The Director-General (DG) of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, received yesterday, October 14, at the Organization’s headquarters, Mr. Jamal Eddine Al-Aloua, Acting Secretary-General of the Moroccan National Commission for Education, Science, and Culture, and a delegation from Association Coeurs Blancs and Association Amal pour le Développement Social from Morocco.

As part of the visit, ICESCO offered to the Amal Association a collection of books to award the winners of the association’s Holy Quran Contest.

Dr. AlMalik reaffirmed ICESCO’s willingness to promote cooperation and partnership with civil society’s institutions and organizations. He further noted the event falls within ICESCO’s new open-door policy and strategy that aims to serve Member States’ citizens and Muslim communities across the world. He also stressed ICESCO’s strong support for civil society institutions and associations and its willingness to host any activity these institutions may organize in the fields of education, science, and culture.

The DG also highlighted the Organization’s strong partnership with the Moroccan National Commission, which yielded numerous programs during the COVID-19 pandemic that the two parties organized in different regions of the Kingdom.

Mr. Al-Aloua expressed his thanks to ICESCO and its DG on behalf of Mr. Said Amzazi, President of the Moroccan National Commission, Minister of National Education, Vocational Training, Higher Education, and Scientific Research, and Government Spokesperson.

The Acting Secretary-General also conveyed Mr. Amzazi’s appreciation on ICESCO’s efforts to promote education, science, and culture, and support Moroccan civil society institutions, particularly women associations.

The representatives of the two Moroccan associations thanked the DG for holding the meeting and the Organization’s efforts to support civil society institutions in Morocco, reaffirming these associations’ desire to work with ICESCO to support the youth in different fields of knowledge and fieldwork.

The parties agreed to hold a forum for Moroccan NGOs and civil society institutions at ICESCO’s headquarters, once the pandemic is over. The forum will be held in cooperation between the Organization and the Moroccan National Commission to explore the challenges faced by these institutions and examine ideas put forward to develop their work.