Dr. Abdelilah Benarafa, Deputy Director-General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), met with Mr. Georges Rebelo Pinto Chikoti, Secretary-General of the Organization of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS), Mr. Ibrahim Norbert Richard, Assistant Secretary-General, and their accompanying delegation, and together they discussed cooperation prospects between the two Organizations in areas of common interest, particularly in the cultural field.

At the outset of the meeting, which was held on Wednesday, September 28, 2022, in Mexico City on the sidelines of the UNESCO World Conference on Cultural Policies and Sustainable Development (MONDIACULT 2022) taking place in Mexico, in the presence of Dr. Mohamed Zinelabidine, Head of ICESCO’s Culture and Communication Sector, Dr. Benarafa reviewed ICESCO’s new vision and strategic orientations, and its key programmes and activities aimed at supporting the efforts of its Member States in advancing education, science and culture.

For his part, Mr. Georges Rebelo Pinto Chikoti, commended ICESCO’s pioneering role in developing culture in Member States, particularly through the preservation and valorization of cultural heritage, expressing his desire for OACPS to join ICESCO as an Observer State.
The OACPS consists of 78 Member States (48 countries from Sub-Saharan Africa, 16 from the Caribbean, and 15 from the Pacific Ocean).