We, the representatives of youth organizations from Albania, Afghanistan, Algeria, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Chad, Djibouti, Guinea , Guyana, Iran, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Niger, Pakistan, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tajikistan, Togo, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Yemen as well as international youth organizations representing countries members to the OIC and significant Muslim minorities in non-member countries: Eurasian International Development Association, Arab Youth Union, Dukhtaran Kashmir, Forum of European Muslim Youth and Student Organizations, Istanbul International Brotherhood and Solidarity Association,

Meeting at the Founding General Assembly of the Islamic Conference Youth Initiative, held in Baku the Republic of Azerbaijan from 1 to 3 December 2004.

CONVINCED that our common civilization values, belonging to common ethic and cultural identity, affiliation with the common region, consisting of countries-members to the OIC constitute significant factors for close relationship and solidarity among young people of the mentioned region;

REAFFIRMING our commitment to the fundamental principles of democracy, universal human rights and necessity of dialogue among civilizations, which provide the basic grounds for the cooperation among the youth of the OIC countries and their counterparts worldwide;

ACKNOWLEDGING an important role civil, society and youth movement should play in development of our countries

DETERMINED to consolidate the cooperation among youth of the region, and to cooperate in developing of our respective societies; advancing great values of Islamic civilization resting inter alia on the principles of justice, tolerance and non-discrimination, at international level;

ATTACHNG A SPECILA IMPORTANCE to the decision of the Islamic Conference of Foreign Ministers, which adopted a special resolution 15/31-C “On the Islamic conference Youth initiative”, which inter alia recognized "the timeliness and importance of conducting such an Initiative", and called upon all Member States as well as specialized institutions of the OIC "to support the activities …aimed at the success of the ICYI".

CONCLUDING 2 year work done by the Working Group of the ICYFDC within the framework of ICYI to establish a first ever international umbrella organization to unite youth organization of the OIC countries and EXPRESSING appretiation to the Initiators of the Initiative – NAYORA and EIDA

ACTING as Founding Members of the Islamic Conference Youth Forum,

ADOPTED the present Statute of the Islamic Conference Youth Forum

Article I (Definition)

“Islamic Conference Youth Forum for Dialogue and Cooperation” (hereinafter referred to as “Forum”) is an international, nongovernmental, non-commercial, non-partisan umbrella youth organization, uniting leading umbrella youth NGOs from the member-countries of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (hereinafter referred to as the OIC) as well as international youth organizations, operating in the OIC region and youth organization representing significant Muslim minorities worldwide.
Forum is registered as a legal entity under the law of …… (the country where the HQ to be located)

Article II (Objectives)

The objectives of the Forum are:
To facilitate resolution of social-economic, moral and cultural problems youth of the OIC region is facing with;
To promote the exchange of ideas and experiences and mutual understanding among young people from the OIC countries ;
To increase active participation of youth and youth organizations of the OIC countries in societal life of their respective countries and the region at large;
To promote solidarity among youth NGOs of the region, consolidate their activity on the ground of shared moral principles and cultural values, and enhance cooperation in such fields of activities which are crucial for resolving the common problems of the OIC countries.
To act at international level cooperating with youth NGOs and other inter-governmental, governmental and non-governmental entities from different countries of the world which has to serve the idea of dialogue of civilizations and tolerance among them;
To hold mutual projects which can meet the principles of solidarity, dialogue and cooperation among youth NGOs and finding out of way of solving the problems of youth in these countries.

Article III (Governing bodies)

Governing bodies of the Forum are:
General Assembly
Board
President
Secretary-General
Secretariat
Advisory Committee

Article IV (General Assembly)

1. The General Assembly consists of delegates-representatives of member-organizations and is the supreme authority of the Forum.
2. The General Assembly holds its meetings (sessions) annually.
2. The General Assembly shall be held for the following issues:-
2.1 To discuss and adopt decisions on the general policies pursed by the Forum;
2.2 To evaluate the implementation and follow-up on its policy decisions.
2.3 To review progress in the implementation of resolutions adopted at previous sessions.
2.4 To discuss, evaluate and approve the report by the President on the work of the Board.
2.5 To discuss, evaluate and approve the report of the Secretary-General on the work of Secretariat and approve the annual budget of the Organization;
2.6 To elect the Forum’s President, the Secretary-General and other members of the Board, and to approve the members of the Advisory Committee;
3. Resolutions, decisions, including election results or recommendations of the Assembly shall be adopted by a simple majority;
4. Two-thirds of the participants in any session of the Assembly shall constitute the quorum;
5. The General Assembly decides on the basic procedures which it follows and which should be compiled in the Rules of Procedures.
7. The sessions of the Assembly are being chaired by the President and Board members alternatively.

Article V (The Board)

The Board consists of 9 members elected by the General Assembly among the delegates, whose candidature was put forward by the member-organization;
The President and the Secretary General of the ICYFDC are concurrently the members of the Board.
Two Vice-Presidents are the members of the Board and based on the decisions of the Board assist the President in particular issues.
The Board shall work to promote communication among member-NGOs and provide framework for consultations and exchange of views and the dissemination of information that may have common significance to the members;
As a rule, the Board convenes its regular meeting in the Headquarters of the General Secretariat. Upon the decision of the President in consultation with the Secretary General the Board could also held its meeting in one of the member countries on the base of hospitality provided by the member organization.
The Board holds its regular meetings once every quarter of the year;
The Board shall overview and follow-up on the implementation of the resolutions, decisions and recommendations of the General Assembly, evaluate and authorize work of the President and give evaluations and recommendations to the work of the Secretariat. The Board oversees the preparatory work to General Assembly, conducted by the Secretariat and adopts its provisional agenda.

Article VI (President)

The President is responsible for the decision-making within the Board to implement decisions of the General Assembly and in a period between the General Assemblies;
The President is elected at the Assembly by two-third majority of votes on the bases of candidates’ experience, competence and integrity as well as with due consideration to the principle of equitable geographical representation;* If the President isn’t elected in the first run then s/he should be elected in the second run among the two most successful candidates, who had gained more votes than others and by the simple majority of the voting members.
A President is elected to two-year term and may be re-elected to another term of totally four years only;
A President chairs at the meeting of the Board and the sessions of the General Assembly. On his proposal other members of the Board might also alternatively chair the meetings at the General Assembly sessions;
Between the meetings of the Board President works in cooperation with the Secretary General in order to ensure the implementation of the policies adopted by the General Assembly and decisions adopted by the Board.
A President shall act as representative of Forum in international arena. S/He shall, on the bases of expertly approved opinion provided by the Secretariat, represent the Forum in negotiations with other national and international entities and sign agreements with them on behalf of the Forum;
A President shall report on S/His activities to the Board;
A Presidents shall report on the work of the Board to the General Assembly;

Article VII (Secretary-General)

A Secretary-General being a chief executive official of the Organization, is responsible for the Forum’s executive branch, leads and manages the work of Secretariat, is in charge of the recruitment policy, manages the budget of the Forum and performs all other managerial duties. A Secretary General resides in the Head-Quarters of the Forum and maintains a full-time paid job position;
A Secretary-General is being elected by the Assembly by simple majority of votes among the candidates supported at least by three Member Organizations;
A Secretary General serves in his position for three years and can be elected only to 2 terms.
A Secretary-General chairs the meeting of Secretariat, and takes charge of the organization of the sessions of the General Assembly and the Board meetings;
A Secretary-General permanently keeps in touch with the President and other bodies of the Forum as well as members in order to ensure the daily implementation of policies adopted by the organization. Secretary General also provides daily communication among members and between the members and the main bodies of the Forum.
* All members of the Forum are entitled to one of 4 geographical groups: Asian Countries Group, Arab Countries Group, African Group, European Group.
A Secretary General along with the President can represent the Forum in contacts with other youth, international and regional organizations and should provide an expert opinion on the agreements reached between the Forum and other entities.
A Secretary General briefs on the Secretariat’s activities at Board meetings;
A Secretary General shall report on the work of Secretariat to the General Assembly;

Article VIII (Secretariat)

The stuff of the Secretariat is appointed by the Secretary-General on the contractual ground and at equal opportunity basis, with due consideration given to the competence and integrity of the candidates as well as to the principle of equitable geographical and gender representation;
The Secretariat acting as an executive body of the Forum is responsible for implementation of decisions undertaken by the relevant bodies of the Organization;
The Secretariat shall also directly supply the members with the working papers and memoranda through appropriate channels, within the framework of the resolutions, decisions and recommendations of the General Assembly;
The Secretariat is responsible for the organization of General Assemblies, conferences, training courses, workshops and seminars and other undertakings, carried out by the Forum.
The Secretariat is operating at the Headquarters of the Forum.
The Secretariat provides technical, operational as well as expert support for the functioning of the main bodies of the Forum.
Staff members of the Secretariat operates under the terms of contract with the Forum, provisions of this Charter and national laws of the host country

Article IX (Advisory Committee)

The Advisory Committee is a consultative body of the Forum which shall give valuable advices to the Forum’s main bodies;
The members of the Advisory Committee are approved by General Assembly from a pool of independent candidates, proposed by members and recommended by the Board’s.
The members of the Advisory Committee mostly consist of the prominent personalities from the OIC countries who has intellectual and organizational experience in academic work or practical promotion of the principles and goals shared by the Forum
The Advisory Committee shall follow the activity of the Forum and stemming from its experience give appropriate advices to the Board and Secretariat;
The Advisory Committee shall meet at the Headquarters of the Forum, premises of Secretariat. This Committee shall in conjunction with the Secretary-General, supervise the budget of the Secretariat in accordance with the regulations approved by the Assembly and give advices on fundraising as well as preparation and use of budget.

Article X (Finance)

The budget of the Forum is formed from the membership fees paid by members in accordance with the guidelines produced by the Secretariat; voluntary grants by the Governments, OIC institutions, other intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations and individuals, provided both for implementation of specific projects or the overall activity of the Forum;
The Secretariat shall administer finances of the Forum in accordance with the budget approved by the General Assembly;
The budget of the Forum is to be used on sustaining the operation of the Secretariat, convening the General Assembly sessions and Board meetings, implementation of developmental projects with participation of all members as well as other specific projects in line with Forum’s objectives;

Article XI (Membership)

The Islamic Conference Youth Forum is made up of the youth NGOs, mentioned above (see also Appendix 1) which signed this Statute. Every country-member to the OIC is eligible to be represented by only one leading umbrella youth NGO, meeting the below mentioned criteria to be a full member of the Forum.
Any international youth organization, mainly working with youth issues of the OIC countries may also become a full member to the Forum. Youth organizations representing significant Muslim minorities of countries non-members to the OIC may also become a full members to the Forum. New candidates for membership shall proceed by submitting an application expressing its desire and preparedness to adopt this Statute. The application shall be deposited with the General Secretariat, to be brought before the Assembly at its first session after the submission of the application. Membership shall take effect as of the time of approval of the Forum by a two-third majority of the members.
There are two categories of membership (observer and full member):
1. Full member shall meet the following criteria:
To be a leading umbrella youth (non-political and non-commercial) NGO in its country with at least 2 years of legally recognized and functioning experience;
To have experience of international or regional youth interactions;
To participate in the actions of Forum during two years;
To support basic principles of the OIC.
To be ready and able to carry out organizational preparatory work among the fellow-organizations on national level or in its respective sub-region.
On the grounds of research done by the Secretariat to be provided with the recommendation of the Board for the full membership
To pay full membership fees.
Observer member shall meet the following criteria :
a) To be a leading umbrella youth (non-political and non-commercial) NGO in its country with at least 2 years of legally recognized and functioning experience;
b) To have experience of international or regional youth interactions;
c) To apply for being member of a Forum but not have 2 years experience of active participations in the work of Forum;
d) To represent other than OIC regional group
3. Only full members have a voting right during any conventions of the Forum. Only full members could present candidates to fill elected positions in the Forum.
4. Observer members can make statements during the conventions of the Forum only after the full members completed their deliberations on any issue. Observer members contribute the quarter of the membership fee paid by the full member.

Article XII (Withdrawal)

Any Member-NGO may withdraw from the Forum by sending a written notification to the General Secretariat, to be communicated to all Member NGOs.
Forum may also decide to exclude any of its members if the latter’s activity contradicts the principles and objectives of the Forum or if it fails to meet the membership criteria;
An NGO applying for withdrawal shall be bound by its obligations until the end of the fiscal year during which the application of withdrawal is submitted. It shall also settle any other financial dues to the Conference.
Decision on suspension or withdrawn of membership of any member is delivered by the Board upon the recommendation of the Secretariat.

Article XIII (Amendment)

Amendment to this Statute shall be made, if it is approved and ratified by a two-third majority of the General Assembly delegates.

Article XIV (Interpretation)

Any dispute that may arise in the interpretation, application or implementation of any Article in the present Statute shall be settled peacefully, and in all cases through consultations, negotiations, reconciliation or arbitration.

Article XV (Language)

Official languages of the Forum shall be Arabic and English.