Washington DC — Head of the Indonesian Halal Product Assurance Agency (BPJPH), Ahmad Haikal Hasan, is pushing for harmonization of international halal standards. He conveyed this as a resource person in a series of activities for the International Islamic Economics and Finance Conference for Sustainable Development (IFESDC) 2025, on 21–22 May 2025 at the Preston Auditorium, World Bank Headquarters, Washington DC, United States of America.

The IFESDC is a strategic event for policy makers, Islamic economists, academics, and practitioners to elaborate strategic ideas in the fields of Islamic economics, the halal industry, and Islamic finance to support sustainable development and poverty alleviation. The main topics include innovation in halal business practices, halal supply chain management, and the halal industry regulatory framework. In the forum attended by stakeholders from various countries, Haikal Hasan spoke on "Harmonizing Global Halal Standards". He also emphasized the importance of cross-country collaboration in building an inclusive halal ecosystem and mutual recognition of halal standards. This is important because according to him, the harmonization of global halal standards not only supports the growth of the international halal industry, but also ensures protection for halal-conscious consumers around the world.

Haikal Hasan whose nickname Babe Haikal also said that he continues to rebrand halal through halal product guarantee diplomacy. He also explained his initiative to form the ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand Halal Forum, as a concrete step to strengthen the cross-country halal ecosystem.

In his presentation, Babe Haikal also stated that halal has transformed into a global lifestyle that reflects trust, transparency, and traceability. Also, halal has become a product standard that is synonymous with health, cleanliness, quality, environmentally friendly, and green concept. Thus, halal standards are used in the industrial ecosystem developed by anyone, regardless of ethnic background, religion, nation, even religion and beliefs.

Hopefully, through this cross-regional forum, the ideas he brings can strengthen Indonesia's position as the 'center of gravity' of the world's halal. Babe Haikal also expressed his commitment to optimizing Indonesia's enormous halal potential. For this reason, BPJPH continues to encourage halal certification program. BPJPH also continues transforming halal services to be easier, cheaper, faster, and more reliable. This transformation is certain to increase the competitiveness of Indonesian halal products in the international market.

During his visit, Babe Haikal also attended a cultural event held at the Indonesian Embassy Office in Washington DC, which was also part of the IFESDC 2025 series. This forum is also a strategic event to expand international cooperation, including exploring mutual recognition and acceptance of halal certificates with various halal institutions in the world. BPJPH's participation in IFESDC 2025 is part of Indonesia's commitment to be active in global halal diplomacy, as well as strengthening Indonesia's role as the world's halal producer center.