Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz said on Monday that 31 new projects are being funded this year to put the recommendations of ISEDAK working groups into practice, bringing the total supported since the programme began in 2013 to 209. He was speaking at the opening session of the 42nd ministerial meeting of ISEDAK in Istanbul, Anadolu Agency (AA), İhlas News Agency (İHA) and Hibya News Agency reported.
ISEDAK (known in English as COMCEC) is the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation’s standing committee for economic and commercial cooperation. The meeting is being held at the Istanbul Congress Center.
Trade, SMEs and halal certification
Yılmaz said global growth in 2026 is expected at around 3 percent, below historical averages, and that world trade is also projected to grow by about 3 percent, AA and İHA reported. He urged OIC states that are not yet part of the OIC Preferential Trade System to join it and called on members to resolve problems in implementing it.
He also invited countries not yet taking part in the ISEDAK SME programme to join, according to both agencies. He called for the halal accreditation forum set up in 2023 to start operating quickly.
Energy prices and regional crises
Yılmaz said economies were under pressure from world energy prices following wars that, in his words, began with Israeli provocations. Referring to attacks on Iran and tension in the Strait of Hormuz, he said: "Diplomacy and dialogue must never be abandoned," both agencies reported.
He said deaths in Gaza were continuing despite the ceasefire and noted that the ISEDAK Jerusalem programme has completed 28 projects, with 10 new ones launched this year. He also condemned Houthi attacks on civilians in Yemen and referred to the ISEDAK programme for Syria, according to AA and İHA.
The fourth Türkiye-Africa Partnership Summit will be held in Libya on 8-9 December 2026, Yılmaz said.
COP31 leaders summit in Antalya
Yılmaz said Türkiye will hold the presidency of COP31, the UN climate change conference, and that its leaders summit will take place in Antalya on 11-12 November, AA and Hibya reported. He said he expected OIC member states to take part at the highest level.
Earlier in the ISEDAK week, Trade Minister Ömer Bolat set out export targets for OIC markets.
Sources
- Cumhurbaşkanı Yardımcısı Yılmaz, İSEDAK 42. Bakanlar Toplantısı’nın açılış oturumunda konuştu (Hürses / AA)
- Cumhurbaşkanı Yardımcısı Cevdet Yılmaz: Diplomasi ve diyalogdan asla vazgeçilmemelidir (Bursa Hakimiyet / İHA)
- Yılmaz, İSEDAK projelerine 209 destek sağlandığını bildirdi (Hibya)
Photo: CeeGee / CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
