Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General (DG) of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), received the shield of King Abdulaziz University (KAU) in Saudi Arabia from Dr. Abdulrahman Obaid Al-Youbi, KAU President, in recognition of ICESCO’s distinguished efforts to support its Member States in facing the adverse repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Having received the shield at the university’s headquarters in Jeddah on February 15, Dr. AlMalik held a meeting with Dr. Al-Youbi during which they exchanged views on future cooperation, while reaffirming their keenness to develop cooperation between ICESCO and the University. The cooperation, the two parties underscored, will pave the way for constructive and vital collaboration between universities in Member States through the Federation of the Universities of the Islamic World (FUIW) of which ICESCO DG is the ex-officio Secretary-General.

Discussions during the meeting also touched on the pandemic’s impact of the university system with and ways to empower future universities to cope with crises. The two parties also examined ICESCO’s programmes relevant to scholarships, academic chairs, and the importance of the cooperation agreement which the two parties will sign tomorrow under which many of ICESCO’s academic chairs will be supported.

Established in 1967, KAU is one of the most prominent higher education institutions in Saudi Arabia and worldwide in terms of the number of enrolled students and the variety of integrated theoretical and practical disciplines. The University offers educational programmes adapted to the evolving requirements of society thus being ranked on top of the Islamic world’s universities in many global university rankings.