The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) held an international cultural meeting to celebrate the fifth anniversary of the launch of its international forum, “Culture to Rethink the World.” The meeting reviewed five years of reflection, research, and cultural action, bringing together researchers, academics, experts, and cultural practitioners who are members of the Forum. They presented their key contributions and exchanged views on the new challenges facing the cultural sector and the Forum’s future work.

Opening the meeting, held via videoconference on Wednesday, 23 September 2026, Dr. Mohamed Zinelabidine, Head of ICESCO’s Culture Sector, recalled the conviction on which the Forum was founded: culture has moved beyond being heritage that must be safeguarded to become a force for thought, creativity, and innovation, capable of keeping pace with societal transformations. He also outlined the Forum’s structure, comprising the ICESCO Center for Holistic Policies for the Promotion of Cultural Reality, the ICESCO International Chairs Network for Thought, Heritage, Literature, and Arts, research groups, the “Youth Elite” Program, and the ICESCO International Network of Civil Society Communities for Culture and Development.

The Head of the Culture Sector presented figures highlighting the scale of the Forum’s achievements. Its network now comprises more than 200 members representing over 30 nationalities, 10 ICESCO Chairs across eight countries, and 13 research groups. It also includes an international civil society network bringing together more than 60 organizations from over 28 countries, active in more than 50 fields.

In terms of intellectual output, the Forum mobilized more than 90 authors and researchers to prepare over 15 strategic studies, including studies on cultural GDP and employability in the cultural sector. It organized more than 85 virtual seminars and over eight international exhibitions, and published 17 books and collective works, as well as more than 200 articles on the “ICESCO Creative” platform. In terms of impact, more than nine programs and six international projects were implemented, directly benefiting over 7,000 people.

The meeting was moderated by Zineb Bougrine and Sidi Ahmed Jawad from the Culture Sector. It featured contributions from representatives of the Chairs Network, most notably Dr. Fawzi Mahfoudh, Supervisor of the ICESCO “Ibn Khaldun Chair for Culture and Heritage” in Tunisia; Dr. Sana Ghouati, Supervisor of the ICESCO “Chair for Comparative Literature and Arts” in Morocco; and Brazilian artist and researcher Dr. Sandra Rey, Supervisor of the ICESCO “Art and Nature: Hybrid Processes” Chair in Brazil.

The discussion also featured Dr. Rim Jallouli, Expert in Cultural Policies and Sustainable Development; Dr. Mohamed Amine Hammami, artist and international expert in digital creativity and digital culture; artist and composer Rafik Gharbi; and Dr. Bouazza Benachir. They all highlighted the importance of developing new approaches to cultural policies based on indicators that measure cultural development. They also addressed the relationship between technology and innovation, alongside the contemporary challenges facing culture.