The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) signed a new cooperation agreement with the Arab Bureau of Education for the Gulf States (ABEGS) to strengthen the existing partnership between the two institutions in areas of common interest. The agreement aims to support scientific research in education and teaching, promote initiatives in the fields of open education, publications and translation, and create networks for the promotion of technical and vocational education and development of educational systems in the Islamic world.

The agreement was signed on Tuesday, May 30, 2023, at ICESCO Headquarters in Rabat, by Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General of the Organization, and Dr. Abdulrahman bin Muhammad Al-Assimi, ABEGS Director-General, in the presence of Dr. Abdelilah Benarafa, ICESCO Deputy Director-General, and a number of the Organization’s heads of departments and centers.

At the signing ceremony, Dr. AlMalik emphasized that the agreement strengthens the fruitful partnership between the two institutions. For his part, Dr. Al-Assimi stated that the partnership between ICESCO and ABEGS will go beyond the implementation of the projects and programs provided for in the agreement.

The agreement provides for co-organizing international workshops, seminars and symposia in the fields of education and teaching; launching training programs and sessions for teachers; conducting studies in this field; promoting consultation between the two parties, particularly in areas of common interest; collecting statistical data; and cooperating in technical studies, particularly in the fields of educational technology and artificial intelligence.

A meeting was held before the agreement signing between Dr. AlMalik and Dr. AL-Assimi, in which the two officials discussed ways to strengthen the partnership between ICESCO and ABEGS, and agreed to pursue coordination and joint action to ensure optimal benefit from programs and projects to be implemented, in support of Muslim countries’ efforts to modernize their education systems.

In this connection, Dr. AlMalik pointed out that ICESCO proclaimed its Year of Youth, which will be marked by the launch and implementation of a series of initiatives and programs to build the capacities of young people in the Islamic world in the fields of leadership for peace, technology, innovation, space sciences and the awarding of scholarships at prestigious universities.

For his part, Dr. Al-Assimi commended ICESCO’s efforts, stressing that the Islamic world had recently changed its view of the Organization, given its remarkable efforts in service of its Member States, particularly in the fields of education, science and culture.

Following the signing, Dr. AlMalik accompanied Dr. Al-Assimi on a tour of the Exhibition and Museum of the Prophet’s Seerah and Islamic Civilization, currently housed at the Organization’s headquarters. The ABEGS delegation received detailed explanations on the treasure troves exhibited at the various pavilions and sections of the Exhibition and Museum, presented using modern display techniques, which recount and document in detail our Prophet’s Seerah.