Islamic World Could Make Huge Contribution to Ending Hunger - Kazakh Leader

The 57-member Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) can significantly contribute to the global food security efforts, Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev said Thursday.

ASTANA (Sputnik) — On April 26-28, the Kazakh capital of Astana hosts the inaugural session of the General Assembly of the Islamic Organization for Food Security (IOFS) in parallel to the seventh Conference on Food Security and Agricultural Development in OIC Member States.

"The Islamic world should not stand still on such key issues as the eradication of hunger, the development of agriculture, the provision of food security. The OIC member states could make a huge contribution to the provision of food security, if join their efforts," Nazarbayev said in a welcome address to the participants of the IOFS session, as read out by the country's prime minister, Karim Massimov.

Nazarbayev added in his address that he was sure that all the members of the OIS would join the IOFS in future.

The creation of the OIFS was proposed by the Kazakh leader in 2011. It aims to increase cooperation between the OIC members in the agricultural sphere, as well as to monitor the food security problems in the OIFS member states.