Palestine emphasizes the importance of cooperation and innovation to enhance food security during the General Assembly of the Islamic Organization for Food Security

Thursday, May 14, 2026

The State of Palestine participated in the 7th General Assembly of the Islamic Organization for Food Security (IOFS), held virtually on May 13 and 14, 2026, in Astana, Kazakhstan. Engineer Mahmoud Fatafta, Director General of International Relations at the Ministry of Agriculture, represented the State of Palestine, delegated by His Excellency the Minister of Agriculture, Professor Riziq Slaimiya, to participate in the meeting and deliver the State of Palestine's statement on his behalf. Representatives of member states, institutions of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), and international organizations were also present. The meeting saw the election of the Republic of Kazakhstan as President of the 7th General Assembly, while the State of Palestine was elected Vice-President within the General Assembly Bureau for the current session.

The State of Palestine's statement, delivered under the guidance of His Excellency the Minister of Agriculture, Professor Riziq Slaimiya, emphasized that the challenges facing the Palestinian agricultural sector are not limited to the effects of the war in the Gaza Strip. They also extend to the ongoing attacks on agricultural lands in the West Bank, including land confiscation, settlement expansion, and restrictions on access to natural resources and water sources. Furthermore, the statement highlighted settler attacks on farmers and their property, all of which directly impact food security and rural development in Palestine. The statement stressed that the widespread destruction of agricultural infrastructure and the disruption of production and supply chains in Gaza necessitate urgent action to rehabilitate the sector, bolster the resilience of farmers, and restore the productive capacity of the Palestinian agricultural sector.

The statement concluded by emphasizing that the agricultural sector in Gaza has suffered extensive destruction of its infrastructure and disruption of production and supply chains. In the speech delivered by Engineer Fatafta on behalf of the Minister, the State of Palestine called for the launch of an Islamic-international program for emergency agricultural response and agricultural rehabilitation in Palestine, support for a Palestinian-international plan to rebuild the Palestinian food system, and the promotion of investment in agricultural innovation, smart agriculture and modern technologies, in addition to expanding areas of cooperation between member states in the fields of agricultural scientific research, technology transfer, natural resource management and capacity building, and working to protect agricultural and food resources in conflict zones as an essential part of the food security system and social stability.