Istanbul meeting seals D-8-ICYF youth partnership

The D-8 Organization for Economic Cooperation and the OIC-affiliated Islamic Cooperation Youth Forum (ICYF) have agreed to strengthen joint efforts on youth engagement and empowerment, following a meeting at the D-8 Secretariat in Istanbul, Türkiye. The talks were held between D-8 Secretary-General Ambassador Sohail Mahmood and ICYF President Taha Ayhan, with D-8 Secretariat Director Ambassador Mustafa Özcan and ICYF Director General Yunus Sonmez also taking part as members of their respective delegations.

A partnership built on shared priorities

Welcoming ICYF President Taha Ayhan to Istanbul, Secretary-General Ambassador Sohail Mahmood praised his counterpart's role in coordinating youth affairs across the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation platform, noting the complementary approaches the two organizations have taken toward youth development. The Secretary-General underlined the importance of fully implementing the memorandum of understanding signed between D-8 and ICYF in 2025, describing it as the foundation for closer institutional cooperation going forward.

Progress since the 2025 memorandum

Ambassador Mahmood also briefed the ICYF delegation on recent developments in D-8's youth engagement policy, referencing the virtual D-8 Youth Summit hosted by Bangladesh in 2021, the first D-8 Youth Ministers meeting held in Dhaka in 2024, and the inaugural D-8 Youth Dialogue convened in Baku in 2025. Ambassador Mustafa Özcan, Director at the D-8 Secretariat, drew attention to the key elements of the Baku Youth Declaration, the outcome document adopted at the close of that dialogue.

ICYF outlines its own engagement record

For his part, ICYF President Taha Ayhan updated the D-8 delegation on his organization's youth engagement activities across OIC member states, pointing to clear synergies with D-8's broader mission of economic cooperation and sustainable development. He said ICYF was prepared to pursue every available channel to advance these shared objectives through closer collaboration with the D-8 Secretariat.

Entrepreneurship forum among next steps

Discussions between the two delegations centered on cooperation in youth leadership, capacity-building, skills development and entrepreneurship, with both sides agreeing to pursue these goals through joint programmes and training initiatives. Particular emphasis was placed on operationalizing the Investment and Youth Entrepreneurship Forum, a mechanism envisaged under the 2025 memorandum of understanding, alongside plans for joint events held on the margins of major international gatherings. As a first step, ICYF will partner with the D-8 Secretariat on the D-8 Youth Bridges Programme, timed to coincide with International Youth Day on 12 August 2026.

The meeting in Istanbul concluded with both sides reaffirming the strength of the D-8-ICYF institutional relationship and a shared commitment to translating the partnership into activities with tangible outcomes.