Women facing challenges in accessing empowerment opportunities is not unique to any civilization. It reflects a global pattern. However, for women living in countries where the majority of the population follows a religion whose foundational texts grant women significant rights, the situation seems unique. In this context, for all the delegations of such states to come together and sign a declaration to improve the dynamics of women’s empowerment in their countries carries particular significance.
The case of the landmark Islamabad Declaration in July 2026 is a case in point. On July 13, 2026, representatives from the OIC’s 57 member states that were attending the Ninth Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Ministerial Conference on Women in Pakistan adopted the Islamabad Declaration. The declaration reiterated the commitment of the OIC member states to advance social, economic, and political empowerment in their countries. Notably, the declaration launched a new initiative to promote women’s digital inclusion across the Muslim world.
The declaration comes in the backdrop of women’s rights issues in the Muslim World. Across the global Muslim community, 43% of women have no formal education. Accordingly, female labour force participation in the Middle Eastern and North African region, on average, is also only 24% to 31%. Further, violence against women is also a pressing concern in Muslim- majority countries. Research on Arab and Islamic countries indicates that approximately one in three women may experience violence from an intimate partner. Consequently, to address these issues, the OIC initiated the Ministerial Conference on Women in 2006, which is held every 3 to 4 years. The most recent conference, titled “The Social, Economic and Political Empowerment of Women in OIC Member States: Challenges and the Way Forward,” was held in July 2026 in Islamabad. This conference culminated in the signing of the Islamabad Declaration.
Once implemented, the declaration would have significant implications for women in the Muslim World. As pledged in the declaration, leaders of OIC member states will proactively work to introduce policies and institutional mechanisms to ensure women’s meaningful participation in social, economic, and political life, removing legal barriers to empowerment. Notably, the declaration placed substantial emphasis on Muslim-majority countries enhancing women’s digital inclusion by expanding affordable digital infrastructure, access to devices, and digital literacy programmes, particularly in rural areas—which could help narrow the digital gender divide in the Muslim World. The launch of the Islamabad Initiative on Women’s Digital Inclusion—a voluntary platform aimed at women’s digital empowerment—was a practical manifestation of this commitment. Further, the declaration also stressed that states should adopt policies to eliminate all forms of violence against women, which would remove one of the biggest barriers to women’s empowerment in the Muslim World.
Ultimately, women in the Muslim World constitute approximately 24% of the world’s female population. The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW)’s goal of women’s empowerment can only be meaningfully realized through the empowerment of Muslim women. This empowerment requires a context-specific framework and commitment—one that the Islamabad Declaration meaningfully provides.