The Organization of Islamic Cooperation, from Repelling to Paying Attention to International Human Rights Law

Nowadays, a lot of international organizations and regional institutions have considerable contributions in the human rights mechanisms of the United Nations for the development of human rights. In recent years, the Islamic Cooperation Organization, as a regional entity, has gone through changes in concern with human rights, which can be described in terms of attempts for broadening human rights in the Islamic countries. In addition to focusing on the issues important for Islamic Cooperation Organization, the current paper analyzes its approach for human rights in three separate stages including ignoring human rights, encountering international human rights, and paying attention to human rights. Furthermore, the most recent human rights developments in the organization have been investigated. After the early years of ignoring the human rights, it seems that the Islamic Cooperation Organization has paid attention to human rights through Cairo Declaration and Covenant on the Rights of Child in Islam which did not comply thoroughly with the international human rights; finally it has resulted in promising proofs of caring for international human rights through founding Permanent Independent Commission of Human Rights, utilizing some creativities for supporting human rights, the ten-year program of organization, and revising the statute of the organization.