The idea of establishing a permanent judicial platform to ensure an efficient and constructive dialogue among Constitutional and Supreme Courts/Councils and Equivalent Institutions exercising constitutional jurisdiction of the Islamic world was initiated by the 1st Judicial Conference of the Constitutional Jurisdictions of the Islamic World, hosted by the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Türkiye in Istanbul, Türkiye, on 14-15 December 2018 on the theme of “The Role of Higher Judiciary in Protecting the Rule of Law and Fundamental Rights”.

On this particular occasion, the Heads and representatives of the respective Courts/Councils/Equivalent Institutions from 42 countries of the Islamic world convened for the first time at a conference, the first initiative in its field among the Muslim countries. Following the Conference, on 15 December 2018, they adopted the Istanbul Declaration recognizing the need for greater cooperation and agreeing in principle to engage in activities with a view to institutionalize such platform among the constitutional jurisdictions of the Islamic world.

On 15-17 September 2021, the 2nd Judicial Conference of the Constitutional Jurisdictions of the Islamic World was hosted by the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Indonesia in Bandung, Indonesia, on the theme of “Human Rights and Constitutionalism: The Role of Judiciary in Muslim Countries”, at the end of which the Heads and representatives of the respective Courts/Councils/Equivalent Institutions from 38 countries of the Islamic world adopted the Bandung Declaration on 17 September 2021.

The Bandung Declaration reiterated the role of the constitutional jurisdictions of the Islamic world in ensuring respect for the implementation of national constitutions’ principles of the rule of law, democracy, and human rights and agreed to establish a formal and independent platform for these jurisdictions for the purposes of enhancing the exchange of experiences and information on mutual concern relating to dealing with constitutional cases and jurisprudence in pursuance of the rule of law, democracy, and human rights and working against the widespread xenophobic and Islamophobic discourse and practice.

The Inaugural Congress of the Conference of Constitutional Jurisdictions of the Islamic World, 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 at expert-level consisting of Indonesia, Türkiye, Algeria, Pakistan, and Gambia, which was authorised by the Bandung Declaration, was also adopted upon deliberations, thereby the Conference of Constitutional Jurisdictions of the Islamic World (CCJ-I) 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.