Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General (DG) of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), received Dr. Mohamed Larbi Kerkeb, President of Ibn Tofail University in Kenitra, Morocco. Both parties discussed enhancing cooperation between the Organization and the University in several fields, chief among them being artificial intelligence.

During the Meeting, held today, Monday, June 10, 2024 at ICESCO headquarters in Rabat, Dr. AlMalik emphasized the Organization’s commitment to openness and collaboration with universities. He acknowledged that universities and research centers are the best incubators for innovation and creativity. He explained that ICESCO implements many activities and projects with universities and places great importance on its scientific chairs program, which has established many chairs in various prestigious universities inside and outside the Islamic world. ICESCO DG also reaffirmed the Organization’s ongoing work to strengthen cooperation with and among universities through the Federation of the Universities of the Islamic World.

ICESCO DG praised the recommendations issued by the international conference “Artificial Intelligence and Human Rights: Opportunities and Challenges,” which ICESCO and the University co-organized, along with the Moroccan Ministry Delegate in Charge of Human Rights, in cooperation with the Council of Europe, the Danish Institute for Human Rights, and the United Nations Development Programme. He pointed out that ICESCO places great importance on the ethical and value-based dimensions of artificial intelligence, as reflected in its preparation of the Charter on Artificial Intelligence in the Islamic World.

For his part, Dr. Kerkeb commended ICESCO’s roles and efforts in supporting universities and contributing to the development of scientific research. He reaffirmed Ibn Tofail University’s commitment to enhancing cooperation with the Organization in various programs and projects, whether related to artificial intelligence and technology or other fields of applied sciences and humanities.

The Meeting was attended by Dr. Ahmed Ajaoun, Dean of the Faculty of Legal and Political Sciences at Ibn Tofail University, Dr. Omar Halli, Advisor to ICESCO DG for the Federation of the Universities of the Islamic World, and Mr. Mohamed Hedi Sehili, Director of the Department of Legal Affairs and International Standards at ICESCO.