Global halal standards to be discussed at SMIIC General Assembly in Kazan

The General Assembly of the Standards and Metrology Institute for Islamic Countries (SMIIC) will be held in Kazan from October 26 to 28.

The assembly takes place annually. In previous years it was held in Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Uzbekistan. This is the first time it will be held in Russia, and the first time it is being hosted in a country that is not an institute member. Maksim Denisov, director general of the ANO Directorate of Sports and Social Projects, described this as a sign of trust and a result of systematic work by the leadership of Russia and Tatarstan to strengthen cooperation with Islamic countries.

Abbas Shlyaposhnikov, head of the Halal Standard Committee of the Muslim Spiritual Directorate of Tatarstan, said the meeting will discuss the coordination of technical regulations, development of the general system, movement toward a single global halal standard and accreditation of certification bodies. He said one of the main outcomes for Tatarstan could be the development of a halal laboratory.

SMIIC was created within the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation to develop unified standards, including halal standards, to ensure quality and protect consumers. It has 48 member states in Asia and Africa. Russia joined as an observer in 2019.