The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) participated in the first International Exhibition for Non-Profit and Awqaf (endowment) (IENA) in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, which is sponsored by the Saudi Ministry of Municipal, Rural Affairs and Housing, to build qualitative partnerships at the local and international levels in the non-profit sector and Awqaf, with the participation of more than 100 local and international entities.

Dr. Ahmed Said Bah, Advisor to ICESCO Director-General for Partnerships and International Cooperation, Supervisor of the Secretariat of National Commissions and Conferences, and Mr. Mohamed Hedi Shili, Director of the Department of Legal Affairs and International Standards, represented ICESCO at the three-day Exhibition that was launched on 27 May 2023, under the theme: “Effective partnerships for the goals of sustainable development.”

During the Exhibition, ICESCO representatives reviewed the Organization’s efforts and projects, mainly ICESCO Development Waqf Fund, which was approved by the Organization’s Executive Council at its 40th session in Abu Dhabi in 2020. They held a series of meetings with the Exhibition management and several charitable associations and endowment institutions to discuss cooperation avenues.

They also visited the headquarters of the Saudi National Commission for Education, Culture and Science, and met with the Commission’s officials to explore the arrangements for holding the next session of the ICESCO Executive Council in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, in addition to the executive steps of ICESCO programs and projects in cooperation with the Saudi authorities.