Organisation of Islamic Cooperation
The Collective Voice of The Muslim World
Date: 11/12/2012
Excellencies Ministers, Distinguished Participants, Ladies and Gentlemen, Assalamu Aleykum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuh. It is indeed a great honour for me to have the opportunity to participate in this important Halal Food Middle East International Trade Exhibition and Conference, which is taking place in Sharjah, an Emirate with a rich history, impressive cultural monuments and world class business capacity. Without any doubt, the choice of the venue of this Halal Food Conference is a confirmation of the rich record of Sharjah Emirate as an important castle of Arab and Islamic culture and civilisations. Having said this, permit me at the onset to express my sincere appreciation to His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan Bin Mohammed Al-Qassimi for his personal patronage of these Exhibition and Conference. This is a sound testimony to the keen interest which His Highness has always shown to matters relating to the promotion of culture and business in the Muslim world. I also wish to commend the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and other co-organizers of this event for the excellent arrangements made for these Exhibition and Conference and for always identifying with the socio-economic activities of the Organisation of the Islamic Cooperation. Trade promotion activities have increased steadily with the organization of OIC Trade Fairs and specialized expos. The Islamic Centre for the Development of Trade (ICDT) has, since 1986, ensured that the biennial OIC trade fairs continued to hold, thereby showcasing the diversity and quality of products from OIC Member States with a view to ensuring international patronage. In the same vein, these fairs have succeeded in bringing together OIC producers and consumers alike. I am happy to note here that Sharjah Emirate hosted the 13th OIC Trade Fair on 24-29 April 2011, for the second time in less than a decade. Similarly, the Islamic Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture (ICCIA) organised the 14th Private Sector Meeting in Sharjah in April 2011. These unprecedented actions confirm the prominent role of Sharjah in the OIC trade promotion programmes and activities. Thanks to these multiplied actions, intra-OIC trade has increased progressively from 14% in 2004 to 17.71% in 2011. In monetary terms intra-OIC Trade increased from US$205 billion in 2004 to US$687.74 billion in 2011. Consequently, with the recent entry into force of the OIC Trade Preferential System (TPS-OIC), its protocol and the Rules of Origin, the way is paved for the active participation of the Private Sector in increasing trade exchanges within OIC. Your Excellency, Distinguished Participants, The specialized nature of today’s trade exhibition is very significant. It is essentially to showcase the various Halal food products available in our Member States. Promotion of intra-OIC trade can only take place when all the necessary information about the capacities, resources and potentialities of our countries are available. In this regard, this trade show complements the various activities which the OIC has embarked upon on the harmonisation of Halal food standards and the popularization of Halal food in the scheme of intra-OIC trade. In addition, this event provides an auspicious occasion for all stakeholders to meet and map-out a credible way of stimulating growth in this all-important sector. Let me also to inform that in the aftermath of the various meetings of OIC experts which resulted in the elaboration of the OIC Halal food standards, the entry into force of the Statute of Standards and Metrology Institute for Islamic Countries (SMIIC), in 2010 has generated strong impetus for the Halal food activities. The SMIIC is considered as a useful platform for mobilizing potentials for further increasing the volume and quality of trade exchanges between OIC countries, which in turn should contribute to efforts about poverty alleviation, resource utilization and capacity building. Moreover, in line with its mandate for preparing standards, SMIIC adopted OIC Halal Food Standards and Guidelines in 2011. As it sets out to achieve the laudable task of consolidating its activities, SMIIC possesses considerable potentials to contribute to the various on-going efforts and programmes at the OIC Level to boost competitiveness, remove trade impediments, increase trade exchanges and stimulate economic growth among the Member States. Accordingly, this Conference will also serve the propose of increasing the involvement of the Private Sector in the field of Halal food industry as well as increasing intra-OIC trade in general. It is widely acknowledged that free enterprise remains the most credible mechanism for achieving sustainable growth and capital accumulation, which have remained the bane of our developmental efforts. In addition to creating awareness among the governments of OIC countries on trade facilitation, the role of the Private Sector is duly recognized in the scheme of affairs. Distinguished Participants Ladies and Gentlemen, Finally, let me wish the Conference a resounding success. I am confident that this Conference and its series of other sideline activities will create the needed synergy for the actualization of our collective desire to scale-up intra-OIC economic cooperation for the rapid socio-economic development of our Member States. Wassalamu Alaikum wa-Rrahamatullahi wa-Barakatuh.
