“Rabat Declaration” Emanating from the 52nd Meeting of the Executive Committee of the Parliamentary Union of the OIC Member States

Upon the kind invitation of His Excellency the Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Kingdom of Morocco, Hon. Rachid Talbi El Alami, the capital of the Kingdom, Rabat, featured on September 10, 2024, the convention of the 52nd Meeting of the Executive Committee of the Parliamentary Union of the OIC Member States. The members of the Executive Committee discussed the draft order of business of the Standing Specialized Committees and their bodies, in addition to the draft order of business of the 26th Session of the General Committee of the Union, the 12th Session of the Conference of Muslim Women Parliamentarians, the 6th Meeting of the Association of PUIC Secretaries General, and the 19th Session of the Conference of the Union. 

The members of the Executive Committee, 

• Recalling all the previous resolutions of the Committee and the positions of the Parliamentary Union of the OIC Member States regarding all the issues in the Islamic world, as ratified in the Committee’s ordinary and extraordinary regular meetings; 
• Affirming their commitment to achieving the objectives and essential principles outlined in the Statute of the Union; 

Declare the following:

1. Draw attention to the sensitive juncture and circumstances the Islamic Ummah and its central cause, the Palestinian cause, are going through, and acknowledge the heavy responsibility conferred upon Islamic parliaments and Islamic action organizations, namely the mobilization of support to end the Israeli aggression on the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, and on the Lebanese territories. 
2. In this regard, the members of the Executive Committee firmly denounce the massacres perpetrated by the Israeli occupation towards the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank and strongly condemn the practices of extremist settlers who transgress the properties of Palestinian citizens in the West Bank through arson, destruction, and deracination, in vain attempts to displace the Palestinian people. 

The members of the Committee urge the international community, particularly the influential powers in international decision-making and the United Nations, to work on ending the aggression immediately, lift the embargo imposed on the Palestinian territories, provide the inhabitants of Gaza with food and medicine, and guarantee international protection to the Palestinian people. 

3. Call on multilateral parliamentary organizations and the national parliaments of countries around the world to work to compel the Israeli occupation to put an end to its aggression against the Palestinian people and to proceed without delay to a reciprocal exchange of captives between the two parties. It should be emphasized that the release of Palestinian prisoners, some of whom have been languishing for decades in the jails of the occupier, in particular parliamentarians, should be at the forefront of talks for an equitable settlement of the Palestinian question.

The members of the Executive Committee urge international organizations to exert pressure on the occupation authorities to cease the torture of Palestinian detainees and prisoners.

4. Consider that the cessation of Israeli aggression should serve as a starting point and pave the way for a final and equitable solution to the Palestinian question, enabling the Palestinian people to establish their independent State.
5. With this in mind, the members of the Executive Committee warn against any alteration to the status quo ante at Al-Quds Al-Sharif, recalling the importance of the holy sites for the Islamic Ummah. They also express their gratitude to the Al-Quds Committee, chaired by His Majesty King Mohammed VI, the Sovereign of Morocco, and to the Bayt Mal Al-Quds Agency, for their efforts to bolster Palestinian resilience in Al-Quds, support services, and preserve the city's Islamic heritage and the Palestinian presence within it.
6. The members of the Executive Committee condemn the terrorist acts perpetrated against several African Sahel countries, reaffirm their support for these countries in their fight against terrorism, and call for providing them with the necessary assistance to eliminate terrorist and separatist groups that threaten peaceful populations and legitimate institutions.
7. The members of the Executive Committee, raising their concern at the situation of several Muslim minorities and communities confronted with various forms of stigmatization, reiterate their call to respect the beliefs of these minorities, as well as their religious and cultural rights and values.

In this respect, the members of the Executive Committee stress the importance of implementing the recommendations of the “Marrakesh Declaration," which emanated from the Parliamentary Conference on “Interfaith Dialogue: Working Together for our Common Future,” held in Marrakesh in the Kingdom of Morocco on June 13-15, 2023, under the High Patronage of the Commander of the Faithful, His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may Allah assist him, via joint organization by the Moroccan Parliament, the Inter-Parliamentary Union, and other international organizations.

8. Considering that for Islamic countries to occupy the position they deserve among international nations and entities, they need to work on multiple dimensions, including economic and technological evolution, human development, and the facilitation of women's participation in public affairs management, the members of the Executive Committee reiterate their call to reinforce economic cooperation between the Member States, harness the capabilities and resources of Islamic countries to transform them into wealth, invest in education, acquire technologies, particularly green technologies,  invest in human resources, and enact the necessary laws to enable women to participate in public affairs management and occupy executive and representative decision-making positions. They also aspire to see Islamic countries play a decisive role in promoting South-South cooperation in a rapidly changing world.

Lastly, the members of the Executive Committee wish to express their gratitude to the Kingdom of Morocco, His Majesty the King, the Parliament, and the Government for their efforts to ensure the success of this Meeting.