Organisation of Islamic Cooperation
The Collective Voice of The Muslim World
Date: 01/10/2023
The preparatory meeting for the 9th OIC Ministerial Conference on Food Security and Agricultural Development kicked off in Doha, Qatar. The Conference is hosted by the State of Qatar on October 1st-2nd, 2023, under the theme: “Towards Achieving the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals in OIC Member States
Addressing the preparatory Senior Officials Meeting, the OIC Assistant Secretary-General for Economic Affairs, Dr. Ahmad Kawesa Sengendo, noted that the meeting provides the opportunity to share best practices in the areas of agriculture and rural development and to discuss optimal ways to effectively implement the OIC programs and initiatives, and ensure agricultural and rural development policy coherence.
Dr. Sengendo pointed out that the agricultural area in the OIC countries is estimated at about 28.7 percent of the total arable land in the world, while 48.3 percent of the total population of Member States live in rural areas and depend on agriculture for their livelihood.
Dr. Sengendo called for placing the renewal of the agricultural sector at the forefront of development initiatives and strategies. He highlighted the importance of effective cooperation among Member States to reverse the trend of the alarming decline in agricultural productivity and natural resource management, increase public and private investment in sustainable agricultural development, and leverage new technologies and systems for food transformation, in order to make the agricultural sector and food systems in Member States more resilient, efficient, sustainable and inclusive.
