23 October 2023. The Eurasian Regional Center of the Islamic Cooperation Youth Forum (ICYF-ERC), the United Youth Organization (UYO) and the Active Volunteers Organization (PU) with the support of the Ministry of Information, Sports and Youth Policy of Kyrgyzstan and the Youth Congress of Kyrgyzstan organized the ‘Model OIC International Relations Academy 2023’ in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyz Republic.
At the opening ceremony of the event, Mr. Vusal Gurbanov, Acting Director General of the Eurasian Regional Center of ICYF (ICYF-ERC), Mr. Askar Shaikidinov, the head of the Department of Youth Policy of the Ministry of Culture, Information, Sports and Youth Policy of Kyrgyzstan, as well as Mr. Nurjigit Kadyrbekov, the deputy of the parliament, gave congratulatory speeches. The distinguished speakers highlighted the role of such kinds of events in the development of leadership abilities of young people in the rapidly globalizing world. In his speech, Mr. Vusal Gurbanov thanked the United Youth Organization of Kyrgyzstan for supporting the eco-action organized by Azerbaijani activists on the Lachin-Khankendi road. He also expressed gratitude for the support shown to the people and the state of Azerbaijan during the Patriotic War. Furthermore, he emphasized the importance of solidarity among Muslim youth regarding the recent developments in the Muslim world.
The topics of the simulation conference included ‘Creative Economy and Development of Cultural Industry in OIC Countries,’ ‘Economic Aspects of Combating Climate Change and Sustainable Economy,’ ‘International Cooperation in the Field of Creative Economy and Artificial Intelligence,’ and ‘Possibilities of Launching Joint Scientific and Technical Initiatives in OIC Countries.’ The event, conducted in English and Kyrgyz languages, was attended by 100 young people representing various universities in Kyrgyzstan, primarily interested in international relations and diplomacy. The debates took place on the basis of the simulation of the Committee for Economic and Commercial Cooperation of the OIC (COMCEC), the Islamic Commission for Economic, Cultural and Social Affairs (ICECSA), the Council of Foreign Ministers of OIC (CFM OIC), and Standing Committee for Scientific and Technological Cooperation (COMSTECH). In addition to these topics, discussions also covered the Palestinian problem, recent occurrences in the Middle East and challenges in the field of education and science in Muslim countries
The main goal of this project, held in Kyrgyzstan, is to strengthen the solidarity among youth in education, science, information and cultural fields, to prevent extremism and inform young people about the successes achieved in OIC countries.
It should be noted that the “Model OIC” program was first proposed as an initiative by the Eurasian Regional Center of ICYF (ICYF-ERC) in 2011, and since then, this program has been successfully implemented every year at both the national and international levels. The program’s main goal is to contribute to the leadership abilities, communication and representation skills of young people of the OIC countries in the international arena.