Astana, Kazakhstan – 29 May 2025 – The Islamic Organization for Food Security (IOFS) welcomed Her Excellency Mrs. Amy Pope, Director General of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), to its Headquarters in Astana today for the signing of a landmark Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), marking a new chapter in IOFS–IOM cooperation.
The agreement solidifies the shared commitment of both organizations to promote food security, sustainable agriculture, and humanitarian support for vulnerable populations affected by migration across the Member States of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).
During the high-level meeting, His Excellency Ambassador Berik Aryn, Director General of IOFS, expressed sincere appreciation for the visit of H.E. Mrs. Amy Pope, acknowledging it as a testament to IOM’s strategic commitment to meaningful cooperation with IOFS. He highlighted the importance of aligning joint efforts with the upcoming mandate of the 51st Council of Foreign Ministers (Istanbul, June 2025), which is to task IOFS with advancing food security for refugees and displaced populations in the OIC geography.
The MoU outlines several priority areas for collaboration, including food security interventions in migration-affected areas, capacity building for food system resilience, emergency humanitarian assistance, and targeted support to IOFS flagship programs such as the Afghanistan Food Security Programme (AFSP), the Africa Food Security Initiative (AFSI), and the Flour for Humanity Initiative for Gaza.
“This partnership reflects our shared commitment to delivering tangible solutions for the millions facing intersecting challenges of displacement, food insecurity, and climate vulnerability,” said H.E. Ambassador Berik Aryn, Director General of IOFS. “We are pleased to formalize our collaboration with IOM and look forward to mobilizing our complementary strengths for the benefit of vulnerable communities across the OIC geography.”
H.E. Mrs. Amy Pope reiterated IOM’s commitment to joint action on shared objectives, including technical cooperation, joint advocacy, and resource mobilization. The two organizations also agreed to convene a technical meeting to define concrete projects under the new framework.
With this agreement, which also strengthens the UN-OIC Coordination Framework in light of the last meeting hosted by the IOFS in Astana in July 2024, the signatories aim to build a new model of cooperation that responds to the urgent food needs of displaced populations while investing in sustainable development and recovery across OIC Member States.
