Second General Assembly of IOFS held in Saudi Arabia

Second General Assembly of Islamic Organization for Food Security was held in Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on August 27-29, 2019 under the theme of «Development of Islamic Solidarity through Food Security». The Delegation of Kazakhstan was headed by the Minister of Agriculture of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Mr. Saparkhan Omarov.
In accordance with the agenda of the Session, questions on the creation of a food security Database of Member states of OIC and a Regional Reserve to facilitate cooperation within the organization and to develop a three-year action plan on the establishment of a Grain Fund and implementation of IOFS investment program were being taken into consideration.
Following the forum, the representative of Kazakhstan, Mr. Yerlan A. Baidaulet was elected as a Director General of the Islamic Organization for Food Security. Saudi Arabia was elected as a Chair of the General Assembly, Tajikistan and Gambia as Vice-Chairs, and Kazakhstan as a Spokesperson.
The representatives of agricultural Ministries of Kazakhstan, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Turkey, Burkina Faso, Gambia, and Bangladesh were elected as Members of the Executive Board of IOFS.
During the event, Nigeria signed the Statute of IOFS and became 34th Member of the Organization.



The representatives of Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, and Indonesia announced their intentions to sign the Statute of IOFS in the nearest future, while Turkey and Mali intend to ratify the Statute.
In the final document adopted by the General Assembly of IOFS, the participants praised the role of the First President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Mr. Nursultan Nazarbayev in the provision of the Muslim world of food security.
Members of the organization expressed deep gratitude to the President of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, to the Government and people of Kazakhstan for supporting activities and development of IOFS.
The participants thanked the King of Saudi Arabia, Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud for making the decision to allocate $2 million to aid the institutional development of the IOFS, and noted that the Second session of the General Assembly, held in Jeddah, would give a serious impetus to the consolidation and development of the organization.
The initiative of the IOFS on Grain Fund and Islamic Food Processing Association announced by the Minister of Agriculture of Kazakhstan, Saparkhan Omarov was fully supported by the participants.
Moreover, parties emphasized the urgency of initiatives of Kazakhstan to ensure food security in Muslim countries, such as the implementation of humanitarian grain and livestock projects in Muslim countries, utilization of Islamic finance institutions, international zakat, donation funds and modern advanced technologies in these areas.



On the sidelines of the Session, the Director General of IOFS held a number of bilateral negotiations with heads of delegations of many countries.
Particularly, meetings were held with the Minister of Agriculture and Melioration of the Arab Republic of Egypt, Mr. A. Satit; the Minister of Food of the Republic of Bangladesh, Mr. S.G. Majumder; Minister of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock of Afghanistan, Mr. N. Durani, as well as heads of delegations of Uganda, Somalia, Cameroon, Mali, and Yemen.
During the meetings, parties exchanged views on strengthening cooperation within the framework of the IOFS and revitalization of organization activities and discussed ways to expand bilateral investment, trade, and economic relations. A very interesting meeting was held with the Vice President of the Islamic Development Bank Group, Dr. Mansour Mukhtar, where parties agreed to cooperate in the fields of sustainable agricultural development and provision of food security.
It is extremely important and necessary for international organizations to work closely with IOFS in the food security domain. For example, two international organizations 1) the International Center for Biosaline Agriculture 2) the Permanent Interstate Committee for Drought Control in the Sahel have gained the status of the Observers of IOFS.
It is worth noting that memorandums on collaboration, signed within the framework of General Assembly between IOFS and Arab Organization for Agricultural Development and Permanent Interstate Committee for Drought Control in the Sahel will facilitate and strengthen cumulative efforts to provide food security in OIC countries.