SESRIC, the United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD), and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) held a virtual meeting on 16 July 2024 to discuss organizing a joint workshop on “Energy Statistics, Balance, and Accounts for Informed Energy and Climate Policies”.

Within the framework of the SESRIC Water Resources Management Capacity Building Program (Water-CaB), and in collaboration with the Islamic Organization for Food Security (IOFS), the Centre organised a two-day workshop on “Water Governance and Integrated Water Management for Lake Chad Basin Countries”. The purpose of the workshop was to enhance knowledge, skills and increased collaboration among OIC member countries, particularly in water governance and integrated water management in the Lake Chad Basin region.

Within the framework of its Statistical Capacity Building (StatCaB) Programme, SESRIC organised a Workshop on “Business Demography and Entrepreneurship Statistics” on 16-17 July 2024 with the attendance of 54 participants from the National Statistical Offices (NSOs) of 20 OIC countries. The Workshop was conducted in collaboration with the United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation (UNOSSC), the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), and the United Nations Statistical Division (UNSD) through an online video conferencing platform.

SESRIC and the Halal Accreditation Agency of the Republic of Türkiye (HAK) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to formalise their ties and collaboration in knowledge exchange, competencies enhancement, and best practices within the Halal domain and relevant areas. The MoU aims to foster collaborative efforts in developing and implementing initiatives to support halal quality infrastructure in the OIC countries. The signing ceremony took place at SESRIC Headquarters in Ankara, Türkiye.

SESRIC and the Bahrain Institute of Banking and Finance (BIBF) held a follow-up meeting, following the signing of their Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on 14 June 2024 in Istanbul, Türkiye. The meeting aimed to explore potential areas of collaboration in banking, finance, and related areas.

In support of its ongoing efforts to promote care work, SESRIC participated in a Side Event to the Meeting of Ministers of Employment and Labour of the G20 Countries. The event on “Advancing Measurement of Care Work and the Care Economy”, which was hosted by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE) and the International Labour Organization (ILO), gathered National Statistical Organisations (NSOs) from G20 member countries to address critical issues surrounding the measurement of care work and the care economy.

SESRIC and the OIC Labour Centre signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to exchange knowledge, best practices, and expert competencies in labour, public employment services, social protection, and other relevant areas. The MoU also aims to promote effective participation in these fields among OIC countries. The signing ceremony took place at the SESRIC Headquarters in Ankara, Türkiye.

SESRIC, in collaboration with the Islamic Organization for Food Security (IOFS), organised a Webinar on “Digitalisation in Food Security and Agriculture”, within the framework of SESRIC’s Agriculture and Food Security Capacity Building Programme (Agri-CaB) and Digital Capacity Building Programme (Digi-CaB).

SESRIC, in collaboration with the Small and Medium Business Development Agency (KOBİA) of the Republic of Azerbaijan, successfully organised a Workshop on “Empowering MSMEs in OIC Member Countries through Green Climate Finance”. The event, held within the framework of SESRIC’s Social Development Capacity Building Programme (SD-CaB) and the Vocational Education and Training Programme for the OIC Member Countries (OIC-VET), brought together 124 experts, executives and academics from TVET National Focal Points and relevant agencies/authorities and national institutions in 30 OIC countries.

H.E. Zehra Zümrüt SELÇUK paid a courtesy visit to Prof. Dr. Necdet ÜNÜVAR, Rector of Ankara University. The meeting focused on exploring potential collaborations between SESRIC and Ankara University in the realm of socio-economic research and other areas of mutual interest.

H.E. Zehra Zümrüt SELÇUK paid a courtesy visit to H.E. Amb. Aftab Ahmad KHOKHER, the newly appointed Assistant Secretary-General for Science & Technology of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). H.E. SELÇUK congratulated H.E. KHOKHER on assuming his new role, which officially commenced on 1 July 2024.

H.E. Zehra Zümrüt SELÇUK held a bilateral meeting with H.E. Amb. Saleh Bin Hamad AL SUHAIBANI, Permanent Representative of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, to the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), in Jeddah. The meeting underlined SESRIC's continuous commitment to fostering cooperation among OIC countries through its diverse capacity-building programs.

H.E. Zehra Zümrüt SELÇUK met with H.E. Prof. Dato Dr. Koutoub MOUSTAPHA, Secretary General of the International Islamic Fiqh Academy (IIFA), at the IIFA Headquarters in Jeddah. This high-level meeting marked a significant step in fostering collaboration between SESRIC and IIFA.

H.E. Zehra Zümrüt SELÇUK and H.E. Amb. Salim Mohamed Khalifa AL BUSAIDI, Permanent Representative of Oman to the OIC, engaged in a fruitful discussion in Jeddah. The meeting highlighted the robust partnership between SESRIC and various Omani institutions, focusing on statistical activities and future cooperation in statistics, research, and training.

Within the framework of the SESRIC Tourism Capacity Building Programme (Tourism-CaB), SESRIC, in collaboration with the Türkiye Tourism Promotion and Development Agency (TGA), organised a Webinar on “Developing Effective Digital Marketing Tourism Strategies in the 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 Education, Culture, Research and Technology (MoECRT) of the Republic of Indonesia, organised a Webinar on “Vocational Education in Business and Industry”.

SESRIC participated in the Symposium on “Jerusalem and the Gaza War: Palestinian Identity and Existence under Threat of Erasure” in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The Symposium was organised by the OIC in collaboration with the United Nations’ Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People (CEIRPP).

SESRIC participated in the 23^rd Regular Session of the OIC Independent Permanent Human Rights Commission (IPHRC) held at the OIC General Secretariat in Jeddah, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. As part of this session, the OIC IPHRC organised a thematic debate on the “Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Human Rights: Challenges and Opportunities”. The main objectives of the debate were to foster awareness among OIC countries about the effects of AI on human rights by engaging with various subject-matter experts and stakeholders in this field, sharing views, and identifying challenges related to human rights in this context.

SESRIC’s delegation convened with the FAO Sub-regional Office for Central Asia (FAO-SEC) at their headquarters to discuss potential collaboration, focusing on agriculture and food security. The FAO Subregional Office for Central Asia (FAO-SEC) in Ankara, Türkiye, was established in 2006 to better address the priority needs of Central Asian countries-Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Türkiye, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. 

SESRIC participated in the OIC International Youth Forum on 27-28 June 2024, hosted by the Youth Affairs of the Republic of Uzbekistan in Samarkand. The forum aimed to provide a platform for exchanging innovative ideas and engaging in meaningful discussions, fostering unity among youth from OIC countries in pursuit of common goals for peace, brotherhood, and progress.