The Statistical, Economic and Social Research and Training Centre for Islamic Countries (SESRIC), in collaboration with Doctors Worldwide, organised a training programme on "Recognition and Prevention of Diabetes" within the framework of the IbnSina Health Capacity Building Programme (IbnSina-HCaB) at the National Office of Occupational Medicine in Nouakchott, the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, on 14-16 May 2014. The Course was provided by Dr. Dede Şit and Dr. Ahmet Engin Atay, medical specialists in Turkey.

The Statistical, Economic and Social Research and Training Centre for Islamic Countries (SESRIC), in collaboration with Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) and Islamic Research and Training Institute (IRTI) of IDB, organized a training workshop on “Project Assessment and Evaluation” in Ankara, Turkey on 12-16 May 2014.

The 37th Session of the Islamic Commission for Economic, Cultural and Social Affairs (ICECS)" has been held at the OIC Headquarters in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on 10 – 12 May 2014. The Session has been attended by the representatives of the OIC member countries and those of the OIC and its subsidiary, specialized and affiliated institutions.

The First Meeting of the High Level Quality and Accreditation Committee to Follow-up Implementation of “Key Performance Indicators” (KPI) in the OIC Member States was held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on 7-8 May 2014. Quality and accredition experts from 10 OIC Member Countries, namely Bangladesh, Jordan, Indonesia, Lebanon, Malaysia, Maldives, Nigeria, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Togo, and Uganda attended the meeting organized by Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO) in collaboration with the Ministry of Higher Education of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and University of King Abdulaziz in Jeddah. The Centre was represented thereat by Mrs. Zehra Zümrüt Selçuk, Senior Researcher.

The 30th Meeting of the Follow-up Committee of the COMCEC will be held on 7-8 May 2014 in Ankara, Turkey, with the participation of the member countries of the Committee (Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Palestine, Egypt, Kuwait, Iran, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, Qatar, Mali and Cameroon), representatives the OIC General Secretariat and the following subsidiary, affiliated and specialised organs (SESRIC, ICDT, IDB, ICCIA, IUT, OISA and SMIIC).

Statistical, Economic and Social Research and Training Centre for Islamic Countries (SESRIC) organised, in collaboration with the Ministry of National Development Planning, Republic of Indonesia, a training course on “Poverty Reduction Projects and Social Assistance and Aid Programmes” within the framework of the OIC Poverty Alleviation Programme (OIC-PAP) on 6-8 May 2014 in Paramaribo, Suriname. The course was provided by Mr. Maliki, Deputy Director of Poverty Alleviation Program Development, and was attended by several experts from the Ministry of Social Affairs and Housing of Suriname.

The Seventh International Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Conference was organized by the Ministry of Labor and Social Security of Turkey on the theme of "Improving Health and Safety in the Workplace" on 5-7 May 2014 in İstanbul Haliç Congress Centre, Republic of Turkey.

The Centre jointly organised with the Standards and Metrology Institute for Islamic Countries (SMIIC) and the General Directorate of Occupational Health and Safety (DGOHS) operating under the Ministry of Labour and Social Security of the Republic of Turkey (MoLSS) a Workshop on "Occupational Safety and Health Regulations and Standards" on 4 May 2014, in Istanbul, Turkey.

Statistical, Economic and Social Research and Training Centre for Islamic Countries (SESRIC) organised a training course on “Poverty Reduction Policies” within the framework of the OIC Capacity Poverty Alleviation Programme (OIC-PAP) on 29-30 April 2014 in Almirqab, Kuwait. The course was provided by Mr. Caner Esenyel, Family and Social Policy Expert in the Ministry of Family and Social Policies of Turkey, and attended by experts from the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labour of Kuwait.

The Centre, in collaboration with the Turkish Employment Agency (İŞKUR), organised a workshop on “The First Meeting on Public Employment Services in OIC Member Countries”, on 29-30 April 2014, at SESRIC Headquarters in Ankara, Republic of Turkey.

The Eleventh Harvard University Forum on Islamic Finance, organized by the Harvard University Islamic Finance Project, was held from April 25 to 27, 2014, in Austin Hall at Harvard Law School, Harvard University, under the theme “Takaful and Alternative Cooperative Finance.” The Eleventh Forum sought to reassess and critically engage with issues of risk sharing, mutuality, solidarity, and socioeconomic welfare in the context of a discussion about Takaful and other types of cooperative financial solutions. The Centre was represented at the Eleventh Forum by Prof. Savaş Alpay, Director-General, and Mr. Nadi Serhan Aydin, Senior Researcher.

The Fourth Session of the Statistical Commission of Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC-StatCom) was co-organised by the Statistical, Economic and Social Research and Training Centre for Islamic Countries (SESRIC) and the Islamic Development Bank (IDB) at SESRIC Headquarters on 21-23 April 2014 in Ankara, Republic of Turkey.

The 3rd Meeting of the COMCEC Poverty Alleviation Working Group was held on April 10th, 2014 with the theme of “Monitoring Mechanisms of the Social Safety Net Programmes in the COMCEC Region.” The Meeting was attended by the representatives of 19 Member States, which have notified their focal points for the Poverty Alleviation Working Group namely: Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Cameroon, Gambia, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Malaysia, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Suriname, Tunisia, Turkey and Uganda. The Centre was represented thereat by Mr. Mazhar Hussain, Senior Researcher. Representatives of COMCEC Coordination Office, Islamic Development Bank, United Nations Development Program (UNDP), Deniz Feneri Association and Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality have also attended the Meeting.

The Statistical Centre for the Cooperation Council for the Arab Countries of the Gulf (GCC-Stat) celebrated its official inauguration under the patronage of H.E. Yousef Bin Alawi Bin Abdullah, Minister Responsible for Foreign Affairs of the Sultanate of Oman on 09 April 2014 in Muscat, Sultanate of Oman.

The Centre organised a Workshop on the Role of NGOs in the Implementation of OIC Strategic Health Program of Action 2014-2023 (SHPA), on 7-8 April 2014 at SESRIC Headquarters in Ankara, Republic of Turkey. 
The OIC Strategic Health Program of Action 2014-2023 (OIC-SHPA) adopted by the Fourth Islamic Conference of Health Ministers (ICHM) held in Jakarta on 22-24 October 2013 had foreseen several action points to be potentially undertaken by non-governmental organisation (NGOs) during the implementation of the OIC-SHPA. The Eighth Meeting of the Steering Committee on Health that was held in Jakarta on 25-26 March 2014 has further underlined the role of engaging civil society in the implementation of the OIC-SHPA and expressed its support for the initiative of SESRIC to convene a meeting of international NGOs in the area of health with a view to developing collaboration with them towards the implementation of the SHPA and complementing the efforts of the states.

Statistical, Economic and Social Research and Training Centre for Islamic Countries (SESRIC) organised a training course on "Competition Law and Policy" within the framework of the OIC Capacity Building Programme for Competition Authorities (OIC-CA-CaB) on 3-4 April 2014 in Baku, Azerbaijan. The course was provided by Mrs. Fatma Ataç, Competition Expert, Turkish Competition Authority and was attended by experts from the State Service of Antimonopoly Policy and Protection Consumers Rights, Republic of Azerbaijan.

The Consultative Meeting on Development of Joint Cooperation Activities in OIC Member Countries in the areas of Maternal, New-born and Child Health and Nutrition (MNCH) in line with OIC Strategic Health Programme of Action 2014-2023 (OIC-SHPA) was held at SESRIC HQ in Ankara, Republic of Turkey on 02-03 April 2014.

The Signing Ceremony, which has been organized by the COMCEC Coordination Office (CCO), for the successful projects under the COMCEC Project Cycle Management (PCM) was held in Ankara on April 2nd, 2014. A total of 15 successful projects under the COMCEC PCM, the main implementation instrument of the new COMCEC Strategy, have been announced on March 9th, 2014. These projects were submitted by 10 OIC member countries namely Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Cameroon, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Jordan, Pakistan, Palestine, and Uganda and two OIC institutions including SESRIC. Prof. Savaş Alpay, Director General of SESRIC, signed the operational and financial agreements of two successful projects of SESRIC entitled to receive grants within the framework of COMCEC Project Cycle Management (PCM).

In accordance with its 2014 Annual Work Plan, SESRIC organised the Training Course on 'Data Dissemination and Data Warehousing' at the National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI) in Muscat, Oman from 30 March to 1 April 2014. Ms. Medine Akyıldız, an expert of the Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat), conducted the training.

Statistical, Economic and Social Research and Training Centre for Islamic Countries (SESRIC) organised a training course on “Competition Law and Policy” within the framework of the OIC Capacity Building Programme for Competition Authorities (OIC-CA-CaB) on 27-28 March 2014 in Serrekunda, Gambia. The course was provided by Mr. Çağlar Deniz Ata, Senior Competition Expert and Mr. Nevruz Özdemir, Competition Expert, Turkish Competition Authority and attended by experts from the Gambia Competition Commission.