Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia l 20–22 October 2025 – The Islamic Organisation for Food Security (IOFS), led by H.E. Ambassador Berik Aryn, Director General, actively participated in the 5th Session of the Islamic Conference of Ministers Responsible for Water (ICMW-2025), held under the auspices of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and hosted by the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture (MEWA) of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The conference convened ministers, senior officials, and heads of OIC institutions to discuss sustainable water management as a foundation for food security and climate resilience across Member States.
During the Senior Officials Meeting (20–21 October 2025), Dr. Abdelaziz Hajjaji, IOFS Programme Manager, presented the Organization’s flagship initiative on Water Use Management for Agriculture and the Water–Energy–Food–Ecosystem (WEFE) Nexus approach. He underscored IOFS’s commitment to improving water efficiency, promoting digital irrigation, and integrating climate-smart solutions in agriculture throughout the OIC region.
On the margins of the conference, H.E. Ambassador Aryn held several bilateral meetings to reinforce partnerships and identify new areas for collaboration. In discussions with H.E. Eng. Abdulrahman bin Abdulmohsen Al-Fadley, Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture of Saudi Arabia, both sides emphasized the Kingdom’s continued support for IOFS and agreed to deepen cooperation on food security and food loss and waste reduction.
In a meeting with H.E. Dr. Naser Eddin Al Obaid, Director General of the Arab Center for the Studies of Arid Zones and Dry Lands (ACSAD), the two sides explored joint initiatives on soil health improvement, water conservation, and livestock productivity. They agreed to implement regional programmes on wheat development and sustainable land management in countries such as Syria and Yemen, drawing on ACSAD’s technical expertise and IOFS’s programmatic leadership.
During talks with H.E. Ambassador Aftab Ahmad Khokher, OIC Assistant Secretary-General for Science and Technology, both parties discussed aligning IOFS initiatives with the OIC’s broader science, technology, and innovation agenda, emphasizing research, innovation, and digital transformation in agricultural and water governance.
In an exchange with H.E. Ms. Zehra Zümrüt Selçuk, Director General of the Statistical, Economic and Social Research and Training Centre for Islamic Countries (SESRIC), both institutions commended SESRIC’s work on the OIC Strategic Plan for Food Security and agreed to strengthen cooperation on data harmonization, monitoring frameworks, and capacity-building programmes to support evidence-based policymaking.
H.E. Ambassador Aryn also met with H.E. Almaz Jeenaliev, Deputy Minister of Water Resources and Agriculture of the Kyrgyz Republic, to discuss collaboration on water resource management, irrigation efficiency, and the introduction of climate-smart and digital water practices in Central Asia.
Finally, in talks with H.E. IYA Tidjani, Ambassador of Cameroon to Saudi Arabia and Permanent Representative to the OIC, IOFS proposed enhanced cooperation in food security capacity building and training for agricultural specialists, including regional workshops and expert exchanges to support Cameroon’s agricultural resilience efforts.
Through its active participation and high-level engagements at ICMW-2025, IOFS reaffirmed its commitment to advancing integrated water governance, food security, and sustainable development across the OIC region.
