On 14 June, 2023, the Islamic Organization for Food Security started a two-day virtual seminar on “Monitoring and forecasting of food security, and food balance sheet management”. The event gathered 87 representatives of government agencies, research institutions and international experts of 23 Member States. The Guest of Honor, Deputy-Minister of Agriculture of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Mr. Yerbol Taszhurekov, while welcoming the participants, highlighted the importance of monitoring food security, as a significant tool to identify national challenges, provide solutions and efficiently address the obstacles. Speaking on behalf of the Ministry, Mr. Taszhurekov noted that the government agencies of Kazakhstan acknowledge the importance of exploring the national experience and strategies of other countries, as well as the best practices of international organizations, and further stressed the importance of Organization of Islamic Cooperation ( OIC ) Member States in this domain.
The Director General of IOFS, Prof. Yerlan Alimzhanuly Baidaulet highlighted the timely execution of the seminar, as per the request of OIC Member States, considering the importance of increasing the national capacities on areas of monitoring and forecasting food security. The Director General also stated that IOFS will conduct further work on the event’s recommendations and is ready to assist Member States with development of methodology on the topic.
The first day of the technical session proceeded with presentations on the experience of the State of Qatar, Republic of Türkiye, and the Republic of Cameroon, along with reports of United Nations FAO on the FAO Food Balance sheet Methodology Framework, Principles and Data Collection, followed by Early-Warning and Market Information System for Food Security. The second day of the event will continue on 15 June with presentations on national experience of Indonesia, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and best practices on SDG monitoring of food insecurity by UN FAO, as well as presentations of experts from Hamad Bin Khalifa University and American University of Beirut.
