Islamic Organization for Food Security presented in Jakarta
During the visit, negotiations were organized with the assistance of the Embassy of Kazakhstan with Dr. Agung Hendriadi, Director General of the Agency for Food Security of the Ministry of Agriculture of Indonesia, Dr. Alwi Shihab, Special Envoy of the President of the Republic of Indonesia to the Middle East and the OIC, Prof. Ir. Sukoso, Head of the Halal Product Assurance Organizing Agency (BPJPH), Mr. Mukti Sardjono, Executive Director of the Indonesian Palm Oil Association (GAPKI) and Indonesian Logistics Bureau (BULOG).
During the meetings, Baidaulet told the Indonesian side about the goals and objectives of the IOFS, which was created on the initiative of First President of Kazakhstan – Leader of the Nation Nursultan Nazarbayev, invited the Indonesian side to join the Organization, as well as to take part in the 2nd session of the IOFS General Assembly, which will take place on August 27-29, 2019 in Jeddah.
Baydaulet noted that the activities of the Organization are aimed at providing member states with expertise and technical know-how on sustainable agriculture, rural development, food security and biotechnology, assessment and monitoring of food security in the IOFS member states, and the development and implementation of the common agricultural policy.
The Organization will solve the problems of providing the population of Islamic countries with economically more affordable food, based on their natural and climatic conditions and geographical location, creating the most advantageous transport and logistics routes to minimize the cost of food supplies to the OIC member countries, stabilizing food prices through formation and management of joint food funds. The IOFS will also implement humanitarian programs based on relevant requests from the OIC General Secretariat.
Dr. Hendriadi, Director General of Indonesian Agency for Food Security, noted that for Indonesia, which has the 4th largest population in the world, the issue of ensuring food security is very relevant and shared Indonesian experience in this sphere. Hendriadi welcomed the efforts of Kazakhstan to promote the IOFS and informed that the Indonesian side will consider the issue of joining the Organization, as well as participation in the 2nd session of the IOFS General Assembly as an observer.
The initiative to create the IOFS within the framework of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation was proposed by First President of Kazakhstan – Leader of the Nation Nursultan Nazarbayev in 2011 at the 38th session of the OIC Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs.
The IOFS was established on April 28, 2016 at the 7th session of the OIC Ministerial Conference on Food Security and Agricultural Development and the inauguration session of the IOFS General Assembly. The headquarters of the Organization is located in the capital of Kazakhstan, Nur-Sultan city. Currently, it comprises of 33 states of the Islamic world. The official languages of the Organization are Arabic, English and French.