Prof. Iqbal Choudhary highlights the urgent need for scientific cooperation in agriculture, food security, and climate resilience
Islamists : Prof. Dr. M. Iqbal Choudhary, Coordinator General of the OIC Ministerial Standing Committee on Scientific and Technological Cooperation (COMSTECH), highlighted key initiatives undertaken by COMSTECH to promote food security, climate resilience, and sustainable agriculture in OIC member states. Speaking at the International Symposium on “Sustainable Agriculture for Food and Nutritional Security under Climate Change Scenario” at the International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences (ICCBS), University of Karachi, Prof. Choudhary emphasized the urgent need for collaborative scientific strategies across the Muslim world to address the mounting threats posed by climate change and food insecurity. The symposium was jointly organized by ICCBS and the Sindh Innovation, Research, and Education Network (SIREN) and brought together leading researchers, practitioners, and academics from OIC countries and beyond.
In his keynote address, Prof. Choudhary drew attention to alarming statistics, noting that over 733 million people suffered from hunger in 2023, with one in five individuals in Africa directly affected. He further highlighted that 2.33 billion people globally experienced moderate to severe food insecurity, while 864 million faced conditions so severe they often went a full day or more without food. Within OIC countries alone, 203 million people were undernourished as of 2020, representing 28 percent of the global total and 11.2 percent of the OIC population. He stated that these realities demand a unified scientific and technological response from OIC countries to build resilient food systems and climate-adaptive agriculture.
Prof. Choudhary presented COMSTECH’s work in transforming agriculture and addressing climate vulnerabilities through its dedicated platform, the COMSTECH Forum on Environment and Ecosystem Restoration (CFEER), launched in 2022. Through this initiative, a series of regional programs and technical workshops have been conducted in countries including Niger, Benin, Uganda, and Somalia. These programs have focused on climate-smart agriculture, land degradation, food system transformation, agri-business development, and strategies for combating food insecurity in the Sahel region. Further CFEER-led activities are scheduled for the remainder of 2025 in Uganda, Indonesia, and Somalia, targeting critical areas such as resilient urban food systems and ecosystem restoration.
COMSTECH is also fostering youth engagement in agricultural innovation through targeted training and research programs. The COMSTECH Youth Leadership Training Program (CYLTP) supports young professionals from OIC countries in areas such as sustainable agriculture, water management, and renewable energy. Meanwhile, the COMSTECH-Gourmet Industrial Internship Program has successfully trained early-career researchers from Nigeria, Bangladesh, and Palestine in practical aspects of food safety, processing, and supply chain management. These programs are designed to create a skilled cadre of professionals capable of advancing food security and innovation in the developing world.
Additionally, COMSTECH is offering specialized research fellowships in human nutrition, food sciences, and biotechnology, enabling researchers to undertake short-term placements in partner institutions across the OIC region. Areas of focus include neglected food crops, nutraceuticals, agricultural biotechnology, and food safety systems. The fellowships aim to enhance local expertise in improving nutrition and resilience of food systems in vulnerable communities.
The COMSTECH-SMIIC Halal Products Testing and Standards Programme has also contributed to regional capacity-building by training over 300 researchers and laboratory staff across East Africa, Southeast Asia, and Central Asia in food quality assurance. A halal testing laboratory has been successfully established at the Islamic University in Uganda under this initiative, supporting both food security and trade compliance.
In support of next-generation technologies in agriculture, COMSTECH will host the third edition of its Biotechnology Youth Forum in Dhaka, Bangladesh, from 12 to 14 September 2025. The forum will focus on genome editing technologies such as CRISPR, with emphasis on climate-resilient crops, biotechnology regulations, and gene acceleration. This event aims to connect young scientists across OIC countries working on cutting-edge solutions to agricultural and environmental challenges.
Through its wide-reaching programs in food security, nutrition science, climate resilience, and biotechnology, COMSTECH continues to position itself as a leading platform for cooperation among OIC member states. Prof. Choudhary noted that building scientific and technical capacity in these fields is vital to achieving long-term food sovereignty and sustainable development across the Islamic world.
Sohail Majeed is a Special Correspondent at The Diplomatic Insight. He has twelve plus years of experience in journalism & reporting. He covers International Affairs, Diplomacy, UN, Sports, Climate Change, Economy, Technology, and Health.
