The Islamic Organization for Food Security Holds Inaugural General Assembly, Constitutes Executive Board, and Adopt a Five-year Plan of Action

Date: 28/04/2016

The Islamic Organization for Food Security of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (IOFS) held the Inaugural Session of its General Assembly in Astana, capital city of Kazakhstan, on Thursday 28 April 2016.

His Excellency the Prime Minister of Kazakhstan, Karim Massimov, delivered the welcome address in the name of His Excellency the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev, to the General Assembly. He pointed out that the establishment of the IOFS embodies the initiative tabled during the 38th Session of the Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) held in Astana in 2011, which was initially slated to set up a fund of food security for the OIC Member States. In the statement, Mr. Massimov emphasized that the IOFS will make contributions and carry an impact in the field of food security at a time the world is facing ubiquitous famine and diseases. He indicated that Kazakhstan will use its resources to support the work of IOFS.

The Kazakh President expressed confidence that all OIC Member States will join the nascent organization.

For his part, the OIC Secretary General, Iyad Ameen Madani, underlined that the inauguration of this new specialized institutions is a historical milestone that enhances the collective efforts intended to improve socio-economic cooperation among Member States. The IOFS is expected to implement resolutions related to the fields of agriculture, rural development and food security.

The Secretary General called upon the new organization to carry out agricultural micro-finance projects and conduct a study on early warning and information systems in the OIC Member States. He also called for the implementation of a program to boost capacities and limit post-harvest wastage.

Dr. Ahmad Mohamed Ali, President of Islamic Development Bank (IDB) Group, too, delivered a statement in which he indicated that IDB will cooperate with IOFS in a bid to engage farmers in the process of development by enhancing their access to improved seeds, fertilizers, and good animal breeds and the various production input.

He called for the need to focus on technical assistance programs in order to facilitate the transfer of agricultural knowledge-based expertise and set up concessional lending programs.

IDB President pointed up the importance of enhancing market accessibility by improving infrastructure and developing the energy sector in order to maximize food production. In this sense, he highlighted the need for the creation of linkages between producers and local, regional, and global markets in order to cut down wastage the proportion of which reaches in some Member States 30 percent of the overall production.

During the opening ceremony, the Republic of Kazakhstan was elected Chairman of the General Assembly while Côte d’Ivoire and Palestine were elected vice-chairmen. An executive council for IOFS was established for a three-year term with a compositions consisting of the following countries: Bangladesh, Burkina-Faso, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Kazakhstan, Niger, and the Director-General of IOIFA. Dr. Saad Al-Khaleel Eissa, Director-General of International Cooperation and Agricultural Overseas Investments in the Ministry of Agriculture of Saudi Arabia, was elected Chairman of the Executive Council. The General Assembly appointed Mr. Yarzehan Jalmokhanov form Kazakhstan as Director-General of IOFS.

The General Assembly also adopted IOFS's budget, together with its Rules of Procedure, Financial Regulations, Personnel Regulations, and a Five-year Plan of Action.

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