Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), received Dr. Albino Jopela, Executive Director of the African World Heritage Fund (AWHF), and together they discussed prospects for cooperation between the two institutions in the fields of preservation and promotion of heritage and archaeological sites in Africa.

During the meeting, held this Monday, August 26, 2024, at ICESCO headquarters in Rabat, Dr. AlMalik highlighted the main axes of ICESCO’s vision and strategic orientations, which give particular priority to the preservation, protection and promotion of heritage in the Member States. Dr. AlMalik also stressed that ICESCO has implemented a set of programs, initiatives and projects in the fields of heritage preservation and promotion in the Islamic world, mentioning ICESCO’s recent achievements which include the publication of a study entitled, “Legislative Mechanisms to Combat Illicit Trafficking of Cultural Property in Arab States”. This study, he explained, will be followed by other research focusing on ICESCO Member States in the Asian and African regions.

Likewise, the Director-General stated that ICESCO inscribed 634 historical sites and cultural elements in 45 countries on its heritage lists in the Islamic world, sharing the Organization’s goal to inscribe a total of 1,000 sites and elements by 2025. He further explained that the Organization is committed to supporting its Member States in this area by training heritage professionals in preparing heritage nomination files, and launching initiatives to capitalize on AI technologies in the processes of preserving and promoting archaeological and heritage sites.

For his part, Dr. Jopela commended ICESCO’s pioneering efforts in the fields of heritage preservation and promotion, expressing his keenness to draw on the Organization’s expertise to address the needs of African countries in the field of heritage, and support them in submitting nomination files for the inscription of their archaeological sites and cultural elements on heritage lists.

During the meeting, the two parties discussed the possibility of signing a MoU between ICESCO and AWHF to kick start the cooperation relations and implement future programs in the fields of heritage preservation and promotion.

The meeting was attended by Dr. Mohamed Zinelabidine, Head of ICESCO’s Culture and Communication Sector, Dr. Webber Ndoro, Director of the Center for Heritage in the Islamic World, and Dr. Mahamat Abba Ousman, Expert at the Culture and Communication Sector.