Category: Director General

The Director-General (DG) of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, emphasized that the Organization’s celebration of culture capitals in the Islamic world countries stems from the awareness of the importance of cultural assets and a desire to change the image of these cities for the better. The goal is to change the cities from a cultural interchange into a cultural destination, in a way that gives each city its cultural appeal and soft power that enables it to score top positions in the international ranking.

In his televised address at the launch ceremony of the celebration of “Doha, Islamic World Culture Capital for 2021”, ICESCO DG said that “since ICESCO launched the Islamic World Culture Capitals Programme in 2005, 50 culture capitals have been celebrated in the Islamic world. Throughout this period, we have discovered the rich cultures of the Islamic world countries and strongly felt our sense of belongingness to the great Islamic civilization”.

“The selection of a culture capital aims to expand the borders of each of ICESCO Member States to represent us all,” he added.

Dr. AlMalik congratulated H.H. Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Emir of Qatar, the Qatari people, and the Government of Qatar that the Ministry of Culture and Sports represented, on choosing Doha as the Arab region’s Islamic world culture capital for 2021, noting that this choice comes in recognition of Doha’s millennia-old tradition and history.

The DG pointed out that cultural heritage and culture in the Islamic world have suffered heavy damage due to looting and vandalism, calling on the Member States and Qatar to support the Organization’s programmes and projects, especially those relevant to digital culture dissemination. The aim, Dr. AlMalik underscored, is to protect, highlight, document, and export the richness and diversity of cultural heritage and cultural creations in the Islamic world to ensure that the Islamic World Culture Capitals Programme achieves its civilizational stature and bold goal.

Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General (DG) of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) himself and on behalf of ICESCO’s working team, congratulated His Royal Highness Prince Mohamed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Saudi Crown Prince, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defense, may Allah preserve him, on the success of the surgery he underwent and his safe discharge from the hospital.

Dr. AlMalik besought Allah Almighty to grant good health and wellness to the Saudi Crown Prince to continue the journey of development, progress, and prosperity that Saudi Arabia enjoys under the wise leadership of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, may Allah preserve him.

The Islamic World Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) and the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) held a series of coordination meetings over three consecutive days, which brought together the sectors of ICESCO and IsDB’s cooperation department. The meetings explored joint action following the meeting of Dr. Bandar Hajjar, IsDB President, and Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, ICESCO Director-General (DG), on February 15, 2021, wherein they stressed their desire to support joint programmes and distance education in Member States amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

During the latest meeting of the series, held on Thursday, February 25, 2021, the two parties explored cooperation in the areas of digital transformation, quality education, women empowerment, training, scholarships, science, technology and innovation, economic empowerment, and other areas of common interest.

Each party presented its vision and activities on the transfer and exchange of expertise between Member States, in addition to its programmes aimed at fostering the environment of science, technology and innovation, as well as its experiences and success stories in economic empowerment, particularly for women and young people.

ICESCO DG commended IsDB’s efforts and leading achievements in various fields, particularly in science, technology, and innovation, while stressing the consensus between ICESCO and IsDB over promoting scientific research and adopting modern technologies to achieve development in the Islamic world.

The two parties stressed their keenness to develop practical cooperation mechanisms by establishing specialized joint committees, holding regular meetings, and signing specific programme agreements.

Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General (DG) of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), gave the opening lecture of the second edition of the “Hadith Al-Khamis” Series, which the Faculty of Letters and Human Sciences at Mohamed V University in Rabat organized. The Faculty held the lecture on Thursday, February 18, 2021, and addressed the topic “Thinking about the future: stakes and challenges.”

The DG opened his lecture with the question “What is the future?” stating that there are thousands of definitions for the notion of “future.” He added that philosophers, scientists, and poets were the major category that thought about the future starting from ancient to more recent times, with figures like Mohamed Iqbal and his foresight philosophy and thought. He maintained that later on during the post-World War II period, a shift occurred from adopting theoretical proactive thought to scientific future applications.

The DG underscored that strategic intelligence is logical and reasonable as it is the intelligence of the future and the ability to think about it. He added that any future foresight without strategic planning remains mere predictions that may or may not happen because planning is the prerequisite for the foresight to be scientific.

Dr. AlMalik stated during the lecture that the University of the Future should adopt a human-oriented vision that places humans at the core of university research and works towards encouraging cooperation instead of futile competitiveness. He also stressed the need for universities to open up to their external surroundings, as development hubs that contribute to the economy and open new prospects for research in various fields.

Dean of the Faculty of Letters and Human Sciences, Dr. Jamal Eddine El-Hani, also delivered the opening address for the lecture.

The lecture series “Hadith Al-Khamis” consists of open and interactive lectures discussing intellectual, social, and cultural issues, with the participation of senior intellectuals and scholars.

The Director-General (DG) of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, met with Sheikh Dr. Mohammad Al-Issa, Secretary-General of the Muslim World League (MWL). The two parties examined cooperation between ICESCO and the League and the programmes that can be implemented during the next phase.

During yesterday’s meeting in Riyadh, KSA, Dr. Al-Issa reviewed the most significant activities of the League during the COVID-19 pandemic with their great impact. Dr. AlMalik also touched on ICESCO’s work in its fields of competence, the programmes and activities that the Organization launched and implemented, and the support it provided to several of its Member States in facing the negative effects of the pandemic. He then presented Dr. Al-Issa with a copy of the report on ICESCO’s achievements during the period from May 2019 to September 2020.

The two parties agreed to develop the partnership between ICESCO and the League in many areas and to work together to implement programmes and assist several countries in dire need of aid during the COVID-19 pandemic. The parties also agreed that the MWL and the Muhammadan League of Scholars in Morocco will be strategic partners in ICESCO’s international conference on “Civilizational Values in the Prophet’s Seerah,” which the Secretary-General of the League described as important, especially in light of the despicable attacks on the person of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).

Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General (DG) of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) held a meeting with Mr. Hamed bin Mohammed Fayez, Saudi Deputy Minister of Culture. The meeting also brought together Mr. Hattan bin Mounir bin Samman, Secretary-General of the Saudi National Commission for Education, Culture, and Science; Mr. Rakan Ibrahim Al-Touq, General Supervisor of Strategy and International Relations at the Ministry; and some officials at the Ministry.

During the meeting, held yesterday February 18, 2021, Dr. AlMalik reviewed the main initiatives, programmes, and activities of ICESCO in the coming two years as well as the celebration of 2021 as the Year of Women. He also commended the achievements of the Saudi Ministry of Culture which strives to publicize identity through leading cultural initiatives inside and outside of Saudi Arabia and supporting and disseminating Islamic arts worldwide.

Dr. AlMalik reaffirmed ICESCO’s keenness to cooperate with the Saudi Ministry of Culture and all the competent parties concerned with ICESCO’s areas of action.

The Deputy Minister of Culture lauded the leading role of ICESCO in all the cultural fields, particularly Islamic arts such as Arabic calligraphy and many others.

ICESCO DG proposed to the Saudi Ministry of Culture to sponsor some of ICESCO cultural chairs and awards and co-organize the Islamic Arts Biennale which the Ministry plans to hold this year.

The two parties also agreed that ICESCO will submit multiple programmes for the Ministry of Culture to adopt. Officials at the Ministry showed particular interest in ICESCO’s celebration of 2021 as the Year of Women while stressing the importance of Saudi women’s participation in these activities and highlighting that several female staff members serve at the Ministry. Many women also served as CEOs on some of the Ministry’s bodies.

Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General (DG) of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), met with Eng. Waleed bin Abdulkarim Al-Khuraiji, Deputy Foreign Minister of Saudi Arabia, to explore cooperation prospects between the Kingdom and ICESCO in the fields of education, science, and culture, in addition to several topics of mutual interest.

During the meeting on Wednesday, February 17, 2021, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Riyadh, Dr. AlMalik discussed the major programmes and activities that ICESCO will implement over the next period, as part of the Organization’s proclamation of 2021 as the Year of Women. The DG also discussed the work ICESCO carried out during the COVID-19 pandemic to support the efforts of its Member States to mitigate the impact of the crisis, presenting the Deputy Foreign Minister with a copy of ICESCO’s achievement report over the period between May 2019 and September 2020.

The DG also noted that ICESCO’s new vision adopts an open-door policy with regional and international organizations and bodies and endorses building cooperation with them for the benefit of ICESCO Member States and Muslim communities across the globe.

Eng. Al-Khuraiji commended the work of ICESCO and its leading roles in the fields of education, science, and culture, reaffirming the importance of cooperation with international and specialized organizations, especially the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).

Dr. Abdulmajeed bin Abdullah Al-Banyan, President of Naïf Arab University for Security Sciences (NAUSS), received Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General (DG) of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), on Wednesday, February 17, 2021, at the University headquarters in Riyadh. The meeting also brought together the vice-presidents of the University and saw the signing of a cooperation agreement between ICESCO and NAUSS.

Dr. Al-Banyan gave a presentation on NAUSS’s future vision on security sciences, which focuses on leadership in training, academic excellence, reference in scientific research, institutional effectiveness, and financial sustainability. He also stressed that NAUSS aspires to be the first Arab university in the areas of security sciences through prioritizing the development of security sciences in the areas of cybersecurity, organized crime, combating terrorism, extremism and forgery, and environmental security, etc.

Dr. Al-Banyan shed light on the potentials and the research and training centers of the University while reaffirming that NAUSS can become one of the top 10 world universities in the field of security sciences.

The meeting also reviewed the most recent programmes and projects that are being implemented in cooperation with international organizations, research centers, and universities, particularly between ICESCO and NAUSS. The focus was also on future cooperation programmes, particularly in the exchange of scientific and academic expertise and capacity-building experiences, the promotion of scientific research and technology transfer, and scholarships for students from Member States.

The two parties also tackled the expansion of scholarships to provide opportunities for more students from the Islamic world to study at NAUSS and benefit from its modern training centers and post-graduate programmes in various security disciplines.

The cooperation agreement that ICESCO DG and NAUSS President signed during his meeting aims at strengthening cooperation between the two parties in academic and scientific fields, research, programmes and activities, training and scientific seminars, capacity-building for decision-makers, policymakers and civil society institutions, and good investment of scientific potentials and resources to promote policies in areas of common interest.

Following the meeting, Dr. Al-Banyan took Dr. AlMalik on a tour of some of the specialized centers, which the University equipped with state-of-the-art technologies, and provided an explanation of their working mechanisms and contribution to the development of security sciences, in accordance with the latest global standards.

The Islamic World Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), signed on Tuesday, February 16, 2021, a partnership agreement with King Abdulaziz University and a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Academy of Arab Poetry of Taif University, at the headquarters of the Emirate of Makkah Region, in the presence of H.R.H. Prince Khalid Al-Faisal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Advisor to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, Governor of Makkah Region.  

Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, ICESCO Director-General (DG), and Dr. Abdulrahman Obaid Al-Youbi, President of King Abdulaziz University, signed the partnership agreement, which provides for cooperation between the two parties to support scientific research in the fields of education, science, culture, and communication. The agreement also aims to hold fora and meetings in the fields of education and science, fund twenty chairs of ICESCO Chairs Programme, provide the necessary technical assistance for conducting and publishing educational and scientific research and studies, implement specific activities and programmes, and encourage creative young talents in the field of scientific research.

Dr. AlMalik and Dr. Yousef Asiri, President of Taif University, signed the MoU, which sets forth cooperation between ICESCO and the Academy of Arab Poetry in supporting Arab poetry, promoting women’s poetry, and celebrating the World Poetry Day through cultural and artistic activities. The MoU also aims at publicizing Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal International Prize for Arabic Poetry, holding an international forum of poetry, networking the academies, associations and clubs of poetry, publicizing the works of great poets, translating poetry anthologies to world languages, promoting the role of poetry and poets in the civilizational dialogue, enhancing the values of tolerance, synergy and solidarity, and sharing scientific and academic expertise and capacity-building experiences.

His Royal Highness Prince Khalid Al-Faisal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Advisor to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, Governor of Makkah Al-Mukarramah region, received on Tuesday, February 16, 2021, at the headquarters of the Emirate of Makkah Al-Mukarramah, the Shield of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (ICESCO).

Dr. Salim M. Al-Malik, ICESCO Director-General (DG), presented the Shield to the prince in recognition of His Highness’ great efforts in the service of the Arabic language and the dissemination and presentation of Arab-Islamic culture.

During the reception by H.R.H. Prince Khalid Al-Faisal of Dr. AlMalik, ICESCO DG reiterated his thanks and gratitude to His Highness for his participation in the great international celebration that ICESCO organized in December 2020 to mark the International Arabic Language Day, under the theme: “The Arabic Language: Foresight in a Changing World.” The DG underlined that the designation of H.R.H. Prince Khalid Al-Faisal as the key speaker of the Conference had a great impact due to the prestigious status of His Highness in all fields.

The DG also presented the main aspects of the Organization’s vision and new action strategy, as well as the most important initiatives, programs, and activities it is implementing to strengthen the efforts of its Member States to achieve sustainable development based on education, culture, innovation, and the use of modern technologies. He also mentioned ICESCO’s proclamation of 2021 as the Year of Women, as well as the main programs implemented in this framework to ensure equal opportunities for girls and women and to eliminate gender discrimination in all fileds.

Dr. AlMalik also presented His Royal Highness with a copy of the report on ICESCO’s achievements during the period from May 2019 to September 2020, and the final report of ICESCO’s celebration of the International Arabic Language Day, which includes all the interventions of the participants and the issues raised during this event.

H.R.H. Prince Khalid Al-Faisal welcomed ICESCO’s choice of His Highness to be the key speaker of the said international conference and praised the central role the Organization plays in the fields of education, science, and culture.