Category: Director General

Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), visited the headquarters of the Bangladeshi National Commission for UNESCO in Dhaka on Monday 6 October 2025.
During the visit, Dr. AlMalik reaffirmed ICESCO’s commitment to strengthening its distinguished partnership with Bangladesh, noting that ongoing fruitful cooperation has resulted in joint programs, workshops, and initiatives over the recent months, including the “Green and Clean School Campus” contest and a workshop on “Robotic Surgery.”

The ICESCO Director General presented the Organization’s approach of engaging with National Commissions in Member States to understand their priorities and design projects that respond to their needs while supporting the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in ICESCO’s fields of competence.

At the conclusion of the visit, Dr. AlMalik invited members of the Bangladeshi National Commission to undertake a week-long working visit to ICESCO’s headquarters in Rabat. The visit would provide an opportunity to observe the operational mechanisms of ICESCO’s sectors and specialized centers, learn about recent updates to its administrative structure, and review its key programs and initiatives serving Member States.

Dr. Salim AlMalik, Director-General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), met with Ms. Sharmeen Soneya Murshid, Social Welfare and Women and Children Affairs Adviser in the Interim Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh. The two parties discussed ways to enhance cooperation between ICESCO and Bangladesh in promoting gender equality, building women’s capacities, and protecting children’s rights.

During the meeting, held in Dhaka on Sunday, 5 October 2025, Dr. AlMalik announced the establishment of an ICESCO Chair for Women’s Empowerment and Gender Equality at Dhaka University. The aim of the chair is to conduct studies and research, develop initiatives to promote equal opportunities for both sexes in the Islamic world, and train women in leadership skills.
ICESCO Director General also reviewed the Organization’s key initiatives, programs and projects in the fields of mental health, enhancing the entrepreneurial skills of youth and women, and reintegrating girls who have dropped out of school into education.

For her part, Ms. Murshid emphasized the importance of cooperation between ICESCO and Bangladesh in promoting the rights of women and children, ensuring mental health and digital safety within society, developing pioneering programs to protect children and combat gender-based violence, and promoting women’s participation in achieving sustainable development.

Both parties agreed to strengthen their cooperation in areas such as building the capacity of women and young people, promoting social inclusion, and developing gender-sensitive educational systems.

Dr. Salim AlMalik, Director-General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), met with Dr. Chowdhury Rafiqul Abrar, Education Advisor to the Interim Government of Bangladesh, to discuss ways of enhancing cooperation in the areas of educational development, innovation support and capacity building.

During the meeting, held on Sunday 5 October 2025 in Dhaka, Dr. Al-Malik praised Bangladesh’s significant progress in literacy, quality education provision and digital transformation support, stressing that ICESCO considers Dhaka a regional model for educational innovation and youth development in the Islamic world.

For his part, Dr. Abrar expressed his deep appreciation for ICESCO’s continued support, emphasizing that his country wishes to benefit from ICESCO’s expertise to modernize its education system and develop the future skills of its young people.
The meeting featured discussions on a series of programs and projects proposed for implementation by both parties, focusing on integrating artificial intelligence and digital literacy into school curricula, training teachers in emerging technologies, and strengthening partnerships between universities, research institutions and industry. A joint working group will be formed in the near future to explore ways of implementing these programs and initiatives.

Dr. Abrar hosted a dinner in honor of Dr. Malik, attended by several senior officials, members of the diplomatic corps and representatives of international organizations in Bangladesh.

Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), on Thursday, 25 September 2025, received the Egyptian artist Mohamed Sarwat at the Organization’s headquarters in Rabat. The meeting explored opportunities for producing meaningful artistic and cultural works in the near future.

Dr. AlMalik highlighted ICESCO’s commitment to supporting culture and arts and safeguarding Arab and Islamic heritage, with a particular emphasis on poetry. He also reviewed the Organization’s key initiatives in this area, including the “Cities of Poetry” Competition, the World Poetry Day celebration, and various activities designed to preserve poetry’s place in the cultural memory of the Islamic world.

Moreover, the two parties considered organizing a seminar on the role of art in promoting Islamic values among youth and families, aimed at reinforcing the positive image of arts. They also reached a preliminary agreement to collaborate on the production of sung poems composed by Dr. AlMalik in praise of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), to be performed by Mohamed Sarwat.

At the close of the meeting, Mohamed Sarwat expressed his delight at visiting ICESCO and affirmed his willingness to contribute to the Organization’s cultural and artistic initiatives, particularly those targeting young people. He commended ICESCO’s efforts in preserving identity and promoting the values of peace and dialogue. The visit concluded with a tour of the Organization’s facilities and projects, as well as the International Exhibition and Museum of the Prophet’s Biography, housed at ICESCO headquarters.

Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), met with Mr. Fabio Chinda, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Thailand to the Kingdom of Morocco, at the Organization’s headquarters in Rabat on Thursday, 25 September 2025. The meeting aimed to coordinate the arrangements for the upcoming visit of an ICESCO delegation, headed by Dr. AlMalik, to Thailand in October.

The two parties discussed the main highlights of the visit, including Dr. AlMalik’s keynote address as Guest of Honor at the 3rd International Conference on the Arabic Language of International Islamic College Bangkok, in addition to holding a series of meetings with several ministers and prominent religious leaders in the Kingdom.

Dr. AlMalik reaffirmed the Organization’s keenness to strengthen cooperation and build fruitful partnerships with its Observer Member States, in a way that allows the exchange of expertise across various fields, foremost among them heritage protection, scientific research development, fostering a culture of knowledge, and advancing the educational system both within and beyond the Islamic world.

For his part, Ambassador Chinda emphasized that Thailand will work to ensure the success of ICESCO’s visit and to lay solid foundations for partnership and cooperation between the Organization and the Kingdom, with the aim of developing programs and projects in educational fields, youth capacity-building, and the promotion of peace.

The meeting was attended by Dr. Hani Al Balawi, Expert at the Organization’s Center for Civilizational Dialogue.

Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), received Dr. Mohammad Ibrahim Al-Zakari, President of the Arab Open University in the Arab world (AOU), on Thursday, 25 September 2025, at the Organization’s headquarters in Rabat. The meeting discussed ICESCO’s support for the AOU’s efforts to establish a new branch in the Kingdom of Morocco.

At the outset of the meeting, Dr. AlMalik reaffirmed ICESCO’s commitment to strengthening cooperation with universities and supporting them as beacons of knowledge in the Islamic world. He highlighted the Organization’s distinguished scientific and research partnerships with leading academic institutions and the establishment of research chairs in several universities across Member States and beyond. Dr. AlMalik also stressed ICESCO’s support for initiatives aimed at advancing universities in the Islamic world, whether academically, through research, or geographically, by launching new branches in Member States.

For his part, Dr. Al-Zakari commended ICESCO’s efforts in supporting educational and academic institutions in the Islamic world and expressed his aspiration to build bilateral cooperation with the Organization, particularly in support of AOU’s plan to open a new branch in Morocco.

The meeting was attended by Dr. Omar Halli, Advisor to the ICESCO Director-General for the Federation of the Universities of the Islamic World (FUIW), and Dr. Abdullah Al Mulhim, Expert at ICESCO’s Partnerships and International Cooperation Sector.

It is worth noting that the idea of establishing a non-profit Open University in the Arab world was initiated by HRH Prince Talal Bin Abdulaziz, may God rest his soul. In 1996, HRH Prince Talal officially announced the concept of establishing the Arab Open University as a non-conventional academic institution and as a foundation which contributes to steering development in scientific, social, and cultural spheres. This initiative developed in 2002 into a full-fledged Arab Open University in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and nine other Arab countries, in strategic partnership with the Open University in the United Kingdom.