SESRIC and the Institute of Statistics (INSTAT) of the Republic of Albania signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) to facilitate the collaboration and cooperation between both institutions within the framework of the project titled “Integration of Tobacco Questions for Surveys (TQS) into the National Surveys in Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Member Countries”.

A delegation from the State Supervisory Council of the Republic of Türkiye, led by Chairman, H.E. Mr. Yunus ARINCI, visited SESRIC Headquarters. The delegation, which included H.E. Mr. Salih TANRIKULU, member of the Presidency State Supervisory Board and the Board of Directors of SESRIC, and Mr. İsmail KURUL, Board Member of the State Supervisory Council, extended their congratulations to H.E. Zehra Zümrüt SELÇUK on her recent appointment as the Director General of SESRIC.

SESRIC, in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the CDC Foundation, organised the Orientation Workshop on “Tobacco Questions for Surveys of Youth (TQS-Youth)” on 09-10 May 2023 at SESRIC Headquarters in Ankara, Republic of Türkiye. The Workshop was participated by 43 delegates from the National Statistical Offices (NSOs), Ministries of Health, and Ministry of Youth of 18 OIC member countries. The representatives of the CDC, CDC Foundation, World Health Organization (WHO) Türkiye Country Office, and Turkish Green Crescent also participated in the Workshop. The objective of the Workshop was to provide additional information and technical support to the participants in integrating TQS-Youth into the ongoing youth-related national surveys in their respective countries.

Within the framework of the Vocational Education and Training Programme for the Member States of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC-VET) and in line with the OIC-TVET Strategic Roadmap 2020-2025, SESRIC, in collaboration with UNDP Istanbul International Center for Private Sector in Development (IICPSD) and HP Foundation, organised a Training of Trainers (ToT) Programme on ‘Entrepreneurship Skills Development’ on 08-19 May 2023 through an online video conferencing platform.

During a series of scheduled visits and meetings on the sidelines of the 8^th OIC Coordination Committee Meeting on Tourism, a SESRIC delegation, led by H.E. Mrs. Zehra Zümrüt SELÇUK, Director General of SESRIC, visited the Programme Coordination Office of the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA) in Baku on 4 May 2023.

SESRIC delegation led by H.E. Mrs. Zehra Zümrüt SELÇUK, Director General of SESRIC, participated in the 8^th OIC Coordination Committee Meeting on Tourism on 3 May 2023 in Baku, Republic of Azerbaijan. The meeting was attended by the representatives from Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Qatar and Senegal, as well as the OIC General Secretariat, COMCEC Coordination Office, SESRIC, ICDT, IRCICA and SMIIC. The meeting was chaired by the Republic of Azerbaijan, in its capacity as the Chair of the 11^th Session of the  Islamic Conference of Tourism Ministers (ICTM).

Within the framework of its Statistical Capacity Building (StatCaB) Programme, SESRIC organised a Training Course on ‘Transport Statistics’ with the attendance of 38 participants from the National Statistical Offices (NSOs) of 16 OIC countries on 3-4 May 2023 through an online video conferencing platform.

Among a series of planned meetings and visits to the relevant National Institutions in Baku on the sidelines of the 8^th OIC Coordination Committee Meeting on Tourism held on 03 May 2023, H.E. Mrs. Zehra Zümrüt SELÇUK, Director General of SESRIC, visited H.E. Mr. Ulvi Ramiz Oglu MEHDIYEV, Chairman of the State Agency for Public Service and Social Innovations (SAPSSI) under the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan at ASAN service center in Baku on 02 May 2023.

The SESRIC delegation, led by H.E. Ms. Zehra Zümrüt Selçuk, Director General of SESRIC, paid a visit to the Center for Analysis of Economic Reforms and Communication (CAERC) of the Republic of Azerbaijan on 2 May 2023 in Baku, Republic of Azerbaijan, with the purpose of exploring potential avenues for collaboration, in accordance with the mandates of both institutions.

SESRIC delegation headed by H.E. Mrs. Zehra Zümrüt SELÇUK, Director General of SESRIC, paid a courtesy visit to H.E. Mr. Tahir BUDAGOV, the Chairman of the State Statistical Committee of the Republic of Azerbaijan (SSC) on 2 May 2023 at the Committee’s Headquarters in Baku, Republic of Azerbaijan.

H.E. Mrs. Zehra Zümrüt SELÇUK, Director General of SESRIC, met with H.E. Mr. Sahil Rafiq Oğlu BABAYEV, Minister of Labour and Social Protection of the Republic of Azerbaijan on 2 May 2023, in Baku, Azerbaijan. The meeting took place alongside the 8^th Meeting of the Coordination Committee on Tourism.

Within the framework of its Statistical Capacity Building (StatCaB) Programme and the UN-OIC Cooperation Matrix of Activities for 2022-2024, SESRIC organised a Training Course on ‘SDG 2 (Zero Hunger) Indicators’ with the attendance of 9 participants from the National Statistical Offices (NSOs) of 5 Arabic speaking OIC countries as well as representatives from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and Islamic Organization for Food Security (IOFS) on 2-4 May 2023 through an online video conferencing platform.

Within the framework of SESRIC’s Social Development Capacity Building Programme (SD-CaB), SESRIC, in collaboration with the Ministry of Labour and Social Security of the Republic of Türkiye and the Ministry of Family and Social Services of the Republic of Türkiye, organised a Training Workshop on “Developing Effective, Reliable, and Affordable Social Protection Services for Vulnerable Groups” on 02-04 May 2023 through an online video conferencing platform.

The Permanent Representative of the Republic of Türkiye to the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), H.E. Ambassador Mr. Mehmet Metin EKER paid a courtesy visit to H.E. Mrs. Zehra Zümrüt SELÇUK, Director General of SESRIC, on 28 April 2023.

The President of Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat), H.E. Dr. Erhan ÇETİNKAYA, paid a courtesy visit to H.E. Mrs. Zehra Zümrüt SELÇUK, Director General of SESRIC, on 27 April 2023.

A Palestinian Delegation consisting of H.E. Mr. Faed MUSTAFA, Ambassador of the State of Palestine to the Republic of Türkiye, and H.E. Mr. Imad AL-ZUHAIRI, Assistant Minister for International Cooperation and Director General of the Palestinian International Cooperation Agency (PICA) under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates of the State of Palestine, paid a courtesy visit to H.E. Mrs. Zehra Zümrüt SELÇUK on 26 April 2023.

Within the framework of the OIC Public Employment Services Network (OIC-PESNET), SESRIC, in collaboration with the Turkish Employment Agency (İŞKUR), organised two consecutive training webinars on “Engaging Employers in Apprenticeship Opportunities and Other Types of Work Based Learning” and “New Approaches in Job and Vocational Counselling Services” on 26-27 April 2023 through an online video conferencing platform.

SESRIC held the third Technical Review Meeting on 13 April 2023 at its Headquarters in Ankara, Türkiye. The Meeting presented and discussed the outcomes of the latest SESRIC research report on “State of Elderly in OIC Member Countries”.

SESRIC participated in the 5^th Meeting of the Subgroup on Gender Statistics Training (SGGST) organised in a virtual format by the UN Women Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific. The purpose of the meeting was to review and approve the updated Terms of Reference (ToR) of the SGGST, as well as to reach consensus on the 2023 priority activities and draft the work plan.

SESRIC held the second Technical Review Meeting on 11 April 2023 at its Headquarters in Ankara, Türkiye. The Meeting presented and discussed the outcomes of the latest SESRIC research report on “People with Disabilities and Special Needs in OIC Member Countries”. The Meeting was attended by H.E. Zehra Zümrüt SELÇUK, Director General of SESRIC, along with the directors and experts from Research, Statistics, Training, and Publication departments.