Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), met with Dr. Sherif Sedky, CEO of the Egyptian Space Agency, to explore prospects for cooperation in the coming period. Their discussions focused on harnessing space sciences and their applications to support sustainable development efforts, address current challenges, and implement training programs for youth from the Islamic world in Egypt in the field of space technology.

Dr. AlMalik opened the meeting, which took place on Thursday, February 6, 2025, at ICESCO’s headquarters in Rabat, by commending the Organization’s strong commitment to advancing space sciences in its Member States. He highlighted ICESCO’s efforts to foster international partnerships in the space industry with prestigious institutions and research centers, including the American Space Foundation and space agencies in Pakistan and Azerbaijan.

The ICESCO Director-General also reviewed key initiatives and programs implemented by the Organization in the field of space science and its applications, most notably the establishment of a specialized Space Sciences Department and the organization of a series of training workshops on the CanSat satellite model, which have already been conducted in three Islamic countries. Additionally, he expressed ICESCO’s willingness to implement the program in Egypt in collaboration with the Egyptian Space Agency.

For his part, Dr. Sedky outlined the Agency’s efforts in developing space technology in Egypt and several African countries through various research programs. He extended an invitation to Dr. AlMalik to visit the Agency’s headquarters in Cairo to discuss the implementation of projects aimed at integrating space sciences into university curricula in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields across the Islamic world.

The meeting also included discussions on signing a cooperation agreement between the two parties in the near future to launch training programs and workshops on space sciences and their applications in sustainable development efforts and addressing urgent global challenges.

The meeting saw the attendance of Dr. Raheel Qamar, Head of the Science and Environment Sector; Mr. Osama Heikal, Head of the Media and Communication Sector; and Dr. Muhammad Sharif, Advisor at the Science and Environment Sector.