On 10th November 2021 the Director General of IOFS H.E. Mr Yerlan A. Baidaulet within the official visit to the Islamic Republic of Pakistan had productive meetings in Islamabad.
A meeting with Mr. Jamil Ahmad Qureshi, Director General of the Board of Investment of the Prime Minister's Office (BOI), which is committed to promoting investment in all sectors of the economy, assisting local and foreign investors in the rapid realization of their projects, improving Pakistan's international competitiveness, and contributing to economic and social development. The meeting resulted in a discussion on further cooperation in the form of a joint Plan of Action under the Memorandum of Understanding that both parties agreed to sign in near future. The Director General of IOFS presented an overview of the institution's activities and strategic vision on implementation of initiatives, focusing on investment related programmes. It was informed that BOI and Islamic Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture (ICCIA) would be conducting a joint event in which the IOFS will graciously participate to explore new opportunities of partnership.
A fruitful meeting with H.E. Mr. Yerzhan Kistafin, Ambassador of the Republic of Kazakhstan to the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, was held to discuss ways to strengthen cooperation between Kazakhstan and Pakistan in all fields of mutual interest, as well as agricultural and food security related issues in OIC region. H.E. Kazakhstan's Ambassador was interested in the IOFS 16 strategic programmes in order to consider possible collaboration between countries in partnership with IOFS, as Institutions multilateral platform could be practically useful to activate any bilateral relations of two-member countries with the regional or inter-regional framework of IOFS strategic programs.
Mr. Yerlan A. Baidaulet, H.E. Director General of IOFS, was a Guest of Honour at a World Science Day event hosted by the OIC Standing Committee on Scientific and Technological Cooperation (COMSTECH) with the world subject "Creating Climate Resilient Communities."
In the keynote address at the event, the Director General briefed about IOFS its programmes and activities, and stressed on Climate change impacts such as higher temperatures, water scarcity, droughts and floods, and CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere have already begun to influence staple crops quality and production around the world. Maize and wheat production have declined in recent years due to extreme weather events, plant diseases, and an overall increase in water scarcity. In this context, the IOFS has taken steps to mitigate the effects of climate change by promoting climate-smart agriculture and agri-innovations for food production through the "Climate Impact/Resource Management" programme, which will be part of Strategic Vision 2031.
Following the event, H.E. Director General engaged with Pakistani scientists from Quaid-i-Azam University, the Pakistan Agricultural Research Council, the Pakistan Planning Commission, and others to address various science-related challenges and ways to improve and apply it accordingly.
