On 26 September 2022 the IOFS Director General H.E. Prof. Yerlan A. Baidaulet accompanied by the Special Envoy of IOFS to Africa H.E. Mr. Said Hussein Iid and Amb. Daulet Yemberdiev, Director of CPO, within the visit in Ankara, Turkiye had several meetings with the government authorities and an OIC institution.
The IOFS Director General had a productive meeting with the Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Forestry of the Republic of Turkiye HE Dr. Nihat Pakdil. The meeting highlighted the high level of established relationships between IOFS and the Government of the Republic of Türkiye, especially the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry. Mr. Yerlan Baidaulet briefed Dr.Nihat Pakdil on IOFS's ongoing programs and activities, with a focus on concrete projects. The Deputy Minister fully agreed that IOFS provides a platform for its Member States to realize various programmes and consequent projects within its strategic domain. It was recalled by the sides on the successful holding of the 3rd General Assembly of the IOFS in Ankara on 2-3 December 2020. IOFS Director General H.E. Prof. Yerlan A. Baidaulet shared the overview about the programmes and ongoing activities, with the special attention paid to two global programs on Afghanistan Food Security (AFSP) and Year of Africa 2022.
Further important discussion was held with the President of the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) H.E. Mr. Serkan Kayalar at their Headquarters. The IOFS Director General expressed his appreciation to the Head of TIKA for successful implementation of global projects and providing humanitarian and technical support for many countries. H.E. Prof. Yerlan A. Baidaulet has also emphasized TIKA’s valuable efforts in joint organization of a Training Workshop on Gene Bank Management from 26-30 September 2022 in Ankara, and expressed willingness to strengthen cooperation to implement projects in OIC Member States. Parties agreed to sign of the MoU and adopt an Action Plan. Sides especially emphasized «IOFS Afghanistan Food Security Programme (AFSP)» (which was added by necessity to support Pakistani people during post-floods period) and the «Year of Africa 2022» Implementation Plan, in which the TIKA President expressed his interest and noted that consolidating efforts would produce the most efficient outcomes.
During a meeting with the Mr. Selçuk KOÇ, Acting Director General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation's Standing Committee for Economic and Commercial Cooperation (COMCEC), IOFS Director General H.E. Prof. Yerlan A. Baidaulet talked about the development of cooperation between the two institutions. The parties emphasized recent organized joint two-day regional training workshop on strategic planning and policy development in food security, held Cairo, Egypt on 20 September 2022 with the participation of the 75 experts from the government, national institutions, academia, private sector, and international organizations that has achieved the good outcomes. Furthermore, it was stated that the COMCEC's Project Funding is a highly effective instrument for providing funding/grants for Member States to improve and develop institutional and human capacity, and that the IOFS is willing to support via such mechanisms it's member countries' initiatives for significant outcomes. The COMCEC's Acting Director has also expressed interest in the IOFS's Livestock Ecosystem project, wherein a project on Sheep Farming Fund aims to transform the sheep industry into an efficient and sustainable industrial sector by supplying premium quality lamb to wider OIC markets. Both sides agreed on the active alignment of activities of one another and integrating the visions and programs of two sister institutions for the efficient implementation of general OIC initiatives and working plans. At the conclusion of the meeting, the IOFS Director General has kindly requested to convey warmest regards to the retired Director General of COMCEC Mr. Fatih Unlu.
