Amended Statute of the Parliamentary Union of the OIC Member States

The speakers and heads of delegations of the PUIC Member Parliaments meeting at the Second Extraordinary Session of the PUIC Conference, held in Abu Dhabi, State of the United Arab Emirates on 19th January, 2011 (14 Safar, 1432H),

Guided by the noble Islamic principles and teachings, calling on Muslims to close their ranks and promote their unity;

Reiterating their commitment to the concept of cooperation in Islam in implementation of words of Allah, the Almighty: “And help one another in goodness and piety, and not help one another in sin and aggression” (5: 2)

Underlining the principle of consultation (Shoora) in Islam in compliance with the words of Allah, the Almighty: “... to take counsel among themselves ...”(42:38 ), and in pursuance of the Sunnah of Muhammad the Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him, his family and companions) who practiced consultation (Shoora) with his companions;

Inspired by the principles of the noble Islamic faith which urge rejection of violence and call for amicable dialogue;

Bearing in mind that interaction among parliaments will promote mutual understanding among Muslims;

Being aware of the increasing importance of the role of parliaments   in the political, economic, social and cultural aspects of life of all societies;

Reiterating the respect for the objectives and principles provided for in the Charter of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, including the sovereignty and territorial integrity of States and peaceful settlement of disputes;

Conscious of the magnitude of the challenges facing the nations of the Islamic World and their crucial causes, foremost of which being the cause of Al Quds Al Sharif, as well as ethnic and territorial disputes with neighbours:

Taking into consideration  the economic, cultural  and  social  changes facing the Islamic World which require the promotion of mutual consultation and cooperation, exhorted by Islamic teachings, in serving the comprehensive development of the World of Islam;

Declare, the approval of the amendments introduced in this Statute of the Union of the Member States of the Organization of the Islamic Conference which was adopted by the Founding Conference of the Union, held in Tehran from 15 – 17 June, 1999, (1 – 3 Rabi ul Awwal, 1420H),?

ARTICLE - 1

OBJECTIVES

          The Union aims at achieving the following objectives:

  1.  Introducing the sublime precepts of Islam and seeking to disseminate them while emphasizing the various characteristics and humanism of the Islamic civilization.
  2.  Enhancing and supporting the implementation of the Islamic principle of consultation (Shoora) in all OIC Member States, in accordance with the Constitution and circumstances of each member;
  3.  Providing a framework for comprehensive and fruitful cooperation and coordination among parliaments of OIC members in international fora and organizations;
  4.  Promoting meeting and dialogue among parliaments of OIC members and their deputies, exchanging parliamentary experience, discussing economic, cultural, social and political issues of interest to the OIC members, and addressing grave challenges and attempts to impose cultural, political and economic domination, and adopting appropriate recommendations and decisions on such issues;
  5.  Strengthening contacts, cooperation and coordination with other parliamentary, governmental and non governmental organizations, with the aim of advancing common objectives;
  6.  Fostering coordination among peoples of the world in order to respect and defend human rights and humanitarian principles and establishment peace, based on justice.
  7.  Confirming that nothing in the present Statute shall authorize the Union or its Organs to intervene in matters which are essentially within the domestic jurisdiction of any Member State and whatever is related to these matters in accordance with the OIC Charter and UN Charter.

ARTICLE - 2

MEMBERSHIP

  1.  The Union shall be composed of parliaments of the OIC Members States;
  2.   Membership in the Union does not inhibit membership in any other regional or international parliamentary group;
  3.  Regional or international organizations may attend conferences of the Union as observers upon the recommendation of the Executive Committee and the approval of the General Committee. Observer’s status may also be granted to countries that have Muslim community to attend conference of the Union, upon the recommendation of the Executive Committee and the approval of the Conference. Parliaments of the OIC observers may also attend conferences of the Union as observers.  Observers shall have the right to express their views but not to vote.

ARTICLE - 3

ORGANS

The Organs of the Union are as follows:

  1. The Conference,
  2. The General Committee,
  3. The Executive Committee,
  4. The General Secretariat.

ARTICLE - 4

THE CONFERENCE

COMPOSITION, FUNCTIONS AND RESOLUTIONS

  1.  The Conference shall be composed of the speakers of Member-Parliaments of the Union or their representatives, in addition to a maximum of four parliamentarians from each member of the Union;
  2. The Speaker of the Parliament of the host country shall preside over the meetings of the Conference. The Conference shall elect two Vice Chairmen from amongst the heads of delegations from other geographic regions as well as a Rapporteur from amongst delegates;
  3. The Bureau of the Conference shall be composed of the Chairman of the Conference, the two Vice Chairmen and the Rapporteur.  The Bureau, assisted by the Secretary-General, shall take the responsibility for the Conference proceedings;
  4. The Conference shall consider subject matters that fall in the scope of its objectives, as provided for in Article 1.  It shall adopt appropriate resolutions, decisions and recommendations thereon;
  5.  The Conference shall setup its own committees or other subsidiary bodies as required to examine the issues on its agenda. These bodies shall submit their reports and recommendations to the Conference or the General Committee , as decided by the Conference;
  6.  Delegations shall inform their respective parliaments and governments of the resolutions, decisions and recommendations adopted by the Conference;
  7.  Any Member of the Union may request the convening of an Extra-Ordinary Conference. The Chairman shall convene the extra-ordinary Conference if the request is supported by majority of Union members.  The Extra-Ordinary Conference can only consider the item(s) for which it is convened.

ARTICLE - 5

The Conference shall convene once every year, the venue and date of which shall be specified by the General Committee and upon the proposal of the Executive Committee. The General Committee may change the venue and date of the Conference or postpone it. In case there can be no decision on hosting the Conference, it shall be convened at the Headquarters.

ARTICLE - 6

  1.  On a proposal made by the Executive Committee, the General Committee  shall draw up a draft agenda to be submitted to the Conference;
  2.  Any PUIC Member delegation may submit to the Executive Committee or to the General Committee, proposals to include another item(s) in the draft agenda of the Conference, not later than two months before the Conference convenes.

ARTICLE - 7

  1.  The Conference shall adopt its agenda at the beginning of the first session;
  2.  The Conference may on proposal of heads of delegations, include other items on the agenda;
  3.  The Conference shall convene only with the presence of more than half of its members. All resolutions, decisions and recommendations shall be adapted to the extent possible, by consensus; otherwise, they shall be adopted by a two-third majority of its members present and voting.

ARTICLE - 8

To give the Union a measure of vitality and flexibility to face emerging circumstances and development:

A presidential Troika shall be constituted as follows:    

  1.  The Presidential Troika shall be composed of the current, previous and next Presidents of the PUIC Conference.  The Troika may offer proposals to the Conference, General Committee or the Executive Committee on realizing the interests and objectives of the Union.
  2.  The Presidential Troika may, through consensus of its members, engage in contacts with international organizations with a view to defining the stances of the Union, or strengthening its contacts or international position.  The Troika may, in coordination with the Secretary-General of the Union, delegate any members of the Conference or General Committee or the Executive Committee or the Secretary General for this purpose.
  3.  The Presidential Troika may, in cases of urgent necessity, and based on consensus of its members, and following necessary consultations, as far as circumstances may permit, issue an urgent statement on behalf of the PUIC on any emergency issue, and in conformity with the principles and objectives of the Union as well as its resolutions and established positions.
  4.  The PUIC Secretary General shall coordinate the work of the Presidential Troika.
  5.  The General Secretariat shall prepare the reports on the work of the Presidential Troika and report its decisions to PUIC members within two weeks from their date of issuance.

ARTICLE - 9

  1.  The Conference or the Presidential Troika, in case of urgent matters, may constitute a delegation (mission) or delegations (missions) for a special task.  The Conference shall define the delegation's nature, duration, number of members, formation, task, and obligation to submit a report / reports.
  2.   In adopting the above resolution, the Conference or Presidential Troika shall take into consideration the principles enshrined in the Statute, as well as the previous resolutions of the Conference, and in a framework of mutual understanding and transparency, while maintaining absolute impartiality. The Conference shall appoint the member mandated as the head of the delegation.  
  3.  Head/s of delegation (mission) and the PUIC General Secretariat shall prepare a draft report on the activity of the delegation (mission) and its conclusions.  The report shall be submitted to the General Committee and then to the Conference.
  4.  The delegation/s (mission/s) shall be constituted in coordination with the PUIC Secretary General.

ARTICLE - 10

THE GENERAL COMMITTEE

The Conference shall constitute a General Committee which shall meet for two days immediately prior to the Conference in order to discuss matters referred to it and to prepare its report for submission to the first meeting of the Conference for their adoption without discussion, unless decided otherwise.

  1.  The General Committee shall be composed of two members from each member delegation of the Union designated by their delegation to the Conference.  The term of office of the members shall last until the next Conference.  All members of the General Committee shall be sitting members of their Parliaments.
  2.  General Committee Member incapacitated by death, resignation or loss of parliamentary mandate shall be replaced by another member of the same parliament for the remaining period of the mandate.
  3.  The General Committee shall meet once every year, and its meeting shall immediately precede the meeting of the Conference with the presence of more than half the Union Members in the country hosting the Conference.
  4.  The Chairman of the General Committee or any Member of the Union may request the convening of an Extra-Ordinary meeting of the General Committee. The Chairman shall convene the extra-ordinary meeting, if the request is supported by majority of the Member Parliament of the Union.  The Extra-Ordinary meeting can only consider the item(s) for which it is convened.
  5.  The Chairman of the General Committee shall be selected by a decision of the Conference from among the Speakers of Parliaments present, while observing the rule of geographic rotation based on the recommendation of the regional group concerned.  The same procedures shall be applied in appointing the two Vice chairmen.
  6.  The General Committee may set up special subsidiary committees to examine the items on its agenda.  These committees shall submit their reports and recommendations to the General Committee, and their mandate shall come to an end by the conclusion of their tasks.

ARTICLE - 11

          The General Committee shall be entrusted with the following tasks:

  1.  Consideration of the annual report of the Secretary-General;
  2.  Drawing up and amending the internal financial and administrative rules and regulations of the Union and its Organs;
  3.  Specifying the venue and date of holding the Conference as well as sending the invitations in this respect to the Member Parliaments.
  4.  Receiving and examining proposals from member delegations, taking decisions thereon and submitting to the Conference;
  5.  Studying and approving the draft annual budget of the Union, as well as auditing and approving previous financial year's accounts;
  6.  Designating external auditors to audit the Union's accounts and settle its payments;
  7.  Taking decisions on the requests of Parliaments and similar bodies of the OIC member countries for accession or re accession to the Union, or suspending membership of member of the Union;
  8.  Expressing opinion regarding applications for accession to the Union in Observer status submitted by the Executive Committee to be presented to the Conference.
  9.  Executing other duties entrusted to it by the Conference.
  10.  Appointing the Financial Control Committee from among the members of the General Committee who represent the PUIC in the General Committee.
  11.  Any other actions or procedures the General Committee deems necessary for achieving the objectives of the Union within the limits of its terms of reference.

ARTICLE - 12

  1.   The General Committee  shall adopt its agenda at the beginning of its First Session;
  2.   The General Committee  may include in its agenda another item or other items proposed by the heads of delegations;
  3.   General Committee's decisions, resolutions and recommendations shall be adopted by consensus to the extent possible, otherwise by a two thirds majority of the members present and voting.

ARICLE - 13  

STANDING SPECIALIZED COMMITTEES

  1.  Four Standing Specialized Committees shall be constituted as follows:-                                                                                                                                                                                                 1.1    Committee on Political and Foreign Relations;
    1.2    Committee on Economic Affairs and Environment;
    1.3    Committee on Human Rights, Women and Family Affairs;
    1.4    Committee on Cultural and Legal Affairs and Dialogue of Civilizations and Religions.
  2. Each Specialized Committee shall be composed of 12 members of parliament to be designated by the Conference for a period of one year to the tune of four members to be nominated by each geographic group, taking into account the rule of geographical rotation.
  3. In its first meeting, convened by the PUIC Secretary General, members of the Committee shall elect its Rapporteur and Chairman for one year.
  4. The Conference may, upon a proposal by the Executive Committee, constitute an Ad Hoc Committee to be entrusted with a specific subject matter. Previous rules must be observed when constituting such a committee. The Conference shall designate its Rapporteur.
  5. The Committees shall meet at least once a year.  One of the meetings shall immediately precede the meetings of the General Committee and the Conference.  The second shall be half-annually to be convened by the PUIC Secretary General.
  6. The Standing Specialized Committees may add any items to be agreed to their agendas.
  7. The Standing Specialized Committees on Political and Foreign Relations as well as the Standing Specialized Committee on Economic Affairs and Environment may constitute special committees to review the issue in question in the light of developments.

ARTICLE - 14

THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

CONSTITUTION, FUNCTIONS AND RESOLUTIONS

  1.  The Executive Committee shall be composed of one member of delegation from the recent host of the Conference, the current host and the future host, in addition to twelve members elected by the Conference from amongst its members based on equitable geographic distribution for a one year term of office;
  2.  The Executive Committee shall be chaired by the Speaker of the Parliament of the Country hosting the Committee and shall be assisted by two Vice-Chairmen.
  3.  Any member of the Executive Committee incapacitated by death, resignation or loss of mandate in his country's parliament shall be replaced by another member in the same parliament for the remaining period;
  4.  The Executive Committee shall convene at least twice annually with the presence of at least ten of its fifteen members. Decisions, resolutions and recommendations shall be adopted by consensus to the extent possible, otherwise by a two thirds majority of its members present and voting.

ARTICLE - 15

The Executive Committee shall be in charge of the following:

  1.  Examining requests for accession or re-accession to the Union, or suspending membership of members of the Union and informing the General Committee of its recommendations;
  2.  Examining applications for observer status and informing the General Committee about its recommendations.
  3.  Drawing up the draft agenda of the General Committee and the Conference;
  4.  Expressing opinion on the requests of inclusion of supplementary items on the agenda of the General Committee or the Conference;
  5.  Monitoring the work and activities of the General Secretariat regarding implementation of the resolutions, decisions and recommendations adopted by the General Committee or the Conference;
  6.  Other tasks referred to it by the General Committee or the Conference.

ARTICLE - 16   

THE GENERAL SECRETARIAT

  1.  The Conference shall elect the Secretary General upon the nomination of the delegations of members of the Union according to the geographic rotation rule. The candidates should be of high qualifications and experience in parliamentary affairs and well known for administrative efficiency.  The Secretary-General shall be elected by consensus, to the extent possible and otherwise by a two thirds majority of members present and voting;
  2.  The term of office of the Secretary General shall be for four years renewable once, and that he shall be from a country other than the headquarters country.
  3.  When the post of the Secretary-General becomes vacant for whatever reason, the President of the Conference shall designate one of the Assistant Secretaries General to undertake his duties until the Conference elects a new Secretary General;
  4.  The General Committee shall determine the salary and allowances of the Secretary General;
  5.  The effective OIC Agreement on Member States' Immunities and Privileges shall be applicable to the PUIC.
  6.  The Conference, taking into consideration equitable regional distribution, shall appoint at the proposal of the Secretary General, Assistant Secretaries General, Directors and other Senior Officials.
  7.  Upon the nomination by the Secretary General, the number of Assistant Secretaries General appointed by the Conference shall be three, while observing equitable geographical distribution, one of whom shall be from the Headquarters’ State, provided that the Secretary-General and one of his assistants shall not be from the same state.

ARTICLE - 17

        The General Secretariat shall be entrusted with the following tasks:

  1.  Facilitating continued contacts among the members of the Union, between Parliaments and the Union, and the Union with other regional and international organizations and bodies;
  2.  Strengthening cooperation between the PUIC and the OIC in conformity with the objectives and Statute of the Union.
  3.  Financial and administrative affairs of the Union;
  4.  Preparing subject matters that will be studied by the Conference and the General Committee , as well as necessary documents and reports, minutes and correspondence;
  5.  Maintaining archives of the Union;
  6.  Informing members of the Union and other relevant bodies of the resolutions, decisions and recommendations adopted by the Conference and the General Committee ;
  7.  Taking appropriate measures to ensure implementation of decisions of the Union.

ARTICLE - 18

  1.  The Secretary General shall prepare an annual report in which he presents activities and achievements of the Union and international parliamentary developments of concern to Members of the Union.  Member Parliaments shall provide the Secretary General with necessary information in this regard, at least one month prior to the meeting of the General Committee and the Conference.
  2.  The Secretary General shall communicate his report to the Member Parliaments of the Union, at least one month prior to the meeting of the General Committee. This report shall provide the basis for a general debate upon which the General Committee and the Conference will commence their proceedings.

ARTICLE - 19

GENERAL PROVISIONS

  1.  The Union shall have a legal entity represented by the Chairman of the Conference  or his representative;  
  2.  The Permanent Headquarters of the Union is located in Tehran, the capital of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Any decision on the relocation of the Permanent Headquarters of the Union shall be made by the Conference to the extent possible by consensus, otherwise by a two-thirds majority of Union Members.

ARTICLE - 20

Member Parliaments shall contribute to the budget of the Union in accordance with the OIC-applied scale of assessment, provided that the contribution of each member of the Union shall not exceed half the contribution of respective member states to the budget of the OIC.

Any amendment to increase the scale of assessments of the Member Parliaments in PUIC annual budget shall require the approval of the Conference based on a proposal by the Secretary General and approval of the General Committee.

ARTICLE - 21

The working languages of the Union shall be Arabic, English, and French.

ARTICLE - 22

The Conference may, on the request of a Member Parliament of the Union, propose to amend the Statute of the Union. The proposal shall be submitted to the Executive Committee to be examined and further presented to the Conference, together with the viewpoints of the Committee. The amendments shall not be effective unless approved by the Conference by a two thirds majority of the Union members.