[5][6] İhsanoğlu was one of the signatories of A Common Word, an open letter by Islamic scholars to Christian leaders that called for peace and understanding.

İhsanoğlu is the founder and first chair (1984–2000) of the first Department of History of Science in Turkey, which he established at the Faculty of Letters of Istanbul University.

Prof. İhsanoğlu supervised many international projects sponsored by UNESCO and IRCICA; Master and PhD thesis's on History of Science.

In the 1970s, İhsanoğlu took part in Turkey's various diplomatic and cultural missions and committees formed for conducting international consultations or talks at bilateral and multilateral levels.

İhsanoğlu lived the most significant leap in his diplomatic career in 2004 when he succeeded to win the election for the position of the OIC Secretary General out of three candidates.

As of his first year in the office, he guided the preparation of the “Ten-Year Programme Of Action To Meet The Challenges Facing The Muslim Ummah In The 21st Century” which was adopted by the OIC Member States at their Extraordinary Summit Conference in Mecca, December 2005.

[16] Thus, for example, İhsanoğlu attached importance to increasing the role and effectiveness of the OIC in solving problems and contributing to progress and cooperation among the OIC Member States in various areas of development, including science and technology, transport and communications, tourism, and fostering trade among the Member States, with particular attention to the least developed countries (LDCs) among them.

First, he had assigned priority to the entry into force of the cooperation agreements and the statutes of some institutions in the field of economy and trade, pending for signing and ratification.

At the same time he made efforts to enhance the OIC activity in conflict resolution and peace-building in its Member States and in the world.

In view of stopping the sectarian conflicts in Iraq he initiated and coordinated the signing of a ‘Makkah Al-Mukarramah Declaration on the Iraqi Situation’[19] by Iraqi scholars of Sunni and Shia traditions with a view to interdict and outlaw sectarian killing in Iraq, and declaring such practices as crimes, prohibited and proscribed by Islam (2006).

In view of the huge scale of such disasters and the resulting severe humanitarian crisis situation which go well beyond the capabilities of the affected countries, İhsanoğlu focused on establishing a unit within the OIC General Secretariat to coordinate relief efforts.

He initiated schemes of action with regard to promotion of understanding, tolerance, principles of human rights, democracy, and establishment of dialogue between the OIC's Member States and with other countries and communities of the world.

These strategies address north–south/East-West relations with a problem-solving approach aiming to promote proper mutual understanding among the different faiths and cultures.

During the period of the United Nations General Assembly Meetings in September 2010, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for the first time referred to the OIC as “a strategic and crucial partner of the United Nations” and said that it "plays a significant role in helping to resolve a wide range of issues facing the world community.

In 2009, on the election of President Obama, he published an open letter in the International Herald Tribune and New York Times, congratulating him and referring to his statement during presidential campaign to develop good relations with the Muslim World with emphasis on İhsanoğlu's conception and norms of moderation and modernization.