SESRIC participated actively in the Senior Officials Meeting preparatory to the 5^th Session of the Islamic Conference of Ministers Responsible for Water (ICMW), held on 20–21 October 2025 in Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The meeting brought together representatives of OIC Member States, the OIC General Secretariat, as well as relevant OIC institutions and international organizations to review progress and discuss key initiatives in the water domain.

During the meeting, Dr. Davron Ishnazarov, Researcher at SESRIC, delivered a presentation on theme “From Scarcity to Solutions: Optimizing Water Resources for Sustainable Food Security in OIC Member Countries.” The presentation provided an analytical overview of the interlinkages between water resources and food security in OIC Member Countries. It highlighted the challenges of limited and uneven water availability, the dominance of agriculture in water use, and the critical need to improve water use efficiency and irrigation practices to enhance agricultural productivity. Dr. Ishnazarov concluded the presentation by emphasising policy solutions such as the adoption of non-conventional water resources and Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) to ensure sustainable agricultural development and long-term water and food security in the OIC region.

SESRIC also briefed delegates on the Centre’s efforts in the domain of water, through highlighting its activities implemented under its three mandated areas—research, statistics, and technical cooperation and capacity building—since the 4th Session of the Islamic Conference of Ministers Responsible for Water. Printed copies of the SESRIC Activity Report on Water were also distributed to participants prior to the presentation.

Overall, since the 4^th Session of the ICMW, SESRIC has implemented 17 training and cooperation activities in the water domain, benefiting over 1,100 experts from 53 OIC Member Countries. These initiatives covered topics such as Integrated Water Resources Management, Desertification and Drought, Wastewater Recycling, and Monitoring SDG 6 Indicators, reaffirming SESRIC’s role as a leading institution for knowledge sharing and capacity building in the OIC water agenda.

Besides, Centre informed the participants of the meeting about the OIC Portal on Water Resources, which serves as a knowledge and cooperation platform for Member States to share information, best practices, and innovative approaches in addressing water scarcity and related challenges. Since its launch in 2020, SESRIC has hosted, maintained, and continuously enhanced the Portal, while organising periodic training sessions for national focal points and OIC institutions.

The Centre emphasised the importance of greater engagement and regular contributions from Member States and relevant OIC institutions to further strengthen the Portal’s role as a dynamic hub for information exchange, evidence-based policymaking, and collaboration in the water sector.