Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), received Dr. Imad Issa Saleh, President of the Arab Federation for Libraries and Information (AFLI), and the accompanying delegation to discuss prospects for joint cooperation in the fields of translation, publishing, and support for national libraries in Member States. The meeting took place on Thursday, 12 February 2026, at the Organization’s headquarters in Rabat.

At the beginning of the meeting, Dr. AlMalik reviewed ICESCO’s vision, strategic orientations, and the most prominent programs and initiatives it offers for the benefit of its Member States, especially in the fields of translation and knowledge dissemination. He also noted that ICESCO is currently finalizing arrangements to inaugurate the Sultan Qaboos Library (may Allah have mercy on him), hosted at the Organization’s headquarters after being modernized and equipped with the latest technologies, in addition to a collection of rare books and documents.

Dr. AlMalik stated that ICESCO is forging distinguished partnerships with leading national libraries across the countries of the Islamic world, noting the Organization’s willingness to host major conferences convened by the Federation and to participate in their organization, thereby helping broaden the Federation’s impact throughout the Islamic world.

For his part, Dr. Imad Saleh presented an overview of the Federation, headquartered in Tunisia, outlined its main areas of work, and expressed the Federation’s keenness to cooperate with ICESCO in light of its pivotal role in the fields of education, science, and culture in the Islamic world, as well as to benefit from the Organization’s expertise in advancing knowledge.

The meeting discussed several proposed programs and projects, including capacity building for publishing professionals, the issuance of specialized knowledge series and technical studies, technical cooperation in cataloguing and drafting reference guides for libraries, and digitizing historical documents.

The meeting was attended by Dr. Ahmed Albanyan, Director of ICESCO’s Translation and Publishing Center; Mr. Sultan Saif Khamis Said Al Mazrouei, Vice President of the Federation; and Ms. Badiaa Rahmouni, Member of the Executive Bureau.

Following the meeting, the AFLI delegation toured the halls of the Sultan Qaboos Library. An expanded meeting was then held with the participation of Dr. Albanyan and Dr. Kais Hammami, Head of ICESCO’s Center for Foresight and Artificial Intelligence, during which in-depth discussions took place on programs and projects proposed for implementation between the two sides.