The Organisation of the Islamic Conference, an umbrella organisation representing 57 Muslim nations, says it has changed its name to better reflect the group’s international role.
A statement from the Saudi-based group says it will henceforth be known as the Organisation of the Islamic Cooperation. It will retain the same acronym, OIC.
OIC says the members’ foreign ministers endorsed the change of the name during a meeting in Kazakhstan’s capital, Astana, on Tuesday.
OIC was established in Morocco in 1969 at an Islamic summit of 25 Muslim countries “to safeguard and protect the interests of the Muslim world in the spirit of promoting international peace and harmony among various people of the world.”