The Fourth International Congress on Islamic Economics and Finance was held on 15-16 July 2017 at Istanbul Sabahattin Zaim University, Istanbul, in collaboration with Sakarya University ISEFAM (Research Center for Islamic Economics and Finance); Participation Banks Association of Turkey (TKBB).

SESRIC in collaboration with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) organised the Workshop on Development Finance Statistics on 12-13 July 2017 in Ankara, Republic of Turkey.

The Federal Authority for Government Human Resources (FAHR) of United Arab Emirates is working to standardize the Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) and sharing information for development of guidelines and standards. The Federal Authority for Government Human Resources has been established in the United Arab Emirates as per Federal Decree Law # 11 for the year 2008 regarding Human Resources issued by His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of United Arab Emirates. The Authority is aiming to develop Human Resources in Government Sector based on the modern concepts and International criteria applied in the field of Human Resources Management.

The Fourth International Islamic Economics and Finance Summer School was organized on 10-14 July 2017 in Istanbul. The programme lasted for five days and covered theoretical lectures and practical activities. Coming from different countries and with strong credentials, the training staff have consisted of expert academicians and professional practitioners who have publications on national and international The programme was attended by participants who have interest in the field of Islamic economics, finance and banking as well as the candidates of economics, political sciences, business and theology background.

In accordance with its 2017 Annual Work Plan and within the framework of Statistical Capacity Building (StatCaB) Programme, SESRIC organised the Study Visit on ‘Agricultural Censuses’ for the benefit of the Ministry of Agriculture, Water Resources and Fisheries of Republic of Tunisia on 10 – 12 July 2017. The Study Visit was hosted by the Department of Statistics (DoS) of Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.

In accordance with its 2017 Annual Work Plan and within the framework of Statistical Capacity Building (StatCaB) Programme, SESRIC organised the Training Course on ‘Health Statistics’ at the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) of Republic of Maldives on 9-10 July 2017.

The First Meeting of the Total Official Support for Sustainable Development (TOSSD) Task Force was organized by the Development Co-operation Directorate (DCD) of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in collaboration with the OECD Statistics Directorate and with the support of the United Nations (UN) Statistics Division and UN Inter-Agency Task Force on Financing for Development (IATF) on 6 July 2017 at OECD Conference Centre in Paris, France. The Meeting was attended by the National Statistics Offices (NSOs) of Colombia, France, Mexico, Philippines, Senegal, South Africa, and United Kingdom; OECD Development Assistance Committee (DAC) and non-DAC providers from Canada, Costa Rica, Denmark, European Union (EU), France, Japan, and United States of America (USA); and partner country development policy makers from Bangladesh, Ghana, and Timor Leste. The Centre was represented by HE Amb. Musa KULAKLIKAYA, Director General, and Dr. Atilla KARAMAN, Researcher.

SESRIC organized a training program on the “Development and Promotion of Muslim Friendly Tourism in COMCEC Member Countries” for 15 member countries with little or no Muslim Friendly Tourism (MFT) applications and/or have weak implementations about the potential and positive impact of MFT.

SESRIC collaborated with the International Association of Schools and Institutes of Administration (IASIA), the Middle East and North Africa Public Administration Research (MENAPAR) Network and the General Personnel Council in the organisation of the “IASIA-MENAPAR 2017 Joint Conference on Public Administration under Pressure” on 3-7 July, 2017 in Ramallah, Palestine.

The Statistical, Economic and Social Research and Training Centre for Islamic Countries (SESRIC) in partnership with Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI) organised the OPHI Summer School on ‘Multidimensional Poverty Measurement & Analysis’ in Marrakesh, Kingdom of Morocco on 3 – 15 July 2017.

In accordance with its 2017 Annual Work Plan and within the framework of Statistical Capacity Building (StatCaB) Programme, SESRIC organised the Training Course on ‘Energy Statistics’ at the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) of Republic of the Sudan on 02-04 July 2017.

Centre International du Commerce Extérieur du Sénégal organized the ‘8^th Dakar International Exhibition of Health and Medicine Equipment’ on 28 June to 1 July 2017 at the Exhibition grounds of CICES in Senegal.

On the sideline of the recently concluded Second Regional Networking Forum for the Arab States, Europe and the CIS on South-South and Triangular Cooperation which took place in Astana, Kazakhstan, SESRIC and the Steering Committee of the Regional Hub of Civil Services in Astana (The Hub) signed a Memorandum of Understanding to promote closer collaboration between the two institutions. The MoU was signed by H.E. Amb. Musa Kulaklıkaya, Director General of SESRIC and Alikhan Baimenov the Chairman of the Hub.

The Second Regional Networking Forum for the Arab States, Europe and the CIS on South-South and Triangular Cooperation was jointly organised by SESRIC, UN Office for South-South Cooperation (UNOSSC), Islamic Development Bank (IDB), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and a number of other key regional and global stakeholders on 15 June 2017 in Astana, Kazakhstan. The Forum was hosted by the Ministry of National Economy of the Republic of Kazakhstan with the support from the Regional Hub of Civil Service in Astana and within the framework of the Astana Economic Forum.

SESRIC in collaboration with United Nation Office for South-South Cooperation, the Islamic Development Bank and United Nations System Staff College organized a capacity building training on the South-South & Triangular Cooperation (SS & TC) on the sidelines of the “Astana Economic Forum” which was held in Astana, Kazakhstan on 12-14 June 2017.

The Statistical, Economic and Social Research and Training Centre for Islamic Countries (SESRIC) and the Social Sciences University of Ankara (ASBÜ) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to provide coordination services of the Journal of Economic Cooperation and Development (JECD) on 9 June 2017 at the headquarters of SESRIC.

The United Nations Statistical Institute for Asia and the Pacific (UNSIAP) in collaboration with the State Statistical Committee of the Republic of Azerbaijan organised the Subregional Workshop on Data and Statistics for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for High-Level Official Statisticians on 30-31 May 2017 in Baku, Azerbaijan. Dr. Atilla Karaman, Researcher at Statistics and Information Department of SESRIC, represented the Centre thereat.

Public Administration Institute for Turkey and Middle East (TODAIE) offers full scholarships for public officials. TODAIE conducts International Public Administration Master Programme (APEP) for international students and PhD Programmes in Political Science and Public Administration. The language of instruction for both programmes is English.

The Certificate Ceremony for International Trade Unionism and Social Policy Training Programme was held in Ankara on 25 May 2017. The ceremony was attended by H.E. Amb. Musa Kulaklıkaya, Director General of SESRIC, H.E. Mr. Ali Yalçın, President of MEMURSEN and H.E. Prof. Dr. Onur Ender Aslan, Director General of TODAİE, and certificates were distributed to 25 participants from 25 different confederations in different countries in the area of trade unionism and social policy.

SESRIC organized the First Meeting of the Working Group on Working Group on Qualification and Quality Assurance System and Occupational Standards was held in Ankara, Turkey on 24-25 May 2017. The objective of the Working Group was to develop the comprehensive multinational TVET strategy action plan for OIC Member Countries.