Baghdad, Iraq | 18 October 2026 — His Excellency Ambassador Berik Aryn, Director General of the Islamic Organization for Food Security (IOFS), accompanied by Mr. Sofian Ben Mouaddeb, Chief Bilateral Relations Officer, and Mr. Abdula Manafi Mutualo, Chief Multilateral Relations Officer, attended the 52nd Session of the Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), held in Baghdad, Republic of Iraq, on 17–18 October 2026, under the theme “Dialogue and Solidarity: Two Essential Pillars for Promoting Peace and Sustainable Development.”
The Session provided a significant outcome for the IOFS by adopting the Organization’s resolution, which, inter alia, entrusted the IOFS with a new mandate relating to the Women in Agriculture Development Initiative (WADI). This development strengthens the institutional basis for advancing women’s participation and leadership in agriculture and agricultural development across its Member States, particularly after the 7th General Assembly in May 2026 had also designated 2027 as the IOFS Year for Women Agrileaders and Young Agripreneurs (IOFS-WAYA-2027).
On the sidelines of the CFM, the Director General held a series of bilateral meetings with heads of delegations of participating Member States, including with H.E. Mr. Abdisalam Abdi Ali, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Somalia, and H.E. Mr. Guy Ibrahim Membourou, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Gabonese Republic to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, to explore further engagement in IOFS programmes and initiatives. In his meeting with H.E. Mr. Mohamed Ali Nafti, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Migration and Tunisians Abroad of Tunisia, the Director-General expressed appreciation for country’s active cooperation, including its hosting of several IOFS activities, and called for the partnership to grow to even higher levels.
The meetings with H.E. Mr. Youssef Rajji, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants of Lebanon; H.E. Ms. Iruthisham Adam, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Maldives; and H.E. Sheikh Khalifa bin Ali Al Harthy, Undersecretary for Political Affairs at the Foreign Ministry of the Sultanate of Oman, and H.E. Mr. Abdoul Kahar Souley, Consul General of the Republic of Togo in Jeddah,focused on introducing the IOFS mandate and exploring prospects for their respective countries to join the Organization and participate in its collective efforts to enhance food security across OIC Member States.
In a separate engagement, the Director General met H.E. Mrs. Latifa El Bouabdellaoui, Director-General of the Islamic Centre for Development of Trade (ICDT), to explore closer institutional cooperation and complementarities between the two OIC institutions, particularly within the framework of the Annual Coordination Meeting of OIC Institutions (ACMOI). The discussion underscored the value of stronger coordination in identifying synergies and maximizing the contribution of OIC institutions to the shared priorities of Member States.
The session also witnessed the election of H.E. Ambassador Baghdad Amreyev as OIC Assistant Secretary-General for Administrative and Financial Affairs. The IOFS warmly congratulates Ambassador Amreyev on his well-deserved election and wishes him every success in his new responsibilities. His election is also a notable development for Kazakhstan, the host country of the IOFS headquarters.
It is important to note that Baghdad solemn gathering also welcomed the kind offer of the Republic of Benin to host the 53rd CFM in 2027.
