UNVEILING KEY TOPICS AND SPEAKERS WORLD HALAL SUMMIT 2015

Kuala Lumpur, 9 Jumadil Akhir 1436/ 29 March 2015 (MINA) – Malaysia,  regarded as a progressive and modern Islamic nation, has been leading the Halal industry for the benefit of Muslims and non-Muslims around the globe for more than two decades.

As one of the pioneers in Halal certification, Malaysia ensures the integrity of Halal products and services through strict compliance with Syariah requirements whilst still being business centred.

This year, Malaysia affirms its leading role in the Halal sector through creating and being the host of the World Halal Summit (WHS) – comprising of the 12th Malaysia International Halal Showcase (MIHAS), and six focused forums – is scheduled to be held from 30th March to 4th April 2015 at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre in Malaysia, Halal Focus quoted by Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA) as reporting.

Themed “Energising the Halal Ecosystem”, WHS 2015 is organised to encourage trading, networking and knowledge sharing amongst industry players and stakeholders, academics, and Islamic scholars, with the ultimate aim to unite the global Halal marketplace.

The six forums will collectively discuss, deliberate and chart the direction for the next phase of growth within the global Halal ecosystem, and create new and innovative technologies for the industry.

The four specialist forums – Certifiers Forum, Academics Forum, Scholars Forum and Business Forum – will address issues of genuine concern to industry stakeholders such as new initiatives in certification and accreditation, new research and market data, share expertise in new avenues of communication and crowdfunding, by bringing together some of the brightest and most creative minds in the industry.

The Certifiers Forum will tackle many of the on-going issues in the increasingly complex Halal food industry, such as finding common ground for global Halal standards and accreditation, and challenges faced by MNCs; the Business Forum will open up new horizons for the business community of both entrepreneurs and investors by highlighting many aspects of the global Islamic economy including, Islamic Finance partnering with Halal, Halal travel, risk management and crowdfunding; the Academics Forum will explore ways to encourage the growth of new academic courses online and programmes to equip a new generation of skilled experts to build on the existing foundations, and move forward into the next decade; the Scholars Forum draws on the wealth of knowledge from respected ulama and Islamic scholars from around the world with dialogues on topics relevant to the wider Islamic economy such as food commodity speculation.

All sessions will be completed with audience interaction with the panel and a final summing up of all the Forums in the final Unified Session on Day 3, and will also include new research with statistics on the gaps in perception around Halal market issues globally.

Over 70 confirmed key speakers and panellists for these four forums include H.E. Nabil bin Ameen Molla, Secretary General of GCC Standardization Organization, Saudi Arabia; Dr. Mustafa Ceric, Grand Mufti Emeritus of Bosnia and Herzegovina; Abdulla al Awar, CEO of Dubai Islamic Economy Development Centre; Eng. Mohamed Badri, Advisor to the Board for Emirates Standards and Metrology Authority (ESMA), Dubai; Mr. Ihsan Övüt, Secretary General of Standards and Metrology Institute for Islamic Countries (SMIIC), Turkey; and senior representatives from the following companies and organisations: International Islamic Halal Authority, Saudi Arabia, Islamic World Entrepreneurs Network (ISWEN), Turkey; McDonald’s International, Dubai; DinarStandard, USA; Ethnic Focus, UK; MasterCard Asia/Pacific; Alchemiya Media, UK; Zilzar.com, Malaysia; and many more.

The 6th JAKIM International Halal Certification Bodies Convention will convene more than 70 Halal certification bodies from around the world. Speakers from relevant government agencies, corporations and organisations will discuss technical issues relating to certification management systems and standards across various sub-sectors such as ingredients, food biotechnology, and testing and analysis, amongst others, with reference to the Malaysian Halal Standard.

With speakers and panellists from banking and finance organisations, research and development institutes, government agencies, and Halal-related companies, the 8th World Halal Conference will reflect upon the need for a renewed global effort to further strengthen the integration of industries within the Halal ecosystem towards the realisation of a holistic Halal economy. The Conference will assess issues that hinder the convergence of Islamic finance and Halal, and explore potential opportunities and areas to support sustainable growth within the Halal ecosystem.

Malaysia has long championed the growth of the Halal market, and is a global leader in terms of government initiatives, clear standards, established certification procedures and events that promote trade and cooperation. The World Halal Summit 2015 continues to build on over a decade of hosting international Halal market events, and anticipates uniting old acquaintances and new friends to explore the next horizon of this global market.

The inaugural World Halal Summit is hosted by the Ministry of International Trade and Industry Malaysia (MITI), and is jointly organised by the Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (MATRADE), Halal Industry Development Corporation (HDC) and Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (JAKIM). It is co-organised and managed by Shapers Malaysia Sdn Bhd, with several educational institutions, such as the International Islamic University of Malaysia (IIUM) and Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), as strategic partners. (T/P010/P3)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)