In collaboration with AITRS, ESCWA, IEA, TURKSTAT, and UNSD, SESRIC organised a virtual side event titled “Accelerating Data-Driven Energy Transitions through Collaborative Data Ecosystems” in the margins of the 56^th Session of the United Nations Statistical Commission (UNSC).

SESRIC held a meeting with the Islamic Chamber of Commerce and Development (ICCD) to explore potential new areas of collaboration in promoting women’s economic empowerment within the business sector across the OIC countries.

Within the framework of the OIC Public Employment Service Network (OIC-PESNET) and Public Employment Services Capacity Building Programme (PES-CaB), SESRIC successfully organised a webinar on “AI’s Impact on Labour Market Matching: Insights and Strategies” on 12 February 2025. The webinar was provided by competent experts from, Azerbaijan, Indonesia, Türkiye, and International Labour Organisation (ILO), and brought together 107 participants from 32 OIC Countries.

SESRIC took part in the Annual Meeting of the Global Network of Institutions for Statistical Training (GIST) hosted virtually on 10 February 2025 from New York. The meeting brought together GIST members, the Stakeholder Advisory Board (SAG), and National Statistical Offices (NSOs) to review the progress made over the past year and set strategic priorities for 2025.

SESRIC held a meeting with the representatives of the Directorate General of Occupational Safety and Health under the Ministry of Labour and Social Security of the Republic of Türkiye to discuss their ongoing cooperation under the OIC-OSHNET initiative.

SESRIC welcomed a delegation of public officials, diplomats, academics, and researchers studying the Turkish language and culture in Ankara as part of the Presidency for Turks Abroad and Related Communities (YTB)’s KATIP Programme. The delegation included 16 participants from 16 countries and three experts from YTB.

SESRIC welcomed a group of Nigerian students studying at Turkish universities to its headquarters.

SESRIC welcomed representatives from the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization, and Climate Change of the Republic of Türkiye to discuss potential areas of collaboration on environmental issues across OIC countries.

Within the framework of the Social Development Capacity Building Programme (SD-CaB), SESRIC successfully organized an online Workshop on “Developing Inclusive Education Programs in the Domain of Science and Technology in OIC-Africa Countries” on 4 February 2025.

SESRIC launched its new programme series “SESRIC Talks” hosting H.E. Amb. Cenk URAZ, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Türkiye to the OIC, as the inaugural guest speaker on the topic “Türkiye as a Member of the OIC” on 4 February 2025 at its Headquarters in Ankara.

SESRIC held a technical meeting with the Agency for Development of Public Service of Uzbekistan (ARGOS), with the facilitation of the Permanent Representative of the Republic of Uzbekistan to the OIC, to explore potential areas of cooperation between the two institutions.

H.E. Zehra Zümrüt SELÇUK addressed the Sustainable Tourism Forum in Karachi, Pakistan, highlighting the immense potential of the OIC countries in advancing sustainable tourism. The Forum, jointly organized by the Islamic Chamber of Commerce and Development (ICCD), the Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation (PTDC), and the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FPCCI), provided a vital platform to discuss innovative strategies for sustainable tourism growth.

The SESRIC delegation, led by H.E. Zehra Zümrüt SELÇUK, participated in the Second Meeting of the OIC Intergovernmental Expert Group held at the OIC General Secretariat Headquarters in Jeddah Saudi Arabia on 26-29 January 2025 to discuss the draft Programme of Action for the period 2026-2035.

H.E. Zehra Zümrüt SELÇUK signed the Declaration on the Baku Climate Coalition for SMEs’ Green Transition on 23 January 2025, recognising that the Declaration’s goals and strategies align with SESRIC’s mandate, South-South and triangular cooperation mechanisms, and its commitment to sustainable development and collaborative efforts at the OIC level.

The 48^th Meeting of the Board of Directors of SESRIC convened on 23 January 2025 at SESRIC Headquarters in Ankara, with the participation of representatives from the newly elected member countries of the OIC for the three-year term spanning January 2025 to January 2028. The meeting included Dr. Ola AWAD (State of Palestine), Mr. Alpha Bacar BARRY (Republic of Guinea), Mr. Salih TANRIKULU (Republic of Türkiye), Ms. Wafa ALYAHYA (State of Kuwait, virtual participation), Mr. SARPONO (Indonesia), Mr. Abdirahman Omar DAHIR (Republic of Somalia), Mr. Muhammad Humair KARIM (Islamic Republic of Pakistan), Mr. Nendjot PATRICE (Gabonese Republic) and Mr. Abbas DARBOE (Republic of The Gambia).

Within the framework of the Public Employment Services Capacity Building Programme (PES-CaB) and in line with the OIC Public Employment Services Network (OIC-PESNET) Work Plan 2024-2026, SESRIC, in collaboration with the National Agency for Employment and Independent Work of Tunisia (ANETI), organised a Training Course on “Entrepreneurship and Business Creation” on 21-22 January 2025 through an online video conferencing platform.

Within the framework of its Competition Authorities Capacity Building Programme (CA-CaB), SESRIC, in collaboration with Competition Commission of Pakistan (CCP) and, the Malaysia Competition Commission (MyCC), organised a Training Course on “The Role of Competition Policy in Enhancing Intra-OIC Trade” on 21-22 January 2025 through an online video conferencing platform.

H.E. Zehra Zümrüt SELÇUK met with H.E. Mr. Saif ANJUM, Federal Secretary, Ministry for Industries and Production Division of Pakistan.

H.E. Zehra Zümrüt SELÇUK held a bilateral meeting with H.E. Mr. SHAH at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in Islamabad.

A fruitful bilateral meeting took place between H.E. Zehra Zümrüt SELÇUK and Dr. Naeem Uz ZAFAR, Chief Statistician of the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics.

H.E. Zehra Zümrüt SELÇUK participated in the International Conference on “Girls’ Education in Muslim Communities: Challenges and Opportunities,” held on 10-12 January 2025 in Islamabad, Pakistan. This event was organized by the Muslim World League in collaboration with the Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training of Pakistan.

SESRIC and the National Institute of Statistics (INS) of the Republic of Guinea have formalized their collaboration by signing a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) as part of the project titled “Integration of Tobacco Questions for Surveys (TQS) into the National Surveys in Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Member Countries”. The MoA was signed by H.E. Zehra Zümrüt SELÇUK, Director General of SESRIC, and H.E. Dr. Makan DOUMBOUYA, Director General of INS of Guinea.

H.E. Zehra Zümrüt SELÇUK paid a courtesy visit to the recently appointed Ambassador of Kuwait in Ankara, H.E. Abdulaziz ALADWANI, to discuss strengthening ties between SESRIC and Kuwait.

H.E. Zehra Zümrüt SELÇUK met with H.E. Amb. Abdulhamed HAMZA, Representative of the League of Arab States to Türkiye.

SESRIC held a technical cooperation meeting with the University of Respati Indonesia (URINDO), with the co-facilitation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia (MoFA-Indonesia), to explore potential areas of cooperation between the two institutions.