At the request of the Republic of Maldives, a virtual meeting was held on 12 July 2023 with the esteemed representatives of the Maldivian Ministry of Fisheries, Marine Resources and Agriculture and their Ambassador to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, to discuss the procedures for the accession of the Maldives to the Islamic Organization for Food Security (IOFS).
The IOFS Team presented the current status of implementation of the Organization’s 2031 Strategic Vision on ensuring food security for Member States of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). The Team also reported that the ecosystem of the Organization is strategically crafted to generate tangible outcomes, thereby addressing food security challenges in OIC MS, with a strong emphasis on key performance indicators. This result driven model not only creates impact, entices private public partnerships, but also attracts participation of other stakeholders.
In turn, the Maldives, expressed their interest in joining the IOFS and highlighted that the country presents a unique case in the OIC Geography. They also requested the IOFS to consider tailoring programs to address the challenges the Maldives faces in the realm of food security. The IOFS Secretariat fully supported the request of the Maldives, and noted that the Organization implements its activities based on a country request approach, prioritizing the needs of Member States and structuring the programs and projects to be integrated in each state respectively.
The parties concluded the meeting with a mutual eagerness to further efforts in accelerating the process of Membership without delay.
