On 23 May 2023, His Excellency Prof. Yerlan A. Baidaulet, the Director General of the Islamic Organization of Food Security (IOFS), led the Organization’s delegation to the 39th Follow-up Committee of the Standing Committee for Economic and Commercial Cooperation of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (COMCEC), being held in Ankara, Republic of Türkiye.
The meeting was held to review the activities of different OIC Institutions, including IOFS, in light of the COMCEC Strategy. It is important to note that the COMCEC Strategy is also reviewed through different Working Groups (WG), which provide a regular platform for experts from the Member States and OIC Institutions to discuss the policies and practices in each cooperation area to create a common understanding and approximate policies among all relevant stakeholders.
The address of the IOFS Director General was made on his behalf by Mr. Abdula Manafi Mutualo, Advisor at Coordination & Cooperation Department, during deliberations of agenda item 9 on “Increasing Productivity of Agriculture Sector and Sustaining Food Security”. The address served to highlight the centrality of food security issues within the economic domains and interests of all Member States, especially in the context of IOFS 2031 Strategy Vision implementation. In such context, and while emphasizing the excellent relationship the organization enjoys with COMCEC, IOFS called on Member States and relevant Institutions to render their valuable support to allow the IOFS to continue its important work in also executing the Africa Food Security Initiative (AFSI), which was mandated by the 49th OIC Council Foreign Ministers, held last March in Nouakchott, Mauritania, as well as the Afghanistan Food Security Program (AFSP), mandated by the 17th Extraordinary OIC Council of Foreign Ministers held in December 2021 in Islamabad, Pakistan.
Taking into account the importance of the COMCEC Project Funding for also increasing productivity of agriculture sector and sustaining food security and the need to synergize meager available resources, the Director General requested Member States having their projects in the field of food security and agriculture development annually approved for funding by COMCEC to consider including the IOFS as their implementation partner.
It should be noted that the 39th Follow up Committee of COMCEC is to close on 24 May 2023 with adoption of all relevant documents reflecting the discussion held.
