Increasing the Resilience of the Food Systems
In Islamic States in Face of Future Food Crises
147
National pledges can be made within the framework of COMCEC, with an emphasis on
lagging countries, and with continued measurement of progress by countries against
their strategies
While the majority of OIC members work closely with the UNFAO and demonstrate a
commitment toaddressing crises, firm government commitments are stillneeded across the OIC
to tackle long-term food security vulnerabilities and gaps.
The forums arranged by COMCEC are an important mechanism to facilitate discussion and
promote goal setting. As COMCEC works to extend membership of its Agricultural Working
Group and the attendance at its meetings, an important objective is to develop clear, template
goals for food security that all OIC member states can agree to.
Pledges are important tools to encourage OIC member countries to take affirmative action,
similar to the 2015 pledges to tackle climate change signed in Paris by most world nations.582
The Agricultural Working Group is an important forum for such a pledge to be discussed,
finalized, and agreed upon. Agreeing to the pledge could be a condition of access to an OIC-wide
trade agreement and food security funds; the latter will be discussed further in this section. The
Technology StrategyBoard, a new institution that is proposed later in this section, could play an
important role in helping countries enhance their food systems and gain credibility in exporting
to other member countries.
Table 76: Suggested Areas for a National Food Security Strategy and Pledge for OIC Members
Focus Areas Suggested Targets
Malnutrition Reduction of malnutrition below 5% of the total population; particular
focus on children and women
Agricultural
Infrastructure
Eradication of aflatoxin; existence of one grain storage facilitate in every
province in which agricultural products are grown
Research At least one dedicated agriculture program; at least 10 agricultural
studies developed over a five-year period
Monitoring Adoption of all best practice KPIs related to monitoring
Funds Establishment of concrete funds to support social safety nets and
disasters that translate into a standardized measure of GDP
Source: DinarStandard Analysis
Food system strategies can be developed by each country that aims to elaborate on and
develop an implementation roadmap for national commitments made, with a robust
commitment to long-term talent development in food and agriculture
Strategy development around the food sector—particularly for a plan to address opportunities
that arise—is an area that few OIC countries have credibly addressed. Malaysia and the UAE, as
noted in the preceding chapter, have developed robust strategies to address the halal food
trade opportunity by capitalizing on trade flows to OIC countries—an example that Indonesia
has resolutely followed.
582 “Paris 2015: Tracking country climate pledges.” Carbon Brief. Sep 16, 2015