On Thursday (May 25, 2023), the headquarters of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) witnessed the launch of the third International Congress: “Natural Resources and Sustainable Development: Health, Food and Cosmetic Applications,” held by the Federation of the Universities of the Islamic World, in partnership with the Faculty of Sciences of Mohammed V University, and Ibn Rushd Foundation for the Promotion of Scientific Research, Innovation and Sustainable Development, under the high patronage of His Majesty King Mohammed VI of Morocco, may Allah assist him.

The opening session of the Congress began with the recitation of clear verses from the Holy Quran, followed by the address of Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General of ICESCO, in which he emphasized that the tremendous changes that have taken place in human life require concerted efforts and unified visions to achieve the goals of sustainable development by valuing resources through accurate scientific research in the fields of nutrition and agriculture, which highlights the pivotal role of universities, research centers and laboratories.

He added that ICESCO, seeking to raise awareness of the importance of linking the results of scientific and technological research to sustainable development, pays special attention to the environment, artificial intelligence, future models for education, and the development of space science to formulate innovative solutions and open promising prospects for Muslim countries.

ICESCO Director-General concluded his address by renewing the Organization’s call for adopting the concept of fulfilled development, which aims in a comprehensive and forward-looking way to combine the goals of sustainable development and devise dissertations and means to confront emerging challenges.

For his part, the representative of the Moroccan Ministry of Energy Transition and Sustainable Development stressed that the ministry aspires to ensure a balance between economic growth and development to improve the living conditions of citizens, taking into account the preservation of natural resources, which provide us with many possibilities and stimulate innovation.

In his address, Dr. Farid El Bacha, President of Mohammed V University, praised the agreement between ICESCO and the University, pointing out that the University pays special attention to sustainable development through training and scientific research, and that the Kingdom of Morocco has become a role model at the international level.

Dr. Mohamed Reguragui, Dean of the Faculty of Sciences of Mohammed V University, said that researchers play a crucial role in carrying out research and studies that focus on the use of natural products in the field of pharmacy, medicine and cosmetics, reviewing the faculty’s initiatives in this field.

Dr. Hana Al-Manfaluti, Vice-President of Ibn Rushd Foundation for the Promotion of Scientific Research and Innovation, indicated that the use of natural resources is based on environmental diversity, which requires their rational exploitation to achieve sustainable development, noting that the conference program brings together elite researchers from all over the world.

After that, Dr. Kurt Hosttmann, Professor Emeritus at several universities in Switzerland and China, presented the inaugural symposium on the role of natural plants and herbs in preserving memory. The first-day agenda includes a session on Natural Bioactive Products: From Identification to Field Applications in Various Industries, and then a round table entitled: “Opportunities to Enhance the Implementation of the Nagoya Protocol in the Context of the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework.”