At the kind invitation of the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the 38th Session of the Council of Foreign Ministers (Session of Peace, Cooperation and Development), was held in Astana, Republic of Kazakhstan, on 28-30 June 2011.

The Centre organised a training on “Breeding and Biotechnology: Pedigree Selection” at the Cotton Research Institute of the Republic of Azerbaijan on 22-24 June 2011. The Course was provided by Mr. Ramazan Şadet Güvercin, an expert from the Kahramanmaraş Agricultural Research Institute of Turkey, and was attended by 15 staff members of the Cotton Research Institute of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

The Expert Group Meeting (EGM) on “Opportunities and Advantages of Enhanced Collaboration on Statistical Information Management” organised by United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and Pacific (UNESCAP) Secretariat was held on 20–22 June 2011 in Bangkok, Thailand.

The Centre organised a training on “Plant Protection and Disease” at the Cotton Development Organization of the Republic of Uganda on 20-22 June 2011. The Course was provided by Dr. Oktay Erdoğan, an expert from the Nazilli Cotton Research Institute of Turkey, and was attended by 18 staff members of the Cotton Development Organization of the Republic of Uganda.

Dr. Savaş Alpay, Director General of SESRIC, attended the “Economic Development through Science and Technology” conference organized by Global Innovation through Science and Technology (GIST) initiative and participated the Panel Discussion "Creating a Favorable Innovation Environment" as a panelist, on 16-17th June 2011, in Rabat, the Kingdom of Morocco.

Dr. Savaş Alpay, Director General of SESRIC, and Mr. Hüseyin Hakan Eryetli, Director of IT and Publications, visited Dr. Abdulaziz Othman Altwaijri, the Director General of the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO), at the ISESCO headquarters, in Rabat, Morocco on 15 June 2011.

Eng. Hüseyin Hakan Eryetli, Director of IT and Publications of SESRIC visited the Digital Economy Department of the Ministry of Industry and Trade and New Technologies of the Kingdom of Morocco and had a meeting with Mr. Boubka Siddik Bader, Director of the Digital Economy of the Ministry of Industry and Trade and New Technologies on 14 June 2011, in Rabat, the Kingdom of Morocco.

Dr. Savaş Alpay, Director General of SESRIC, and Mr. Hüseyin Hakan Eryetli, Director of IT and Publications, visited Dr. Jamal Bourchachen, Secretary General of the High Planning Commission (HPC), and Dr. Mohamed Taamouti, Director General of Statistics, of the Kingdom of Morocco on 14 June 2011, at the High Planning Commission (HPC) headquarters in Rabat, Morocco.

The Third Meeting of the Joint Management Team (JMT) of the Atlas of Islamic World Science and Innovation Project was held during the period 11-12 June 2011 in Istanbul, Turkey under the Chairmanship of the General Secretariat of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC). The meeting was attended by the representatives of project partners, namely OIC, Royal Society, SESRIC, Qatar Foundation, British Council, OIC Standing Committee on Scientific and Technological Cooperation (COMSTECH), Nature and the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO).

The COMCEC Economic Summit, which was held in Istanbul in November 2009 on the occasion of the 25th Anniversary of the COMCEC emphasized the importance of cooperation in the area of transportation to increase intra-OIC trade and requested COMCEC to work on the revitalization of cooperation in this important sector. Accordingly, the Republic of Turkey offered to organize an Expert Group Meeting (EGM) on the subject with a view to exploring the possible modalities for cooperation in this important area.

The Centre organised training on “National Accounts: Supply and Use Tables” at the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS) of the Arab Republic of Egypt, on 6-8 June 2011. The Course was provided by Mr. Mehmet Kula, an expert from the Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat), and was attended by 22 staff members of the CAPMAS.

The Centre organised training on “Geographic Information Systems (GIS)” at the Central Statistical Bureau of State of Kuwait, on 5-7 June 2011. The Course was provided by Mr. Mohamed Montaser Mohsen Hussin Mohamed, an expert from the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS), and was attended by five staff members of the Central Statistical Bureau of State of Kuwait.

The Statistical, Economic and Social Research and Training Centre for Islamic Countries (SESRIC) organized and hosted a seminar on “Risk Aversion, Volatility Risk Premium, and the Cross-Section of Stock Returns" in its headquarters in Ankara on May 31, 2011. The seminar has been delivered by Mr. Alper Corlu.

Kick-off Meeting of OIC Occupational Safety and Health Network (OIC-OSHNET) has successfully been organized by SESRIC, in collaboration with the Turkish Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (ISGUM), on 16-17 May 2011, in Ankara, Turkey.

The IDB Group organised the Meeting on “Addressing Unemployment in the IDB Member Countries in the Post-Crisis World”, which has been held at the IDB Headquarters in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on 9-10 May 2011. The Meeting was attended by experts from relevant institutions and organisations from the IDB Member Countries as well as from international organisations and institutions such as the ILO, IMF, OECD, World Bank and UN ESCWA.

The Fourth United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries (UNLDC-IV) taking place in Istanbul on 9-13 May 2011 commenced under the theme of “Partnership against Poverty”. The LDC-IV will assess the implementation of the Brussels Programme of Action (BPoA), reaffirm the global commitment for LDCs and consequently adopt the next development action for the LDCs. The conference is expected to bring together nearly 50 Heads of State and Government, 10 vice-presidents, 94 ministers and chairmen of 47 international organizations in Istanbul.

The Center for Special Studies and Programs (CSSP)  organized a meeting entitled "The Atlas of Islamic-World Science and Innovation Meeting-A Medium for Open Discussion", 9-10 May 2011, at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina.

The Statistical, Economic and Social Research and Training Centre for Islamic Countries (SESRIC) organized and hosted a seminar on “Loopholes in USA Markets and Financial Regulation" in its headquarters in Ankara on May 5, 2011. The seminar has been delivered by Mr. Mustafa Sahin, Senior Analyst at Maple Securities USA, Inc.

The Centre organised training on “Occupational Health and Safety” at the Ministry of Labour and Manpower of Pakistan, on 26-28 April 2011. The Course was provided by Dr. Sirajuddin bin Hashim, an expert from the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) of Ministry of Health in Malaysia, and was attended by staff members of the Ministry of Labour and Manpower of Pakistan.

The Centre organised training on “Occupational Hygiene: Chemical Factors and Chemical Exposure” at the Environmental and Occupational Health Department of Ministry of Health in the Sultanate of Oman, on 25-27 April 2011. The Course was provided by Mr. Nihat Eğri, an expert from the Centre for Occupational Health and Safety of the Republic of Turkey, and was attended by staff members of the Environmental and Occupational Health Department of Ministry of Health in the Sultanate of Oman.