The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) and Mohammed VI Polytechnic University in the Kingdom of Morocco signed a memorandum of understanding for cooperation in the fields of innovation, scientific research, foresight, education and young people capacity-building to keep up with the professions of tomorrow and organize joint activities to enhance experience sharing.

Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, ICESCO Director-General, and Mr. Hicham El Habti, President of the Mohammed VI Polytechnic University, signed the memorandum, on Tuesday (February 6, 2024), at the Organization’s headquarters, in Rabat.

In his statement during the signing ceremony, Dr. AlMalik commended the outstanding partnership between ICESCO and Mohammed VI University, hailing the position of this university in the academic scene locally and internationally, and its branches inaugurated outside the Kingdom of Morocco, namely in France, Canada and Côte d’Ivoire.

Dr. AlMalik stressed that ICESCO, within its strategic vision, is committed to contributing to the advancement of educational fields in its Member States through a number of initiatives, most notably the establishment of academic chairs in cooperation with many universities in Member States and abroad.

ICESCO Director-General considered that this new agreement with Mohammed VI Polytechnic University reflects a shared vision towards building an innovative and creative future through a number of programs in strategic foresight and artificial intelligence to serve research and education with the view of raising a new generation of leaders capable of building a better tomorrow.

For his part, Mr. El Habti expressed his happiness with the cooperation between Mohammed VI University and ICESCO to support the Organization’s mission aiming at contributing to the development of science and education in its Member States and the Muslim communities worldwide, adding that the university’s new branches inaugurated outside the Kingdom of Morocco have enhanced the feeling of pride as the South is heading North, which affirms our ability to compete in line with the best international standards.

The memorandum of understanding sets forth cooperation between ICESCO and the University in implementing a number of programs and initiatives, including “Skills and Jobs of Tomorrow Project,” which aims to identify the necessary skills for the future workforce, and the “Regional Foresight and Human and Local Development Project,” which aims to anticipate and address development needs at the local and regional levels, as well as the establishment of ICESCO Chair at the University, which will serve as a cooperation platform for intellectual exchange and research between the two institutions.

The memorandum also includes cooperation in implementing the “Peace and Stability Project,” the “Agricultural Value Chain Project,” and organizing the training sessions of specialized master’s, executive master’s and educational programs in foresight and future studies.