The IOFS is a specialized institution of the OIC, which has a mandate to ensure sustainable food security within OIC geography through socio-economic development and the systematic promotion of targeted programs related to agriculture, science and technology, humanitarian aid, food trade and investment among OIC Member States.

The key speakers of the briefing were Dr.Ismail Abdelhamid, Director of Programmes and Projects Office, Ambassador Daulet Yemberdiyev, Director of International Cooperation and Humanitarian Aid Office, and Ambassador Murat Tashibayev, Advisor the H.E the Director General of IOFS.

The IOFS proclaimed 2022 as the “IOFS Year of Africa,” with an aim to ensure that the Organization would focus its main attention to the continent by developing and implementing relevant projects with the support of Member States and other stakeholders, including international organizations.

Africa was not on track to meeting the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Target #2 – to end hunger and ensure access by all people to safe, nutritious and sufficient food all year round and to end all forms of malnutrition.  In this context, the Organization has been continuously working with African governments and relevant development partners in the African agricultural landscape and has launched its activities in different Member States within its strategic framework.

On 10 October 2022, there was a preparatory meeting attended by Senior Officials from various Member States, who had deliberated on all points under Agenda Items, including:

Report of the Director-General, Membership, Report on the Financial Matters, IOFS Strategic Programs: an overview of the implementation, Election of Members of the Executive Board, Afghanistan Food Security Program: a flow review, Year of Africa: a flow review, Other institutional matters and Adoption of Resolutions of the 5th General Assembly

On the 11th of October 2022, the Ministerial Session was held, and coordinated with His Excellency Mr. Yerbol Karashukeev, Minister of Agriculture of the Republic of Kazakhstan, in his capacity of Chairman of the 4th IOFS General Assembly, which was held in September 2021. He provided the initial remarks to assure of his country’s unwavering support to the IOFS, as the host of the Organization, and to transfer the Chairmanship to His Excellency, Mr. Mahmoud Elies HAMZA, Minister of Agriculture of the Republic of Tunisia, and Chairman of the 5th IOFS General Assembly.

His Excellency Mr. Yerlan Baidaulet, IOFS Director General, provided the Report of all the activities that have been implemented since the 4th General Assembly. The Director General noted that since September of 2021 there have been positive dynamics in the development of IOFS programs and the active involvement of Member States in addressing common food security issues.

At the solemn IOFS gathering, member States were able to adopt important programs to further develop agriculture and address food insecurity particularly in Africa. These included:

1981. a) OIC Food Security Reserve System (FSRs), which has been envisioned by the OIC agenda since 1981.
1982. b) The Grain Fund, which is geared towards increasing intra-OIC economic cooperation, particularly, in the field of agricultural development and food security with emphasis on funding and grain supply.

It should be underscored that the Grain Fund can become an important tool for Member States to avoid

1. c) The International Islamic Food Processing Association (IFPA) is to be given an additional impetus to advance Pillar 4 of the IOFS Strategic Vision 2031 that is devoted to OIC Food Industry Development, basically the foundation of relationship between the IOFS and Investment Promotion Agencies (IPAs).
2. d) The Sheep Farming Fund is an investment project focused on establishing value chains and shall providing sustainable intra-OIC supplies of top-quality meat. IOFS shall facilitate financing from institutional investors of OIC Member States with the support of member countries’ IPAs. Upon successful implementation, this commodity fund is to be replicated in other OIC countries, such as Somalia, Sudan, etc.
3. e) Annual IOFS Civil Society Forum, as the Article 07 of the IOFS Statute provides the mandate of for establishing closer collaboration with any non-governmental regional and international organizations concerned with agriculture, rural development and food security, the 5GA provided the ground for the IOFS to initiate an Annual Civil Society Forum in close strict collaboration and coordination with the Member States.
4. f) IOFS Center for Plant and Animal Genetic Resources, bearing in mind that numerous and diverse conflicts around the world are among the main causes for destruction of important food security and agricultural development infrastructures, including the eminent loss of ICARDA’s genetic collection stored in Aleppo, Syria, and destruction of the National Gene Bank of Plants in Ukraine, the 5GA invited Member States and relevant Institutions to strengthen the actions at national and local levels for the acquisition, conservation and sustainable use of plant genetic resources and improvement of animal genetic resources to enhance food production and agricultural development. In this context, the IOFS is to establish the Center to consolidate joint efforts and the importance of establishing the storage facility of agricultural genetic resources within the OIC geography. The Center is to be established with the kind support of Member States and relevant OIC Institutions and is to be located here in Kazakhstan.
5. g) The Ministerial Session of the 5th General Assembly welcomed Tajikistan as a full-fledged IOFS Member State and expressed gratitude to the Republic of Chad for signing the IOFS Statute, increasing the number of Member states to 37. During the session, Azerbaijan has stated that all domestic measures are being taken for the country to be a full-fledged IOFS Member States

1. h) Finally, it is important to note that the 5GA was also instrumental in Electing New Members of the Executive Board. As such, the Board was elected in the following composition: Qatar, The UAE, Republic of Tajikistan, Pakistan, Cameroon, Gambia, Kazakhstan (permanent member), and the Director-General of IOFS (Non-Voting Member)

The State of Qatar was also elected as the Chairman of the Executive Board of IOFS.

The organization estimates that the future plans and activities of the IOFS for 2022-2023 will provide an effective platform for reviewing challenges and providing prospects for various solutions in sustainable food and agriculture development in OIC Member states.

At the end official answered the questions of the reporters.

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Speaking in an exclusive interview with IRAN NEWS in Nur-Sultan, the capital of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Mr. Yerlan Baidaulet highlighted the performance of the IOFS in the past and its future programs, and reiterated that the organization is determined to act more positively in helping its member states and even other countries.

He said he has been many times in Iran and in November he is to visit Tehran for the meeting with Iranian officials on the IOFS programs. He then termed Iran a beautiful country with a good history especially in architecture and engineering, adding that he has seen many great architects in Iran and he has had good cooperation and friends in Iran.

He further briefed about the establishment of the IOFS, its goals and programs and noted that the initiative for launching the organization was first raised by Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev in 2011 and during the OIC CFM meeting. He noted he was working with the IDB and he was in charge of adding the text of Kazakh President’s speech on this issue before Mr. Nazarbayev expressed the idea.

He reiterated that the President’s initiative had been inspired by success of the Jeddah Food Security Declaration for Africa realised by the Islamic Development Bank in 2009-2011. He reiterated the IOFS as a specialized entity of OIC is nearly a young organization in the small scale of the similar UN body but with a focus on deeper and more result-oriented programs for certain areas.

Yerlan Baidaulet then said that finally in April 2016 and for the first time the General assembly of the IOFS convened. He added that so far the organization has 36 member countries who have signed the Statute and 16 of them have ratified it. He added that between 2018 and 2019, Kazakhstan for two years had voluntary aids to the organization.

In May 2019 he joined the IOFS as the Director General and since then the organization entered its active era, so he officially started his work from the second General Assembly which was held in August 2019 in Saudi Arabia. He noted that the IOFS has actually commenced its programming activities thereafter although the President’s initiative was raised in June 2011.

He added that during his first year in charge, the organization developed 9 program concepts and seven more added during his second year. He reiterated that since he joined the organization 3 more countries entered its membership and the number is increasing every year. He went on to say that Jordan and Lebanon also have recently announced readiness to join the wagon.

Director General went on to say that OIC nowadays has 56 members and he hopes more countries to join the organization. He said helping the poor people is under food humanitarian programs of the organization as in September, the ten-year strategy of the organization was set, reiterating that during the 3rd General Assembly of the IOFS in Ankara in December 2020, 16 strategic programs of the organization were approved.

He added that that strategic framework of the IOFS as of 2020 consisted of five pillars embracing the whole scope of OIC-related food security matters:

1: Plan of Action for strategic commodities

2: Food Security Reserves

3: Science, Technology and Innovation Agenda 2026

4: Private sector driven agro-food trade and investment promotion

5: Food humanitarian programs.

As per the IOFS Vision 2031 Strategy, new programs on bio & agritech, on climate change and on talent development are going to be launched soon.

In conclusion, he noted about the intention to visit Iran in November. The primary objective of this working trip to one of founding member countries is to develop bilatetal cooperation and future engagement opportunities, with a specific focus on the country interests in developing agriculture and sustaining food security.

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