As part of our ongoing commitment to empowering women and recognizing their achievements across the quality infrastructure ecosystem, the SMIIC General Secretariat held the third edition of the series, entitled “Women in Halal Certification,” on 02 September 2026.

The webinar brought together distinguished women experts from Türkiye, Morocco, Uganda, and Jordan, showcasing their experiences and leadership in advancing halal conformity assessment and certification in accordance with OIC/SMIIC Standards.

The webinar commenced with opening remarks by Mr. İhsan ÖVÜT, Secretary General of SMIIC, who emphasized that women’s participation is essential for building an inclusive and sustainable halal quality infrastructure. Following the opening address, Ms. Sevde ÖZBEY, SMIIC Expert, presented SMIIC’s initiatives to increase women’s engagement across the Institute’s technical work, highlighting ongoing efforts to create more opportunities for women experts within the OIC quality infrastructure ecosystem.

Dr. Marwa Khalil, SMIIC Expert, introduced the role of the SMIIC Training Center and the SMIIC Academy of Halal Learning in developing professional competencies and expanding access to specialized halal training programmes for experts throughout the SMIIC community.

The country sessions featured valuable insights into national halal certification ecosystems and demonstrated how women are contributing to institutional development, technical excellence, and future leadership:

• Dr. İsra Yiğitvar, Lead Accreditation Assessor, Halal Accreditation Agency of Türkiye (HAK)
• Ms. Naima Akouri, Director of the Halal Certification Department, The Moroccan Standards Institute (IMANOR)
• Ms. Safinah Namaganda, General Manager of Certifications, Uganda Halal Bureau
• Ms. Areej Al-Heyasat, Accreditation Section Head,  Jordan Accreditation System - Accreditation Unit (JAS-AU)

The webinar concluded with an interactive question-and-answer session, during which participants exchanged experiences and discussed opportunities to strengthen women’s participation in halal certification across SMIIC Member States.

SMIIC reaffirms its commitment to continue supporting and encouraging women by organizing women–focused activities across SMIIC's functional work.