Cameroon ratified the Statute of the Islamic Organization for Food Security

The President of the Republic of Cameroon Paul Biya has signed the Decree on the ratification of the Statute of the Islamic Organization for Food Security (IOFS) dated on December 10, 2013 in Conakry, Republic of Guinea.

Cameroon has become the 18th country of the Islamic world to ratify the IOFS Statute, thereby recognizing the need for its participation in finding solutions to the main problems related to food security faced by the member states of this organization in particular with outbreaks of famine, malnutrition, poverty, increasing population, growing food-waste, desertification, deforestation and soil salinization.

For each member state that has ratified the Charter, this document enters into force on the 30th day from the date of submission of the instrument of ratification to the General Secretariat of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).

The IOFS is a specialized agency of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation in accordance with Article 24 of the OIC Charter. It consists of 37 states of the Islamic world and with their activities aimed at mobilizing efforts in agriculture and food potential development.

In September 2020, at the General Debate of the 75th session of the UN General Assembly, President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Zhomart Tokayev noted the role of the IOFS in providing food aid: «We need prompt and well-coordinated steps to get back on track for an accelerated SDG Decade of Action – probably the most critical decade of our generation. The very basic target, zero hunger is to be provided unconditionally. In this context, we note the importance of convening a Food Systems Summit in 2021. The Islamic Organization for Food Security, initiated by Kazakhstan is ready to assist the international humanitarian campaign through the creation of food reserves.»