SESRIC participated in the 11^th World Halal Summit, organised by the Standards and Metrology Institute for Islamic Countries (SMIIC) under the auspices of the Presidency of the Republic of Türkiye in collaboration with other relevant OIC institutions on 26-28 November 2025 in Istanbul. The Summit brought together a wide range of stakeholders from the global halal ecosystem, including policymakers, private sector representatives, academics, researchers, and fiqh experts.

The Summit took place alongside the 10^th OIC Halal Expo at the Istanbul Expo Centre, under the theme “Strengthening Halal Industry via Innovation & Excellence”. This year’s Expo theme emphasised how innovation, digitalisation, and strong governance can enhance competitiveness and resilience across halal value chains. During the Expo, SESRIC showcased its work and flagship initiatives across its mandated areas.

In his video message at the Opening Ceremony of the Summit, H.E. President Recep Tayyip ERDOĞAN, President of the Republic of Türkiye, stated that Halal products and services offered to consumers with their clean, healthy and religiously sensitive qualities reach 2 billion people worldwide. This has strengthened expectations about the future of the sector. H.E. the President of Türkiye recalled that the Summit hosted 50,000 visitors from 50 countries and over 500 firms last year. H.E. ERDOĞAN added that the World Halal Summit will have a significant impact on the sector.

In his address to the Summit, H.E. Ömer BOLAT, Minister of Trade of Türkiye said the world is going through a difficult period, protectionism is on the rise, and customs duties are increasing. He stressed that the goal of the Muslim world is to demonstrate greater solidarity during this difficult period, strengthen economic development, and increase trade among themselves. H.E. BOLAT also touched on on the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. He praised the Palestinian people to have made history worldwide and demonstrated a highly successful resistance against genocide.

H.E. Zehra Zümrüt SELÇUK also made a speech at the Opening Ceremony of the Summit. In her speech, she emphasised both the scale and strategic importance of the global halal economy. This economy caters to over 2 billion Muslim consumers worldwide across finance, tourism, food, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, textiles, and digital services. H.E. SELÇUK highlighted that the global Halal market is expected to increase from 7 trillion USD to nearly 11 trillion USD by 2028. The OIC countries made up over 81% share in the global Halal market in 2023. She also underscored SESRIC’s efforts in the Halal Industry through its research, statistics, as well as activities and initiatives implemented under its Halal Capacity-Building Programme (Halal-CaB).

Over 3 days, the Summit also included high-level sessions, thematic panels, and scientific presentations. The sessions covered halal quality infrastructure, accreditation and certification, digital transformation and traceability, halal tourism, and the rapidly changing halal lifestyle and Islamic economy sectors.

The World Halal Summit, held annually, acts as a platform for global discussions on the growth and development of the Halal industry. It aims to promote Halal standards and foster collaborations among governments, businesses, and organisations, ensuring the sector's continued expansion in line with Islamic values and worldwide consumer demands.

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