ASTANA, May 13, 2026 – The Senior Officials Meeting (SOM) of the 7th General Assembly of the Islamic Organisation for Food Security (IOFS) started its session in an online format in Astana, Republic of Kazakhstan, bringing together representatives from member states across Africa, Asia and the Middle East.
The meeting is a preparatory part of the main ministerial segment of the General Assembly hosted by the Republic of Kazakhstan, scheduled for May 14, 2026, virtually on the theme “Food Security through Cooperation and Innovation”.
At the opening of the session, the representative of the State of Qatar, serving as the outgoing chair of the 6th General Assembly, highlighted the achievements made during Qatar’s tenure and reaffirmed the country’s support for the organisation’s mandate. In accordance with the rules of procedure, the chairmanship was then formally transferred from the State of Qatar to the Republic of Kazakhstan.
In his opening remarks, Yermek Kenzhekhanuly, Vice Minister of Agriculture of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the newly elected chair of SOM, emphasized the country’s dedication to advancing multilateral cooperation on food security and innovation across the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) region.
During the SOM session, participants reviewed a report presented by the Chairman of the IOFS Executive Board outlining the organisation’s progress during the intersessional period and presenting the strategic outlook.
H.E. Ambassador Berik Aryn, Director General of the IOFS, also presented a report on the activities of the organization’s Secretariat, providing a comprehensive overview of the programmatic, operational and institutional work carried out since the 6th IOFS General Assembly.
The session also considered several key issues and draft documents to be submitted for consideration during the ministerial segment of the 7th General Assembly on May 14, 2026, where participants were expected to adopt the resolutions endorsed by senior officials and outline the strategic direction of the IOFS through 2031.
