SESRIC organised a Workshop on “Promoting Food Security in OIC Member Countries through Sustainable Agricultural Inputs” on 24-25 October 2024 at its headquarters in Ankara, Republic of Türkiye. The event was held within the framework of the SESRIC Project on “Promoting Food Security in OIC Member Countries through Sustainable Agricultural Inputs,” funded by COMCEC and in line with SESRIC’s Agriculture and Food Security Capacity Building Programme (Agri-CaB).

Within the framework of the Memorandum of Understanding between Indonesia and Azerbaijan, the Ministry of Manpower of the Republic of Indonesia in collaboration with the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection of the Population of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the Ministry of Labour and Social Security of the Republic of Türkiye and SESRIC organised a Webinar on “Labour and Employment” on 23 October 2024 through an online video conferencing platform.

On the sidelines of the Doha Data Forum, H.E. Zehra Zümrüt SELÇUK held a bilateral meeting with His Excellency Abdulaziz bin Nasser bin Mubarak AL KHALIFA, Secretary General of the National Planning Council (NPC) of Qatar. The meeting focused on facilitating collaboration between SESRIC and the NPC in key areas of mutual interest, with emphasis on advancing cooperation in statistics, socio-economic research and capacity building programmes aimed at fostering sustainable development in OIC member countries.

Within the framework of the Vocational Education and Training Programme for the Member Countries of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC-VET) and in line with the OIC-TVET Strategic Roadmap 2020-2025, SESRIC, in collaboration with the Ministry of National Education of Türkiye and the Islamic University of Technology (IUT) successfully organised a Training Course on “Adopting Pertinent Strategies for Upskilling and Reskilling TVET Trainers” on 23-24 October 2024.

H.E. Zehra Zümrüt SELÇUK met with H.E. Dr. Ahmed AL SHAIKH, CEO of the Bahrain Institute of Banking and Finance (BIBF), to discuss ways in advancing the financial capabilities of OIC countries, with an emphasis on Islamic banking and finance as key drivers of economic development.

The second edition of the Doha Data Forum was organised with the theme of “Statistics and Data for Innovation in Sustainable Development” on 22-23 October 2024 in Doha, Qatar. The Forum elaborated on the pivotal role that statistics, data analytics, AI, and machine learning play in addressing global sustainability challenges.

SESRIC organised a Training Course on “Navigating Complex Employment Challenges for Public Service Providers” on 22-23 October 2024 through an online video conferencing platform, as part of its Public Employment Services Capacity Building Programme (PES-CaB).

H.E. Zehra Zümrüt SELÇUK participated in the 49^th Session of the Board of Trustees of the Arab Institute for Training and Research in Statistics (AITRS), held in Manama, Kingdom of Bahrain. The session brought together senior officials and heads of statistical agencies from the Arab region to exchange expertise and share best practices aimed at strengthening the statistical capacities of Arab countries, in line with the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

H.E. Zehra Zümrüt SELÇUK and H.E. Mohammed Ali ALQAED, Director General of the Information & eGovernment Authority of the Kingdom of Bahrain, held a bilateral meeting to explore potential areas of cooperation. The meeting focused on strengthening partnerships in the fields of statistics and digital transformation, with a view to building institutional capacity and fostering innovation in these important areas.

H.E. Zehra Zümrüt SELÇUK met with H.E. Osama bin Ahmed Khalaf AL ASFOOR, Minister of Social Development of the Kingdom of Bahrain. The meeting centered on enhancing the collaboration between SESRIC and the Ministry of Social Development of Bahrain in capacity building and training programmes aimed at fostering social welfare in OIC countries. The parties also exchanged ideas on ways and means to integrate individuals with disabilities into society.

H.E. Zehra Zümrüt SELÇUK participated in a panel discussion organized by the Islamic Cooperation Youth Forum (ICYF) on the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty. The event, titled "New Horizons for Poverty Eradication: A Future Pact in the Age of Technology and AI," focused on sustainable strategies to combat poverty, aligned with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the OIC-2025 Programme of Action.

SESRIC and the Bureau of National Statistics of the Agency for Strategic Planning and Reforms of the Republic of Kazakhstan (QAZSTAT) formalized their longstanding partnership by signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the sidelines of the 13^th Session of the OIC Statistical Commission (OIC-StatCom), which was held on 15-16 October 2024 at SESRIC headquarters in Ankara.

SESRIC and the Department of Statistics (DoS) of Jordan formalized their longstanding partnership through the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on 16 October 2024. The signing ceremony took place at the Headquarters of SESRIC in Ankara, Türkiye, on the sidelines of the 13th Session of the OIC Statistical Commission (OIC-StatCom).

Within the framework of its Poverty Alleviation Capacity Building Programme (PA-CaB), SESRIC, in collaboration with the United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation (UNOSSC), organised a Workshop on “The Potential of Utilizing South-South and Triangular Cooperation Mechanisms towards Alleviating Poverty in the OIC Region” on 16-17 October 2024 through an online video conferencing platform.

SESRIC and Statistical Centre for the Cooperation Council of the Arab Countries of the Gulf (GCC-STAT) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) enhance their efforts in strengthening national statistical systems of the common member countries. The ceremony took place at the Headquarters of SESRIC in Ankara, Türkiye during the 13^th Session of the OIC Statistical Commission (OIC-StatCom).

SESRIC, in its capacity as the Secretariat of the OIC Statistical Commission (OIC-StatCom), organized the 13^th Session of the OIC-StatCom in a hybrid format at its Headquarters in Ankara, Republic of Türkiye, on 15-16 October 2024. The session was held in collaboration with the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) Group.

SESRIC participated in the Regional Training of Trainers (ToT) on the Gender Statistics Training Curriculum for Monitoring the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), organised by the UN Women Centre of Excellence for Gender Equality (UN Women CoE) and the Statistical Institute for Asia and the Pacific (SIAP) on 14 - 17 October 2024 in Seoul, Republic of Korea.

SESRIC participated in the Second Arab Forum for Tourism Statistics, held on 14-16 October 2024 in Muscat, Sultanate of Oman. The event gathered regional and international experts to discuss tourism statistics, with SESRIC presenting its latest findings on Islamic tourism.

H.E. Zehra Zümrüt SELÇUK held a bilateral meeting with H.E. Prof. Dr. Mesut ÖZCAN, Director of the Diplomacy Academy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Türkiye, to reinforce collaboration in areas of shared goals, with a specific focus on capacity-building programmes.

SESRIC participated in the 12^th Meeting of the OIC/ COMCEC Private Sector Tourism Forum, which was held virtually on 10 October 2024, under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the Republic of Türkiye, with the theme of “Sustainable Destination Development and Management in OIC Countries”.