Category: Culture and Communication

At the close of the Extraordinary Virtual Conference of Culture Ministers of the Member States of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO); held today with the participation of 50 countries and 22 international organizations, under the theme “Sustainability of cultural action in the face of crises (Covid-19)”, the Ministers of Culture and the heads and representatives of the participating regional and international organizations undertook to promote the position of culture in tomorrow’s societies to face future challenges, support and develop digital culture, raise awareness of the importance of cultural heritage, and encourage the culture of solidarity and cultural synergy.

In the final statement read out by Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, ICESCO Director-General, the participants reiterated their support to ICESCO’s vision which is based on conserving, protecting, supporting and rehabilitating the cultural and civilizational heritage of the Islamic world to preserve the Islamic world’s cultural identity and anchor human rights, most notably the cultural rights which ICESCO seeks to sustain, particularly during crises and disasters.

Moreover, the statement stressed the importance of the Digital Cultural Strategic Project, prepared by ICESCO as a proactive initiative for the management of cultural affairs and as a sustainable anticipatory programme for future cultural action.

The participants also called for developing cultural projects and programmes to bring culture closer to citizens in the urban and rural areas, promote the reality of cultural action and figures by anchoring a new vision which is more creative, developed ad consistent with the major trends which strongly impose themselves on the international scene such as the promotion of cultural diversity, the protection of the tangible and intangible heritage, and the use of AI applications.

The statement also underlined the importance of developing cultural tourism and promoting the complementary relationship between the sectors of culture and sports in building human beings by developing an integrated system of programmes for the benefit of various social groups.

Besides, the participants lauded the initiative of “ICESCO Digital Home” as a knowledge platform in the fields of education, science, innovation and human sciences, including the programme of “Distance Culture,” which they committed to support and enrich its digital contents as well as the contents of the Portal of the Islamic World Heritage and the digital libraries.

Furthermore, they reaffirmed their commitment to cooperate with ICESCO Heritage Center and the Islamic World Heritage Committee in highlighting the richness of the cultural and civilizational heritage of Member States and inscribing the largest number possible of heritage sites. The statement also commended the efforts of ICESCO and its Director-General in developing and implementing innovative projects based on the digital culture in the management and sustainability of cultural activities, particularly during crises and disasters.

In conclusion, the participants thanked ICESCO and its Director-General for calling to this Conference amid these difficult global circumstances triggered by the spread of Covid-19. They also thanked the State of the United Arab Emirates for chairing the Conference.

The Conference’s sessions witnessed considerable interaction from the ministers and the heads of the participating international organizations. During the interactive session, the participants explored the future of cultural actions and the need to develop it through modern technologies and promote the digital culture. The Conference concluded with an address by Dr. AlMalik wherein he thanked the ministers and the heads of the international organizations for their participation in the Conference and support to ICESCO’s initiatives.

**Ministers review the initiatives of their countries to face the repercussions of Covid-19 on cultural action

The Ministers of Culture taking part in the Extraordinary Virtual Conference of Culture Ministers of Member States of ICESCO, held by the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), under the theme “Sustainability of cultural action in the face of crises (Covid-19)”, reviewed the initiatives and experiences of their countries to ensure the continuity of cultural action. The ministers and the heads of the participating regional and international organizations lauded the cultural initiatives of ICESCO, most notably “ICESCO Digital Home” and “Distance Culture,” as well as the incentive awards of creativity.

During the first session, H.H. Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan, Minister of Culture of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, highlighted the importance of strengthening awareness of culture as well as its concerted efforts in reducing its effects caused by the pandemic, while commending the initiatives of the Kingdom to promote the part it plays in society through innovative models and its awareness that culture continuously evolves and able to adapt to the changing reality in all its transformations.

In her address, Dr. Ines Abdel-Dayem, Minister of Culture of the Arab Republic of Egypt, referred to the initiative of “Stay Home… Culture is in your hands” to provide cultural content on the Ministry’s channel on YouTube, which achieved great success and received significant attention with 27 million views until now.

On his part, Mr. Ozodbek Nazarbekov, Minister of Culture of the Republic of Uzbekistan, stated that the Ministry provided virtual lessons and presentations as well as 3-D visits to heritage sites, explaining that his Ministry adapted to the circumstances caused by the pandemic to ensure the continuity of the cultural action.

Afterward, Ms. Noura Al Kaabi, Minister of Culture and Knowledge Development of the United Arab Emirates, reviewed the cultural vision of the United Arab Emirates during the coming period, including the ways to provide support to independent innovators and develop a standardized guide to digital policies to protect the intellectual property on digital platforms.

Mr. Othman El Ferdaous, Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports of the Kingdom of Morocco, highlighted several cultural initiatives launched by the Kingdom to reduce the repercussions of Covid-19 on the cultural sector. It includes the support programme for the producers of cultural contents with a budget of MAD100 million, in addition to partnerships with the national cultural institutions.

Ms. Raymonde Michèle Goudou Coffie, Minister of Culture and the Francophonie of the Republic of Cote d’Ivoire underscored the efforts geared towards facing the impacts of Covid-19 on the cultural activities and the initiatives to support the artists who were influenced by the closure of cultural institutions.

Moreover, Ms. Malika Bendouda, Minister of Culture of the People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria, pointed out to the initiatives of organizing virtual cultural contests, distance drawing workshops, and displaying documentaries and historical movies on the digital platforms, as well as organizing Virtual Days of Short Films.

In his address, Mr. Salem bin Mohammed Al Mahrouqi, Minister of Heritage and Culture of the Sultanate of Oman, highlighted that the Ministry formed a committee concerned with the economic issues during the crisis and reducing its repercussions on various fields, including culture and tourism.

Mr. Bidoung Mkpatt Ismaël, Minister of Arts and Culture of the Republic of Cameroon, also reviewed the efforts of his country in the cultural field, including the launch of the platform “Mirror of Cameroon” to virtually visit tourism and cultural monuments, as well as another platform to coordinate the efforts exerted in the fields of tourism and culture.

Furthermore, Ms. Yumna Maumoon, Minister of Arts, Culture and Heritage of the Republic of Maldives, reaffirmed that her government cooperated with and supported artists to present virtual works, and used technologies to make culture accessible to people at Home.

Mr. Faisal Mohamed Saleh, Minister of Culture and Information of the Republic of the Sudan, also highlighted the importance of promoting the digital culture and encouraging businesses and the private sector to contribute to upgrading digital culture.

In addition, Mr. Shafqat Mahmood, Federal Minister of National Heritage and Heritage Literacy of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, revealed that his country allocated a fund of one billion rupees to support artists, establish virtual music platforms and organize theater shows and virtual drama lessons.

Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), reaffirmed that digital culture is the new face of future cultural action, adding that this makes it imperative to adopt a firm working method to sustain the cultural action, develop cultural tourism and empower the sporting culture by using AI applications in cultural action and making recourse to innovators in these fields.

This was an excerpt from Dr. AlMalik’s address at the opening session of the Extraordinary Virtual Conference of Culture Ministers of Member States of ICESCO, held today under the presidency of the State of the Unit Arab Emirates, under the theme “Sustainability of cultural action in the face of crises (Covid-19)”, with the participation of 50 countries and 22 international organizations.

In the same vein, Dr. AlMalik stated that ICESCO’s call to hold this Extraordinary Conference of Culture Ministers emanates from the responsibility assumed by all Member States in supporting the cultural policies and programmes, and from ICESCO’s position as a house of expertise and an open institutional space for dialogue and the dissemination of successful experiences and innovative solutions for cultural action management. “ICESCO is also the competent party in charge of coordinating the joint cultural action, which requires developing a global cultural project likely to ensure the right to culture, keep up with future changes and its ties with vital sectors such as tourism and sports, and open new prospects for promoting the values and mechanisms of intercultural and inter-civilizational dialogue,” he stressed.

Besides, ICESCO Director-General said that culture is a cornerstone for building the human future and civilization. There is a need to develop a robust cultural capital likely to contribute to the efforts in facing future cultural challenges. Against this backdrop, the Conference chooses the topics to be discussed during its session, including the significant cultural problems during crises; anticipating the future of culture after Covid-19 crisis; exploring the new trends of cultural tourism; publicizing the Digital Strategic Cultural Project, prepared by ICESCO as a basis for future joint cultural action for the Member States; and, the Portal of Islamic World Heritage, established by ICESCO based on the rich Islamic World heritage, of which 80% is endangered. This Portal will help inscribe the heritage sites and intangible heritage elements on the Islamic World Heritage List.

Moreover, Dr. AlMalik underscored that the concept of cultural tourism, which was adopted by the United Nations 57 years ago, requires promotion to put culture, tourism, and sports back in the forefront of States economies, stressing that the relationship between culture and sports is worthy of development given their rich activities, and highlighting that ICESCO is honored to explore new prospects in this field which will hopefully yield further results very soon.

Dr. AlMalik also stated that the distance cultural programmes during the lockdown period mitigated the psychosocial distress, and reduced the repercussions caused by the closure of over 95% of cultural institutions while commending the leading initiatives launched by ICESCO during these exceptional circumstances, most notably “ICESCO Digital Home,” which is knowledge, cultural, educational and scientific platform that received great interest through its programme “Distance Culture” and initiatives “Comprehensive Humanitarian Coalition” and “The Societies We Need”.

In closing, Dr. AlMalik stressed that the current global transitions in various fields make it imperative for the Member States to proactively lead the march of the new cultural movement with confidence and foresight ability to build a bright future and safe societies.

Under the theme “Sustainability of Cultural Action in the Face of Crises (Covid-19)”, the Extraordinary Virtual Conference of Culture Ministers of ICESCO Member States kicked off today with the participation of 50 countries and 22 international organizations to explore the future of culture and its relation with tourism and sports.

Ms. Noura Al Kaabi, Minister of Culture and Knowledge Development of the State of the United Arab Emirates, President of the Conference, initiated the opening session thanking ICESCO, its Director-General and his assisting team for the organization of the Conference in these trying circumstances that gravely affected all cultural activities. She also stressed the importance of future cultural action and the necessity to use AI applications to this effect.

Then, Dr. Yousef bin Ahmad Al-Othaimeen, Secretary-General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), took the floor and called for a response by the OIC and its organs to the repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic. In this vein, he lauded ICESCO’s outstanding efforts to support its Member States to overcome the impacts of this pandemic.

In her address read out by the Assistant UNESCO Director-General for Culture, Mr. Ernesto Ottone Ramírez, UNESCO Director-General pointed to ICESCO’s efforts in addressing the repercussions of COVID-19 pandemic; lauded its considerable action to support Member States overcome the consequences of the pandemic; and, underscored the crucial role that could be carried out by ICESCO to support digital transition efforts.

For his part, Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, ICESCO Director-General, reaffirmed in his address that digital culture, being the new face of future cultural action, needs to be adopted as a stable cultural methodology to ensure sustainable cultural action; develop cultural tourism and empower sports culture through the use of AI applications in cultural activities; and, engaging creative people in this process.

He also underlined that the transformations unfolding in the world today at all levels compel the Member States to lead the new cultural movement and confidently forge ahead, making use of foresight abilities to build a brighter future and safer societies for future generations. Besides, ICESCO Director-General stated that distance cultural programmes during the lockdown has immensely contributed to alleviating psychological and social pressure, and helped mitigate the impact of the closure of more than 95% of cultural institutions while commending the pioneering initiatives launched by ICESCO during these extraordinary circumstances.

At the close of the session, participants watched a video clip on the prizes earmarked by ICESCO to encourage artistic and literary creativity among the youth and rising generations.

At the keynote speakers’ session, Dr. Talal Abu-Gazaleh, Founder and President of Talal Abu-Gazaleh Global, delivered an address where he emphasized the importance of culture and personal skills development while pointing to the increasing demand for online learning as being the future method of education. “The world no longer needs mega infrastructures but requires a conducive environment for the evolution of sciences. If we truly want to reform our education system, we should do so based on a digital revolution to contribute to the building of the world of tomorrow and make our region the beacon for the entire globe”, he concluded.

In his address, Dr. Taleb Rifai, former Secretary-General of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), stated that tourism has formed part of human rights and that the current crisis can be an opportunity for the advancement of tourism and culture. He also called for a second exploration of our history and values, while calling on countries to seize this opportunity to focus on tourism and link it to culture as travel helps people open up to each other and tourism leads to the promotion of culture.

Consequently, Mr. Webber Ndoro, Director General of the International Center for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM), said that ICCROM had already cooperated with ICESCO in the field of heritage preservation and conservation, hoping that this cooperation would continue to grow in line with the UN SDGs. Moreover, he pointed out that the Center launched a call for supporting Member States in their preservation and conservation of heritage efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic, with a focus on the African continent, which is in desperate need of such support in these hard times.

At the end of the session, the participants watched a short film on “ICESCO Portal for Islamic World Heritage,” established by ICESCO, out of its awareness that about 80% of cultural heritage in the Islamic world is in danger. Through this portal, heritage sites and elements of intangible cultural heritage will be inscribed on the Islamic World Heritage List (IWHL).

The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) and Egypt-Japan University will co-organize an e-training session on “the manuscript’s arts, science and heritage in the Islamic world” for the benefit of manuscript specialists in the Arab region, on 18-19 June 2020.

The session, which starts at 09:00 GMT (10:00 – Rabat local time, 11:00 Cairo local time); aims at shedding light on the tangible and intangible heritage of manuscripts in Egypt and the Islamic world, and exploring manuscript heritage from technical and scientific perspectives through lectures, discussions, workshops and presentations.

This training is an opportunity for the participants to discover the components of manuscripts, the methods of their production and the related professions. They will also learn key information on the types of paper and ink used in manuscripts, including the sources and techniques of black and red ink in light of the Coptic and Islamic manuscripts and based on the historical manuscripts and sources and the scientific studies.

This e-training features applications on the techniques used in producing “Shiraz” in the Coptic and Islamic manuscripts, a workshop on the Ottoman script variations, and ways to preserve, conserve and restore manuscripts and benefit from the scientific techniques used the scientific and spectral imaging of manuscripts.

Interested audience is invited to fill out the participation form available through the link below:
https://webinar.ejust.edu.eg/webinar/Art-Science-and-Heritage-of-Manuscripts

The link to access the live stream of the training session will be sent to the participants after registration.

The Extraordinary Virtual Conference of Culture Ministers of ICESCO Member States will explore a wide range of topics and issues. Due to be held by the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) on 17 June 2020, the Conference will discuss the future of digital culture, tourism culture, the relationship between sports and culture, the challenges to sustainable cultural action in the face of crises (COVID-19) and the inscription of historic sites on the Islamic World Heritage List (IWHL).

The Conference will bring together a broad audience of culture and heritage ministers of several Member States. They confirmed their participation, given the immediate impact of the issues under discussion on cultural action and sustainable development. The Conference will also feature many regional and international organizations operating in the field of culture, tourism and sports, namely the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) and the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).

The Conference will kick off at 09.00 (GMT), 10.00 (Rabat local time), under the presidency of the State of the United Arab Emirates. The opening session will feature the addresses of Ms. Noura Al Kaabi, Minister of Culture and Knowledge Development of the United Arab Emirates, President of the Conference; Dr. Yousef bin Ahmad Al-Othaimeen, Secretary-General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC); Mr. Miguel Ángel Moratinos, United Nations High Representative for the Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC); and Mr.

Ernesto Ottone Ramírez, Assistant Director-General of UNESCO for Culture, on behalf of UNESCO Director-General. Following the address by Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, ICESCO Director-General, an introductory video about the “Distance Culture” initiative, which forms part of “ICESCO Digital Home.” It will be presented to announce the Organization’s contributions and awards, which enriched the culture sector during the COVID-19 crisis and supported the efforts of the international community in addressing its ensuing repercussions on the educational, scientific and cultural fields.

At the session dedicated to keynote speakers, Mr. Webber Ndoro, Director General of the International Center for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM), will discuss the importance of preserving and maintaining heritage sites during crises. At the same time, Dr. Taleb Rifai, former Secretary-General of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), will explore the new trends in cultural tourism and their importance in achieving sustainable development. Moreover, a video will be displayed on the Portal for Heritage Protection, which ICESCO launched to inscribe, manage and preserve sites inscribed on the Islamic World Heritage List (IWHL).

So far, ICESCO has inscribed 140 sites and will continue inscribing heritage and historical sites in the Islamic world, in cooperation with the Member States following strict criteria.

At the first session dedicated to “Cultural challenges in times of crises (COVID- 19)”, the floor will be given to several ministers in the Member States. Speaking at the second session, “Culture in post-Covid-19 period” are the representatives of ICESCO and many ministers from the Member States.
The third session will cover the issue of “New Trends in Cultural Tourism,” which receives great attention from ICESCO as cultural tourism is one of the primary sources of national income of many Member States.

At the fourth session on “ICESCO Digital Cultural Strategic Project,” the Organization’s representative will review the main aspects of the project, which lies at the core of ICESCO’s interests, to anticipate the future and meet its requirements in education, culture, and science.

The Conference will close with an open forum where Member States’ Ministers of Culture and the heads of regional and international organizations will give presentations. At the closing session, the participants will adopt the conference declaration, and Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, ICESCO Director-General, will deliver the closing address.

Convened by the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), the Islamic World Heritage Committee (IWHC) held its 2nd Extraordinary Meeting via videoconferencing, to examine ways to protect and conserve heritage in the Islamic world, and train workers in this field amid the spread of Covid-19. The crisis has affected several vital sectors, most notably the cultural institutions, which have been closed to the public, particularly heritage sites and tourism destinations.

At the outset, the Committee considered the items placed on the agenda and hailed the initiative of holding its meeting via videoconferencing. It also called for adopting this mechanism whenever necessary and incorporating it in the Internal Regulations of IWHC and considered the challenges relevant to the management of heritage sites and museums during and after Covid-19 crisis as well as matters pertaining to the intangible heritage and the implementation of the relevant resolutions of the Conference of Culture Ministers in the Islamic World.

Besides, the Committee welcomed the establishment of the Islamic World Heritage Center and adopted its Organizational Chart while taking into account the remarks of its members and reaffirmed its commitment to support the Center’s activities, programmes and projects.

The Committee also recommended the adoption of the amended nomination form for the inscription of intangible heritage on the Islamic World Heritage List. It will take into account the remarks of its members, called upon the Secretariat of the Committee, to circulate the form to all Member States to prepare the files of the intangible heritage elements nominated for inscription on the Islamic World Heritage List.

Moreover, the Committee praised ICESCO’s swift adoption of the management of cultural activities through its website during Covid-19 crisis and the provision of distance training videos in the fields of tangible and intangible heritage. It also included the management of heritage sites and museums; and called for sustaining and promoting these efforts through the preparation of the strategic digital cultural project for heritage documentation and the establishment of the heritage platform in the Islamic world and virtual museums, as well as taking the necessary technical measures to design a digital portal for inscribing the heritage sites on the Islamic World Heritage List.

The Committee also called upon the Islamic World Heritage Center to prepare a guide on how to protect from destruction and sabotage heritage sites amid crises, disasters, and armed conflicts. Also, to complement this effort by establishing cooperation with UNESCO World Heritage Center through coordination with the ICESCO Member States representatives in the UNESCO World Heritage Committee. This move will serve the objectives of the IWHC and support the action of the regional and international organizations, bodies, and centers operating in the field of preserving heritage and monuments.

In addition, the Committee called upon the Secretariat of the Islamic World Heritage List to launch an awareness-raising campaign on ICESCO website and social media for the benefit of local communities, particularly youth, to highlight the importance of heritage in promoting the cultural and civilizational identity of nations and peoples, and the socio-economic development.

The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) will take part at the first Edition of Old Salé Prize for Handicraft and Traditional Creations, in the Kingdom of Morocco, awarded by Bouregreg Association to excellent creators of traditional handicraft products.

In this regard, ICESCO granted a financial support to the Prize’s current edition, being held in cooperation with the Chamber of Crafts of the Region of Rabat-Salé-Kenitra, Rabat Memory Association in Salé, and the National Association for the Conservation of Heritage and Handicrafts.

The Prize will be awarded on 28 February 2020 at Riwaq Bab Fez, Salé, to a number of skillful artisans in recognition of their efforts to upgrade and promote the tangible heritage of the old city of Salé.

ICESCO will be represented in this ceremony by Mr. Mustapha Eid, Expert at the Directorate of Culture and Communication.