Model OIC – International Relations Academy in Baku, Azerbaijan

The closing ceremony of the “Model OIC – IR Academy” project, which has been successfully implemented for over a decade by the Eurasian Regional Center of the ICYF (ICYF-ERC), was held in Park Inn Hotel in Baku, Azerbaijan on June 2.
The event was attended by the representatives of government agencies, members of parliament, ambassadors of the OIC member states, the media and NGOs. A short introductory video about the activities of Model OIC was shown.
The first speaker, Mr. Vusal Gurbanov, Acting Director General of ICYF-ERC, spoke about the main goals and objectives of the project, which has more than a thousand alumni and noted the growing interest in Model OIC in recent years. Mr. Gurbanov also mentioned how the project which got around 600 applications is being successfully implemented in more than 30 OIC member states.
In his speech, Deputy Foreign Minister of the Republic of Azerbaijan, H.E. Mr. Elnur Mammadov spoke about Azerbaijan-OIC relations, in particular, the successes of Azerbaijan’s foreign policy at the 48th session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of OIC in March this year. He also expressed hope that the “Model OIC” project will be of great value in helping youth on their way to becoming a diplomat, and praised the work done by ICYF-ERC aimed at enhancing the knowledge and skills of youth.
In her speech, Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports of the Republic ofAzerbaijan H.E. Ms. Indira Hajiyeva spoke about the importance of the Ministry’s support for ModelOIC as the partner of the project, the role of non-formal education in youth development, and noted that in the future the Ministry will be in tight collaboration with ICYF-ERC in implementing initiatives under the Ministry’s youth policy.
Speaking on behalf of diplomatic corps, Ambassador of the State of Palestine to the Republic of Azerbaijan H.E. Mr. Nasser Abdul Kareem noted that he was honoured to be one of the lecturers in this project for many years, calling it a “successful platform for Azerbaijani youth”.
Then, the finalists of the simulation conference, which was held on May 15, 2022, were awarded by the representatives of the OIC embassies accredited in Azerbaijan.