Category: Director General

The Islamic World Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) have approved funding for a set of projects for the benefit of the State of Palestine, which will be implemented in the second half of 2021, in partnership with the Palestinian National Commission for Education, Culture, and Science. The 9 projects covering the Organization’s action areas in education, science and culture will benefit all Palestinian geographical locations in northern and southern governorates as well as rural communities while prioritizing and paying special attention to Al-Quds Al-Sharif, which is being subjected to all forms of systematic violations and attacks by Israeli Occupation.

Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, ICESCO Director-General, underscored the Organization’s commitment to supporting the sectors of education, culture and science in Palestine, noting that ICESCO’s contribution to such projects is in support of the Palestinian cause in light of the fierce violations committed against Palestinians, especially the recurrent violations targeting Al-Quds Al-Sharif, including Al-Aqsa Mosque, Church of the Holy Sepulcher, as well as the forced expulsion of Palestinians from their homes in Sheikh Jarrah as in other regions of Al-Quds.

Dr. Ali Zeidan Abu Zuhri, Head of the Palestinian National Commission for Education, Culture and Science, member of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization, thanked ICESCO Director-General for the Organization’s prompt approval of the Palestinian project proposals for 2021, which were the product of joint efforts and coordination with official partners, including ministries, government institutions, and competent civil society institutions.

Besides, Dr. Abu Zuhri underlined the importance of working in coordination with competent partners for the project and program implementation, which focus on ICESCO’s main areas of action, catering to people with special needs, media development, women empowerment, artificial intelligence and technical education, music therapy and supporting rural communities. He also praised ICESCO’s initiative for increasing the number of scholarships awarded to Palestinian university students.

Dr. Abu Zuhri stated that operating under the umbrella of ICESCO provides Palestine with a valuable opportunity to develop programs and projects in line with the Organization’s priorities, orientations, and national priorities in light of the current challenging circumstances.  He added that obtaining the maximum funding that the Organization may allocate to its State Members bears witness to the high level of professionalism, partnership, and coordination in preparing program and project files, which was carried out through National Commission teams, in cooperation with relevant national partner institutions, including government and civil society organizations.

Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), received at ICESCO headquarters, today, Friday 2 July 2021, a delegation of the Executive Council of the Arab Civil Aviation Organization (ACAO). The delegation was comprised of Captain Haitham Mesto, Chairman of the ACAO Executive council, Eng. Abdennebi Manar, ACAO Director General, in addition to a number of the Executive council members. Dr. Abdelilah Benafara, ICESCO Deputy Director-General, and several Organization advisers and heads of sectors and departments also attended the meeting.

During the meeting, Dr. AlMalik gives an overview of ICESCO, highlighting the key axes of its strategic vision and action plans and the modernization its working mechanisms have seen over the last two years.

Dr. AlMalik also noted that the Organization is dedicated to building cooperation and partnership relations with regional and international organizations and bodies for the benefit of the Member States and Muslim communities across the globe.

Captain Mesto expressed his and the Council’s delight to meet with ICESCO Director-General and leadership, commending the role the Organization assumes in its areas of competence and its sustained efforts to reflect the true image of the Islamic civilization and culture to the world.

He added that civil aviation is no longer a simple means of transportation, but rather a lever for achieving development, as there can be no tourism or international trade exchange without aviation, stating that he is looking forward to developing cooperation relations between the two organizations.

Heads of ICESCO sectors highlighted the key initiatives, programs and activities the Organization is currently implementing in partnership with the Member States’ competent parties and suggested areas of cooperation between ICESCO and the ACAO.

The delegation concluded their visit by a tour inside ICESCO headquarters, including a stop at ICESCO Art Gallery, currently hosting the exhibition “In the Footsteps of Fatima Al-Fihria,” which features a large number of paintings by Moroccan artists.

The Islamic World Heritage Committee (IWHC), during its 9^th ordinary meeting, that the Islamic World Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) convened, decided to inscribe 97 new historical sites and cultural elements, including 58 historical sites and cultural elements on the Final Islamic World Heritage List (IWHL) and 39 sites and elements on the Tentative List. The Committee also deferred six sites and stressed contacting the countries concerned to complete the relevant nominations files. The total number of inscriptions on the IWHL has reached about 320 historical sites and cultural elements.

The meeting held on Tuesday, June 29, 2021, brought together the representatives of the following Member States: Kuwait, Iraq, Mauritania, Pakistan, Indonesia, Uzbekistan, Cameroon, Côté d’Ivoire, and Nigeria.

In his address, Dr. Mohammed Zine El Abidine, Head of Culture and Communication sector at ICESCO, highlighted the IWHC’s key role in safeguarding the historic, civilizational, and natural monuments and the cultural elements in the Islamic World. Dr. Zine El Abidine also underscored the keenness of Dr. Salim M. Al Malik, ICESCO DG, to safeguard and promote the Islamic world heritage, and enhance its presence on the regional and international scene, as well as his diligent efforts in following up the Sector’s action in this regard.

The Committee decided to adopt the General Secretariat’s report on the implementation of the decisions and recommendations of the third extraordinary meeting, held on December 10, 2020. It also decided to form two commissions of experts accredited to the Islamic World Heritage Committee and under the supervision of ICESCO Heritage Center to examine the development of the forms and criteria of the inscription on ICESCO’s Lists of Tangible and Intangible Heritage. The IWHC General Secretariat will select the members of the two commissions from the Scientific Commission.

At the close of its proceedings, the Committee issued a set of recommendations, where it called on the Member States to provide the Islamic World Heritage Center with data on the repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic on heritage sites and museums, and their staff, support the center and provide technical and scientific assistance for the completion of the Encyclopedia of the Tangible Heritage of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).

The recommendations commended the efforts of the Islamic World Heritage Center to preserve heritage through activities, training courses, programs, and international agreements with specialized parties interested in various fields of world heritage. The Committee also called on the Member States to submit further nomination files for the inscription of heritage sites and intangible heritage elements on the Islamic World Heritage List and urged international organizations, and all countries to join the call of ICESCO and the Islamic World Heritage Committee to avoid intentional and unintentional damage to heritage sites and museums in situations of armed conflict, given that heritage belongs to all humanity.

Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General (DG) of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), on Tuesday, June 29, 2021, at the Organization’s headquarters in Rabat, received Ms. Fatma Samoura, Secretary-General of the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA). The meeting explored ways to develop cooperation between ICESCO and FIFA in areas of common interest, particularly physical education, and consolidate the values ​​of coexistence and peace through sport and culture.

At the outset of the meeting, which also brought together Dr. Abdelilah Benarafa, ICESCO Deputy DG, and some of the heads of sector and advisors at ICESCO, Dr. Al-Malik welcomed Ms. Samoura and reaffirmed the Organization’s keenness to establish fruitful and productive cooperation with FIFA, adding that the planned agreement will achieve many results as it focuses on areas of mutual interest.

ICESCO DG noted that the partnership with FIFA is in line with the Organization’s new vision, which adopts an open-door policy for the benefit of its Member States, foresight, innovative thinking, and strengthening the roles of youth and women to contribute to the sustainable development of their countries.

The meeting reviewed ICESCO’s salient programs, including the Year of Women 2021, youth training programs on leadership for peace and security, leadership incubators, and support for innovation and investment in technology development in the fields of education and culture.

Ms. Samoura expressed her happiness at visiting ICESCO and meeting its DG and leaders, stressing that the presentation of the Organization’s efforts to support youth and women and leadership training is fully consistent with FIFA’s new vision, which is based on using the power of football to send positive messages of peace and coexistence as football is a common language for all peoples of the world, in schools, refugee camps and everywhere.

At the close of the meeting, Ms. Samoura presented Dr. AlMalik with a copy of the official football of the upcoming Olympic Games, which will kick off in July 2021, in Tokyo, Japan.

ICESCO and FIFA had co-produced a video, wherein world football stars hail the work of health staff in appreciation of their heroic role in the front lines during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The ICESCO International Forum on Women Entrepreneurship and Empowerment, held over three days by the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) as part of ICESCO’s celebration of 2021 as Year of Women, concluded its proceedings by holding several training workshops for women entrepreneurs, within the framework of “Al Fihriya Academy.” These workshops focused on the mechanisms of creating and developing women’s small and medium enterprises, ways to secure the necessary funding, raising awareness of the role of business incubators in achieving sustainability, and financial management of projects, in addition to other issues.

Successful businesswomen, representatives of institutions and specialized companies, and ICESCO experts led the workshops, organized on the third day of the Forum held under the theme: “Women Entrepreneurship: A Future Key Lever for Sustainable Development.”

Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, ICESCO Director-General, attended the launch of the training and learned about the theme of each workshop. He also spoke with the future female entrepreneurs and praised their ambition to succeed in the field of entrepreneurship, stressing the importance of promoting the culture of female entrepreneurship.

Dr. AlMalik reaffirmed that the Organization will not cease to support women and provide them with the necessary opportunities to play their leading role in achieving sustainable development, pointing out that the proclamation of 2021 as ICESCO Year of Women, under the theme “Women for the Future,” bears witness to the Organization’s commitment to empowering girls and women to contribute to creating a brighter future for the Islamic world.

The Forum was launched on Wednesday, June 23, 2021, at the headquarters of the Organization in Rabat, with high-level participation of ministers, officials, ambassadors, experts and businesswomen. The event included several activities, including the exhibition “In the footsteps of Fatima Al-Fihria” at the ICESCO Gallery for Contemporary Art, which presents several works by Moroccan artists, in addition to a fair of the products of cooperatives and women’s businesses in Morocco. The second day of the forum (Thursday, 24 June 2021) was marked by rich discussions, creative ideas and practical proposals that will contribute to the success of women entrepreneurs’ projects, in addition to the exchange of inspiring experiences of women who have achieved great success in the field of entrepreneurship.

The second day of ICESCO International Forum on Women Entrepreneurship and Empowerment witnessed rich discussions, creative ideas and practical recommendations to contribute to the success of women entrepreneurs. The three-day event, held as part of the celebration of ICESCO’s Year of Women 2021, also included presentations of women’s inspiring success stories in the field of entrepreneurship.

Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, ICESCO Director-General (DG), delivered an opening address during the second day of the Forum, held under the theme: “Women Entrepreneurship, A future Key Lever for Sustainable Development,” wherein he reiterated his thanks and gratitude to His Majesty King Mohammed VI for His high patronage for the celebration of ICESCO’s Year of Women.

Dr. AlMalik underscored that ICESCO believes that women empowerment is essential to overcoming challenges which is an integral part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable development. This includes their basic rights that ensure equal ownership, employment and skills development.

Dr. AlMalik praised the remarkable progress most Islamic countries have made in recent years in eliminating gender discrimination and standing against women and girls’ marginalization and violations of their rights, calling for further action on this matter.

Afterward, Mrs. Hala bint Mohammed Jaber Al-Ansari, Secretary-General of the Supreme Council for Women, Bahrain, stated that entrepreneurship was the sector most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Ms. Al-Ansari also reviewed the efforts of Bahrain in promoting entrepreneurship.

During her presentation, Ms. Claudine Aoun, President of the National Commission for Lebanese Women, stressed that women’s participation is key to achieving 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.

Dr. Fadia Kiwan, DG of Arab Women Organization, stated that personal capacities development is the ultimate mechanism to adjust to the free market given the current change in women’s capacities and aspirations.

Dr. Aida Beji Kallel, a member of the Executive Board of the National Chamber of Women Entrepreneurs in Tunisia, highlighted the importance of women entrepreneurship as key to societies’ success while reviewing the Chamber’s efforts in promoting entrepreneurship.

Ms. Leila Doukkali, President of the Association of Moroccan Women Entrepreneurs, emphasized the key role of women in achieving sustainable development for future generations.

Thereafter, the first session of the Forum’s second day included a discussion on the role and the importance of teaching women the principles and foundations of entrepreneurship, with the participation of pioneering women entrepreneurs and research professors from universities from around the world. The second session tackled the role of women’s entrepreneurship in building a sustainable future.

The Forum, which kicked off on Wednesday, June 23, 2021, at ICESCO headquarters, saw high-level participation of ministers, officials, ambassadors, experts and businesswomen. The event also included an Art exhibition “In the Footsteps of Fatmia Al-Fihriya,” hosted at ICESCO’s Contemporary Art Gallery, which features a large number of paintings of female Moroccan artists, as well as an exhibition of products of women cooperatives and several companies in Morocco.

The headquarters of the Islamic World Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) saw the opening of the International Forum on Women Entrepreneurship and Empowerment, under the theme: “Women Entrepreneurship, A future Key Lever for Sustainable Development”.

The three-day Forum held as part of the celebration of ICESCO’s Year of Women 2021, aims to introduce pioneering businesswomen, discuss and exchange views on encouraging women’s participation in entrepreneurial activities, as well as celebrate the International Day of Micro, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises.

The Forum’s opening ceremony saw high-level participation of ministers, ambassadors, experts and businesswomen.  Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, ICESCO Director-General, delivered an opening address wherein he expressed his delight at organizing such an event. He underscored that the Forum is an opportunity to celebrate women pioneers who managed to overcome various obstacles and prove that women are key partners in building human civilizations and campaigning for the drafting of policies and guidelines to develop women’s entrepreneurship and promote the role of women.

Dr. AlMalik also noted that the high-level participation in the Forum reflects the great expectations held for the Organization to contribute to building a better world that strives for equality and genuine partnership between men and women.

Mr. André Azoulay, Advisor to His Majesty King Mohammed VI, the Forum’s guest of honor, stressed that achieving prosperity and sustainable development relies heavily on helping women gain access to their rights and achieving equality, noting that social inequalities our societies face drain the economies of the region.

Mrs. Astana Abdulaziz, Ambassador of Malaysia to Morocco, also a Forum guest of honor, congratulated ICESCO for the proclamation of 2021 as the Year of Women. She called on countries of the Islamic World to develop women empowerment policies, by taking specific measures that focus on developing the skills of women entrepreneurs and providing them with necessary guidance and funding to facilitate their entry into modern and profit-generating fields.

The guests visited the Art exhibition “In the Footsteps of Fatmia Al-Fihriya”, hosted at ICESCO’s Contemporary Art Gallery, which features a large number of paintings of Moroccan artists. The attendees also checked the exhibition of products of women cooperatives and several companies in Morocco.

The agenda for the second day of the Forum, Thursday, June 24, 2021, features an international hybrid symposium on “Women Entrepreneurship Education in the World: Prospects and Challenges, and the Role of Women Entrepreneurship in Building a Sustainable Future.” The symposium will bring together several female experts, academicians, and decision-makers in the field of women’s entrepreneurship and empowerment.

The third day of the event, Friday, June 25, 2021, includes workshops organized within the framework of “Al-Fihriya Academy” for the benefit of future women entrepreneurs. The event will conclude its proceedings with the production of videos and feasibility studies to highlight the best practices and means to promote women’s entrepreneurship.

The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) signed agreements to create chairs as part of its Network for International Chairs for Thought, Letters and Arts. The agreements were signed with prominent universities and research institutes from Morocco, Tunisia, Germany, Brazil, and Senegal.

The signing ceremony, held on Wednesday, June 23, 2021, via videoconference, saw the participation of Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, ICESCO DG, who reaffirmed that ICESCO International Chairs for Thought, Letters, and Arts bear witness to the Organization’s interest in universities and institutes as civilizational hubs for thought production, stimulating scientific research trends and in-depth studies with concrete social and cultural impact.

Dr. AlMalik noted that in line with ICESCO’s proclamation of 2021 as the Year for Women, women will be given priority in benefiting from the opportunities the Chairs provide and assuming supervision positions within the Chairs to promote the status of women.

The DG stated that the signing of these agreements is part of the approach of renewal characterizing ICESCO’s new vision, a vision that would, he noted, open new prospects for the Member States to keep up with global changes.

The presidents of universities, heads of research centers and Chair officials taking part in the signing ceremony expressed their thanks to ICESCO for its great interest and sustained efforts to open up to educational and research institutions and support studies and research works in service of the Islamic world.

The agreements provided for the creation of the following chairs:

1. ICESCO Chair on “Encounter and transmission of arts and knowledge Orient-Occident” at Orients Occidents Nexus gUG Institute in Germany.
2. ICESCO Chair Ibn Khaldun for Culture and Heritage at the Center of Arts, Culture and Letters at Ksar Said Palace in Tunisia.
3. ICESCO Chair for “African Renaissance and Promotion of Traditional Knowledge” at Sheikh Anta Diop University in Senegal.
4. ICESCO Chair for Thinking about Coexistence in the Islamic World” at the Center of Arts, Culture and Letters at Ksar Said Palace in Tunisia.
5. ICESCO Chair for Comparative Letters and Arts at the Faculty of Languages, Arts, and Letters at Ibn Tofail University in Kenitra, Morocco.
6. ICESCO Chair for Art and Nature: Hybrid Approach.

At the close of the signing ceremony, Dr. Abdelilah Benarafa, ICESCO Deputy DG, announced that the Organization will launch two awards, namely Best Chair Performance and Best Research Conducted as part of the Chair. He stated that the goal is to create fair competition among the different chairs.

Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General (DG) of The Islamic World Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), and Mr. Othman Al-Ferdaous, Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports in Morocco, explored cooperation prospects between the Organization and the Ministry in the fields of culture and heritage as well as the co-organization of several cultural events.  

During the meeting, held on Wednesday, June 23, 2021, at the Ministry’s headquarters in Rabat, the two parties reviewed the progress of several cultural and heritage projects that ICESCO is implementing in cooperation with the competent authorities in Morocco. These include the Museum of Intangible Heritage in Jamaâ El Fna Square in Marrakech and the restoration of some Moroccan historic landmarks.

Dr. Abdelilah Benarfa, ICESCO Deputy DG, and Dr. Mohamed Zine El Abidine, Head of the Culture and Communication Sector at the Organization, attended the meeting, which focused on co-organization of cultural events. The meeting also discussed ICESCO’s participation in the 2022 International Tan-Tan Festival for Camels and Desert Culture, an event that is inscribed on both the Islamic World Intangible Heritage List and the World Heritage List.

The two parties discussed the key aspects of the cooperation agreement that they agreed to sign soon and stressed the importance of inscribing other Moroccan heritage sites and elements on ICESCO’s Islamic World Tangible and Intangible Heritage List.

The Islamic World Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) and the Lebanese University in Lebanon signed an agreement to establish ICESCO Chair on “Arts, Culture and Humanities East-West: Intercultural relations and inclusiveness,” at the Doctoral School of Literature, Humanities and Social Sciences. The Chair aims to promote comprehensive research works and knowledge exchange through scientific, cultural and creative activities, and strengthen East-West Civilizational ties.

Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, ICESCO Director-General (DG); Dr. Mohammed Mohsen, the Dean of the Doctoral School of Literature, Humanities and Social Sciences at the Lebanese University; Dr. Abdelilah Benarafa, Deputy DG of ICESCO; and Dr. Dima Hamdan, Chair Supervisor, took part at the signing ceremony, held on Tuesday, June 22, 2021, via videoconferencing, with the participation of several heads of sectors and experts at the Organization.

In his address, Dr. AlMalik expressed his happiness at signing the agreement, noting that the Chair will strengthen ICESCO’s ties with its Member States, considering that Lebanon is a culturally diverse country.

Dr. AlMalik added that this step is in line with ICESCO new vision based on openness, noting that the Organization has developed international art programs to support creativity and promote the works of intellectuals and artists within and outside the Islamic world.

“The Organization has established an international network of chairs on literature and arts to support scientific chairs and restore the role of culture within scientific research,” stated Dr. AlMalik.

Dr. Mohammed Mohsen expressed his happiness at signing the agreement while highlighting the prominent position of the University, which enrolls around 80 thousand students, 10% of whom are from Arab countries, and has 7,000 Professors. The University encompasses three doctoral schools that currently enroll 800 students and collaborate with various international institutions around the world.

Dr. Dima Hamdan stressed that the Chair will strengthen East-West ties and aims to restore Lebanon’s role in promoting civilizational and cultural convergence and knowledge exchange, encouraging student creativity, and fostering the culture of peace.