Malaysia in the OIC, Commonwealth, NAM and Other International Groupings

Every time a Malaysian minister speaks about Palestine in a forum of the Muslim world, or a senior official attends an Asia-Pacific economic summit, they speak on behalf of a country that sits at many tables at once. Beyond ASEAN and the United Nations, Malaysia is a member of a dozen intergovernmental groupings — and five of them form the backbone of its multilateral engagement.

Which groupings does Malaysia join?

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Foreign Policy document lists Malaysia’s active involvement in the OIC, NAM, the Commonwealth, the G77, D-8, ASEM and APEC, among others. The five main groupings below span three types of affiliation — religion, colonial history and the economy:

Grouping	Established	Malaysia’s status	Members	Focus
OIC (Organisation of Islamic Cooperation)	1969, Rabat	Founding state	57	Muslim world solidarity
Commonwealth	—	Member since 1957	56	Heritage, shared values
NAM (Non-Aligned Movement)	1961, Belgrade	Active member; chair 2003–2006	—	Non-alignment, South-South
D-8	1997, Istanbul	Founding state	8 (now 9)	Economic cooperation
APEC	1989	Founding member	21 economies	Asia-Pacific trade

What is Malaysia’s role in the OIC?

The OIC was established at the first Islamic conference in Rabat, Morocco in 1969, following the arson attack on the Al-Aqsa Mosque. Malaysia was among the countries that founded it. This early standing was not merely symbolic: Tunku Abdul Rahman, Malaysia’s first Prime Minister, was “instrumental in the establishment” of the organisation and became its first Secretary-General from 1971 according to the Perdana Leadership Foundation.

Today the OIC comprises 57 member states across Asia, Africa, Europe and the Caribbean, representing around 1.5 billion people. For Malaysia — a Muslim-majority country — the OIC remains a key stage for championing the unity of the Ummah, and in line with its foreign-policy stance, Malaysia uses this forum to voice support for the Palestinian people. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also maintains a dedicated section for OIC affairs and regional cooperation.

How do the Commonwealth and NAM differ?

Both are rooted in the post-war era, but they face in different directions.

The Commonwealth is a voluntary association of 56 independent countries, most of which were once under British rule. Malaysia joined it in 1957, the year of its independence. It is not a power bloc; it gathers around shared values — development, democracy and peace — and meets every two years at the CHOGM.

NAM, by contrast, was formally established at its first Summit in Belgrade, Yugoslavia in 1961, out of developing countries’ desire not to side with either of the major power blocs during the Cold War. Malaysia is an active member that hosted the 13th NAM Summit in Kuala Lumpur in February 2003, then chaired the movement from 2003 to 2006. The principles of non-alignment, non-interference and South-South cooperation that lie at NAM’s core still echo in Malaysia’s foreign policy today.

What are the D-8 and APEC?

These two groupings are younger and more economic in nature.

The D-8 (Developing 8 Countries) was formally announced through the Istanbul Declaration on 15 June 1997. Its eight founding states — Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan and Turkey — are all Muslim-majority developing countries that cooperate on trade, industry and development. Azerbaijan was reported to have joined the grouping in 2025, bringing it to nine members (please verify on the official D-8 website).

APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) was established on 6–7 November 1989 to manage the increasingly close economic interdependence of the Asia-Pacific region. Malaysia is one of the 12 founding members that joined at the first meeting, alongside Australia, Brunei, Canada, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and the United States. APEC now comprises 21 member economies — it uses the term “economies”, not “countries”, because its membership includes Hong Kong and Chinese Taipei.

Malaysia’s leadership roles

Malaysia has not merely signed up for membership; it has held the top posts in several of these groupings.

Grouping	Malaysia’s leadership role
OIC	Tunku Abdul Rahman — first Secretary-General (from 1971)
NAM	Host of the 13th Summit (2003); chair 2003–2006
D-8	One of the eight founding states (1997)
APEC	One of the 12 founding members (1989)

This is not a complete list. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also lists Malaysia’s involvement in the G77, ASEM (Asia-Europe Meeting), IORA (Indian Ocean Rim Association), FEALAC and AMED — all part of a broader effort to promote South-South Cooperation among developing countries.

What’s next

Each grouping above deserves an explanation of its own, and the membership figures and summit hosts change over time — verify the latest details on each organisation’s official website before relying on them in official documents. To understand Malaysia’s two most important multilateral affiliations, start with its ASEAN and United Nations memberships, which lie at the core of its foreign policy.