realization of their rights and represents a strategic investment in sustainable peace and long-term prosperity for post-conflict societies.

• It recognized that sport is an effective tool for youth inclusion, promoting social cohesion, building peace, and achieving sustainable development in OIC member states, particularly in conflict and post-conflict contexts. It encouraged member states to integrate sport into their national youth and development policies, ensuring inclusive access for all young people, including young women and girls, refugees, and persons with disabilities.

• She emphasized that the media and national human rights institutions play a pivotal role in ensuring the effective implementation of youth-centered policies by monitoring commitments, assessing impact, and promoting accountability. Furthermore, the media, within its mission to raise public awareness of youth rights, can fully engage by highlighting gaps between youth-focused policies and their practical application.

• She expressed her appreciation for the role and contribution of the General Secretariat of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the Islamic Cooperation Youth Forum, the SESRIC Center in Ankara, the Union of News Agencies of the OIC Member States and the Digital Cooperation Organization in promoting youth rights, and called on these bodies to develop targeted capacity-building programs for policymakers, the private sector and civil society to raise awareness and mainstream youth rights at all levels.

Recommendations:

 United Nations and international/regional organizations

• Strengthening cooperation in technical assistance programs that support youth development policies
• Ensuring affordable access to scientific research, digital connectivity, digital literacy, artificial intelligence, technology transfer, and shared digital infrastructure.
• Strengthening the monitoring of youth rights and establishing clear indicators to measure their inclusion in public policies.
• Increase funding for youth initiatives in conflict zones, including healthcare, education, and livelihood programs.
• Expanding partnerships to promote digital inclusion, raise awareness of cybersecurity, and protect young people from digital risks.
• Strengthening youth-led peacebuilding initiatives and ensuring their active representation in peace processes.
• Adopting a legally binding international charter on the right to development, taking into account the rights and empowerment of young people.
• Develop a comprehensive normative framework to guarantee the rights of young people, in consultation with member states and taking into account their specificities and cultural sensitivities.
• Encouraging compliance with existing human rights instruments and mechanisms to mainstream youth rights through the Universal Periodic Review mechanisms, and with the participation of youth organizations.
• Recognizing that the majority of migrants, refugees, internally displaced persons and those affected by armed conflicts are young people, it is necessary to strengthen the protection of their fundamental rights and involve them in relevant decision-making, without discrimination.

Recommendations for member states of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation:

• Integrating youth rights into national legislation in accordance with Islamic and international human rights principles and standards.
• National development policies, plans and budgets should include explicit youth participation, and ensure access to quality education, technical skills, decent career paths, vocational training and digital literacy.
• Expanding youth employment programs, supporting entrepreneurship and microfinance, and facilitating business practices for young innovators and entrepreneurs.
• Promoting gender-sensitive policies to protect young women and girls from discrimination and violence, and building their capacities to contribute to social and economic development.
• Expanding social protection programs for young people in vulnerable situations, including rural and marginalized communities.
• Encouraging youth participation in media institutions, enabling them to contribute to shaping public discourse, and developing leadership, critical thinking, and advocacy skills.
• Ensuring the availability of mental health services, youth counseling, and psychosocial support systems.
• Protecting young people in conflict zones through humanitarian corridors, education continuity programs, and preventing forced recruitment.
• Strengthening youth leadership initiatives, encouraging participation in governance through youth councils and consultative platforms, and involving them in policy formulation.
• Bridging the digital divide by providing affordable internet, comprehensive information and communications policies, and secure digital infrastructure and systems.
• Strengthening the capabilities of national statistical offices in researching, collecting and analyzing disaggregated data (by age and gender), to bridge knowledge gaps and ensure effective and sustainable policies.
• Developing policies to reduce brain drain by retaining young people through expanding job opportunities and promoting economic integration.
• The focus is on building the character of young people and educating them in the field of human rights in a way that promotes awareness of rights and responsibilities, respect for cultural diversity, and combating extremism.
• Consideration should be given to establishing a youth endowment for the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) with the support of civil society organizations to implement the organization's youth strategy.
• Supporting partnerships between governments, the private sector and civil society to expand opportunities available to young people.

Recommendations for National Human Rights Institutions

• Developing participatory national strategies for youth and monitoring their implementation.
• Monitoring and reporting violations of youth rights.
• Strengthening human rights education for young people, by supporting government initiatives in educational institutions, including formal and non-formal sectors at all levels.
• Developing effective mechanisms for receiving and addressing complaints related to youth issues.
• Collaborating with youth organizations to deliver comprehensive policy recommendations.
• Expanding partnerships with civil society, academia and international bodies to improve youth development outcomes and resilience.

Recommendations for the General Secretariat of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and its institutions

• Reviewing the OIC Youth Strategy in light of new global practices adopted by the United Nations, and drawing on the practical experiences of relevant institutions within the OIC, through a multi-agency approach aimed at empowering youth;
• Strengthening coordination to implement youth-focused programs and policies;
• Supporting member states in aligning their national youth strategies with international human rights standards;
• Facilitating dialogue, holding capacity-building workshops, and cooperating in the field of youth development;
• Strengthening joint programs with the Islamic Development Bank for youth employment, entrepreneurship, and digital innovation;
• The focus is on building the character of young people, and providing education in the field of human rights in a way that enhances awareness of their rights and responsibilities, and ensures respect for cultural diversity, in order to confront extremism and deviant ideas, as well as preparing and training them to assume their future roles at various levels.
• Integrating youth interests into the OIC's efforts in peacebuilding, humanitarian relief, and conflict prevention;
• Consideration should be given to launching a humanitarian youth fellowship program, facilitated by the Independent Permanent Human Rights Commission of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the OIC General Secretariat.
• Consider organizing the annual Peace Forum for the Youth of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, as a sustainable dialogue platform on the sidelines of the sessions of the United Nations General Assembly or the Economic and Social Council.

The body adopts this declaration and calls upon all member states and stakeholders to translate its content into practical policies and programs that promote youth empowerment and support development and peace in the OIC region.

(is over)