Bonn, Germany – 13 May 2025 – The Director General of the Islamic Organization for Food Security (IOFS), His Excellency Ambassador Berik Aryn, delivered a presentation titled “IOFS Brief and Collaboration Opportunities” at the inaugural Stakeholder Meeting of the Global Flagship Initiative for Food Security, hosted at the Crop Trust Headquarters in Bonn.
In his address, the Director General emphasized IOFS core message to current and prospective partners: the organization is committed to empowering rural communities, improving livelihoods, and building resilient agri-food systems. He outlined IOFS’s active programs across its strategic pillars and reaffirmed its role as a facilitator and implementer for Organization of Islamic Cooperation ( OIC ) Member States, particularly in vulnerable and food-insecure regions.
Ambassador Berik also highlighted key areas for collaboration:
· Genetic resource protection
· Climate-resilient agriculture
· Strategic commodities (wheat, rice, cassava)
· Agro-sector investment and food value chains
· Humanitarian food aid
· Youth and women agro-empowerment
He called for stronger partnerships with donor institutions and the private sector, especially through the IOFS’s subsidiary, the International Islamic Food Processing Association (IFPA). These partnerships are critical to supporting smallholder farmers through inclusive agro-projects, investment in sustainable practices, and enhanced access to processing, storage, and export facilities.
Echoing the Director General’s call, Mr. Abdula Manafi Mutualo, Chief Multilateral Relations Officer, participated in a dedicated Private Sector Roundtable, where he underscored the need to further engage the private sector in IOFS initiatives, particularly in food processing and market access, and the vital role IFPA can play in overcoming these challenges.
It should be noted that the Director General had a brief bilateral consultation with H.E. Prof. Ibrahim ElDukheri, Director General of the Arab Organization for Agricultural Development (AOAD), to, inter alia, review the excellent cooperation between the two Organizations, which has been materialized with different joint initiatives within the framework of the memorandum of understanding signed in December 2022.
This high-level meeting brought together global stakeholders, donors, and development partners to align efforts around transformative food security solutions. For IOFS, it represented a strategic opportunity to engage directly with members of the Flagship Initiative, strengthen partnerships, and reinforce its role in delivering impactful and scalable programs, particularly as the 2030 SDG deadline approaches and significant progress remains to be made.
