We are thrilled to announce the city of Shusha of Azerbaijan, as the OIC Youth Capital 2024, the new epicenter for youth development, international projects and intercultural diversity in the OIC region.
Shusha, the 10th host of OIC Youth Capital, will leverage this unique opportunity to foster cooperation among OIC member states in youth policy and enhance Muslim youth solidarity. It aims to promote intercultural diversity and the spirit of “unity” among the youth of the OIC geography and beyond through various activities.
The year-long OIC Youth Capital International Program encompasses a series of activities and events, spanning culture, academic life, youth leadership, entertainment, sports, and youth capacity building. The program aims to empower and engage Muslim youth by providing them with an international stage to shine and prosper.
Stay tuned for exciting news, opportunities, and youth activities from “Shusha-OIC Youth Capital 2024.”
Bangladesh was announced as the “OIC Youth Capital 2020-21” marking a significant recognition for the leadership of Honorable Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her spirited Government in the youth sector. The Istanbul based Islamic Cooperation Youth Forum (ICYF), an entity affiliated to the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), made this declaration on 25 December 2019. The selection of Dhaka as the “OIC Youth Capital 2020-21” will play a significant role to reflect a positive brand image of Bangladesh globally specially among the youth. The convergence of the yearlong events with the grand celebration of the Birth Centenary of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman has amplified its significance to a great extent.
Comprising to the youth of Bangladesh and the world, this event will showcase the spirit of Islam and youth and work to build peaceful collaboration among the youth generation. The year-long programs will contain different modes of youth and practices of living together and building the nest world together.
To celebrate the Dhaka OIC Youth Capital 2020, ten other elaborate mega events (Bangabandhu Global Youth Award, Bangabandhu Global Youth Award, OIC Knowledge Master, Bangabandhu Youth Art Competition, Bangabandhu-Dhaka International Debate Fest for the OIC Youth, Entrepreneurship, Skill & Employment Camp, Dhaka OIC Youth Capital Film Festival 2020-21, Scout Conference for Sustainable Development, Sheikh Hasina Youth Volunteer Award, The Holy Qur’an Recitation competition, Closing Ceremony) have been designed which will be implemented by various Ministries and government bodies throughout the year. It is our great pleasure to formally inform that the ‘Dhaka-OIC youth capital 202-21-Bangabandhu- Youth Art Competition’ is scheduled from 15-30 April 2021 virtually. With an objective to disseminate the related information of the exhibition through public media, the press conference has been scheduled to take place on 1 March, 2021. Ministry of Cultural Affairs, Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh and Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy, Dhaka, Bangladesh is going to organize the Dhaka OIC Youth Capital 2020-21 Bangabandhu- Youth Art Competition in association with the Ministry of Youth and Sports and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh.
Interested young artists aged between 18-35 years from the OIC member states and muslim community of other country are eligible to apply to the competition. The entire participating countries are devided into six regions. The regions are Bangladesh, Middle East, Rest of Asia, Africa, North and South America, Europe and Australia.
Two juries from each region will be responsible for the selection of artists, artworks and awards from their regional countries. Three juries from Bangladesh will select Bangladeshi artworks and awards. The jury board will select top 100 artworks – from Bangladesh 20 artists, Middle East 20 artists, Rest of Asia 20 artists, Africa 15 artists, North and South America 10 artists, and from Europe and Australia 15 artists.
Under the theme of the competition ‘Parity & Prosperity’ there will be a virtual exhibition of contemporary art, calligraphy art, photography and graphic design from 15 – 30 April, 2021.
In order to represent their selective thought and imagination to participate in the competition artistsmay follow the subjects like 1) Bangabandhu and Bangladesh; 2) COVID Pandemic; 3) Humanity in Refugee Crisis; 4) Youth Spirit in Technology; 5) Islamic History; 6) Climate Change etc.
Interested participating artists are requested to fill up the registration form (available at http://dhaka.oicyouthcapital.com/program/bangabandhu-youth-art-competition).
Only selected artists will be notified for participation in the virtual exhibition. The selection result will be posted on the website. Applicants are required to attach necessary documents along with the registration form. Each participant may apply with information of their artworks for selection process in maximum three categories and only one artwork for each category. Images of the artworks should be submitted by email in JPEG format in 300 DPI resolution and RGB color mode. Each file size of the attached Image should not be more than 5 MB. All interested participating artistsare requested to submit a scanned copy of their passportornational ID, educational, professional certificate in not be more than 5 MB.
The deadline for the registration and submission of the participation documents is scheduled from 1-31 March 2021. Artworks and regional award selection will be from 1-7 April 2021 from six regions and the selected artists will be notified about their selection through email. The jury session for grand award selection will be held from 11 – 13 April, 2021. A jury panel comprising from Bangladesh and ICYF will be responsible for judging the seclected artworks. Four awards will be given in each categories.
All selected artists will be recive certificate for their participation.
All communication regarding the ecompetition must be directed to the address of the Department of Fine Arts, Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy, 14/3 Segunbagicha, Ramna, Dhaka-1000, Bangladesh. Phone: +88029550602; Mobile: +8801713047571; +8801711183544, +8801711174918;
E-mail: shilpakala.dhaka@oicyouthcapital.com
In its capacity as the Selection Committee of the OIC Youth Capital International Programme, the ICYF Executive Board has selected Niamey of Niger as the OIC Youth Capital – 2023 among other candidate cities of Isfahan of Iran and Dakhla of Morocco on its 10th meeting held in Istanbul, on the 27th January 2023.
Dhaka OIC Youth Capital 2020 was inaugurated by the Hon’ble Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina in a virtual inauguration declaration ceremony on Monday 27th July, 2020. The Inauguration program was attended by His Excellency Yousef bin Ahmad Al- Othaimeen, Secretary General, Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC); His Excellency Mr. Azad Rahimov, Hon’ble Minister of Youth and Sports of Republic of Azerbaijan; H.E. Dawda A. Jallow, Justice Minister and Attorney General of the Gambia , His Excellency Mr. Taha Ayhan, President, Islamic Cooperation Youth Forum (ICYF), Dr. A. K. Abdul Momen MP, Honorable Foreign Minister of Bangladesh, Md. Zahid Ahsan Russel MP, Honorable State Minister for Youth and Sports of Bangladesh along with other global leaders and dignitaries.
The event was inaugurated at the National Sports Council. Dr. Momen, Honorable Foreign Minister, Mr. Md. Zahid Ahsan Russel, MP, Hon’ble State Minister of the Ministry of Youth & Sports and high officials from both the Ministry attended the event in person in the venue maintaining proper health standards and social distancing. The other Ministers and Dignitaries which includes Ambassadors of Foreign Missions in Bangladesh, Ambassadors of Bangladesh from some countries, Secretaries from Different Ministries, eminent personalities and Journalists from home and abroad have joined virtually in the inauguration ceremony. More than 200 participants from 75 (seventy five) countries who have been shortlisted for “ Resilient Youth Leadership Summit” also joined this virtual inauguration program.
Hon’ble Prime Minister of Bangladesh in her statement highlighted on the strength and vitality of Youth and recalled the achievement and sacrifices of the father of the Nation Bangabandhu during his youth. She also highlighted on the plight of the persecuted Rohingya Community and asked the global community to build global consensus for their sustainable, safe and dignified repatriation. Hon’ble Prime Minister has stressed that in all the visions and plan, Bangladesh Government has put utmost importance on the youth. With the power of the youth, Bangladesh has already materialized the Vision-2021 to transform it into a “Digital Bangladesh” and the decision of organizing the whole “Dhaka, OIC Youth Capital 2020” program is a testament to the technologically empowered advanced Bangladesh
Dr. A.K. Abdul Momen, MP said, “We were expected to launch the event sequence in April 2020. But the COVID-19 pushed us back. Now – we have remodeled and relaunched ourselves on the web-platform. Additionally, we have reasons to believe that the occurrence of the COVID-19 has only accentuated the underlying rationale for the theme of this year’s edition ‘Resilience for Parity and Prosperity’. Hon’ble Foreign Minister has mentioned about the “Resilient Youth Leadership Summit” where Youth across the globe will visit the Rohingya Camp in Cox’s bazar virtually and sensitize them with the plights of these persecuted people and discuss with humanitarian experts to concoct how the accountability and justice can be ensured for them.
H.E. Dawda A. Jallow, Justice Minister and Attorney General of the Gambia highlighted his country’s principled positions on the Rohingya crisis and the principles of international law and international genocide and other humanitarian laws. He noted that the ICJ ordered provisional measures against Myanmar for stopping the onslaught of the genocide. He noted that the Rohingyas have a birthright to their homeland in the Northern Rakhine and their mandate for citizenship and legal rights remain a common commitment for the international community.
Mr. Md. Zahid Ahsan Russel, MP gave a brief on the history and background of the selection procedure of Dhaka as the OIC Youth Capital. He emphasized on the indomitable spirit and vigour of the of the youth of Bangladesh and world as well. He further mentioned about the achievement of youth in different sector of Bangladesh and welcomed everyone for joining this august event. The Hon’ble State Minister mentioned that he inauguration declaration programme will be followed by a virtual youth summit titled “Resilient Youth Leadership Summit” on 27th and 28th July 2020, where 250 shortlisted youths out of more than 1200 applications from 75 countries will meet expert panelists in various day long activities to learn and craft the strategies to build a Resilient World, particularly, in the context of this COVID-19 pandemic situation.
Mr. Ayhan started his speech by thanking Her Excellency Sheikh Hasina, Honorable Prime Minister, Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh for welcoming this year’s OIC Youth Capital Program in the magnificent city of Dhaka, a city of youth. He continued by emphasizing that “Bangladesh has become one of Asia’s most remarkable success stories in recent years, is moving quickly to a high-value, knowledge-intensive society, beyond apparel manufacturing, and will be the 26th largest economy in the world, by 2030″. “With its asset of two-third of its population is under 25, quick learners, adaptive to technologies, and ready to engage in their communities, Bangladesh will certainly keep moving to highest levels of sustainable development” Mr. Ayhan added.
Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC),Hon’ble Minister of Youth and Sports of Republic of Azerbaijan and Hon’ble President of Islamic Cooperation Youth Forum (ICYF) in their statement praised Bangladesh for their outstanding preparation and called upon the youths of the OIC member states to build stronger fraternity among them.
A series of events will be organized at the OIC Youth Capital Dhaka 2020 including OIC Scout Leaders E-Meet: People for better planet, Bangabandhu Youth Leadership Award, Holy Quran Recitation Competition, Film Festival: Lockdown by the Lence, OIC Knowledge Master: Quiz competition, Art Exhibition: Creativity to create better world, Debate Competition: Topics on new Free world, Youth Bootcamp – Leadership, Youth development, Entrepreneurship, Skill & Employment Camp etc. Dates of these events will be confirmed later.
The Muslim Youth was honored with the attendance of H.E. Dr. Yousef bin Ahmad Al-Othaimeen, the OIC Secretary-General, at the virtual Inauguration Ceremony of Dhaka OIC Youth Capital 2020. The official ceremony was inaugurated by H.E. Sheykh Hasina, the Honorable PM of Bangladesh, H.E. Azad Rahimov, the Chairman of the ICYSM and Minister of Youth and Sport of Azerbaijan, H.E. Dawda A. Jallow, Justice Minister and Attorney General of the Gambia, H.E. Taha Ayhan, the ICYF President on 27 July 2020.
On 27-28 July 2020, the ICYF and the Ministry of Youth and Sports, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh organized the “Resilient Youth Leadership Summit” as the first-ever online activity under the framework of Dhaka – OIC Youth Capital 2020 International Programme. The summit sought to pursue youth innovative ideas and solutions, especially on how to manage the COVID-19 crisis effectively and build post-COVID resilience and sense of awareness about the ordeal and struggle of the Rohingya community. The program was composed of policy simulation sessions on building resilience in the context of COVID-19, virtual tour to Rohingya Camp in partnerships with UNHCR, IOM, and the University of Cambridge. The summit concluded with the submission of an outcome on the “Role of Youth Leadership in Time of Crisis” by young resilient leaders.
Dhaka OIC Youth Capital 2020 will be inaugurated by the Hon’ble Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina in a virtual inauguration declaration ceremony on Monday 27th July, 2020. The Inauguration program will be virtually attended by His Excellency Yousef bin Ahmad Al- Othaimeen, Secretary General, Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC); His Excellency Mr. Azad Rahimov, Hon’ble Minister of Youth and Sports of Republic of Azerbaijan; His Excellency Mr. Taha Ayhan, President, Islamic Cooperation Youth Forum (ICYF) and along with other global leaders and dignitaries.
A press conference was held at the National Sports Council (NSC) Auditorium on Saturday, 25th of July on the eve of the occasion. Dr. A. K. Abdul Momen, MP, Honorable Minister, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Government Republic of Bangladesh, Mr. Md. Zahid Ahsan Russel, MP, Hon’ble State Minister of the Ministry of Youth & Sports, Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh and Mr. Md. Akhter Hossain, Honorable Secretary of the Ministry of Youth & Sports were present at the conference. Honorable President of Islamic Cooperation Youth Forum (ICYF), Mr. Taha Ayhan also joined the programme through virtual medium. Journalists from home and abroad participated in that press conference both in person and through virtual medium.
Mr. Md. Zahid Ahsan Russel, MP gave a brief on the history and background of OIC Youth Capital saying, “OIC Youth Capital, initiated by Islamic Cooperation Youth Forum (ICYF) is the yearly gathering of the youth of the Muslim world that constitutes one third of 1.5 billion Muslims of OIC region. The capital is aimed to bring the youth together through certain activities, conferences, conventions, festivals and other special events. The goals of the initiative are to foster inter-cultural and inter-civilizational diversity and to unite the Muslim youth of the members of OIC countries under one platform to share among themselves and to turn up the Voice of Youth.”
Hon’ble State Minister for Youth and Sports further emphasized on the power and strength of the youth of Bangladesh with which Bangladesh has already materialized the Vision-2021 and the decision of organizing the whole “Dhaka, OIC Youth Capital 2020” program was a testament to the technologically empowered and advanced Bangladesh. He also stated that the significance of “ Dhaka, OIC Youth Capital 2020” had amplified to a great extent due to its convergence with the birth centenary celebration of Bangabandhu and “ Bangabandhu Global Youth Award” will be awarded to enlighten the global youth about the exemplary leadership of Bangabandhu.
The inauguration declaration programme will be followed by a virtual youth summit titled “Resilient Youth Leadership Summit” on 27th and 28th July 2020, where 250 shortlisted youths out of more than 1200 applications from 75 countries will meet expert panelists in various day long activities to learn and craft the strategies to build a Resilient World, particularly, in the context of this COVID-19 pandemic situation. Youth across the globe will visit the Rohingya Camp in Cox’s bazar virtually and sensitize them with the plights of these persecuted people and discuss with humanitarian experts to concoct how the accountability and justice can be ensured for them. The Rohingya Camp visit will jointly be coordinated by Government of Bangladesh, ICYF, UNHCR, IOM and University of Cambridge.
During the press conference, Dr. A.K. Abdul Momen, MP said, “We were expected to launch the event sequence in April 2020. But the COVID-19 pushed us back. Now – we have remodeled and relaunched ourselves on the web-platform. Additionally, we have reasons to believe that the occurrence of the COVID-19 has only accentuated the underlying rationale for the theme of this year’s edition ‘Resilience for Parity and Prosperity’.
Hon’ble Foreign Minister also highlighted the proposed “ OIC COVID-19 Response and Recovery Fund” to cushion against the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and to support Bangladesh migrant workers living in OIC member states during this crisis.
Hon’ble President of Islamic Cooperation Youth Forum (ICYF), H.E. Taha Ayhan in his statement remarked that Bangladesh was the first OIC Member State that initiated and organized first ever Youth CFM as side event to 45th CFM in 2018. He further stated about the previous “ OIC Youth Capital” events and expressed utmost satisfaction about the overall preparation of Bangladesh for launching the year long events on virtual platforms.
Explaining the importance of the programme in context of COVID-19 pandemic, the Hon’ble State Minister of the Ministry of Youth and Sports also stated, “This programme is particularly important in the COVID-19 and post-COVID recovery and reconstruction of an equitable global economic order. It emphasizes on the leadership, vision, ideation and imagination of the youth for constructing an innovative, resilient, and inclusive narrative to ensure a leadership position in the affairs of the world. Dhaka-OIC Youth Capital 2020 believes that each new life comes with a potential and a promise.”
A series of events will be organized at the OIC Youth Capital Dhaka 2020 including OIC Scout Leaders E-Meet: People for better planet, Bangabandhu Youth Leadership Award, Holy Quran Recitation Competition, Film Festival: Lockdown by the Lence, OIC Knowledge Master: Quiz competition, Art Exhibition: Creativity to create better world, Debate Competition: Topics on new Free world, Youth Bootcamp – Leadership, Youth development, Entrepreneurship, Skill & Employment Camp etc. Dates of these events will be confirmed later.
The Planting Trees” event was organized as a part of the Doha OIC Youth Capital 2019 by The Ministry of Culture and Sports of Qatar, in cooperation with the Ministry of Municipality and Environment of Qatar and ICYF on Saturday with the participation of H.E. Mr Salah bin Ghanem Al Ali, Minister of Culture and Sports, H.E. Mr Abdulla bin Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Subaie, Minister of Municipality and Environment, Mr. Rasul Omarov, Director General of ICYF, ambassadors representing OIC Countries, and students from OIC member states studying in Qatar.
During the event 56 trees dedicated to each member of the OIC states have been planted by the young participants from OIC countries. The event was intended to commemorate Doha’s hosting of the activities of Doha OIC Youth Capital 2019, to emphasize the value of planting in the Islamic religion, and to achieve institutional partnerships between ministries. After a year of hosting diverse events to inspire Muslim youth from countries around the world, the closing ceremony of the Doha OIC Youth Capital 2019 will be held on Thursday, 16 January with the attendance of representatives from the OIC Member States.
ICYF and Ministry of Culture and Sports of the State of Qatar held the Grand Closing Ceremony of “Qatar – OIC Youth Capital 2019” with participation of respective OIC Member States’ ministries, head of diplomatic missions, Qatari youth and youth of Muslim world. The ceremony was held at Doha Exhibition and Conference Center (DECC) on the sidelines of the 30th edition of the Doha International Book Fair.
The closing ceremony started with the recitation of verses from the Holy Qur’an. During the closing ceremony, H.E. Mr. Taha Ayhan, President of ICYF, delivered a welcoming speech, appreciating the successful implementation of Qatar OIC Youth Capital 2019 throughout the year by partner organizations. Mr. President welcomed the guests and started his speech by expressing appreciation and thanks to His Excellency Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani, Prime Minister and Minister of Interior of the State of Qatar and H.E. Salah bin Ghanim Al Ali, Minister of Culture and Sports of the State of Qatar for their commitment to development of young generation by providing high patronage to the OIC Youth Capital Programme.
“Under the “Doha – OIC Youth Capital 2019” program, we successfully reached out to more than 25.000 young people in the OIC Geography and beyond.” Mr. Taha Ayhan stated and continued, “We were also able to host almost 300 international participants during the year which helped raise awareness about global diplomacy, innovation, youth volunteerism, art, humanitarian work and disaster management.”
The speeches followed by Mr. Muhammad Al-Fahida, Representative of the Ministry of Culture and Sports. In his speech Fahida has stressed the importance of empowering Muslim youth and emphasized that Doha will remain a capital for all youth-related initiatives.
Year Long programs implemented in Doha included, Doha Muslim Youth Forum, Doha Oasis for Innovation, Doha Youth Camp for Voluntary and Humanitarian Work, Short Film Contest, Photo Contest, Visual Art Contest under the Doha OIC Youth Capital Innovation Awards and Tree Planting Event. With the special motto `Youth is the power of Ummah` Doha OIC Youth Capital 2019 was designed for the betterment of youth development.
‘Best Exemplary OIC Youth Capital Award’ was presented to Doha for successful implementation and realization of the International OIC Youth Capital Programme for 2019. Doha, being one of the best exemplary OIC Youth Capitals, has reached out thousands of youth to strengthen brotherly ties and promote their cultures and traditions. One of the most applauding achievements of the Doha OIC Youth Capital was its dedication to involve youth from every part of the Islamic world.
During the closing ceremony, winners of the “Qatar OIC Youth Capital 2019” competitions which held throughout the year were awarded. H.E. Minister of Culture and Sports Salah bin Ghanem Al Ali presented the awards of the Doha-The Capital of Islamic Youth for,
- Doha Youth Innovation Award for Photography
Sultan Ahmed Niloy from Bangladesh
- Doha Youth Innovation Award for Voluntary and Humanitarian Work
Muhammed Albarbari from Palestine
- Doha Youth Innovation Award for Visual Arts Category
Herru Yoga Pratama from Indonesia
- Doha Youth Innovation Award for Short Film Catergory
Muthanna Majhool Kadhim from Iraq
- Winner of “Doha Oasis for Innovation” program
Saleh Safran from Qatar
During the ceremony ICYF President Taha Ayhan has announced Dhaka as the Capital of Islamic Youth for 2020. Qatar handed over the OIC Youth Capital Key to Dhaka, as the next owner of the program. On behalf of Bangladesh, Minister of Youth and Sports in Bangladesh Zahid Ahsan Russel has expressed his pleasure to be the next youth capital.
“We are happy to choose Dhaka as the Islamic Youth Capital 20120 and I invite you all to visit Dhaka,” he said and added, “We are planning to organize 10 events ranging from Film festivals to Youth Summits.” In his speech Russell has stressed the importance of this platform for the Islamic cooperation.
OIC Youth Capital program was initiated by Islamic Cooperation Youth Forum (ICYF) in its 2nd General Assembly held on October, 2014.
OIC region has almost 1.5 billion Muslims and 1/3 of it is constituted by youth. Carrying a considerable importance and reserving a huge portion of the Muslim population of the region, youth had to have a unique organization uniting them with the sense of solidarity and strengthening brotherly ties in a certain city of OIC member countries each year. This idea led to establishing an OIC Youth Capital under which certain activities, conferences, conventions, festivals and other special events would be held according to the interests and benefits of Muslim youth all year long.
The Grand Closing Ceremony of “Al-Quds Ash-Sharif – OIC Youth Capital 2018” International Programme, organized by Islamic Cooperation Youth Forum (ICYF) in cooperation with the Higher Council for Youth and Sports of the State of Palestine and with the kind hospitality of the Ministry of Youth and Sports of the Republic of Turkey, will be held at its Conference Hall on 11 March 2019 in the Turkish capital Ankara, in which Al-Quds will hand over the OIC Youth Capital Key to Doha, as the owner of the program for 2019.
During the year of 2018, in a historic decision of solidarity with Palestinian people, Al-Quds Al-Sharif was celebrated as the OIC Youth Capital for 2018 through a year-long international programme of invigorating youth activities co-organized by the aforementioned Council and ICYF, as the Implementing Agency of the Joint Youth Action Plan adopted by the 4th Session of the Islamic Conference of Youth and Sports Ministers (Baku, Azerbaijan, April 2018) and relevant decisions of the subsequent OIC Council of Foreign Ministers.
It is our firm belief that the programs held throughout the year, including establishment of the Palestinian National Youth Council, Media Training Camp and Human Faces of Al-Quds Photo Contest and Exhibitions, organized with the kind support of the Ministries of Respective of OIC Member States, including the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, State of Qatar and Republic of Turkey, have significantly contributed towards raising international awareness on the inalienable rights of Palestinians and Muslims towards the sanctity of Al-Quds Al-Sharif and also paved the way for cooperation, joint work and friendship between youth of Ummah and Palestine.