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IHAF Launches Its New Digital Infrastructure

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IHAF’s Members’ web application will allow its members to communicate and process all their requests digitally as well as permit potential ones to apply for membership online with ease

Dubai: The International Halal Accreditation Forum (IHAF) has launched its enhanced and more robust brand feel, an improved website, and a new web application as part of its staunch commitment to be the only international forum unifying halal practices through standardization of halal criteria among assessment bodies.

The new digital infrastructure of IHAF consists of the new digital-friendly brand, dynamic website, an automated members’ management system, and members’ web application. The members’ application, which can be accessed through www.ihaforum.ae, is deemed a progressive leap as it allows interactive communication between IHAF’s members in real-time. Members can efficiently process all their requests digitally, while future ones can apply for membership online with ease.

Considering the necessity in ensuring business continuity and support, the needs of all IHAF stakeholders will be met through utilizing the digitized business processes. The new website and web application will also include an automated voting system that will approve all submissions, helping speed up the process of new memberships as well as requests from existing members.

Underscoring how the new and dynamic website will make the services of IHAF more efficient, Her Excellency Dr. Rehab Faraj Al Ameri, the Secretary-General of IHAF, said: “The first phase of the new IHAF website reflects our vision and strategic goals to achieve a connected, homogeneous global halal industry by digitally streamlining our way to do businesses. Through this initiative, we aim to enhance our efforts to support the unification of halal standards and practices—for one certification process to be accepted by all—as well as expand our reach to open up further international cooperation with relevant entities.”
Throughout 2020, IHAF emphasized that the current crisis brought about by the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic highlighted the importance of digitalization in conducting accreditation and certification assessments as well as the IHAF peer evaluations. The forum stressed the need to expedite the sustainability of the unification of the halal standards, particularly now that conformity assessments have become more challenging due to the movement restrictions.

Recently, the industry turned to off-site assessments as a response to the impact of movement restrictions and the closing of borders due to the pandemic. Members highlighted in the 8th IHAF Multi-Lateral Recognition meeting that remote auditing for the conformity assessment activities could make recognition wider, generate more schemes, and save more time.

The need to enhance digitalization has also led to the launch of the new brand, website, and members’ web application to ease the process for the members, as well as train the halal sector to cope with all facets of innovation—solidifying further the unification of halal standards. IHAF plans to continue its journey of streamlining the business process in the future and incorporating essential tools that could support the halal industry.

Author

  • Hafiz Maqsood Ahmed is the Editor-in-Chief of The Halal Times, with over 30 years of experience in journalism. Specializing in the Islamic economy, his insightful analyses shape discourse in the global Halal economy.

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