SESRIC convened a high-level edition of its SESRIC Conversations series on 21 October 2026 at the Al-Aqsa Library at SESRIC Headquarters in Ankara, in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), to mark World Food Day 2026. Held under the theme “From Success Stories to Scalable Solutions in OIC Member Countries”, the event brought together representatives of national institutions, diplomatic missions, international organisations, development partners, technical experts and students from OIC Member Countries. The discussions focused on how successful national experiences could be transformed into scalable solutions through regional cooperation, policy innovation and strategic investment to advance sustainable agrifood systems.

In her Welcoming Remarks, H.E. Zehra Zümrüt SELÇUK, Director General of SESRIC, highlighted the persistent food security challenges facing OIC Member Countries, noting that approximately 243 million people in the region were undernourished in 2024, while nearly 1 billion people could not afford a healthy diet in 2025. She underscored the considerable agricultural resources and accumulated expertise of OIC Member Countries, emphasising that numerous successful initiatives and practical solutions were already being implemented across the region and could be adapted and scaled up to address shared challenges. In this regard, she reaffirmed SESRIC’s commitment to supporting these efforts through its mandates in statistics, research and capacity development. She further stressed that food security extends beyond agricultural production to encompass access to safe, nutritious and diverse diets, calling for greater investment in proven approaches, South-South cooperation and systematic knowledge exchange.

Dr. Ayşegül SELIŞIK, FAO Assistant Representative in Türkiye, highlighted the pivotal role of young people in shaping the future of agrifood systems and underscored the longstanding FAO–Türkiye Partnership Programmes (FTPP) as a model of international cooperation whose impact extends beyond national borders. Expressing confidence in the transformative potential of innovation, partnerships and knowledge-sharing, she noted that the regional initiative on reducing food loss and waste had helped participating countries strengthen their data systems, policy frameworks and institutional capacities. She also emphasised the importance of platforms such as SESRIC Conversations in facilitating the exchange of experience and accelerating progress towards more sustainable and resilient agrifood systems across the OIC region.

In their Opening Remarks, H.E. Liam CHICCA, IFAD Country Director in Türkiye, emphasised that scaling up successful initiatives requires more than replicating existing models; it depends on enabling policy frameworks, sustained financing and effective institutional capacities. Mr. Ahmet Volkan GÜNGÖREN, Deputy Director General at the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of Türkiye, similarly stressed the importance of translating proven practices into joint projects and tangible investments. He also announced that Türkiye would place the water–food–climate nexus at the centre of its agenda at COP31 and launch a related initiative under its partnership with FAO, further underscoring the importance of integrated approaches to addressing interconnected sustainability challenges.

Delivering the Keynote Speech, H.E. Mehmet Mehdi EKER, Former Minister of Food, Agriculture and Livestock of Türkiye, described food security as a fundamental pillar of human dignity, stability and peace. He identified three essential elements for scaling up successful solutions: reliable agricultural data, common standards and institutional cooperation, and the conservation of genetic resources. He cautioned, however, that effective scaling requires adapting successful practices to local circumstances rather than reproducing them without regard to contextual differences. He commended SESRIC’s OICStat database for enabling countries to monitor comparative progress and identify opportunities for cooperation, welcomed the Islamic Organisation for Food Security’s (IOFS) initiative to establish an international gene bank, and highlighted the complementary roles of SESRIC, FAO and IOFS in advancing collaborative solutions. Drawing on Türkiye’s experience, he recalled that more than 15 drought-resilient barley and wheat varieties had been developed following the 2007 drought. He also paid tribute to farmers, livestock breeders, fishers and beekeepers, recognising their indispensable contribution to the resilience and sustainability of food systems.

Mr. Muzamil EDEMA, Researcher at SESRIC, presented the principal findings of the Centre’s forthcoming report on Agriculture and Food Security in OIC Member Countries. He highlighted that agricultural production across the OIC region had increased by 23% over the preceding decade, compared with 12% globally. Nevertheless, he noted that the region’s agricultural trade deficit had widened to US$ 106 billion in 2024, while the number of undernourished people had reached 243 million, underscoring the need to address persistent structural challenges despite improvements in production.

Mr. Burak GÜRESİNLİ, FTPP Liaison Officer at FAO, presented success stories emerging from the Partnership Programmes across Türkiye, Central Asia and Africa. Supported by US$ 30 million in funding from the Government of Türkiye, these programmes have facilitated cooperation and the exchange of expertise across participating countries. He also introduced the forthcoming FTPP Success Story Publication, which will document the outcomes and experiences of 18 projects, providing a basis for further knowledge-sharing and the adaptation of successful approaches in other contexts.

The event continued with a panel discussion entitled “From Success Stories to Regional Impact: Scaling Innovation, Partnerships and Investment for Sustainable Agrifood Systems”, moderated by Mr. Mazhar HUSSAIN, Director of Research at SESRIC. The panellists examined the institutional, policy and financial conditions required to translate successful initiatives into broader regional impact.

Prof. Dr. Aykut GÜL of the Presidential Council for Agriculture and Food Policies of Türkiye characterised food security as a key component of national security and outlined Türkiye’s responses to disruptions arising from supply chain vulnerabilities and climate-related shocks. Dr. Umay Gökçe ÖZKAN of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of Türkiye presented a four-step approach to scaling successful practices, emphasising the transfer of adaptable methodologies rather than the replication of fixed blueprints. Mr. Ahmed RAZA, Senior Policy Officer at FAO, drew on findings from the State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI) report to highlight the importance of investing in storage and logistics infrastructure and redirecting subsidies towards the promotion of nutritious foods. Ms. Zeynep ÖZKAN, Partnership Officer at the World Food Programme (WFP), underscored the value of multi-stakeholder partnerships and Türkiye’s role as a humanitarian hub, noting that WFP procurement from Türkiye had amounted to US$ 2.6 billion over six years.

The event concluded with an interactive question-and-answer session and a networking reception, offering participants an opportunity to exchange perspectives, share practical experiences and explore avenues for enhanced institutional cooperation. The discussions reaffirmed that translating successful national experiences into scalable regional solutions requires approaches tailored to local contexts, robust data and evidence, sustained investment, South-South cooperation and effective partnerships among OIC institutions, national stakeholders and international organisations. By providing a platform for dialogue and the exchange of practical knowledge, SESRIC Conversations contributed to advancing collective efforts towards more resilient, inclusive and sustainable agrifood systems across OIC Member Countries.

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