Riyadh Pushes OIC to Weaponize $2.3 Trillion Economic Bloc as Global Power Shifts

Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister used a leadership transition at the Organization of Islamic Cooperation to press the case for deep institutional reform, framing the 57-member bloc’s collective economic weight as an underutilized asset in a shifting global order.

Prince Faisal bin Farhan addressed an extraordinary meeting of the OIC’s Council of Foreign Ministers in Jeddah on Thursday, where delegates elected Mauritanian diplomat Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed as secretary-general for the 2027-2032 term. Ahmed succeeds Chad’s Hissein Brahim Taha, whose tenure ends officially in November.

The numbers Ahmed cited were striking. Member states’ combined gross domestic product stands at nearly 30 trillion dollars. The organization spans four continents, commands vast human and natural resources and counts predominantly young populations among its membership. That is a formidable economic base. The question Ahmed put squarely to delegates was whether the OIC could convert those collective resources into effective action, particularly as global power balances shift, technological change accelerates and artificial intelligence reshapes economic competition.

Prince Faisal made the same argument from a different angle. The Islamic world, he said, carries substantial demographic, political, economic and civilizational weight, giving it the capability to become an effective force in shaping international power balances. No single country possessed the capacity to address the bloc’s interconnected political, security, economic, social and humanitarian challenges in isolation, he argued, making collective action essential to safeguard state and national interests.

Saudi Arabia’s reform push centers on institutional capacity. The kingdom believes the OIC requires serious strengthening to enhance its ability to implement resolutions, improve efficiency and equip joint Islamic action with more effective tools. The implication is that the organization has not yet matched its resource base with operational delivery.

Meanwhile, political priorities were reaffirmed in firm terms. Riyadh renewed its strongest condemnation of Israel’s E1 settlement expansion plan, warning that the project threatened to isolate East Jerusalem from its Palestinian surroundings and undermine the viability of an independent Palestinian state. Saudi Arabia characterized the E1 initiative as part of a broader Israeli policy of imposing settlement realities and executing gradual annexation on the ground. The kingdom also condemned repeated incursions into Al-Aqsa Mosque by Israeli officials and settlers operating under Israeli military protection, rejecting any attempt to impose temporal or spatial divisions of the mosque or alter its Islamic character.

Ahmed, in his inaugural address, positioned Palestine as the organization’s foremost priority across political, humanitarian and civilizational dimensions. He pledged that defending the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, including establishing an independent state with East Jerusalem as its capital and protecting the sanctity of Al-Quds Al-Sharif, would remain an unwavering commitment. He also committed to strengthening efforts against Islamophobia and hate speech while building broader international partnerships.

Outgoing Secretary-General Taha described the meeting as occurring at an extremely delicate and sensitive juncture. He credited his past five years with achievements in political, economic, cultural and scientific cooperation, and thanked Saudi Arabia specifically for what he called its unlimited support and contributions to strengthening joint Islamic action. He expressed full readiness to assist his successor during the transition.

Ahmed brings more than three decades of United Nations work and crisis-zone experience to the role. Under the OIC charter, the secretary-general serves a five-year term renewable only once, with the Council of Foreign Ministers electing the officeholder on principles of equitable geographical distribution, rotation and equal opportunity, balanced against competence, integrity and experience. The African Union formally endorsed Ahmed’s candidacy in February, designating Mauritania as part of North Africa. The charter does not prescribe a fixed order for transferring the post among Arab, African and Asian groups, relying instead on rotation and equitable geographical distribution.

The secretary-general’s formal responsibilities extend beyond diplomatic representation to include following up on resolutions adopted by Islamic summits and the Council of Foreign Ministers, coordinating the organization’s bodies and raising issues that could advance or obstruct its objectives. Whether Ahmed can close the gap between the OIC’s 30-trillion-dollar economic footprint and its actual influence on global affairs will be the defining test of his term.