Membership To International Organizations

Membership To International Organizations

Conference of Constitutional Jurisdictions of the Islamic World (CCJ-I)

About

The Conference of Constitutional Jurisdictions of the Islamic World (CCJ-I), which brings together 30 constitutional and higher courts exercising constitutional jurisdiction in the Islamic world, aims to protect and promote constitutional values such as justice, the rule of law, democracy, and fundamental rights and freedoms in Islamic countries.

The Inaugural Congress of the CCJ-I, hosted by the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Türkiye, was held in Istanbul, Türkiye, on 24 December 2022. Among the participants attending the Congress were presidents, heads and representatives of 32 constitutional and higher courts from the Islamic world as well as of the respective international institutions exercising constitutional jurisdiction. During the Congress, it was recalled, referring to the Istanbul Declaration of 15 December 2018 and the Bandung Declaration of 17 September 2021, that an official and independent judicial platform be established for the constitutional jurisdictions of the Islamic world.

The draft Statute, prepared by the Working Committee composed of Algeria, Gambia, Indonesia, Pakistan, and Türkiye, as authorised by the Bandung Declaration, was adopted upon deliberations, thereby the Conference of Constitutional Jurisdictions of the Islamic World was officially established. Following the signing ceremony of the Statute, the Istanbul Declaration proclaiming the official establishment of the CCJ-I was adopted on 24 December 2022.

At the end of the Inaugural Congress of the CCJ-I, the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Türkiye was unanimously elected as the First Term President of the CCJ-I. Within this framework, in his capacity as the CCJ-I President, the President of the Turkish Constitutional Court paid the first official working visit to the Supreme Constitutional Court of Palestine on 19 January 2023.

The organs of the CCJ-I shall be the Board of Members and the Congress (Article 11 of the Statute).

The Board of Members shall be composed of the Presidents or Heads of the constitutional jurisdictions with member status. The Presidents or Heads could be represented by a representative of the Courts or Institutions. The Board of Members is the central decision-making body meeting with simple majority at the venue of the member responsible for organising the next Congress. It shall hold at least one meeting between the Congress dates and, in principle, on the day preceding the opening of the Congress. It shall take decisions by two thirds (2/3) majority of the members present at a meeting. Each member shall have one vote (Articles 12-18 of the Statute).

The Congress shall be attended by members, observers and guests. However, observers and guests are not allowed to participate in voting or decision-making. The Conference holds in principle a Congress once every two (2) years. At the end of each Congress, the Board of Members shall determine the place where its next session will be held. The Congress comprises an opening and a closing session as well as the debates. It shall start with a solemn opening session and ends with a special closing session (Articles 19-20 of the Statute).

Pursuant to the Provisional Article of the Statute, the First Congress of the Conference shall be held in the venue to be decided by the Board of Members within two (2) years upon the entry into force of the Statute.

The CCJ-I does not have a permanent secretariat. Instead, the Secretariat is assumed by the member hosting the next Congress.

The President of the Conference shall designate a Secretary of the Conference. The Secretary of the Conference shall also be the Secretary to the Board of Members. The Secretary designated by the President shall be assisted by all the members of the Conference in carrying out his/her duties (Article 21 of the Statute).

Click for the Statute of the CCJ-I.

Click to access the official website of the CCJ-I.

Visit by the Federal Court of Malaysia

Mr. Kadir Özkaya, President of the Turkish Constitutional Court and Term President of the CCJ-I, received Mrs. Tengku Maimun Binti Tuan Mat, Chief Justice of the Federal Court of Malaysia, Mr. Abang Iskandar Bin Abang Hashim, President of the Court of Appeal, and the accompanying delegation, who paid a visit to Türkiye as guests of the Turkish Constitutional Court and the Court of Cassation. Deputy-Presidents of the Constitutional Court Mr. Hasan Tahsin Gökcan and Mr. Basri Bağcı, and Member Mr. Engin Yıldırım also attended the meeting held in President Özkaya’s office.

During the meeting, President Özkaya emphasised the strong ties between Türkiye and Malaysia and expressed his gratitude for the visit of the Malaysian delegation. He underlined that the cordial relations between the respective countries were also reflected in the joint activities of their judicial institutions. Highlighting the existing ties between the high courts of the two countries within the scope of both the Association of Asian Constitutional Courts and Equivalent Institutions (AACC) and the Conference of Constitutional Jurisdictions of the Islamic World (CCJ-I), President Özkaya expressed his belief that the cooperation, which has been effectively demonstrated in joint activities, would continue to flourish.

Following the courtesy visit to President Özkaya’s office, a bilateral meeting between delegations was held, with the participation of President Kadir Özkaya, Deputy-Presidents of the Constitutional Court Mr. Hasan Tahsin Gökcan and Mr. Basri Bağcı, and Members Mr. Engin Yıldırım, Mr. Recai Akyel, Mr. Yusuf Şevki Hakyemez, Mr. Selahaddin Menteş, Mr. İrfan Fidan, Mr. Kenan Yaşar, Mr. Muhterem İnce and Mr. Ömer Çınar. During the meeting, President Özkaya provided a general overview of the constitutionality review within the Turkish legal system, as well as a brief information on the working principles and procedures of the Turkish Constitutional Court. Meanwhile, Chief Justice of the Federal Court of Malaysia Mrs. Tengku Maimun Binti Tuan Mat also shared insights into the duties and powers of the Federal Court, alongside the Malaysian legal system. The meeting also included an exchange of views on matters related to bilateral cooperation.

President of the Republic Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan received Chief Justice of the Federal Court of Malaysia and President of the Malaysian Court of Appeal, who visited Türkiye as part of their visit to the Constitutional Court and the Court of Cassation. The reception at the Presidential Complex was also attended by President of the Constitutional Court Mr. Kadir Özkaya and President of the Court of Cassation President Mr. Ömer Kerkez.

Congresses

2022 – The Inaugural Congress of the Conference of Constitutional Jurisdictions of the Islamic World, which was addressed to the higher jurisdictions of the Islamic countries, was held at the Dolmabahçe Palace, Istanbul, Türkiye, on 22-24 December 2024. In his speech, the then President of the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Türkiye, Mr. Zühtü Arslan, emphasized that the main purpose of the constitutional jurisdiction is to safeguard fundamental rights and freedoms by ensuring the supremacy of the Constitution, and also noted that the full and proper fulfillment of this function depends on the realization of constitutional principles and values such as justice, equality, freedom, the rule of law and the separation of powers enshrined in constitutions. At the end of his speech, President Arslan emphasized the importance of cooperation and exchange of experiences among constitutional courts performing similar functions and higher judicial bodies conducting constitutional review, and expressed his belief that the Conference of Constitutional Jurisdictions of the Islamic World provides a unique opportunity in this regard.

Among the participants of the Congress were presidents, heads and representatives of 32 constitutional and higher courts from the Islamic world, as well as international institutions exercising constitutional jurisdiction. During the Congress, with reference to the Istanbul Declaration of 15 December 2018 and the Bandung Declaration of 17 September 2021, it was recalled that an official and independent judicial platform should be established for the constitutional jurisdictions of the Islamic world. The draft Statute prepared by the Working Committee, which was authorized by the Bandung Declaration, was also adopted after deliberation, thus officially establishing the Conference of Constitutional Jurisdictions of the Islamic World. After the signing ceremony of the Statute, the Istanbul Declaration proclaiming the official establishment of the CCJ-I was read by Mr. Engin Yıldırım, Member of the Constitutional Court of Türkiye.

The Constitutional Court of the Republic of Türkiye was elected as the first term President of the CCJ-I (2022-2024).

Click for the Istanbul Declaration.

2021 – The 2nd Judicial Conference of the Constitutional and Supreme Courts/Councils and Equivalent Institutions of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Member/Observer States

During the 2nd Judicial Conference of the Constitutional and Supreme Courts/Councils and Equivalent Institutions of the OIC Member/Observer States (“the Conference”) held in Bandung, Indonesia on 15-17 September 2021, it was agreed to establish a new platform under the name of  “Conference of Constitutional Jurisdictions of Member/Observer States of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (CCJ-OIC)”.

In the Conference, which was attended by a total of 38 countries, Türkiye was represented by the President of the Turkish Constitutional Court and the then Chief Rapporteur Judge (now Secretary General) of the Court, Mr. Murat Azaklı. During the Plenary Meeting held after the Conference and chaired by the President of the Turkish Constitutional Court, the “Bandung Declaration” was unanimously adopted.

During the Plenary Meeting, it was also decided that the Inaugural Congress of the CCJ-OIC established by the “Istanbul Declaration” adopted in 2018 would be held in Istanbul, Türkiye, in 2022 and that the necessary steps would be taken to complete the establishment process.

During the Inaugural Congress held at the Dolmabahçe Palace in Istanbul, Türkiye, on 22-24 December 2022, it was unanimously decided that the name of the CCJ-OIC shall be “Conference of Constitutional Jurisdictions of the Islamic World (CCJ-I)”.

Click for the Bandung Declaration.

2018 – The 1st Judicial Conference of the Constitutional and Supreme Courts/Councils and Equivalent Institutions of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Member/Observer States

The 1st Judicial Conference of the Constitutional and Supreme Courts/Councils and Equivalent Institutions of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Member/Observer States, intended for building a judicial forum to ensure an efficient and constructive dialogue among superior courts of these States, was hosted by the Turkish Constitutional Court (“TCC”) in Istanbul, Türkiye, on 14-15 December 2018.

The Conference was hold on the theme of “The Role of Higher Judiciary in Protecting the Rule of Law and Fundamental Rights”. Representatives of courts/institutions from 42 countries graced the Conference.

The Conference was inaugurated with participation of the President of the Turkish Republic Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. President Erdoğan stated in his opening speech that the term “justice” has been one of the much-discussed issues from the first human being to the present, and indicated that throughout the history, humankind witnessed inevitable collapse of the societies and States that had departed from justice. Noting that one of the major threats with respect to justice was adherence of judicial authorities to ideological obsessions and disregard of mind and conscious, President Erdoğan stressed that measures against such threats had been employed carefully by observing the rule of law. He ended his speech by wishing that the Conference be a platform to discuss such issues in further detail. 

President of the TCC, pointed out that the opening ceremony of the Conference was being held at the Grand Ceremonial Hall (Muayede Hall) of the Dolmabahçe Palace where the opening ceremony of the First Ottoman Parliament was also held on 20 March 1877. He made a reference to the opening speech delivered by Sultan Abdulhamid II who stated therein that in the development of states and nations as well as in government affairs, rights and interests of every class of people must be observed, also pointing out the significance of allowances made by the Ottoman State –through the Pact (“Ahidname”) issued by Sultan Fatih in 1463– for the freedom of religion and denomination.

President of the TCC also noted that the continuous restatement of the distinction between us and “the other” and seeing “the other” as an object to be destroyed rather than human-being to live together amounted to bigotry which today manifested itself, especially in the West, as xenophobia, racism and Islamophobia; and that such a virus, spreading rapidly, poisoned day by day the environment that was necessary for the coexistence of diversities. He stated that it could not be nevertheless said that the Islamic countries were doing well in respect of justice, rule of law, democracy and fundamental rights and freedoms and stressed the need to make self-criticism. Noting that the constitutional courts/councils and supreme courts with equivalent jurisdiction of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), having the highest number of member countries after the United Nations, convened for the first time at a conference, Mr. President also stated that the Conference, the first initiative in its field, would also pave the way for forming a permanent platform among these constitutional/supreme courts/councils which would provide a significant opportunity for reflecting on common legal matters, deliberating case-law and practice, as well as for sharing ideas and experiences.

After the opening ceremony, the first session on “The Rule of Law and Human Rights in the Practice of Constitutional Justice” was chaired by the then Deputy-President of the Court (now Member), Mr. Engin Yıldırım, and the second session on “Upholding the Rule of Law and Human Rights through Supreme Adjudication” was chaired by the then Member (now Deputy-President), Mr. Hasan Tahsin Gökcan. On the second day of the Conference, the third session on “Global and Domestic Dynamics in Protecting the Rule of Law and Human Rights” was held under the chairmanship of the then Member (now President), Mr. Kadir Özkaya.

The closing session of the Conference was chaired by the President of the TCC, during which the Istanbul Declaration was adopted.

The heads and representatives of the Constitutional/Supreme Courts/Councils of the Member/Observer States of the OIC thereby declared their commitment to the supremacy of the rule of law, human rights, and universal legal principles. Recognizing the need for greater cooperation and agreeing in principle to engage in activities to establish a forum among the participant institutions for exchanging knowledge and experiences, they also resolved to:

  • Convene regular conferences in order to discuss constitutional and human rights matters of shared concern;
  • Form a Working Committee at expert-level consisting of the Constitutional/Higher Courts of Türkiye, Indonesia, Algeria, Pakistan and Gambia;
  • Prepare a report on the necessary steps to discover the possibilities for building a close partnership, which would be submitted to the respective Courts/Councils/ Equivalent Institutions; and
  • Hold the next Conference in 2020 in Indonesia under the patronage of Indonesian Constitutional Court.

Click for the text of Istanbul Declaration in TurkishArabic and French.