The three-day Scientific Forum on Security Media during Crises and Disasters, held by the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) and Naif Arab University for Security Sciences (NAUSS) in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, kicked off on Wednesday, 16 March 2022, at ICESCO Headquarters in Rabat. The event saw the participation of selected experts, researchers and academicians and aims at discussing the role of security media and the importance of promoting the use of new technologies in preventing or mitigating the impact of disasters and crises.

After a recitation of verses from the Holy Quran, the opening session began with an address by Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, ICESCO Director-General (DG), in which he emphasized the need to strengthen the role of the media as channels for factual information delivery in exceptional circumstances.
“The media contribute to the prevention and management of crises by anticipating their occurrence and helping competent authorities take the appropriate decisions to address them to then draw valuable lessons for the future,” added Dr. AlMalik.

ICESCO DG added that the Organization launched an ambitious programme for the years 2020-2024 geared towards disaster management through the strengthening of Member States’ capacities to address crises and mitigate their adverse impact on the educational, cultural and social fields. The programme consists of a series of lectures and is aimed at building the capacities of institutions, governments and decision-makers to anchor a culture of prevention in the Islamic world, integrating disaster risk management into educational curricula and promoting scientific research and artificial intelligence applications.

In his address, Dr. Khalid bin Abdulaziz Al-Harfash, Vice President for External Relations at NAUSS, noted that the university endeavors to translate the issue of security media into a tangible reality, implement strategies and promote the Media Plan for Security Awareness and Crime Prevention in the countries of the Islamic world.

He added that the university is working on the promotion of security media through the implementation of various initiatives and the preparation of scientific researches and studies, as well as the organization of regional and international conferences and lectures to further the efforts exerted to develop security media policies in and beyond the Islamic world.

The first session of the Forum touched upon new media and crisis/disaster management, followed by the second session on the lessons learned from the COVID-19 crisis, and the third session on security media and the role of the security services. Multiple scientific papers were presented during each session, tackling various topics, namely the media as a source of soft power, the social effects of false information and the role of the new media and social networks in crisis communications.