Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia - On 17-18 January 2024, a delegation of the Islamic Organization for Food Security (IOFS), headed by Director General Amb. Askar Mussinov attended the proceedings of the 7th Annual Coordination Meeting of OIC Institutions (ACMOI), which was held at the General Secretariat of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).
Considering the relevance and variety of the subjects under IOFS Agenda, Prof. Zulfiqar Ali, Director of Programmes & Projects Department, participated at the Science & Technology Committee, while Mr. Abdula Manafi Mutualo, Advisor at Coordination & Cooperation Department was at the Economic Affairs Committee. Both IOFS representatives were vocal in calling for strengthened coordination among all Institutions towards agreeing on suitable activities in the field of food security and agricultural development.
In fact, the IOFS joint activities that are now part of the agreed ACMOI Matrix 2024 are result of different and extensive consultations with relevant Institutions held prior to the Meeting, including with the Statistical, Economic and Social Research and Training Centre for Islamic Countries (SESRIC), Women Development Organization (WDO), the Islamic Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture (ICCIA), the Standards and Metrology Institute for Islamic Countries(SMIIC), the Islamic Cooperation Youth Forum (ICYF), and theMinisterial Standing Committee on Scientific and Technological Cooperation of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (COMSTECH).
On the sidelines of the referenced gathering, the IOFS Director General had some bilateral meetings, including with Their Excellencies Prof. Dr. Mohammad Rafiqul Islam, Vice-Chancellor of the Islamic University of Technology (IUT), Mrs. Latifa El Bouabdellaoui, Director General of the Islamic Centre for Development of Trade (ICDT), and Dr. Mansur Muhtar, Vice President of the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB), with whom issues of mutual interests were discussed within the context of ensuring cooperation and coordination towards successfully implementing the IOFS 2031 Strategic Vision geared to addressing the challenges of food insecurity faced by some Member States.
It is worth mentioning that the OIC Secretary-General, H.E. Mr. Hissein Brahim Taha, paid a warm tribute to the IOFS Director General, as he leaves his post of Assistant Secretary-General in charge of Science and Technology after a fruitful tenure. The Secretary General expressed his gratitude and appreciation for Ambassador Mussinov's efforts and his contributions to the development and promotion of scientific and technological cooperation among OIC Member States and wished him well in the new post.
