Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director General (DG) of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), met with Dr. Kamil Sulaiman Al-Abduljalil, Secretary-General of the Kuwaiti National Council for Culture, Arts and Letters (NCCAL), and together they explored cooperation prospects between ICESCO and the Council in areas of common interests, in coordination with the Kuwaiti National Commission for Education, Science and Culture.

The meeting was held today, Monday 10 January 2022, at the Council’s headquarters, as part of ICESCO DG’s official visit to the State of Kuwait. The meeting was an opportunity for the two parties to discuss their major ongoing initiatives, programs and activities, and highlight their respective working strategies, future prospects for various sectors, and the adopted mechanisms to achieve their goals.

The meeting discussed cooperation proposals between ICESCO and the Council in the fields of culture, arts, thought and heritage protection, notably cooperation in the organization of the Kuwait International Book Fair, and giving access to the digital references of the Kuwait National Library through ICESCO’s Digital Home. In the same vein, the two parties agreed to cooperate on a number of the Council’s art and heritage exhibitions and link these exhibitions with ICESCO’s Program of Capitals of Culture in the Islamic World, to enable the Council to take part in the Program’s activities through these events.

In addition, the two parties welcomed the Council’s contributions in introducing and nominating Kuwaiti heritage sites and historic landmarks for inscription on ICESCO’s Islamic World Heritage List, in its capacity as the competent party in charge of preserving and safeguarding heritage sites in Kuwait.

At the close of the meeting, ICESCO and the Council agreed to hold more meetings to lay down executive plans for their cooperation and coordination, and sign a joint action program.

The meeting was attended by Dr. Issa Al-Ansari, NCCAL Assistant Secretary-General, Mr. Mohammad bin Redha, Supervisor of the NCCAL Department of Foreign Cultural Relations, in addition to several Council officials. Also in attendance were Dr. Ahmed Said Bah, Advisor to the DG for Partnerships and International Cooperation, and Mr. Youssef Al-Najjar, Assistant Undersecretary for Financial Affairs at the Kuwaiti Ministry of Education.