On May 1, 2005, a conference titled “Seeking a New Vision in a Changing World” was organized in Istanbul under the leadership of the Union of NGOs of Turkey (TGTV), with the participation of over three hundred non-governmental organizations from 40 countries.
On the first day of the conference, the President of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, Mr. Bülent Arınç, and on the second day, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Abdullah Gül, delivered speeches. In the final session of the conference, the draft statute of the planned Union was opened for discussion, and by the vote of the participating representatives, it was decided to establish the Union of NGOs of the Islamic World (UNIW).
The Prime Minister of the Republic of Turkey, Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, shared the good news of the newly established Union with the public at the Grand National Assembly of Turkey.
Aiming to build sustainable cooperation based on shared values among non-governmental organizations operating in different regions of the Islamic world, Necmi Sadıkoğlu was elected as the First Term Secretary General of UNIW, and Atty. Ali Kurt was elected as the Representative of Turkey. Istanbul was accepted as the headquarters of the Union.
The establishment of UNIW gained official status as an international organization pursuant to Law No. 3335 on the Establishment of Organizations with International Character, by the Council of Ministers Decision dated December 31, 2005.
Since 2022, Eyüp Akbal has been serving as the Secretary General of UNIW. Continuing its efforts under the principle of “6 Continents, 66 Countries, One Ummah”, UNIW currently has 488 members.

