Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General (DG) of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), met Ms. Fatimetou Abdel Malick, President of the Nouakchott Region, Chair of the United Cities and Local Governments of Africa (ULCG), on the first day of his official visit to Mauritania to attend the launch ceremony of the Celebration of Nouakchott as Culture Capital in the Islamic world for 2023.

At the outset of the meeting, held on Thursday, 5 January 2023, the President of Nouakchott Region welcomed ICESCO DG and his delegation and expressed her happiness at celebrating Nouakchott as Culture Capital in the Islamic world for 2023.

For his part, Dr. AlMalik expressed his hope that Nouakchott would be a role model for other culture capitals in the Islamic world and contribute to enriching ICESCO’s Culture Capitals in the Islamic World Programme, within the framework of its new vision, which stresses the importance of cultural capital and endeavors to promote the image of these cities and turn them into cultural destinations.

Dr. AlMalik also reviewed the mainlines of the Programme and the activities that ICESCO will implement, in cooperation with the Mauritanian authorities, within the framework of the celebration, calling on Nouakchott Region to propose the programs or activities it deems appropriate for implementation, in line with the needs of the citizens of the Mauritanian capital.

Mrs. Fatimetou Abdel Malick stressed that the Nouakchott Region will exert every effort to ensure the success of this outstanding cultural celebration, noting that the city has many adequate facilities for the celebration activities, including the cultural village, which will host many cultural activities and festivals.

At the end of the meeting, the two parties agreed on close cooperation and regular coordination to ensure the success of the programs and activities of the celebration.