H.E. President Mohamed Al Menfi, President of the Presidential Council of Libya, received on Wednesday, May 8, 2024, at the Presidential Council’s headquarters in Tripoli, Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General (DG) of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO). The two officials discussed ways to strengthen the strategic partnership between ICESCO and Libya in the fields of education, science and culture.

At the beginning of the meeting, which was attended by Mr. Mohamed El Amari Zaid, Libya’s Permanent Delegate to ICESCO, the President of the Libyan Presidential Council expressed his delight at the selection of Benghazi as Culture Capital in the Islamic World for 2024, as part of ICESCO’s Culture Capitals Programme, stressing that Benghazi is one of Libya’s cities with long-standing history and heritage.

Mr. Al Menfi announced that the Libyan government will sponsor the establishment of a center for the translation of the meanings of the Holy Quran in cooperation and coordination with ICESCO in the upcoming period. The President of the Presidential Council also commended the proceedings of the International Conference on the Translation of the Meanings of the Holy Quran, held by the Holy Quran Academy in Tripoli, with the support of the Libyan Ministry of Culture and Knowledge Development.

Mr. Al Menfi also reaffirmed Libya’s keenness to host the next session of the Organization’s Executive Council as well as several of its other international conferences and seminars.

For his part, Dr. AlMalik highlighted key initiatives, programs and activities currently implemented by ICESCO, within the framework of its vision and strategic directions, which focus on building the capacities of youth and women, consolidating the values of coexistence, peace and civilizational dialogue, and encouraging investment in technology, innovation, artificial intelligence and space science. The DG also stated that ICESCO’s activities are geared toward spreading the culture of foresight, fostering the global status of the Arabic language, and promoting and preserving heritage through inscription on ICESCO’s Islamic World Heritage Lists.

Moreover, the DG stressed the Organization’s keenness to develop cooperation and strategic partnership with the State of Libya within its areas of competence, especially in light of the celebration of Benghazi as the Culture Capital in the Islamic World. He added that ICESCO supports the activities of the year-long celebration to best represent the historical and cultural status of the city.

At the close of the meeting, the DG presented H.E. President of the Presidential Council of Libya with ICESCO’s commemorative shield.