Within the framework of the COMCEC Project Funding under its 13^th Call for Project Proposals, SESRIC organised an Experience-Sharing Workshop on “Strengthening Institutional and Human Capacities for Social Housing through Islamic Financial Mechanisms” on 7–8 September 2026 in Dhaka, Bangladesh. 

The workshop welcomed 20 senior experts and decision-makers within national housing, climate change/disaster management authorities, social development ministries, and Islamic financial institutions from 3 OIC member countries.

The workshop focused on the utilisation of Islamic financial instruments and specialized microfinance models to support comprehensive, affordable, and resilient social housing initiatives for low-income and in-need populations. Its primary aim is to enhance the institutional and human capacities of participating countries, facilitate structured policy dialogue, and collaboratively draft a practical “list of recommendations" to integrate Islamic social finance into national housing frameworks.

The workshop covered the following topics as well as host interactive roundtable discussions:

• Global importance of social housing for vulnerable populations and the role of financing mechanisms, including Islamic instruments;
• Decent and resilient housing for the poor in the OIC member countries;
• Islamic social finance instruments for decent and resilient housing;
• Integrating Islamic Social Finance (ISF) into National Housing Strategies;
• Country Experiences: Egypt, Malaysia  Bangladesh : Islamic finance to support social and affordable housing initiatives, Best Practices and Lessons Learned;
• Interactive Roundtable Discussion for Drafting Policy Recommendations 

The COMCEC Coordination Office (CCO) introduced the COMCEC Project Funding (CPF) in 2013, a financing mechanism that supports projects submitted by OIC member countries and relevant OIC institutions. Funding is provided in the form of a grant through the Development and Investment Bank of the Republic of Türkiye, a primary body in the CPF scheme. Since the initiation of CPF, SESRIC has implemented 19 projects to date across various cooperation areas and sectoral themes determined by the CCO. 

For the 13^th Call for Project Proposals of CPF, the CCO has completed the evaluation process and announced the final list of successful projects. Three SESRIC projects have been identified as eligible for funding in the 2026 implementation period. These projects, designed in collaboration with relevant national institutions in member countries, aim to strengthen human resources and institutional capacities in the areas of agriculture, poverty alleviation, and tourism cooperation areas.

For more details about SESRIC projects funded by the COMCEC, please visit: https://www.sesric.org/tcd-activities-projects-funded.php

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