Paradise Island --- The Halal Product Assurance Organizing Agency (BPJPH) of the Ministry of Religious Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia has again won a prestigious award. Today, BPJPH received the international Global Islamic Finance Awards (GIFA) Championship Award on Halal Certification. The awarding ceremony was held at the 14th Annual Global Islamic Finance Awards 2024, in a series with the Global Islamic Finance Summit 2024, at Paradise Island, Maldives.

BPJPH outperformed three other nominees and was declared to receive the GIFA Championship Award 2024 in the Halal Certification category. The award was presented by GIFA Chairman Humayon Dar, and received by BPJPH Chairman, Muhammad Aqil Irham.

"Alhamdulillah, today BPJPH received an international award, the GIFA Championship Award in the Halal Certification category." said BPJPH Chairman, Muhammad Aqil Irham after receiving the award, Tuesday (17/9/2024).

According to him, this award which is based on information-based and research-based assessments, is real evidence of BPJPH's sincerity, hard work, and commitment in implementing and continuing to improve the quality of public services for Halal Product Assurance.

"This award proves that the management of BPJPH's halal certification services in Indonesia has not only received attention but also received recognition, trust, and appreciation internationally" Aqil continued.

"This also proves that BPJPH's various strategic efforts in transforming halal certification services have positive implications felt not only by the domestic community but also internationally." he added.

The GIFA Award was given for BPJPH's major contribution in organizing halal certification services which are key to strengthening the halal industry ecosystem. Up to now, a number of important achievements by BPJPH have indeed had significant implications for the development of the national halal industry ecosystem.

In 2023, Indonesia managed to rise from fourth to third in the world in the Global Islamic Economy Indicator (GIEI) as reported in the State of the Global Islamic Economy (SGIE) Report 2023 released by DinarStandard. The increase is inseparable from the Government's strategic efforts through BPJPH in strengthening the halal ecosystem. The 2023 SGIE Report states that a number of important efforts have been made by the Indonesian Government, by providing major support to MSEs across sectors through the halal certification program.

To date, more than five million products have been certified halal by BPJPH. BPJPH has also succeeded in strengthening the halal certification service ecosystem with the formation of 77 Halal Examination Agencies, 268 Halal Product Process Assistant Agencies, 106,146 Halal Product Process Companions for MSE, 1,666 halal auditors, 10,518 halal supervisors, and 18 Halal Training Institutions.

BPJPH's Strong Commitment to Advance the Halal Industry to Strengthen the National Economy

Aqil said that BPJPH has a serious commitment to advance the halal industry for strengthening the national economy. The halal industry is an important sector of the Islamic economy and finance. The development of the halal industry is also one of the answer to the transformation of the Indonesian economy towards a sustainable economy in the development of a new paradigm of industrialization in Indonesia today and in the future.

"Currently, the development of the Islamic economy and halal lifestyle is increasingly being eyed by many countries in the world as one of the important elements for the development of new sources of growth, in order to support a sustainable economy." Aqil explained.

"The halal industry with all its potential can be used to encourage an increase in the value of foreign exchange reserves. There are several ways we can do this. First, increase the export value of halal products, where halal product commodities that have great potential for us to export are halal food and Muslim clothing." continued Aqil.

The halal industry, he continued, is indicated as a new economic current that has the potential to drive global economic growth. The high demand for halal products is due to the growth rate of the Muslim population in the world which now numbers two billion.

GIFA Award Assessment Based on Assessment and Research

To note, GIFA is one of the prestigious international award events for institutions or leaders or individuals who have real achievements and contributions to the development and progress of the Islamic banking and finance industry. This award labels prestigious excellence that recognizes governments, institutions and individuals for outstanding achievements in their fields, and has contributed to the sustainability of Islamic banking and finance as a viable system in the international financial architecture. This year is the fourteenth GIFA event since it was first held in 2011.

To date, more than 500 government institutions and individuals/leaders have received GIFA appreciation and awards. Previously, GIFA has given awards to many world leaders including President Joko Widodo who received the GIFA Global Islamic Finance Leadership Award in 2016. In the same year, Vice President KH Ma'ruf Amin also received the GIFA Lifetime Achievement Award 2012.

Reported from the GIFA website, the awarding methodology and selection of winners are determined through a detailed approach to filter only the best of the best in each category. Each nomination is assessed based on a combination of information provided and information compiled by the Research Team.

The determination of the winner is based on four criteria. First, how product/service innovation has a positive impact on the development of Islamic finance. Second, how is the quality and quantity of product/service performance. Third, how is the reach of product/service provision that has national and international dimensions. And fourth, how products/services have the best standards to encourage the growth of the Islamic industry and finance for the national and global markets superior to other products. []