Dr. Salim Al-Malik, Director-General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), called for giving greater importance to benefiting from space technology to open new horizons for development and prosperity and achieve sustainable development around the world by overcoming the challenges impeding economic growth, and finding solutions to climate, food security, energy and social justice issues.

This was part of a speech he delivered on Tuesday, 18 April 2023 at the 38th session of the Global Space Symposium, organized by the US Space Foundation in Colorado, USA. The Symposium gathered high-level officials from space agencies and bodies around the world, about 14 thousand participants, and more than 250 international companies operating in the field to discuss the latest development in space science and its applications.

At the beginning of his speech, Dr. AlMalik commended the efforts of the Space Foundation and its Chief Executive Officer Mr. Thomas E. Zelibor to advance space science to higher levels and to organize the Space Symposium which provides a platform for sharing ideas, knowledge and experiences between countries, organizations and space agencies, in order to anticipate the future of the field and overcome its challenges.

ICESCO Director General also praised the remarkable development witnessed by the space industry, where fanciful dreams have become a reality through our exploration of space with manned and unmanned space flights, pointing out that the increased funding of the technological development of space science, and the growing interest in it, made it possible to explore new horizons in space. After having been the privilege of the rivaling superpowers, ninety countries are now operating and innovating in the field.

Dr. AlMalik stressed that ICESCO pays special attention to space sciences given its key role in achieving sustainable development in the Islamic world, commending the fruitful partnership between ICESCO and the Space Foundation, which resulted in holding a series of activities that fall within the Organization’s action plan and strategic vision aimed at encouraging its Member States to increase investment in space technology to keep up with the developments occurring in the world and be prepared for future challenges.