Contributed by: Khalid Taimur Akram, Executive Director, PRCCSF / Director, Foreign Affairs, TN Media News.
Jeddah (UNA-OIC) – The Islamic Organization for Food Security will be celebrating IOFS Day on 12 December 2022 and will gather the Diplomatic Corps accredited in Kazakhstan and all relevant stakeholders and provide a presentation of the accomplished work throughout the year.
During the celebration, a presentation will be made on the achievements of the Islamic Organization for Food Security during the year 2022 and its contributions to enhancing food security.
The celebration will witness speeches by the leaders of the relevant international organizations, including a video intervention by the Secretary-General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, H.E. Mr. Hissein Brahim Taha, delivered on his behalf by the Assistant Secretary-General for Economic Affairs, Dr. Ahmed Qwesa Sengendo, a speech by the IOFS Director-General, Yerlan Baidolet, and a speech by the Acting Director General of the Union of OIC News Agencies, Muhammad bin Abed Rabbo Al- Yami, in addition to intervention by Ambassador Jean-Paul Carteron, President and Founder of the Crans Montana Forum.
The event will be broadcasted live on social media and can also be watched via Zoom through the following link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/85200075625?pwd=QWIwOXdBWG9pTHJxU2IwRXc4R1JBUT09#success
The IOFS will also Provide a briefing of major outcomes of “IOFS Year for Africa”, thank and recognize partners that have jointly implemented activities with the IOFS in different venues for the benefit of African Member States, and list Member States that benefited from the implementation of IOFS 2022 Year for Africa, including those that were officially visited.
The year of 2022 was elected as the “Year for Africa” by the IOFS, and, as such, throughout the year the Organization has been working with African governments and relevant actors/development partners in the African agricultural landscape and launched its activities in different Member States and within its strategic framework to auspiciously celebrate the occasion.
The IOFS believes that food security in Africa is and must be possible if we all, international, regional and national institutions well supported by our Member States, join hands towards that objective. Basically, the IOFS calls for “Commitment to act jointly towards concrete results for improving food systems in Africa”.
“It is important to highlight that the rationale for deciding on the main theme had to do with the fact that 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. Additionally, the number of hungry people in Africa has risen by 47.9 million since 2014 and now stands at 250.3 million, or nearly one-fifth of the population,” the IOFS said.
The organization stressed that agriculture is the single greatest opportunity to deliver inclusive economic growth, jobs, and health to the African continent.
“No region in the world has built a modern economy without first strengthening its agricultural sector. The IOFS is convinced that the demonstration of active solidarity of OIC Member States with the desperately needy African people and the determination to commit ourselves to provide the focus on their food security and agricultural development in this very difficult and critical period in the history of the continent should be IOFS top priority and needs to be implemented without any further delay,” it added.
