Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), attended the opening of the Leaders Summit held as part of the 31 Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC (COP 31) in Antalya, Republic of Türkiye. On the sidelines of the Conference, he also met with ministers from the Kingdom of Morocco and the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.

The opening remarks were preceded by Turkish folkloric performances highlighting the importance of environmental conservation and climate protection. The remarks began with an address by United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, followed by speeches from Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, host of the summit.

At the Kingdom of Morocco Pavilion, Dr. AlMalik met with Ms. Charafat Afilal, Minister of Energy, Mines and Sustainable Development. He commended the pavilion’s outstanding presentation of the Kingdom’s efforts in energy and sustainable development, as well as its seminar program, to which ICESCO contributed two sessions, including one on smart cities. The Minister affirmed her commitment to strengthening cooperation with ICESCO in renewable energy and addressing climate challenges, and to developing joint initiatives in these areas.

At the Islamic Republic of Pakistan Pavilion, the ICESCO Director-General met with Mr. Rana Tanveer Hussain, Federal Minister for National Food Security and Research, who expressed interest in the Organization’s programs and initiatives and affirmed his commitment to further strengthening the close cooperation between Pakistan and ICESCO across various fields.

At the Pakistan Pavilion, Dr. AlMalik also met with Dr. Shezra Mansab Ali Khan Kharal, Minister of Climate Change and Environmental Coordination. They discussed prospects for cooperation on environmental and climate action, as well as the possibility of Pakistan hosting the ICESCO Conference of Environment Ministers in the Islamic World in 2027.

The Director-General and his accompanying delegation also toured the pavilions of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Azerbaijan, in addition to the Moroccan and Turkish pavilions.

It is worth noting that ICESCO’s COP31 programme includes more than 50 contributions across Member States’ pavilions and those of several international organizations, along with events held in the conference’s multipurpose halls. ICESCO’s first participation in the Conferences of the Parties with a dedicated pavilion at COP27 in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, in 2022, and continued its presence at subsequent sessions. The Organization was granted observer status at the Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC (COP 31) during COP28 in Dubai 2023.