Baku, Azerbaijan, 12-13 October 2023 - The Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) Group, through its Center of Excellence in Kuala Lumpur, Regional Hub in Türkiye and the Capacity Development Department, has joined hands with the Government of Azerbaijan, represented by the Ministry of Economy as the coordinating body, to support the development of the country’s Halal industry ecosystem through devising of a masterplan that serves as a strategic roadmap to unlock the country’s potential to tap into the US$ 2 trillion global Halal market.

The collaboration was initiated through a stakeholder’s consultation workshop held in Baku on 12-13 October 2023 involving all the related public sector agencies in Azerbaijan as well as key private sector companies active in the Halal industry as an iinclusive consultation to understand the challenges, the strengths, and the potential opportunities.

The workshop was hosted by AZPRMO in JW Absheron Marriott Baku and was inaugurated by Mr. Mammad Abbasbeyli, Head of the State Service for Antimonopoly and Consumer Market Control under the Ministry of Economy from the Azerbaijani Government side and by Mr. Samer Elesawi, Head of IsDB Center of Excellence in Kuala Lumpur.

The first day of the workshop focused on an overview of the Halal industry as well as exchange of successful experience of other IsDB Member Countries developing their Halal industry ecosystems.

The Malaysian experience was represented by its Halal Development Corporation (HDC), who presented the stages of developing the Halal ecosystem in Malaysia including key success factors such as government support and the use of technology.

Türkiye’s experience was shared by its Halal Akkreditasiya Kurumu (HAK), who presented their experience in facilitating harmonization of Halal accreditation in coordination with the Standards and Metrology Institute for Islamic Countries (SMIIC).

The second day of the workshop focused on engaging roundtable discussions with representatives from public and private sector in Azerbaijan to identify the existing strengths and challenges of the Halal industry in Azerbaijan and pinpoint the strategic focus areas to unlock the country’s potential in the industry.

The outcomes of the workshop are expected to set the stage for a strategic direction that will inform the development of the Halal Industry Masterplan for Azerbaijan planned to roll out in 2024.