The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) participates in organizing the Fifth Arab Regional Meeting on the Fourth Sustainable Development Goal on Education by 2030, under the theme “From vision to reality: a transformative journey towards high-quality education in the Arab countries,” held in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and concluded on 2 November 2023.

This regional meeting is organized in partnership between UNESCO Multi-Sectoral Regional Office for the Arab States in Beirut, ICESCO, UNESCO Office for the Gulf States and Yemen in Doha, the Arab Bureau of Education for the Gulf States (ABEGS), the Regional Center for Quality and Excellence in Education in Saudi Arabia, and the Regional Center for Educational Planning In UAE, the Saudi National Commission for Education, Culture and Science, and ALECSO.

The meeting aims to exchange best experiences and practices, highlight the progress made in implementing the commitments pertaining to the fourth Sustainable Development Goal, promote a unified regional vision and strategy for implementing these commitments, and prepare a regional road map for progress towards 2030 Education Agenda.

ICESCO was represented at the meeting by Dr. Ahmed El-Zonfoli, Programs Manager at the Education Sector, who chaired a session on “Reality of challenges and the progress in achieving the Fourth Goal in the Arab region,” during which he stressed the need for assessing the current reality to draw the future road map to achieve the fourth goal by 2030, and prioritize the analytical aspect in the regional reports on monitoring the progress achieved in the fourth goal.