Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), met on Sunday, 17 August 2025, with Dr. Marwan Alhalabi, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research in the Syrian Arab Republic, to discuss the development of cooperation in educational and academic fields, and support for higher education and scientific research.

This meeting, held in the Syrian capital Damascus, came within the framework of the official visit of the ICESCO Director-General at the head of a delegation from the Organization, reaffirming ICESCO’s support for the Syrian Arab Republic in its new phase.

At the beginning of the meeting, Dr. AlMalik expressed his sincere wishes for Syria to overcome its crisis, stressing ICESCO’s keenness to support Damascus in organizing various conferences and symposia, and the Organization’s readiness to cooperate in the field of academic studies and scientific research with the capabilities it possesses, particularly through strengthening partnership with the Federation of the Universities of the Islamic World, which is affiliated with the Organization and includes hundreds of prestigious universities, and to contribute to providing specialized training programs in cooperation with Syrian universities.

The ICESCO Director-General presented an overview of the Center for Foresight and Artificial Intelligence and its role in conducting in-depth studies on the economy of the future and the new career paths, emphasizing that the future of sciences and AI constitutes a top priority for the Organization. He underscored the importance of aligning education with the rapid developments in these fields.

Dr. AlMalik also extended an invitation to the Syrian Minister to attend the Islamic Conference of Ministers of Higher Education and Scientific Research, to be held soon in Cairo, Egypt, and proposed dedicating a special session to discuss ways of developing education in Syria.

For his part, Dr. Alhalabi noted that Syria had suffered from academic isolation in recent years, which led to a major decline in scientific research. He expressed hope for strengthening communication and cooperation with all international bodies and organizations, foremost among them ICESCO, in order to provide scientific support in this regard. He also highlighted Syria’s efforts to achieve progress in the education sector, invest in youth, and enhance innovation through research incubators.

At the conclusion of the meeting, Dr. AlMalik invited Dr. Alhalabi to visit ICESCO headquarters in Rabat and presented him with the Organization’s shield in appreciation of his efforts.

The ICESCO delegation included:

• Mr. Osama Heikal, Head of the Sector of Media and Communication
• Ms. Faizah Alaoui, Expert at the Center for Foresight and Artificial Intelligence
• Dr. Adham Hamawiya, Expert at the Center of Arabic for Non-Arabic Speakers
• Mr. Mohammad Al-Absi, Expert at the Islamic World Heritage Center