The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) and the Islamic Republic of Mauritania signed two cooperation and partnership agreements focusing on promoting cooperation and financial support for the executive program of the Celebration of Nouakchott as Culture Capital in the Islamic World for 2023, and preparing the nomination file for the inscription of traditional checkers games in Africa on ICESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage List and UNESCO World Heritage List.

The first agreement was signed on Tuesday, February 7, 2023, at ICESCO Headquarters, by Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, ICESCO Director-General, and Mr. Mohamed Ould Soueidat, Minister of Culture, Youth, Sports, and Relations with Parliament, President of the Mauritanian National Commission for Education, Science and Culture.

Following the signing ceremony, Dr. AlMalik commended the agreement which reflects the special cooperation relations between ICESCO and the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, represented in the Mauritanian National Commission, and is part of ICESCO’s initiatives to support its Member States through the implementation of programs, activities and projects in the States that have settled their arrears to ICESCO’s budget. He also reaffirmed the Organization’s keenness to ensure the success of the ambitious programs scheduled as part of the Celebration of Nouakchott as Culture Capital in the Islamic World for 2023.

For his part, Mr. Mohamed Ould Soueidat noted that this agreement aims to settle his country’s arrears to ICESCO’s budget, with the understanding that more than 70% of its total amount is to be invested by ICESCO to implement cultural and development projects in Nouakchott, in support of its celebration as Culture Capital.

The second agreement was signed by Dr. Nidal Abuzuhzi, Head of Administrative Affairs at ICESCO, and Mr. Mohamed Ould Sidi Abdellah, Secretary-General of the Mauritanian National Commission.

According to this agreement, ICESCO undertakes to prepare the program for the meeting on preparing the nomination file for the inscription of traditional checkers games in Africa on ICESCO and UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists, while the Mauritanian National Commission commits to ensuring the organizational aspects of the meeting.

The agreement is part of the MoU signed between ICESCO and the Emirati National Commission for Education, Culture and Science in November 2022, through which the United Arab Emirates undertook to provide support to ICESCO’s programs geared towards promoting the heritage of ICESCO’s African Member States.