Abu Dhabi: The UAE was granted a three year chairmanship of the first technical committee for Halal food standards.
The committee was set up by Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).
Dr. Rashid Ahmad Bin Fahd, UAE Minister of Environment and Water and Deputy Chairman of the Emirates Standardisation and Metrology Authority (ESMA), said the win is a new distinguished international achievement for the UAE as ESMA was able to garner the highest number of votes from members of the Standards and Metrology Institute for Islamic Countries (SMIIC), which is based in Turkey.
“The UAE winning the chairmanship of this new community reaffirms the important role played by ESMA in the local, regional, Islamic and international stage to raise the standards of products and services provided to consumers. It also reaffirms the authority’s role in supporting the national economy, enhancing the flow of trade between the UAE and friendly countries, especially Islamic nations, by removing technical obstacles and improving trade movement in line with World Trade Organisation’s agreements,” said Fahd.
The meeting also resulted in setting up a comprehensive system on the standard and safety of food products, and ensuring that it meets Halal standards, and testing these products across all OIC member countries to guarantee that they meet these standards for the import and export process. The Halal food committee has forwarded these standards and specification to all Halal certification bodies.
The UAE was also selected as Chairman of the Halal Cosmetics Committee (TC2). Farah Ali Al Zarouni, was chosen as the chairperson of the committee.
Fahd said that choosing the UAE to chair two major technical committee on the international stage is proof of how far women in the UAE have come under the wise directives of the UAE Leadership.
