The 35th Meeting of ICCD’s Board of Directors
ICCD is honored to announce the convening of the 35th Meeting of its Board of Directors took place on July 17-18, 2023, in Baku, the Republic of Azerbaijan, with a tightly packed program focused on fostering collaboration and driving progress forward, and in the presence of chambers’ presidents and member states’ representatives, who shared their insightful visions and innovative ideas, shaping the promising economic future for the entire Islamic nation.
During the 35th Meeting of ICCD’s Board of Directors, the candidates for the specialized committees have been approved, maintaining open doors for countries to submit their new nominees. In addition, the meeting agreed to change ICCIA’s name to be “The Islamic Chamber of Commerce and Development (ICCD)” and to present this decision to the upcoming General Assembly members for approval in Qatar.
Furthermore, the meeting reviewed the most significant achievements accomplished by ICCD’s General Secretariat over the last year, most notable: ICCD’s attainment of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) certification, which affirms its commitment to the standards related to quality, environmental management, health and safety. Additionally, they pointed out ICCD’s scholarship program, which aims to support youth across the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to achieve further progress in their educational and practical lives.
In this regard, H.E. Hissein Brahim Taha, Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), commended ICCD for its significant contribution towards the economic and social development of the Islamic world, within the speech addressed by Mr. Maghi Jabbarov, Director General, Department of Economic Affairs of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, on behalf of him, at the 35th Meeting of ICCD Board of Directors.
Moreover, Mr. Hossein Selahvarzi, President of the Iranian Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines, and Agriculture, emphasized ICCD’s role in representing the collective commercial interests of the Islamic world and fostering international trade and cooperation among Islamic nations across its various sectors, stressing that increased economic cooperation among these countries would contribute to promoting peace and security.
On the sidelines of the Meeting, a series of fruitful discussions occurred, as leaders and officials explored potential collaborations to drive economic growth and development, including the meetings held by ICCD with representatives of member countries’ representatives, for instant ICCD Leadership, represented in its President H.E. Mr. Abdullah Saleh Kamel, its Vice-Presidents H.E. Mr. Rifat HİSARCIKLIOĞLU and H.E. Sheikh Khalifa bin Jassim bin Mohammed Al-Thani, as well as the Secretary General H.E. Mr. Yousef Khalawi on one hand, and H.E. Mr. Ali Javad Oglu Ahmadov, Deputy Prime Minister of The Republic of Azerbaijan, on the other hand, with a view to explore potential collaborations for driving economic growth and development across Azerbaijan, as well as discuss ways of enhancing its cooperation with the rest of OIC member countries.
Additionally, a fruitful meeting was held between ICCD leadership delegation and the Minister of Economy of the Republic of Azerbaijan, to explore the potential of strengthening economic ties between the two entities. H.E. Mr. Yousef Khalawi, ICCD Secretary General, also met with Mr. Fahd Addabous, Board Member at Kuwait Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and Mr. Feras Al Ouda, Assistant Director-General at Kuwait Chamber, with a view to discuss various mechanisms of developing economic relations between the two entities.
Moreover, H.E. Mr. Abdullah Saleh Kamel, ICCD President, and Mr. Hossein Selahvarzi, President of the Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture of Iran, had a productive exchange on potential areas of cooperation in various economic spheres for the benefit of the entire Islamic nation. While ICCD Secretary-General, H.E. Mr. Yousef Khalawi, had a productive meeting with the President of the Federation of UAE Chambers of Commerce and Industry, H.E. Mr. Abdullah Mohamed Al Mazrouei, to explore potential areas of promoting mutual cooperation.
The 35th Meeting of ICCD’s Board of Directors was accompanied by several economic events aimed at stimulating investment and creating promising opportunities across OIC member states, including the Exhibition for Traditional Crafts and Heritage in Azerbaijan, which was held throughout the two days, showcasing Azerbaijan’s cultural gems, promising to inspire innovation and creativity globally.
In addition, the investment opportunities program was held on the first day of the meeting, where representatives of member chambers of commerce presented multiple offers for investment opportunities across their countries to attract more foreign investment, thus contributing to enhancing economic cooperation, and creating a conducive investment environment to achieve sustainable economic growth.
One of the main goals of ICCD is to foster the Halal industry globally. In this context, Eng. Ashraf Tanbouly, CEO of Islamic Chamber Halal Services (ICHS), gave a presentation on the role of ICHS in promoting the expansion of the Halal market, pointing out the Halal Portal, which has been established to simplify the process of Halal certification, and the Digital Halal certification platform that utilizes Blockchain technology to improve traceability of Halal products along the supply chain, for establishing a Halal ecosystem across countries.
As microfinance performs a fundamental role in today’s world, Dr. Mohamed Ibrahim, CEO of ICCD Holding Company, also gave a presentation, where he discussed the crucial importance of microfinance in empowering women and youth, highlighting the importance of digital microfinance in increasing the participation of vulnerable groups in the country’s economic activities, as well as enhancing social financing as an effective means for empowering the vulnerable groups economically.
In the light of the significant importance of Manafea partnership in achieving a cultural and heritage leap in Makkah Al-Mukarramah and Al-Madinah Al-Munawwarah, as well as investing the holy status of the two cities, transforming them into hubs for business and investment events, Mr. Majed Al-Mozayan, Executive Director of Manafea, pointed out, on the sidelines of the meeting, the nine tracks of Manafea partnership, as well as its significant events in 2023, such as: the Makkah-Al-Madinah International Exhibition, Makkah Entrepreneurship Forum, and Makkah Halal Forum, emphasizing their importance in achieving the objectives of the partnership and contributing to the achievement of the Saudi Vision 2030
Forging new paths for cooperation among Muslim investors, Ms. Aya Mahrous, Acting Director of Events Management at ICCD, emphasized the importance of the Global Muslim Business Forum, which will be organized by ICCD, in collaboration with the Strategic Institute for Asia Pacific (KSI), under the theme of “Innovation and Transformation in the Islamic Economy”, in Malaysia on November 28-30, 2023. This event will be held under the patronage of the Government of Sarawak and in collaboration with the KSI Strategic Institute for Asia Pacific, Malaysia’s leading private Think Tank and the Global One Foundation in Britain. Global Muslim business forum is an international platform that showcases the best practices in various fields such as Islamic finance, green technology and agriculture, aiming to facilitate stimulating discussions and promote collaboration among governments, businesses, and civil societies worldwide.
Collaborating for a better future, many agreements were signed on the sidelines of the 35th Meeting of ICCD’s Board of Directors, such as the MOU between the Islamic Chamber Halal Services (ICHS) and National Confederation of Entrepreneurs (Employers) Organizations of the Republic of Azerbaijan (ASK), as a significant step towards fostering the Halal industry worldwide.
Moreover, The Islamic Chamber of Commerce and Development (ICCD), State Tourism Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan (STA), Small and Medium Business Development Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan (KOBIA), International Association of Islamic Business (IAIB), and Caspian Event Organizers (CEO) have collaborated to organize the first Azerbaijan Halal Business and Tourism Forum in 2024. This significant event is marked by the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) which signifies the cooperation between the parties involved in implementing various projects related to the Forum.
Furthermore, ICCD continues its efforts to enhance economic development across all member countries by signing a strategic MOU with the Chamber of Commerce, Industry, and Agriculture of Mauritania, aiming to strengthen economic cooperation and organize a regional forum on “Digital Transformation” in 2023 in Nouakchott. This MOU also includes cooperation between the two parties in local and regional training programs and workshops, as well as agricultural projects and initiatives launched by ICCD.
In pursuit of promoting trade and investment cooperation between enterprises, particularly SMEs, across its member countries, ICCD has also signed an MOU with KOBIA to strengthen economic cooperation. This will involve maintaining constant communication, holding joint events, as well as exchanging necessary information to promote SMEs and foster their role in increasing investment and employment opportunities, as well as promoting economic development.
Moreover, ICCD took part in the Board of Directors Meeting of the Islamic Chamber Research and Information Center (ICRIC), which was graced by the presence of the representatives of Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture and Jordan Chamber of Commerce delegations, on July 18, 2023, in Baku, the Republic of Azerbaijan, on the sidelines of the 35th Meeting of ICCIA’s Board of Directors. The BOD Meeting of ICRIC discussed the “the OIC Networking System of SMEs Agencies” project, which aims to Promote economic sectors, through by launching an online base in which all institutions related to small and medium companies will adjoin it as a member and their networking strength and synergistic power will give rise sharing their experiences, knowledge, and thoughts in solving the common problems of this companies.
This meeting also tackled the “Islamic Countries Tourism Chain” project, launched by ICRIC to promote the tourism sector, through y launching an online base in which all institutions in the OIC Countries related tourism will adjoin it as a member and their networking strength and synergistic power will give rise sharing their experiences, knowledge, and thoughts in promotion and growth of the industry across the Islamic world.
In conclusion, the 35th Meeting of ICCD’s Board of Directors reflected the Chamber’s steadfast commitment to fostering collaboration among its members, as by convening these meetings, ICCD aims to open up new avenues for cooperation and facilitate comprehensive, sustainable development across the Islamic world.
In this respect, ICCD affirms its continued efforts to enhance comprehensive and sustainable development across all its member countries, by supporting economic cooperation among these countries, providing a fertile investment environment for investors from around the world, as well as supporting innovation and creativity to advance the Islamic world’s countries.