World Halal Forum to reconfirm Malaysia as thought leader in the Halal sector

The World Halal Forum, which is now in its 6th year, is the world’s premier Halal industry event and has a proven track record as a crucial platform that plays a major role in determining the direction of the global Halal industry.

Halal market sectors in many parts of the world continue to remain recession-proof, and to outpace the growth of related mainstream market sectors.  The world’s 1.8 billion Muslims (close to 25 per cent of the world’s population) are becoming better educated, more discerning and with a higher household income, and have triggered a worldwide demand for mainstream products and services that are in line with Islamic values.

In his keynote address at the WHF in 2010, the Malaysian Prime Minister, YAB Dato’ Seri Najib Tun Haji Abdullah Razak said, “We need to think beyond industries and move into the larger realm of a Halal Economy…a value-based economy rooted in trust, integrity and fairness.”

In recent years, the WHF has focused primarily on issues related to certification and standards development, and this important work continues to be developed by the International Halal Integrity Alliance (IHI) in collaboration with the Islamic Chamber of Commerce and Industry under the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC).

This year, the World Halal Forum is being held from 4th ­ to 5th April, at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, with the theme “The Power of Values in Global Markets”.

As we enter a new decade, the WHF will examine some of the key issues that are at the heart of the developing Halal marketplace.

“We will bring a renewed spirit of creative vision and innovation to the WHF in 2011 that will re-confirm Malaysia’s role as a pivotal thought-leader in the Halal sector,” commented Abdalhamid Evans, Director of the World Halal Forum. “For example, we see an inevitable convergence between Halal products and Islamic financial services, and we will be exploring this new dynamic in a main session this year. In addition, we will be focussing on consumer needs and business opportunities, and looking at the way new ‘value-driven’ markets are emerging all over the world that have a strong synergy with the Islamic values in the Halal sector.”

Other sessions will focus on major trends in Halal markets around the world, the influence of the media and entertainment in shaping perceptions and values, and also the rise of the Halal-friendly travel and hospitality sectors. There will also be progress reports and updates from the IHI Alliance on the development of its various standards and accreditation projects.

The World Halal Forum is part of the week-long ‘Halal Malaysia Week’ initiative, which is a private-public sector collaboration between the World Halal Forum Secretariat (World Halal Forum, 4 ­- 5 April 2011), MATRADE (International Halal Showcase or MIHAS, 6 ­- 9 April) and HDC (World Halal Research Summit, 6 ­- 7 April 2011).