BPJPH: H20 Forum Strengthens Global Halal Ecosystem Collaboration
The concept of halal is accepted as a healthy and good concept by many people, regardless of their ethnic, national, religious, or cultural background.
Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Head of the Halal Product Assurance Agency (BPJPH), Ahmad Haikal Hasan, stated that the 5th Summit of Halal 20 (H20) strengthens collaboration within the global halal ecosystem.
“Halal is not only for Muslims. Halal is also related to health, transparency, and traceability. Halal is a symbol of health, double clean. Halal is elite food; halal is high and no higher than halal,” he said in a statement in Jakarta on Saturday regarding the H2_0 Summit.
The 5th Summit of Halal 20 (H20) serves as a strategic forum for strengthening global collaboration and building a halal ecosystem.
Under the theme “Bridging Bridges: Connecting Nations & Stronger Partnerships through Global Halal Trade & Economy”, the forum, attended by 450 participants from 48 countries, is scheduled to run until Sunday (20/9).
The H20 forum brings together halal institutions, regulators, halal certification bodies, industry players, and various stakeholders from different countries to discuss the strengthening of halal governance, the facilitation of cross-border trade, and the broader development of the halal economy.
In the forum, attended by hundreds of domestic and international halal product assurance stakeholders, Haikal highlighted the importance of strengthening the understanding of halal, which can be widely accepted across various nations.
“The concept of halal is accepted as a healthy and good concept by many people, regardless of their ethnic, national, religious, or cultural background,” he said.
According to him, the development of the halal ecosystem needs to be viewed more comprehensively. The halal industry does not only encompass food and beverages but also includes various types of products such as cosmetics, medicines, consumer goods, and more, as regulated under the Halal Product Assurance (JPH) regulations.
He added that this spirit needs to be translated into cooperation capable of increasing the connectivity of the halal ecosystem between countries.
Strengthening cooperation can include mutual recognition of certification, harmonisation of standards, knowledge exchange, capacity building for institutions, and the facilitation of cross-border halal product trade, all conducted on the principle of mutual benefit.
In a regional context, H20 also serves as a space for dialogue to strengthen halal cooperation within the ASEAN region, including discussions on the formation of an ASEAN Halal Council.
Strengthening this regional cooperation is part of a broader agenda to increase ASEAN’s connectivity with the global halal ecosystem. Such collaboration is intended to ensure that halal product trade becomes increasingly easy, transparent, and provides certainty for business actors.