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The 5th International Model Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) High School Summit has officially opened in Istanbul, bringing together 450 high school students from 55 countries to debate global challenges and present solution-oriented proposals.
The event, hosted at Istanbul’s Cevahir Hotel, is jointly organized by the Islamic Cooperation Youth Forum (ICYF), Beyoglu Anatolian Imam Hatip High School and the Beyoglu Education and Culture Foundation.
The summit was launched with an opening ceremony attended by Istanbul Governor Davut Gul, Deputy Minister of National Education Omer Yelkenci, ICYF President Taha Ayhan and Beyoglu Education and Culture Foundation President Saban Kurt.
The student-led summit will continue until Dec. 1 and culminate in the presentation of the “Istanbul Declaration,” drafted by four youth delegates representing Africa, the Arab region, Türkiye and Asia.
Speaking exclusively to Türkiye daily, ICYF President Taha Ayhan emphasized that the summit is entirely organized by students.
“This entire program from A to Z is carried out by our high school youth,” Ayhan said. “Students from Beyoglu Imam Hatip High School have taken responsibility for this work. We only play a facilitating role here. It is not easy to organize a program five times in a row. Young people demonstrate remarkable consistency in this organization," he added.
Ayhan noted that the summit serves as a first introduction to diplomacy for participants, adding: “This year we have 250 students from 45 countries and nearly 200 students from 20 Imam Hatip high schools in Türkiye. In total, 450 young people will engage with many of the Islamic world’s pressing issues. The resolutions adopted will be submitted to both the United Nations and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.”
Ayhan said the summit mirrors the structure of real OIC summits, attended by kings, presidents, and heads of government. The students conduct subcommittee and expert meetings before concluding with a general assembly and a final declaration.
“This year’s main theme is justice,” Ayhan said. “Special attention is being given to genocide cases that have dominated the global agenda over the past two years. Our aim is to contribute to international accountability and ensure perpetrators face justice.”
The summit will also feature the presentation of 19 awards across different categories and host notable leaders, academics and youth representatives.
Participants will discuss agendas shaped by actual OIC institutions, including the Standing Committee on Scientific and Technological Cooperation (COMSTECH) and the Islamic Conference of Environment Ministers (ICEM).
“Cooperation in the defense industry is highly valuable,” Ayhan said. “Among our Imam Hatip students, many are interested in quantitative fields. Climate change is also on the agenda. It’s not only Türkiye’s, America’s, or India’s problem. It affects us all.”
He stressed that the forum fosters unity among the Islamic world’s youth to face shared global challenges.
“The cooperation ideas developed here will be implemented in 5, 10, or 15 years. Today, the projects that we may see as dreams could become reality thanks to the young people of the Islamic world,” he said.
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