Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) met on 22 July 2023 in Moroni, with Mr. Djaanfar Salim, Comorian Minister of Youth, Employment, Labour, Sports, Arts and Culture to discuss ways to strengthen bilateral cooperation in culture, arts and youth capacity building.

During the meeting, Dr. AlMalik reviewed a number of important upcoming events related to culture and youth, including the Conference of Culture Ministers in the Islamic World due to be held in October 2023 in Doha, and the ICESCO Youth Year, which will begin in September 2023 under the auspices of His Excellency President Abdel Fattah Al-Sissi of Egypt, thus reflecting the special attention the Organization devotes to youth through pioneering programs, such as the ICESCO Youth Peace Ambassadors Program and the Young Professionals Program.

ICESCO Director-General highlighted the importance of heritage preservation in the Organization’s orientations and action plans through its programme to inscribe historic sites and cultural elements on the Islamic World Heritage List, calling on the Minister to submit files for the inscription of Comorian heritage sites on this list.

In addition, he reiterated ICESCO’s readiness to accompany the Comoros in the field of culture and heritage, through the organization of training workshops and capacity building for the benefit of national officials in the preparation of applications for the inscription of heritage sites.

For his part, Mr. Djaanfar welcomed ICESCO’s vision in addressing cultural issues in the Islamic world and welcomed the efforts of the Organization and the practical mechanisms it provides for Member States to benefit from its expertise and various programmes. He also announced that the ministry is ready to prepare the files for the inscription of Comorian heritage sites on the Islamic World Heritage List. He noted that ICESCO’s proclamation of the Year of Youth is fully in line with the Comoros’ orientations, which give young people a prominent place in its development policies, through the creation of the National Youth Council.