The Centre organized a Knowledge and Experience Sharing Workshop on ISMEK Master Trainers Programme in collaboration with the Centre for Art and Vocational Training Courses of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (İSMEK), on 29-30 December 2014 in Istanbul, Turkey. The Workshop was attended by Dr. Mouhamad Mpezamihigo, Vice Rector of Islamic University in Uganda (IUIU), Dr. Musa Matovu, Director of the IUIU Quality Assurance Unit and Dr. Wardah Rajab Gyagenda, Director of Research, Publications and Innovations Unit at IUIU, within the context of knowledge and experience sharing of the ISMEK art and vocational training system via feasibility, organisational and management structure, and technical aspects of VET institutions.

The Statistical, Economic and Social Research and Training Centre for Islamic Countries (SESRIC) and BPS-Statistics Indonesia agreed on a partnership to facilitate collaboration and cooperation between both institutions within the framework of the project titled “Integration of the ‘Tobacco Questions for Surveys (TQS)’ into the National Surveys in OIC Member States”.

The Centre was represented in the COMSTECH Consultative Meeting of OIC Organisations in preparation to the OIC Summit on Science and Technology, which was held in Islamabad, Pakistan on 24-26 December 2014. The meeting was attended by OIC General Secretariat, COMCEC, SESRIC, IDB, ISESCO, IDB, International Islamic University in Uganda and Inter-Islamic Networks in Various Disciplines.

In accordance with its 2014 Annual Work Plan, SESRIC organised the Training Course on 'Agriculture Statistics (Animal Husbandry)' on 23-24 December 2014 at the premises of the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) in Dhaka, Bangladesh, within the framework of the Statistical Capacity Building (StatCaB) Programme. The course was provided by Ms. Hasnizar Nasution, an expert of BPS-Statistics Indonesia, and was attended by relevant officials of the BBS.

The Centre organised a training programme on “Derivative Markets and Instruments & Marginal Trading” at the Khartoum Stock Exchange on 22-23 December 2014, within the framework of OIC Capacity Building Programme for Stock Exchanges (OIC-SEP). The Course was provided Mrs. Touba Dehghani Ahmad Abad, Head of Market Operations, Tehran Stock Exchange of Iran, with participation of relevant members of the Khartoum Stock Exchange of Sudan.

In accordance with its 2014 Annual Work Plan, SESRIC organised the Training Course on ‘Classifications’ at the National Office of Statistics (ONS) in Alger, People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria on 21-22 December 2014, within the framework of the Statistical Capacity Building (StatCaB) Programme. The course was provided by Mrs. Asmaa Abdelrasoul Mohamed Mourad, senior specialist at Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS) of Arab Republic of Egypt with participation of relevant officials of ONS of Algeria

In accordance with its 2014 Annual Work Plan, SESRIC organised the Training Course on 'Agriculture Statistics (Food Crop Statistics)' on 21-22 December 2014 at the premises of the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) in Dhaka, Bangladesh, within the framework of the Statistical Capacity Building (StatCaB) Programme. The course was provided by Dr. Kadarmanto, an expert of BPS-Statistics Indonesia, and was attended by relevant officials of the BBS.

The Islamic Countries Society of Statistical Sciences (ISOSS) organized, under the sponsorship of SESRIC, the 13th Islamic Countries Conference on Statistical Sciences (ICCS-13) in Bogor, Indonesia on 18 - 21 December 2014. Prof. Savaş Alpay, Director General of SESRIC, made a welcome speech on 18 December 2014 where he focused on the linkages between National Statistical Offices (NSOs) and academia including higher education institutes and research centres. Citing findings concerning the unstructured relationship between two entities, Prof. Alpay emphasized the need for institutionalising the linkages between NSOs and academia to result in a mutually beneficial outcome based on collaborative work that drives innovation, and high quality data and research output.

The Final Report of the “Atlas of Islamic World Science and Innovation (AIWSI)” Project has been launched as sidelines to the Seventh Islamic Conference of Ministers of Higher Education and Scientific Research (ICMHESR) held on 18-19 December 2014 in Rabat, Kingdom of Morocco. The launch event was attended by Ministers and High-level Officials of Higher Education and Scientific Research of the OIC Member Countries.

The Seventh Islamic Conference of Ministers of Higher Education and Scientific Research (ICMHESR-7) has been held on 18-19 December 2014 in Rabat, Kingdom of Morocco. Organised by the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO), the Conference was attended by Ministers and High-level Officials of Higher Education and Scientific Research of the OIC Member Countries as well as representatives from OIC and other international institutions to discuss issues pertaining to higher education and scientific research in the member countries. Mr. Hüseyin Hakan Eryetli, Director of Statistics and Information Department, represented SESRIC at this conference.

The Centre, in collaboration with Turkish Competition Authority, 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 16-18 September 2014 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The course was provided by Mr. Mehmet Yanık, Antitrust Expert & Case Handler, and Mr. İbrahim Aydemir, Deputy Head of Education and Competition Advocacy at the Turkish Competition Authority, and was attended by experts from the Council of Competition, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

The Centre organised a training programme on “Derivative Markets and Instruments and Marginal Trading” at the Baku Stock Exchange on 16-17 December 2014, within the framework of OIC Capacity Building Programme for Stock Exchanges (OIC-SEP). The Course was provided by Mr. Sait Şatıroğlu, Director of Financial Derivatives Markets Department, Borsa İstanbul of the Republic of Turkey with participation of relevant members of the Baku Stock Exchange of Republic of Azerbaijan.

The World Conference on the Role of Women in Charity Work was organized by International Islamic Charity Organization (IICO) under the generous auspieces of His Highness Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah, Amir of Kuwait, on 15-17 December 2014 in Kuwait.

The Regional Workshop on Tourism Statistics and Tourism Satellite Accounts was organised by SESRIC in collaboration with the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) on 2-4 December 2014 at SESRIC Headquarters in Ankara, Turkey within framework of the 2013-SESRIC-0111 Project which is among the successful final projects selected for the Project Cycle Management (PCM) Programme Funding of the OIC Standing Committee for Economic and Commercial Cooperation (COMCEC).

The Centre, in collaboration with the Islamic Chamber of Commerce, Industry & Agriculture (ICCIA), Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and Perez-Guerrero Trust Fund (PGTF) of UNDP, organized a Workshop on “Capacity Building on Value Chain Analysis for Agri-Business for OIC Countries” in Ankara, Turkey, on 1-3 December 2014.

The Centre organised a training course on “Job Creation for Youth and Skills Training Services” within the framework of the OIC Capacity Building Programme for Public Employment Services (OIC PESCaB) on 1-2 December 2014 in Baku, Azerbaijan. The training course was held at the State Employment Service operating under the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection of Population and the course was provided by a Mr. Eser Erol, Employment Expert from Turkish Employment Agency (İŞKUR) with the participation of relevant members of the State Employment Service, Azerbaijan.

The Statistical, Economic and Social Research and Training Centre for Islamic Countries (SESRIC) in partnership with the United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD), United Nations Economic Commission for Western Asia (UNESCWA) and Jordan Department of Statistics and within the framework of the Global Gender Statistics Programme, organized the Regional Workshop on 'Integrating a Gender Perspective in the Production of Statistics' for Arabic-speaking countries in Amman, Jordan on 1-4 December 2014.

As a side event of the 30th Session of COMCEC, SESRIC and Islamic Development Bank Group (IDB) have jointly organized a special session on “The Economic and Social Impacts of Epidemics and OIC Response: The Case of Ebola” with the aim of discussing the critical actions that need to be taken to halt the spread of the disease and reduce the impact on the economy and the short and long term health of citizens of the countries in the West Africa. The event is organized within the framework of the new IDB & SESRIC report on “Managing Disasters and Conflicts in OIC Countries”, which was submitted to the COMCEC, and in an effort to mobilize actions on the part of OIC member countries in support of disaster risk management programs and sustainable development in OIC countries by focusing on the particular case of Ebola.

On the occasion of the COMCEC’s 30th anniversary along with the regular sessions, several special sessions have been organized during 25-28 November 2014. One of these special sessions was on the role of NGOs in the development efforts of the Islamic countries. The meeting was attended by delegations of OIC Member States attending the ministerial COMCEC Session, NGOs, the OIC Institutions, representatives of International Organizations, academicians and other relevant stakeholders.

In accordance with its 2014 Annual Work Plan and within the framework of the Statistical Capacity Building (StatCaB) Programme, SESRIC organised the training course on 'Culture Statistics' at the National Agency of Statistics and Demographics (ANSD ) in Dakar, Republic of Senegal on 25-26 November 2014. The course was conducted by Mr. Kouadio Marcel Kouakou, Assistant Director of Statistics and Informatics Department at the Ministry of Culture and Francophone Affairs of Côte d'Ivoire with the participation of 15 experts of the ANSD.

The 30th Session of the COMCEC convened in Istanbul on 25-28 November 2014 with the participation of delegates from the member countries. The session started in the first two days with the meeting of senior officials. During the Meeting, the delegations of the Member States and the OIC institutions considered and deliberated on a number of agenda items related to various issues of enhancing economic and commercial cooperation among the Member States. The issues include: Review of the implementation of the COMCEC Strategy and the OIC Ten-Year Program of Action and the Plan of Action; world economic developments with special reference to the OIC member countries; expansion of intra-OIC trade; enhancing the role of private sector in economic cooperation; improving transport and communications; developing a sustainable and competitive tourism sector; increasing productivity of agriculture sector and sustaining food security; eradicating poverty; deepening financial cooperation; exchange of views on “the role of public private partnerships for the development of the tourism sector in the OIC member states”.

The 7th International Energy Congress and Fair (EIF 2014) was held on 24-25 November 2014 in Ankara, Turkey, under the auspices of the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources, Republic of Turkey, with the support of SESRIC and other national and international organisations, The purpose of the Congress was to evaluate electricity generation and energy markets in the World as well as to create an environment that discusses latest developments and practises in many ways.

In accordance with its 2014 Annual Work Plan, SESRIC organised the Training Course on 'Statistical Confidentiality and Disclosure Protection' at the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) in Abuja, Nigeria on 24-25 November 2014, within the framework of the Statistical Capacity Building (StatCaB) Programme. The Course was provided by Ms. Doreen Ninsiima Kasozi, Senior Standards Officer at Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS) with the participation of relevant officials of NBS.

In accordance with its 2014 Annual Work Plan, SESRIC organised the Training Course on ‘Manufacturing Statistics’ on 24-26 November 2014 at the premises of the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) in Abu Dhabi, UAE, within the framework of the Statistical Capacity Building (StatCaB) Programme. The course was provided by Mr. Nimer Hashem Gharbia, an expert of Department of Statistics Jordan, and was attended by 34 officials from the National Statistical Offices of GCC including Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and UAE.

The Second Expert Group Meeting (EGM-2) on Enhancing National Capacities of OIC Member Countries in Poverty Statistics was held on 19-20 November 2014 at SESRIC Headquarters in Ankara, Turkey. The First EGM has been held on 7-8 August 2014.

The Centre organised a training course on “Occupational Hygiene” in collaboration with the Occupational Health Division of Department of Health Services, Ministry of Health in Brunei Darussalam on 18-20 November 2014. The training course was provided by two experts, namely, Ir Anuar Mohd. Mokhtar, Deputy Director, Department of Occupational Safety and Health, and Mr. Hamidi Saidin, Occupational Health and Safety Expert, with the attendance of participants from public and private sectors.

SESRIC organised a study visit on ' ‘Global Adult Tobacco Survey and Turkish Health Survey ' in collaboration with the Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat) on 18 and 21 November 2014, in Ankara, Turkey with the participation of Mr. Hamid Baghirov, First Deputy Chairman, and Mr. Yashar Pasha, Head of Population Living Standards and Household Budget Survey Statistics Department, State Statistical Committee (SSC) of the Republic of Azerbaijan, under the scope of a recent project initiated by SESRIC regarding the integration of TQS into ongoing national surveys in OIC Member States.

The Centre and the Social Security Institution of the Republic of Turkey have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to initiate and facilitate collaboration and cooperation between both institutions in matters of common interest and implementation of joint research and capacity building projects for the benefit of Social Security Institutions in OIC Member Countries. The MoU was signed on 18 November 2014 by Prof. Savaş Alpay, Director General of SESRIC, and Mrs. Yadigar Gökalp İlhan, President of Turkish SSI.

Adopted in 2012, the Strategy Document of the Standing Committee for Economic and Commercial Cooperation (COMCEC) is the first vision document for the COMCEC for six main cooperation areas including tourism. To achieve strategic objectives defined in the COMCEC Strategy, COMCEC Coordination Office launched the COMCEC Project Cycle Management (PCM) Programme in 2013. Carried out under the support of COMCEC PCM Programme and coordinated by SESRIC, the project titled “2013-SESRIC-0111 Improving Statistical Capacities of Tourism Sector” aims at building statistical capacity in tourism statistics and overall contributing to the National Statistical Systems (NSS) of the member countries of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) through capacity building programs including short-term trainings.

The International Statistical Institute Regional Statistics Conference 2014 (ISI-RSC 2014) organized by International Statistical Institute South East Asia Regional Network (ISI-SEA Network) was held at Sasana Kijang (Bank Negara Malaysia's Centre for Knowledge and Learning Excellence) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on 16-19 November 2014.

The Centre has organised the Fifth Meeting of the Monitoring and Advisory Committee (MAC) of the Vocational Education and Training Programme for OIC Member Countries (OIC-VET) in its Headquarters at Ankara on 12-13 November 2014. The Meeting was attended by representatives of National Focal Points from Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Cameroon, Comoros, Gambia, Iran, Nigeria, Oman, Togo and Turkey. The meeting was also participated by representative of the COMCEC Coordination Office, as well as some OIC-VET partners, namely, ISGUM, ISKUR and ISMEK.

Halal Food Industry Symposium was organized on 11 November 2014 as a specialized programme under the 9th Dubai International Food Safety Conference (DIFSC) held in Dubai, UAE.

In accordance with its 2014 Annual Work Plan and within the framework of the Statistical Capacity Building (StatCaB) Programme, SESRIC in collaboration with AFRISTAT co-organised the training course on 'Poverty, Living Conditions and Cross-Cutting Social Issues' at the National Agency of Statistics and Demographics (ANSD) in Dakar, Republic of Senegal on 10-14 November 2014. The course was conducted by Mr. Siriky Coulibaly, Poverty Analysis Expert of AFRISTAT, with the participation of relevant officials of the ANSD.

The Centre organised a training course on ‘Islamic Microfinance’ at the Somali Bank for Reconstruction and Development (SBRD) in Somalia on 09-11 November 2014. The Training Course was provided by Mr. Abdul Samad, Member of Shairah Compliance Department in AlHuda Centre of Islamic Banking & Economics, Pakistan.

Director General of SESRIC will deliver a keynote speech during the Forum on “The Importance of Public-Private Partnerships in Healthcare Crisis Management” scheduled to be organized in the holy city of Madinah al-Munawwarah, Saudi Arabia, on 6 November 2014. This forum will be attended by various healthcare leaders, eminent experts, as well as chief medical officers, hospitals managers, medical colleges directors, heads of nursing, healthcare insurance providers, government officials in healthcare, OD & training directors and healthcare policy makers.

In accordance with its 2014 Annual Work Plan, SESRIC organised the Training Course on “Informal Sector” at the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS) in Kampala on 05-07 November 2014, within the framework of the Statistical Capacity Building (StatCaB) Programme. The Course was provided by Mr. Ahmed Sanusi, Statistics Expert at National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) of Nigeria with the participation of relevant officials of UBOS.

The 2014 Annual Meeting of the Central Banks and Monetary Authorities of the OIC Member Countries was organised jointly by SESRIC and Bank Indonesia, and held on 5-6 November 2014 in Surabaya, Republic of Indonesia. Delegates from more than 30 OIC member countries including governors, deputy governors, technical experts, and senior representatives of relevant OIC and other international organisations including the Islamic Development Bank (IDB), International Monetary Fund (IMF), Asian Development Bank (ADB), Islamic Financial Services Board (IFSB), and the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) attended the Meeting. Themed “Dealing with Financial Stability Risks: Macro-prudential Policy and Financial Deepening in Islamic Finance”, the two-day Meeting was comprised of an Expert Group Workshop (EGW) in the first day, followed by a Governors Meeting in the second. The Centre was represented by Prof. Savas Alpay, Director-General, Mr. Nabil Dabour, Director of Research, and Mr. Nadi Serhan Aydin, Senior Researcher.

The Centre participated at the Indonesian International Conference on Islamic Finance, which was organised by Indonesian Financial Services Authority (IFSA or OJK) from 3 to 4 November 2014 in Surabaya, Republic of Indonesia. The Conference, themed “An Integrated Development of Islamic Finance toward Financial Stability and Sustainable Economic Development,” was held in conjunction with the 2014 Meeting of Central Banks and Monetary Authorities of OIC Member States. The Centre was represented at the Conference by Mr. Nadi Serhan Aydin, Senior Researcher.

Adopted in 2012, the Strategy Document of the Standing Committee for Economic and Commercial Cooperation (COMCEC) is the first vision document for the COMCEC for six main cooperation areas including tourism. To achieve strategic objectives defined in the COMCEC Strategy, COMCEC Coordination Office launched the COMCEC Project Cycle Management (PCM) Programme in 2013. Carried out under the support of COMCEC PCM Programme and coordinated by SESRIC, the project titled “2013-SESRIC-0111 Improving Statistical Capacities of Tourism Sector” aims at building statistical capacity in tourism statistics and overall contributing to the National Statistical Systems (NSS) of the member countries of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) through capacity building programs including short-term trainings.

Bezmialem Foundation University organized the “International Disaster – 14 Congress” during 31 October – 2 November 2014 in Istanbul. The congress brought together more than 200 participants from academia, local and national government organizations, non-governmental organizations and national and international experts. During the first day of the congress, technical courses have been provided to students and other interested persons in different fields of disaster management.

In accordance with its 2014 Annual Work Plan and within the framework of the Statistical Capacity Building (StatCaB) Programme, SESRIC organised the Training Programme on 'Information Society Statistics' at the General Bureau of Statistics (GBS) in Paramaribo, Republic of Suriname on 27-28 October 2014. The Course was provided by Mr. Bouazza Bouchkhar, Statistics Expert at the Directorate of Statistics-HCP with the participation of relevant officials of the GBS.

The First Investment Forum on OIC Plan of Action for Cooperation with Central Asia was held in Dushanbe, Tajikistan on 27-28 October 2014 with the participation of H.E. Emomali Rahmon, President of the Republic of Tajikistan, H.E. Iyad Ameen Madani, Secretary General of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), H.E. Ahmad Mohamed Ali, President of the Islamic Development Bank Group, Esteemed Ministers from OIC Member States, Representatives of Relevant Ministries and National Institutions from OIC Member States, Representatives from the OIC Institutions (ICCIA, ICDT, SESRIC, SMIIC), international organisations and investment companies.

The Centre organised a training programme on “Risk Management” at Bank of Uganda on 27-28 October 2014, within the framework of OIC Central Banks Capacity Building Programme (OIC-CB-CaB). The Course was provided by Mr. Suat Aydın, Deputy Director, FX Risk Management Division of the Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey, with the participation of relevant experts from the Bank of Uganda.

The Centre organized a Knowledge and Experience Sharing Workshop on ISMEK Master Trainers Programme in collaboration with the Centre for Art and Vocational Training Courses of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (İSMEK), on 27-28 October 2014 in Istanbul, Turkey. The Workshop was attended by managers and master trainers from Palestine within the context of knowledge and experience sharing of the ISMEK art and vocational training system.

Adopted in 2012, the Strategy Document of the Standing Committee for Economic and Commercial Cooperation (COMCEC) is the first vision document for the COMCEC for six main cooperation areas including tourism. To achieve strategic objectives defined in the COMCEC Strategy, COMCEC Coordination Office launched the COMCEC Project Cycle Management (PCM) Programme in 2013. Carried out under the support of COMCEC PCM Programme and coordinated by SESRIC, the project titled “2013-SESRIC-0111 Improving Statistical Capacities of Tourism Sector” aims at building statistical capacity in tourism statistics and overall contributing to the National Statistical Systems (NSS) of the member countries of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) through capacity building programs including short-term trainings.

In accordance with its 2014 Annual Work Plan, SESRIC organised the Training Course on 'Information Society Statistics' at the Kuwait Central Statistical Bureau (CSB) in Kuwait City on 21-23 October 2014, within the framework of the Statistical Capacity Building (StatCaB) Programme. In her opening remarks Ms. Mariam A. Al-Aqeel, Director General, CSB of Kuwait thanked SESRIC and Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat) for building the capacity of CSB personnel through the programme. The Course was provided by Ayhan Doğan, Statistics Expert at TurkStat with the participation of relevant officials of Kuwait CSB, Central Agency for Information Technology of Kuwait and other related sector representatives.

The Centre organised a training course on ‘Occupational Safety’ at State Labour Inspectorate, Ministry of Social Welfare and Youth, Albania, on 15-16 September 2014. The training course was provided by Mrs. Gizem Naz Dölek, Expert of Occupational Safety and Health, and Mrs. Esra Yılmaz, Environmental Engineer at the Occupational Health and Safety Centre (ISGUM) affiliated to the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, Turkey.

The Centre, in collaboration with Islamic Research and Training Institute (IRTI), has organized a workshop on “Global Islamic Leadership” on 20-24 October 2014 in SESRIC’s headquarters in Ankara, Turkey. The specific objective of the workshop was to develop the contents of the Islamic Leadership by combining technical and Islamic aspects and, to train top leaders from different countries based on suitable criteria. In this context, the workshop was attended by thirteen international middle-and-senior-level professionals who are playing leading role in non-governmental organizations and eight local participants from different ministries. The workshop came to end with certificate distribution ceremony among the participants.

Adopted in 2012, the Strategy Document of the Standing Committee for Economic and Commercial Cooperation (COMCEC) is the first vision document for the COMCEC for six main cooperation areas including tourism. To achieve strategic objectives defined in the COMCEC Strategy, COMCEC Coordination Office launched the COMCEC Project Cycle Management (PCM) Programme in 2013. Carried out under the support of COMCEC PCM Programme and coordinated by SESRIC, the project titled “2013-SESRIC-0111 Improving Statistical Capacities of Tourism Sector” aims at building statistical capacity in tourism statistics and overall contributing to the National Statistical Systems (NSS) of the member countries of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) through capacity building programs including short-term trainings.

Adopted in 2012, the Strategy Document of the Standing Committee for Economic and Commercial Cooperation (COMCEC) is the first vision document for the COMCEC for six main cooperation areas including tourism. To achieve strategic objectives defined in the COMCEC Strategy, COMCEC Coordination Office launched the COMCEC Project Cycle Management (PCM) Programme in 2013. Carried out under the support of COMCEC PCM Programme and coordinated by SESRIC, the project titled “2013-SESRIC-0111 Improving Statistical Capacities of Tourism Sector” aims at building statistical capacity in tourism statistics and overall contributing to the National Statistical Systems (NSS) of the member countries of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) through capacity building programs including short-term trainings.

The 5th Ministerial Conference on the Role of Women in the Development of OIC Member States was held in Baku, Azerbaijan on 20-21 October 2014 under the theme of “The Role of Women in Sustainable Development”

The Statistical, Economic and Social Research and Training Centre for Islamic Countries (SESRIC) in partnership with United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD), United Nations Economic Commission for Western Asia (UNESCWA) and Arab Institute for Training and Research in Statistics (AITRS) organised the Regional Workshop on 'Revision 3 of Principles and Recommendations for Population and Housing Censuses and Census Data Evaluation' in Amman, Jordan from 19 to 23 October 2014 with the participation of 20 national experts from 15 Arab countries including Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Tunisia, UAE, and Yemen, and international experts.

SESRIC, IDB Turkey Country Gateway Office and General Directorate of Occupational Health and Safety of Turkey held a tripartite meeting in order to discuss possible ways and means of cooperation and collaboration among the three institutions within the framework of OIC Occupational Health and Safety Network (OIC-OSHNET), which was established as the first international collaboration network under the OIC-VET.

The Centre, in cooperation with Turkish State Railways (TCDD), International Union of Railways (UIC) and Middle-East Railway Training Center (MERTCe), has organized a training workshop on “RAMS & LCC for the Railway Infrastructure” on 14-16 October 2014 in Istanbul, Turkey.

Adopted in 2012, the Strategy Document of the Standing Committee for Economic and Commercial Cooperation (COMCEC) is the first vision document for the COMCEC for six main cooperation areas including tourism. To achieve strategic objectives defined in the COMCEC Strategy, COMCEC Coordination Office launched the COMCEC Project Cycle Management (PCM) Programme in 2013. Carried out under the support of COMCEC PCM Programme and coordinated by SESRIC, the project titled “2013-SESRIC-0111 Improving Statistical Capacities of Tourism Sector” aims at building statistical capacity in tourism statistics and overall contributing to the National Statistical Systems (NSS) of the member countries of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) through capacity building programs including short-term trainings.

Adopted in 2012, the Strategy Document of the Standing Committee for Economic and Commercial Cooperation (COMCEC) is the first vision document for the COMCEC for six main cooperation areas including tourism. To achieve strategic objectives defined in the COMCEC Strategy, COMCEC Coordination Office launched the COMCEC Project Cycle Management (PCM) Programme in 2013. Carried out under the support of COMCEC PCM Programme and coordinated by SESRIC, the project titled “2013-SESRIC-0111 Improving Statistical Capacities of Tourism Sector” aims at building statistical capacity in tourism statistics and overall contributing to the National Statistical Systems (NSS) of the member countries of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) through capacity building programs including short-term trainings.

The Statistical, Economic and Social Research and Training Centre for Islamic Countries (SESRIC) and State Statistical Committee (SSC) of Republic of Azerbaijan agreed on a partnership to facilitate collaboration and cooperation between both institutions within the framework of the project titled “Integration of the ‘Tobacco Questions for Surveys (TQS)’ into the National Surveys in OIC Member States”.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between SESRIC and UN-Habitat was signed on 8 October 2014. The MoU aims at establishing a framework for cooperation and collaboration between SESRIC and UN-Habitat for the promotion of sustainable urbanization in OIC member countries, and sharing the existing capacities among relevant institutions, including conducting training courses, researches and workshops.

The Baku Forum of the Organization of Economic Cooperation (ECO) was launched during the Annual Meeting of the ECO held in 2012 in Baku. The 1st Baku Forum of Economic Think-Tanks of ECO Member States was held on 5-6 September 2013, and, as a part of the Forum, the 1st International Conference on “Energy, Regional Integration and Socio-economic Development” was also held. In line with tradition, the 2nd Baku Forum of Economic Think-Tanks of Economic Cooperation Organization Member States & the 2nd International Conference on “Energy, Regional Integration and Socio-Economic Development” were held on 1-3 October 2014 in Baku, Republic of Azerbaijan. The two events were organized by the Ministry of Economy and Industry of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO), Economic Modelling Network and Institute for Scientific Research on Economic Reforms. The two events brought together representatives from about 30 countries and included round table breakout sessions where about 120 lectures have been made on contemporary challenges of industrialization, scientific research and funding opportunities, prospects of government-university-private sector cooperation and other topics related to cooperation of international organizations, government institutions and private sectors.

In accordance with the resolution of the 29th Session of the Standing Committee for Economic and Commercial Cooperation of the OIC (COMCEC), the Statistical, Economic and Social Research and Training Centre for Islamic Countries (SESRIC) and the COMCEC Coordination Office organized a workshop on 30 September – 01 October 2014 at the Headquarters of SESRIC in Ankara, Republic of Turkey as a preparatory event for the Ministerial Exchange of Views Session on the theme “The Role of Public Private Partnerships for the Development of the Tourism Sector in OIC Member States” during the 30th Session of the COMCEC, to be held in Istanbul on 25-28 November 2014.

Statistical, Economic and Social Research and Training Centre for Islamic Countries (SESRIC) organised a training programme on Foreign Exchange Reserve and Risk Management in Istanbul, Turkey, on 29th September – 1st October, 2014, within the framework of OIC Central Banks Capacity Building Programme (OIC-CB-CaB), in collaboration with Istanbul School of Banking (ISB). The course took place with the participation of experts from 7 OIC Member Countries, namely, Algeria, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Sudan, Tajikistan and Uganda.

In conjunction with the OIC Day Celebration, Director General of SESRIC Prof. Savaş Alpay addressed to a roundtable discussion on “South-South Cooperation: the role of regional and intergovernmental organisations and multilateral institutions in promoting and intensifying cooperation among developing countries – lessons learned and best practices” organized by the Permanent Delegation of the OIC to the United Nations Office in Geneva on 29 September 2014. The main objective of the discussion was to share the opinions of the various partners on how to best improve South-South cooperation both inside and between specific regional groupings, as well as getting valuable knowledge from the different experiences acquired by some developing countries, in order for other countries to benefit from it, in building their strategic plans and reaching their sustainable development goals.

The Statistical, Economic and Social Research and Training Centre for Islamic Countries (SESRIC) and National Agency of Statistics and Demography (ANSD) of Senegal have signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) to facilitate collaboration and cooperation between both institutions within the framework of the “Integration of the ‘Tobacco Questions for Surveys (TQS)’ into the National Surveys in OIC Member States” project. The MoA was signed on 25 September 2014 by Prof. Savaş Alpay, Director General of SESRIC, and Mr. Aboubacar Beye, Director General of ANSD of Senegal.

The Centre has organised a training course on ‘Occupational Hygiene’ in collaboration with Development & Perfection International Center (DPIC) of the Ministry of Labor & Administrative Reform in Sudan on 23-25 September 2014. The training course was provided by two experts, namely Mr. Nihat EĞRİ, Director of Occupational Health and Safety Center (ISGUM), and Mr. Hüseyin SEZEK, Kocaeli Laboratory Chief under Occupational Health and Safety Center (ISGUM), affiliated to the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, Turkey.

The 4^th Meeting of the COMCEC Poverty Alleviation Working Group will be held on September 18th, 2014 in Ankara with the theme of “Institutional System of the Social Safety Net Programmes in the OIC Member Countries”. During the meeting, the delegates will discuss the policy options for improving institutional structure, capacity and efficiency of the current SSN programmes, country experiences as well as the challenges faced, employed good practices and the role of non-govermental organisations and international institutions in order to contribute to the national strategies for poverty alleviation.

The Centre, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health of Turkey, organised a training course on "Medical Emergency Management” within the framework of the IbnSina Health Capacity Building Programme (IbnSina-HCaB) at the office of The Emergency and Relief Corporation of Lebanon, in Tripoli, Lebanon, on 17-18 September 2014. The Course was provided by Dr. Hasan Odabaşıoğlu, Medical Doctor with expertise on Disaster Medicine in İzmir, Turkey.

SESRIC participated in International Drought and Desertification Symposium which was jointly organised by the Ministry of Forestry and Water Affairs of Republic of Turkey and Turkish International Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) in Konya, Turkey on 16 September–20 September 2014.

The Centre organised three consecutive training courses on Financial Stability, Financial Crises and Monetary Policy in Istanbul, Turkey, on 15-19 September 2014, within the framework of OIC Central Banks Capacity Building Programme (OIC-CB-CaB), in collaboration with Istanbul School of Banking (ISB). The course took place with the participation of experts from 10 OIC Member Countries, namely, Afghanistan, Algeria, Azerbaijan, Indonesia, Iraq, Iran, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Tunisia and Uganda.

In accordance with its 2014 Annual Work Plan, SESRIC organised the Training Course on 'Price Statistics' at the Central Statistics Organization (CSO) of Islamic Republic of Afghanistan in Kabul on 15-17 September 2014 within the framework of the Statistical Capacity Building (StatCaB) Programme. The Course was conducted by Dr. Mohammad Sadegh Alipour, an expert of the Statistical Centre of Iran (SCI) with participation of relevant officials of CSO of Islamic Republic of Afghanistan.

The Fourth Meeting of the COMCEC Transport Working Group was held on September 12th, 2014 in Ankara, Turkey with the theme “Developing Air Linkages to Sustain Tourism among the OIC Member States”. The Meeting was attended by the representatives of 14 OIC Member States including Afghanistan, Benin, Djibouti, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Jordan, Morocco, Malaysia, Niger, Senegal, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Uganda. Representatives from the COMCEC Coordination Office, IDB (Islamic Development Bank), Turkish Airlines, Air Arabia, ATM Dalaman Airport and ICF International have also attended the Meeting. The Centre was represented thereat by Dr. Cem Tintin, Researcher and Mr. Omercan Kulaklıkaya, Researcher.

The Twenty-Fourth Session of the Committee for the Coordination of Statistical Activities (CCSA) was held in Rome, Italy on 11-12 September 2014. Being the co-chair of the Committee, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) hosted the session.

In accordance with its 2014 Annual Work Plan, SESRIC organised the Training Course on 'Science, Technology and Innovation Statistics' at the Agency on Statistics (AoS) in Astana, Republic of Kazakhstan on 10-12 September 2014, within the framework of the Statistical Capacity Building (StatCaB) Programme. The Course was provided by Mr. Devrim Yagan, Statistics Expert at the Turkish Statistical Institute (TURKSTAT) with the participation of relevant officials of the AoS.

In accordance with its 2014 Annual Work Plan, SESRIC organised the Training Course on 'Data Dissemination and Data Warehousing' at the National Institute of Statistics (INS) of Cote d'Ivoire in Abidjan 9-11 September 2014 within the framework of the Statistical Capacity Building (StatCaB) Programme. The Course was conducted by Mr. Baye Demba Diack, an expert of the National Agency of Statistics and Demographics (ANSD) of Senegal with participation of relevant officials of INS of Cote d'Ivoire.

The Indonesia report is the fourth country study to be published as part of Atlas of Islamic World Science and Innovation project. The report offers an assessment of the Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) landscape in Indonesia, which inhabits the world’s biggest Muslim population.

The Fourth Meeting of the COMCEC Tourism Working Group was held on 04 September 2014 in Ankara, Turkey with the theme “Enhancing the Capacity of Tourism Workforce in the OIC Member Countries for Improved Tourism Service Quality”.

In accordance with its 2014 Annual Work Plan, SESRIC organised the training course on ‘Metadata and Process Management’ at the State Statistical Committee (SSC) in Baku, Republic of Azerbaijan on 28-29 August 2014, within the framework of the Statistical Capacity Building (StatCaB) Programme. The course was provided by Mr. Gökhan Gürgeç, Statistics Expert at Turkish Statistical Institute (TURKSTAT) with participation of relevant officials of SCC.

The Centre has organised successfully a training course on ‘International OSH Regulations’ at the Ministry of Labour and Employment, Bangladesh on 26-27th August 2014. The training course was provided by Ms. Ramuna MOHAMED and Ms. Salina TUKIMIN, both from the Department of Occupational Safety and Health, Ministry of Human Resources, Malaysia.

In accordance with its 2014 Annual Work Plan and within the framework of the Statistical Capacity Building (StatCaB) Programme, SESRIC organised the Training Course on ‘Business Surveys on Service Statistics’ at the Agency on Statistics (AoS) in Astana, Republic of Kazakhstan on 25-27 August 2014. The Course was provided by Mr. Yusuf Kenan Orhan, Statistics Expert at the Turkish Statistical Institute (TURKSTAT) with the participation of relevant officials of the AoS.

The Centre has organised a training course on “Occupational Hygiene” within the framework of Capacity Building Programme for Occupational Safety and Health (OIC-OSHCaB) on 11-13 August 2014 in Paramaribo, Suriname. The Course was provided by Occupational Health and Safety Centre, Republic of Turkey and was attended by staff members of the Foundation for Innovation, Health and Safety Centre, Suriname.

In accordance with its 2014 Annual Work Plan, SESRIC organised the Training Programme on 'Data Dissemination and Data Warehousing' at the State Statistical Committee (SSC) in Baku, Republic of Azerbaijan on 11-13 August 2014, within the framework of the Statistical Capacity Building (StatCaB) Programme. The Course was provided by Mrs. Medine Akyıldız, Statistics Expert at Turkish Statistical Institute (TURKSTAT) with participation of relevant officials of SSC.

The OPHI Summer School on Multidimensional Poverty Analysis was organized by Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI), an economic research centre within the Oxford Department of International Development at the University of Oxford on 11-23 August 2014.

The Expert Group Meeting (EGM) on Enhancing National Capacities of OIC Member Countries in Poverty Statistics was held on 7-8 August 2014 at SESRIC Headquarters in Ankara, Turkey. The EGM was organized within the general framework of SESRIC poverty project which is among the successful final projects selected for the Project Cycle Management (PCM) Programme of the OIC Standing Committee for Economic and Commercial Cooperation (COMCEC). The meeting was attended by delegates from 15 member countries, namely Azerbaijan, Cote d'Ivoire, Djibouti, Egypt, Gambia, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Niger, Pakistan, Senegal, Sudan, Tajikistan, Tunisia, Turkey and Yemen. Representatives of Islamic Solidarity Fund for Development (ISFD) of Islamic Development Bank (IDB) Group, Ministry of Family and Social Policies of Republic of Turkey and related NGOs also participated in the meeting.

The Statistical, Economic and Social Research and Training Centre for Islamic Countries (SESRIC) and the Economic and Statistical Observatory for Sub-Saharan Africa (AFRISTAT) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to initiate and facilitate collaboration and cooperation between both institutions in matters of common interest and to establish the necessary arrangements for their implementation. The MoU was signed on 23 July 2014 by Prof. Savaş Alpay, Director General of SESRIC, and Mr. Cosme Vodounou, PhD, Director General of AFRISTAT.

Ministers from over 20 countries belonging to the Multidimensional Poverty Peer Network (MPPN) gathered in Berlin between 7-8 July 2014 to endorse multidimensional poverty as an overall goal of the new Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and endorse the establishment of a new MPI 2015+ measure of extreme poverty in the post-2015 development context. The network and its participants endorsed Multidimensional Poverty Indices (MPIs) as a powerful policy tool for enhanced poverty reduction at the regional, national and subnational level, with the ability to illuminate the state and progress of marginalised groups.

SESRIC, Islamic Development Bank Group (IDB) and Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) sign a very timely MoU concerning expanding their cooperation for enhancing the socio-economic development in the OIC member countries in a more structured manner on 26 June 2014 on the sideline of the 39th IDB Annual Meeting held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The MoU was jointly signed by Prof. Savaş Alpay, Director General of SESRIC, Dr. Ahmad Muhamed Ali, President of the IDB and Dr. Serdar Çam, President of TIKA.

SESRIC was represented during the “Second High-Level Meeting on Country-led Knowledge Hubs”, which was jointly organised by the World Bank Group and Ministry of Strategy and Finance of the Republic of South Korea 23 and 26 June in Seoul, South Korea in collaboration with Islamic Development Bank, Korea Development Institute, Korea Eximbank and Japan International Cooperation Agency. The second high-level meeting aimed to share and discuss lessons learned on how to develop systematic capacity of country institutions to capture and share development experiences and to review what has been achieved so far since the First High-Level Meeting on Knowledge Hubs, which took place in Bali (Indonesia) in 2012.

The Centre has partnered in the organisation of the Technology Exchange Exhibition that was held in parallel to the Annual Governor’s Meeting and 40th Anniversary of Islamic Development Bank (IDB) during the period 22-26 June 2014 in Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The event was jointly organized with the Islamic Development Bank (IDB) Group, OIC Standing Committee on Scientific and Technological Cooperation (COMSTECH) and Technology Transfer & Exchange Network (TTEN) of Developing-8.

The global development cooperation landscape is changing quickly, with emerging powers as well as non-state actors playing an increasing role, and the international community being in search of a more inclusive and flexible model that allows to go beyond the “North-South” divide. This has implications for aid and cooperation modalities, for how knowledge sharing takes place and how traditional and emerging players alike adapt their strategies, structures and priorities. Against this backdrop, the Conference on International Development Cooperation was organized jointly by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA). The Conference took place on 19-20 June 2014 at Çırağan Palace in Istanbul, Turkey. The Conference was held on the theme “Trends and Emerging Opportunities-Perspectives of the New Actors.” High-level policymakers, senior representatives of international development organizations, business leaders and academics from all over the world attended the two-day meeting. SESRIC was represented at the Conference by Prof. Savaş Alpay, Director-General, accompanied by Mr. Nadi Serhan Aydın, Senior Researcher.

The Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) held its 41st session in Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on 18 – 19 June 2014. The ministerial conference, which was held under the theme “Exploring Areas of Islamic Cooperation”, witnessed the transfer of the Council’s chairmanship from the Republic of Guinea to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The Conference was addressed by His Royal Highness Prince Saud Al-Faisal, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and chairman of the 41st session of the Council of Foreign Ministers.

In accordance with its 2014 Annual Work Plan, SESRIC organised the Training Course on 'Agriculture, Forestry, Fisheries Statistics' at the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS) in Kampala, Republic of Uganda on 17-18 June 2014 within the framework of the Statistical Capacity Building (StatCaB) Programme. The Course was provided by Ms. Tugba Gocmen, Statistics Expert at Turkish Statistical Institute (TURKSTAT) with participation of relevant officials of UBOS.

In accordance with its 2014 Annual Work Plan, SESRIC organised the Training Course on 'Social Accounting Matrices' at the National Statistical Office (ONS) Islamic Republic of Mauritania in Nouakchott on 17-19 June 2014 within the framework of the Statistical Capacity Building (StatCaB) Programme. The Course was provided by Ms. Bahija Nali, Statistics Expert at HCP of Kingdom of Morocco with participation of relevant officials of ONS.

SESRIC organised a Summer School on Islamic Economics and Finance in collaboration with Istanbul Sabahattin Zaim University, the Durham Centre for Islamic Economics and Finance, Borsa Istanbul and Participation Banks Association of Turkey on 17-20 June 2014. The main purpose of the summer school was to give fundamental knowledge about Islamic finance and economics and provide an opportunity for the specialists in the field to cooperate and promote Islamic finance.

The First Steering Committee Meeting for the Implementation of the OIC Framework for Cooperation on Labour, Employment and Social Protection was held in Baku, Republic of Azerbaijan, on 17-18 June 2014. Representatives from 8 OIC member countries attended the meeting; namely, Azerbaijan, Cameroon, Indonesia, Kuwait, Libya, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia and Turkey. The OIC General Secretariat, Islamic Development Bank (IDB) and SESRIC also attended the meeting. SESRIC was represented by Dr. Kenan Bagci, Senior Researcher, at the meeting.

The Centre (SESRIC) was represented in the “Global Tobacco Control Leadership Program” in Baltimore, Maryland – United States, on 09-20 June 2014 by Mr. Ömercan Kulaklıkaya, Research Assistant. The programme was organised by Institute for Global Tobacco Control, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. The programme was attended by 109 tobacco control advocates from 25 countries including some OIC member countries, namely Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, Gambia, Indonesia, Jordan, Pakistan, Sudan, Turkey and Uganda.

The 6th International Economic Summit of Russia and Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) countries was held on June 5-6th, 2014, in the International Information Centre in Kazan, Republic of Tatarstan, Russian Federation. Kazan Summit 2014 was organized by the Islamic Business and Finance Development Foundation (IBDF), a non-profit fund which was founded in 2009 in Kazan, in cooperation with the Tatarstan Investment Development Agency (TIDA), and held under the patronage and with the participation of H.E. Mr. Rustam Nurgalievich Minnikhanov, President of the Republic of Tatarstan. Other key participants of the Sixth Summit included, inter alia, H.E. Mr. Mevlüt Cavuşoğlu, Minister of European Union (EU) Affairs and Chief Negotiator of the Republic of Turkey, H.E. Sultan Bin Saeed Al Mansoori, Minister of Economy of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), H.E. Sultan Al-Khater, Deputy Minister of Economy of the State of Qatar, Mr. Konstantin Shuvalov, Ambassador at Large at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russian Federation, Mr. Ilyas Umakhanov, Deputy Chairman of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of Russian Federation, and Mr. Bronzatto Carlos, CEO of the World Association of Investment Promotion Agencies (WAIPA). Around 500 other participants from 26 countries and 14 Russian regions, including deputy ministers and ambassadors, representatives of national and international organizations, business leaders, and academics, also attended the Summit. The OIC was represented thereat through its delegation comprising Mr. Ahmed Al Haddad, Ambassador and Director of Economic Affairs at the OIC General Secretariat, and Mr. Nadi Serhan Aydın, Senior Researcher at SESRIC.

The World Bank Group organized “Turkey Financial Inclusion Conference” between 3 and 4 June in Istanbul, Turkey in collaboration with Undersecretariat of Treasury of Turkey, Capital Markets Board of Turkey, Banking Regulation and Supervision Agency of Turkey and Borsa Istanbul. The conference aimed to discuss the stance of financial inclusion in Turkey in comparative perspective and implications of Turkey’s new ‘Financial Inclusion Strategy’.

In accordance with its 2014 Annual Work Plan, SESRIC organised the Training Course on ‘Environment Statistics’ at the Institute of Statistics (INSTAT) in Tirana, Republic of Albania on 27-28 May 2014 within the framework of the Statistical Capacity Building (StatCaB) Programme. The Course was provided by Ms. Semiha Nurdan Gedik, Statistics Expert at Turkish Statistical Institute (TURKSTAT) with participation of relevant officials of INSTAT.

The Centre organised, in collaboration with the Ministry of Family and Social Policies Republic of Turkey, a training course on “Social Assistance & Aid Programmes” within the framework of the OIC Poverty Alleviation Programme (OIC-PAP) on 26-28 May 2014 in Banjul, The Gambia. The course was provided by Mr. Ersin Kaya, Social Policy Expert at the Department of Employment and was attended by several experts from the Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs of The Gambia.

The 4th Summit of the Heads of State and Government of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) was held on 20-21 May 2014 in Shanghai, People’s Republic of China.

The regular biennial OIC-UN General Coordination Meeting was held in Istanbul on 20-22 May 2014. The meeting reviewed the joint cooperation activities carried out by the two major international organisations in the political and economic fronts as well as in science and technology during the last two years and explore new areas of cooperation for the future based on mutual areas of interest, including partnership projects and programmes. The Biennial OIC-UN General Coordination Meeting is the institutional framework of exchange of views, discussions and coordination between the two major international organizations and it is attended by high level delegations from both the OIC General Secretariat and specialized agencies of OIC and the UN.

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 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).

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.

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.

The Statistical, Economic and Social Research and Training Centre for Islamic Countries (SESRIC) participated in the "6th European Conference on Tobacco or Health (ECToH)", which was organised by the "Turkish Association for Cancer Research and Control (TACRC)" in collaboration with "National Coalition on Tobacco or Health (SSUK)" under the auspices of the Association of European Cancer Leagues (ECL) on 26-29 March 2014, at The Marmara Hotel in Istanbul, Republic of Turkey.

The Eight Meeting of the OIC Steering Committee on Health was hosted by the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Indonesia on 25–26 March 2014 in Jakarta. The meeting, inter alia, discussed the status of implementation of the decisions and resolutions adopted by the Fourth Islamic Conference of Health Ministers, as well as the implementation of OIC Strategic Health Programme of Action 2014-2023, promoting self-reliance in production of medicines and vaccines, health programmes for Hajj and Umrah pilgrims and establishment of the OIC Health Implementation Unit.

In accordance with the Resolutions of the Third Session of the OIC Statistical Commission (OIC-StatCom), the Members of the OIC-StatCom called for an Expert Group Meeting (EGM) on Islamic Banking and Finance Statistics (IBFStat). The EGM on IBFStat was co-organized by Statistical, Economic and Social Research and Training Centre for Islamic Countries (SESRIC) and the Islamic Research and Training Institute (IRTI) of the Islamic Development Bank (IDB) Group on 25 – 26 March 2014 at the SESRIC Headquarters in Ankara, Turkey. The meeting was attended by delegates from 13 member countries, namely Bangladesh, Cameroon, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya, Malaysia, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Turkey and Yemen. Representatives of Borsa Istanbul (Istanbul Stock Exchange), International Centre for Education in Islamic Finance (INCEIF) and Participation Banks Association of Turkey (TKBB) also participated in the meeting.

Statistical, Economic and Social Research and Training Centre for Islamic Countries (SESRIC) organised a training programme on “Balance of Payments Statistics” at the Central Bank of Yemen Republic on 24-25 March 2014, within the framework of OIC Central Banks Capacity Building Programme (CB-CaB). The seminar was provided by Mr. Serdar Erkılıç, Deputy Director, Statistics Department, Balance of Payments Division of Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey with participation of relevant members of Central Bank of the Republic of Yemen.

In accordance with its 2014 Annual Work Plan, SESRIC organised the Training Course on 'Construction Statistics' at the Central Statistical Organization (CSO) in Sana’a, Republic of Yemen on 24-26 March 2014 within the framework of the Statistical Capacity Building (StatCaB) Programme. The course was provided by Mr. Bünyamin Emirosman, Head of Short Term Business Statistics at Turkish Statistical Institute (TURKSTAT) with participation of relevant officials of Central Statistical Organization (CSO) of Yemen.

The First Meeting of the Lead Country Coordinators was hosted by the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Indonesia in Jakarta on 24-25 March 2014. The meeting was attended by the represeantatives of the relevant Lead Country Coordinators, namely, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Oman, Sudan and Turkey responsbile for the six Thematic Areas areas identified in the OIC Strategic Health Programme of Action 2014-2023 (OIC-SHPA), which was adopted by the 4th Session of the Islamic Conference of Ministers of Health held in Jakarta on 22-24 October 2013, as well as relevant OIC institutions, namely SESRIC, IDB and COMSTECH.

Dr. Abubaker Ahmed Bagader, Director General of Cultural, Social and Family Affairs of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), visited SESRIC on 22 March 2014, together with a delegation comprising Mr. Hasan Basri Arslan, Professional Officer, and Mr. Abdula Manafi Mutualo, Cultural and Social Affairs Officer at the OIC.

In accordance with its 2014 Annual Work Plan, SESRIC organised the training course on 'Balance of Payments and International Trade Statistics' on 18-20 March 2014 at the premises of the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) in Dhaka, Bangladesh within the framework of the Statistical Capacity Building (StatCaB) Programme. The course was provided by Mr. Eyüp Mehmet Dinç, an expert of Turkish Statistical Institute (TURKSTAT), and attended by 21 relevant officials of the BBS.

The Third Meeting of the COMCEC Transport Working Group was held on March 13th, 2014 in Ankara, Turkey with the theme “Developing Multimodal Freight Transport (MFT) Among OIC Member Countries”. The Meeting was attended by the representatives of 15 OIC Member States including Afghanistan, Djibouti, Indonesia, Iraq, Iran, Jordan, Morocco, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Senegal, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Uganda. The Centre was represented thereat by Dr. Cem Tintin, Researcher. Representatives from the COMCEC Coordination Office, IDB (Islamic Development Bank), UIRR (International Union for Road-Rail Combined Transport), UTIKAD (Association of International Forwarding and Logistics Service Providers) and KombiConsult also attended the Meeting.

In accordance with its 2014 Annual Work Plan, SESRIC organised the Training Course on 'Classifications' at the Central Statistical Organization (CSO) in Baghdad, Republic of Iraq on 10-11 March 2014 within the framework of the Statistical Capacity Building (StatCaB) Programme. The course was provided by Mrs. Asmaa Abdelrasoul Mohamed Mourad, senior specialist at Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS) of Arab Republic of Egypt with participation of relevant officials of CSO of Iraq.

In accordance with its 2014 Annual Work Plan, SESRIC organised the training course on 'Price Statistics' at the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates on 10-12 March 2014. The training was attended by 11 experts from the NBS of UAE, Statistics Centre of Abu Dhabi (SCAD), Dubai Statistics Centre (DSC), and Central Department of Statistics and Information (CDSI) of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Dr. Cem Bas, an expert of the Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat), was the trainer for the training programme.

SESRIC, in its capacity as the Secretariat of the OIC Statistical Commission (OIC-StatCom), organized the annual Meeting with the Delegates of National Statistical Offices of OIC Member Countries on 6 March 2014 between 14:00 and 16:00 in Conference Room A of the UN Conference Building as a side event meeting of the 45th Session of the United Nations Statistical Commission in New York. 37 delegates from member countries attended the meeting. Additionally, UNSD and GCC-Stat were represented thereat.

The Third Meeting of the COMCEC Tourism Working Group was held on March 4th, 2014 in Ankara, Turkey with the theme "Enabling Tourism Investment Climate in the COMCEC Region". The Meeting was attended by the representatives of 14 OIC Member States including Oman, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Tunisia, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Egypt, Iraq, Iran, Indonesia, Kyrgyz Republic, Libya, Malaysia, and Mozambique. The Centre was represented thereat by Dr. Cem Tintin, Researcher. Representatives from the COMCEC Coordination Office, ICDT, IFC (World Bank Group), TUROB, SW Associates also attended the Meeting.

Statistical, Economic and Social Research and Training Centre for Islamic Countries (SESRIC) organised a training programme on “Risk Management in Islamic Financial Institutions” at the Central Bank of Iraq on 3-5 March 2014, within the framework of OIC Central Banks Capacity Building Programme (OIC-CB-CaB). The Course was provided by Mr. Abdul Samad, Member Shairah Compliance Department, AlHuda CIBE, with participation of relevant experts of Central Bank of Iraq.

The twenty third session of the Committee for the Coordination of Statistical Activities (CCSA) was held at United Nations Headquarters in New York, USA on 3 March 2014. 41 delegates from international and supranational organizations participated in the Twenty Third Session of the CCSA. The Centre was represented by Prof. Savas Alpay, Director General and Mrs. Zehra Zumrut Selcuk, Senior Researcher.

Borsa İstanbul organized the first conference on Islamic finance in Istanbul on March 3rd and 4th, 2014. The event is organized with the collaboration of World Bank, Islamic Development Bank, INCEIF-The Global University of Islamic Finance, IDB Islamic Research and Training Institute, Kuwait Finance House, Durham University and Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey. The main subject of the conference was “Implications of Participation Model in Finance”. The conference aimed to provide a platform, to stimulate debate and research to discuss the current pressing issues and the future of the Islamic Economics and Finance. The conference brought together academicians and practitioners in an international setting. From SESRIC, Dr. Kenan Bağcı and Mr. Nadi Serhan Aydin, senior researchers at the centre, attended the conference.

The Third Meeting of the COMCEC Trade Working Group was held on February 27th, 2014 in Ankara, Turkey with the theme "Facilitating Intra-OIC Trade: Improving the Efficiency of Customs Procedures". The Meeting was attended by the representatives of 21 OIC Member States including Bangladesh, Cameroon, Comoros, Egypt, Indonesia, Iraq, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Libya, Malaysia, Mali, Morocco, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Tunisia, Turkey and Yemen. The Centre was represented thereat by Dr. Kenan Bağcı, Senior Researcher. Representatives of the COMCEC Coordination Office, ITFC/IDB, ICDT, SMIIC, UNCTAD, World Customs Organization (WCO) and Gümrük ve Ticaret İşletmeleri (GTI) of Turkey also attended the Meeting.

Statistical, Economic and Social Research and Training Centre for Islamic Countries (SESRIC) in collaboration with the Ministry of Forestry and Water Affairs of the Republic of Turkey and the Turkish Water Institute (SUEN), organised the International Integrated Basin Management Workshop on 25-26 February 2014 in Istanbul, Turkey.

In accordance with its 2014 Annual Work Plan, SESRIC organised the training course on 'Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) Statistics' on 25-27 February 2014 at the premises of the Ministry of Development Planning and Statistics in Doha, Qatar within the framework of the Statistical Capacity Building (StatCaB) Programme. The course was provided by Mr. Salim Gürbüz, an expert of Turkish Statistical Institute (TURKSTAT), and attended by 17 relevant officials of the Ministry of Development Planning and Statistics of Qatar.

H.E. Dato Haji Ismail bin Haji Abdulmuttalib, Deputy Minister of Human Resources of Malaysia, visited SESRIC Headquarters on 17 February 2014, together with a delegation from the Ministry of Human Resources of Malaysia, and accompanied by H.E. Mr. Amran Mohamed Zin, Ambassador of Malaysia to Turkey. Also present were Mr. Kasım Özer, the Director General of General Directorate of Occupational Health and Safety of Turkey, together with managers and experts from the Ministry of Labour and Social Security of Turkey.

Statistical, Economic and Social Research and Training Centre for Islamic Countries (SESRIC) organised a training programme on “Islamic Debt and Equity Markets” at the Islamabad Stock Exchange on 10-11 February 2014, within the framework of OIC Capacity Building Programme for Stock Exchanges (OIC-SEP). The Course was provided Mr. Majid Pireh, Islamic Finance Lecturer, Tehran Stock Exchange of Iran, with participation of relevant members of the Islamabad Stock Exchange of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.

The 8th Meeting of the OIC Steering Committee on Health will be held in February 2014. The meeting will, inter alia, discuss the implementation of the decisions and resolutions adopted by the Islamic Conferences of Health Ministers and finalize a road map for the implementation of OIC Strategic Health Programme of Action 2014 – 2023.

SESRIC has participated in Global Health and Ageing Conference, which was organised by the World Ageing Council (DUNYAK) in Istanbul on 1 February 2014. The Conference hosted representatives of civil society organisations as well as international and regional institutions, including SESRIC and D-8, in order to discuss major challenges and obstacles about global health and ageing, and declared Global Health and Ageing Decade (2014-2023) and Global Alliance on Health and Ageing (GAHA).

H.E. Dr. Cevdet Yılmaz, Minister of Development of the Republic of Turkey, paid a courtesy visit to SESRIC on 24th January 2014. H.E. the Minister was accompanied by Mr. Ahmet Yaman, Deputy Undersecretary of the Ministry of Development, and Mr. Metin Eker, Director General of the COMCEC Coordination Office. H.E. the Minister was welcomed by the Director General of the Centre, Prof. Savaş Alpay, where he expressed his gratitude to the Minister for designating his valuable time for this honourable visit to SESRIC. Following the welcoming, H.E. the Minister was briefed by the heads of the technical departments at the Centre on the activities of their respective departments. The presentations on the activities of the Centre were made by Mr. Hüseyin Hakan Eryetli, Director of Statistics and Information Department, Mr. Nabil M. Dabour, Director of Economic and Social Research Department, and Mr. Mehmet F. Serenli, Director of Training and Technical Cooperation Department.

In accordance with its 2014 Annual Work Plan, SESRIC organised the Training Course on 'Information Society Statistics' at the National Institute of Statistics (INS) in Niamey, Niger on 14-15 January 2014. The training was attended by 20 experts from the INS, AJSN, ANP, CSC, DS Communication, IFTIC, MCT/EN, ONEP, and ORTN (Télé Sahel and Voix du Sahel). Mr. Bouazza Bouchkhar, an expert of the Directorate of Statistics at the High Commission for Planning of Morocco, was the trainer for the training programme.

H.E. Iyad Ameen Madani, Secretary General of the OIC, paid an official visit to the Republic of Turkey on 14-15 January 2014. During his two-day official visit to Ankara, H.E. the Secretary General was received by H.E. Abdullah Gül, President of the Republic of Turkey, and H.E. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Prime Minister. He also had meetings with H.E. Ali Babacan, Deputy Prime Minister, H.E. Ahmet Davutoğlu, Minister of Foreign Affairs and H.E. Cevdet Yılmaz, Minister of Development. The Secretary General was briefed by the COMCEC Coordination Office on its activities and COMCEC’s new strategy. On 15th January, the Secretary General addressed the 6th Turkish Ambassadorial Conference, which was attended by Turkish ambassadors serving overseas.

The Statistical, Economic and Social Research and Training Centre for Islamic Countries (SESRIC) has hosted the Brainstorming Session on the Transfer of Knowledge and Expertise in the Field of Science &Technology among the OIC Member Countries, on 09 January 2014 in Ankara, Turkey, at its headquarters.