Humanitarian work is a key pillar of the OIC mandate. It goes back to the early beginnings of the Organization, but it became more visible in the mid-1990s with the OIC’s humanitarian efforts having grown in quantity and quality. These efforts culminated in 2008 in the institutionalization of the OIC’s humanitarian action through the establishment of the Department of Humanitarian Affairs (ICHAD).

 

Establishment of the Department of Humanitarian Affairs

In line with the noble principles of Islam and the relevant provisions of the OIC Charter, and in view of the critical humanitarian situation in many OIC Member States, and to strengthen the role of the OIC, being the collective voice of the Muslim Ummah, in promoting joint Islamic action and meeting urgent humanitarian needs, the Department of Humanitarian Affairs (ICHAD) was established pursuant to Resolution No. 11/35, adopted at the 35th session of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers held in June 2008 in Kampala, Uganda. The Department was created with the mandate of coordinating humanitarian assistance and implementing the Ten-Year Programme of Action and other relevant resolutions taken by the Summit and CFM meetings.

 

Vision of ICHAD

Since its inception, ICHAD has worked to develop a new, comprehensive and integrated approach to humanitarian work. This new approach involves strengthening and coordinating joint Islamic action in the humanitarian field in response to humanitarian needs, in line with the values of Islam, the provisions of the OIC charter, the relevant best practices, and the global principles guiding humanitarian work.  It also involves coordinating with Member States, especially in crisis and disaster areas in the Islamic world or in countries with a dense Muslim population, and providing financial support through relevant OIC institutions, such as the Islamic Solidarity Fund and the Islamic Development Bank.

 

Tasks of ICHAD

1. Strengthen emergency relief work, provide humanitarian and rehabilitation assistance, and strengthen disaster risk reduction activities in OIC countries and countries with Islamic communities;
2. Develop strategies for relief work, and raise awareness of humanitarian crises and response strategies;
3. Provide humanitarian assistance to OIC Member States facing or threatened by natural disasters or other emergencies;
4. Coordinate with Member States to support relief efforts and develop rapid response mechanisms in the face of humanitarian crises;
5. Mobilize resources for humanitarian assistance in coordination with Member States, and contribute to post-emergency rehabilitation and recovery efforts in countries emerging from conflicts and natural disasters;
6. Coordinate with and supervise the work of the OIC humanitarian offices and humanitarian assistance funds and programs, strengthen the institutional and technical capacities of Member States to respond to emergencies and reduce exposure to natural disasters, and develop strategic partnerships within the humanitarian community in line with the OIC ethics.
7. Develop a strategy for joint humanitarian action in coordination with Member States, international humanitarian organizations, and non-governmental organizations active in the humanitarian field;
8. Establish relations of cooperation and partnership between the OIC General Secretariat and accredited humanitarian organizations active in the humanitarian field after the Member States’ approval, and develop strategic partnerships within the humanitarian community in line with the OIC ethics;
9. Strengthen the institutional and technical capacities of Member States to respond to emergencies and mitigate the effects of natural disasters;
10. Formulate principles and guidelines for humanitarian work in the Islamic world, in line with the civilizational and cultural tenets of Islam, and propose humanitarian policies aligned with needs and priorities;
11. Spread the culture of volunteerism in humanitarian work in the Islamic world in coordination with Member States;
12. Promote post-emergency rehabilitation and recovery in countries emerging from conflicts and natural disasters;
13. Build Member States’ capacities in terms of early warning and humanitarian assistance systems;
14. Provide humanitarian assistance to countries facing epidemics (COVID-19), natural disasters, and forced displacement resulting from conflicts, wars, and emergencies;
15. Conduct studies and research in the field of humanitarian work, and disseminate their results and findings to Member States;
16. Prepare databases on humanitarian work and on workers in this field in OIC Member States;
17. Encourage media institutions and think-tanks to follow up and cover humanitarian affairs in the Islamic world;
18. Follow up to the outcomes of the UN World Humanitarian Summit (May 2016), the Conference on Refugees and Migration (UNGA meeting on September 19, 2016), the UN Summit for Refugees and Migrants (September 20, 2016 in New York), the UN Climate Change Conference (COP21) in Paris, the UN Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction  (Sendai, Japan – March 2015), and the 2017 revisions to the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction (Cancun, Mexico).

 

ICHAD lines of action:

The Department of Humanitarian Affairs is working on humanitarian lines of action that are of priority importance for the OIC, in accordance with the OIC Charter, the ten-year Programme, and the resolutions issued by Islamic Summits and CFM meetings. These lines of action include :

• Coordination of joint humanitarian action among the OIC Member States, institutions, regional and humanitarian offices (in Somalia, Niger, Afghanistan, and Ramallah) and humanitarian funds.
• Coordination and mobilization of humanitarian aid to Member States suffering from humanitarian crises, especially those hit by disasters and conflicts, the Sahel and Lake Chad region, and the Rohingya Muslim minority.
• Establishment and coordination of the OIC’s partnerships with the United Nations and its humanitarian agencies, the European Union, the United States Agency for International Cooperation, as well as with humanitarian organizations and partners in Member States, such as the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center and Red Crescent organizations.