The International Scientific Forum “Culture and Arts and their Role in Combating Crime and Extremism”, held by the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) in partnership with the Naif Arab University for Security Sciences (NAUSS) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) for the Gulf Cooperation Council States, issued several important recommendations at the close of its proceedings, which saw the presentation of visions, innovative ideas and rich debates among leaders and experts in the fields of justice, security, culture and the arts.

The recommendations, released at the end of the Forum on Tuesday, 18 July 2023, included a renewed call for a global definition of extremism to address it from a perspective of justice and equity, an invitation to intellectuals to contribute positively and effectively to enrich the “dialogue of culture and arts on crime and extremism,” the promotion of the roles of the socio-economic and cultural approach in the strategy of combating extremism and terrorism, and the call for making creative training essential and attractive subjects into pre-university studies.

The recommendations also included the need to empower young people to face major global challenges, the creation of regional centers to provide cultural and artistic services, support for adherence to international conventions and treaties related to the fight against crime and extremism, and the need to intensify official control of all artistic works and visions presented through audiovisual messages to combat ideas that contradict religious and social values.

The participants welcomed ICESCO’s initiative to create a scientific chair on cultural approaches to the fight against crime and extremism, in cooperation with the Naif Arab University for Security Sciences in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

The second day of the Forum featured five sessions: 1) culture and the arts as a permanent soft power for coexistence between civilizations and peoples; 2) the importance of cultural and artistic content in the fight against extremism; 3) the importance of supporting coexistence between individuals, peoples and civilizations in the fight against extremism; 4) the impact of some cultural and artistic practices in the fight against extremism and crime; 5) types of best practices of cultural and artistic institutions in the fight against extremism and crime.

At the end of the Forum, Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, ICESCO Director General, delivered a speech in which he thanked all of the participants for their commendable contributions during the said sessions and discussions, stressing that they would be examined by the scientific committee of the Forum with a view to including them in the final report.

ICESCO Director-General praised the distinguished partnership between the Organization and the Naif Arab University of Security Sciences, expressing his gratitude to the University’s leadership and his pride in the partnership.