Dr. Abdelilah Benarafa, Deputy Director-General (DG) of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), received on Thursday, 17 July 2025, at the Organization’s headquarters, in Rabat, Dr. Khalid Ali al-Nuaimi, President of the Arab Union for the Blind. The two officials discussed prospects for cooperation between ICESCO and the Union in supporting people with disabilities.

The meeting discussed a number of projects and programs to enhance cooperation, including the empowerment and integration of the blind into society, institutional indicators (access, empowerment, promotions, equal opportunities), the Poetry Festival for People with Visual Impairment, the development of journalistic writing skills for the blind, the World Youth Skills Day, the World Sight Day, and the meeting of federations of blind bodies.

The President of the Arab Union for the Blind presented Dr. Benarafa with a set of the Union’s publications in Braille.
Following the meeting, the Deputy DG took Dr. al-Nuaimi on a tour of the International Exhibition and Museum of the Prophet’s Biography and Islamic Civilization, which is currently hosted at ICESCO’s headquarters.

The meeting was attended by Dr. Ahmed Said Bah, Advisor to the General Directorate, and Ambassador Khalid Fathulrahman, Director of the Center for Civilizational Dialogue.