Category: Director General

       The Director-General (DG) of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, met with H.E. Muhammadu Issoufou, President of Niger. The meeting occurred on the sidelines of the two-day 47^th session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) that kicked off face-to-face yesterday in Niamey under the theme: “United Against Terrorism for Peace and Development.”

During the meeting, ICESCO DG congratulated the President of Niger on the successful hosting of the session of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers and expressed his thanks to Niger for the warm reception and good organization.

President Issoufou praised the distinguished work ICESCO undertook in support of its Member States. The president appreciated the Organization’s programs and projects in Niger, in cooperation with the competent authorities, especially with regards to supporting efforts to counter COVID-19.

President Issoufou had received Dr. AlMalik at the presidential palace in Niamey during the DG’s official visit to Niger last January. During the visit, the two sides agreed to develop cooperation between ICESCO and Niger in the Organization’s fields of action.

Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General (DG) of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), explored on Friday in Niamey, the areas of cooperation between ICESCO and Niger with Dr. Daouda Mamadou Marthé, Nigerien Minister of Primary Education, Literacy, Promotion of National Languages and Civic Education, President of the Nigerien National Commission.

During the meeting, the two parties examined the implementation phases of ICESCO’s cooperation projects and programs in Niger, in the fields of education, science, and culture.
The Minister lauded ICESCO’s assistance to Niger during the COVID-19 pandemic. He also commended the Organization’s outstanding work in the educational, humanitarian, and social fields while stressing Niger’s keenness to sustain constructive cooperation and partnership with ICESCO.

The current visit of Dr. AlMalik to Niger is part of his participation in the 47th session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), being held on 27-28 November 2020, in Niamey, under the theme: “United against Terrorism for Peace and Development.”

The Islamic World Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) and the National Commission for Education, Science, and Culture of Niger launched the “Project on countering the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic by supporting innovation and the development of entrepreneurship among women and youth” in Niger. The project is part of the support that Alwaleed Philanthropies provided to implement a joint initiative with ICESCO to help 10 African countries confront the negative repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The ceremony, which took place yesterday, November 27, 2020, in Niamey, was organized under the patronage of His Excellency the President of Niger, Mohamedou Issoufou. The event saw the participation of Mrs. Brigi Assalo, wife of the Prime Minister of Niger, on behalf of Dr. Lalla Issoufou Maleika, the First Lady of Niger; Dr. Salim M. Al-Malik, Director-General (DG) of ICESCO; and Minister of Primary Education, Literacy, Promotion of National Languages and Civic Education, President of the Nigerien National Commission, Dr. Daouda Mamadou Marthé, and several Niger government ministers, representatives of the United Nations, civil society organizations, and NGOs.

During her address at the ceremony, which the wife of the Prime Minister of Niger delivered on her behalf, Dr. Maleika praised ICESCO’s new vision, which prioritizes Africa. She also praised the initiatives the Organization launched and implemented to support the efforts of Member States in addressing the COVID-19 pandemic. The initiatives included the “comprehensive humanitarian alliance” that multiple countries, institutions, international bodies, and donors joined and supported. The goal was to strengthen humanitarian and social aid and implement tangible projects and programs in several countries that the pandemic affected.

Dr. AlMalik reaffirmed, during his address, that ICESCO will continue to work with African countries to advance education, science, and culture. The effort is part of ICESCO’s reengineered vision to become a reference point for civilizational outreach, leading the Organization’s Member States towards a better era based on Artificial Intelligence and technologies.

The DG expressed his gratitude to ICESCO’s permanent partner, Alwaleed Philanthropies, chaired by HRH Prince Alwaleed bin Talal AlSaud, for the Foundation’s generous support to the ICESCO’s humanitarian and social initiatives to help 10 African countries, including Niger.

At the end of the ceremony, Dr. AlMalik and Dr. Marthé signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on the implementation phases of the project. The goal is to develop a sense of innovation and entrepreneurship among women and youth in Niger and support the private sector, entrepreneurs, and small enterprises.

For four decades, Alwaleed Philanthropies has supported and spent more than 4 billion dollars on social welfare and initiated more than 1000 projects in over +189 countries, managed by 10 Saudi female members, reaching more than 1 billion beneficiaries around the world, regardless of gender, race, or religion. Alwaleed Philanthropies collaborates with a range of philanthropic, governmental, and educational organizations to combat poverty, empower women and youth, develop communities, provide disaster relief, and create cultural understanding through education. It seeks to build bridges for a more compassionate, tolerant, and accepting world.

Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General (DG) of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), will participate in the 47th session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), due to be held on 27-28 November 2020, in Niamey, Niger, under the theme “United against Terrorism for Peace and Development.”

The participation of Dr. AlMalik in the session is upon the invitation of Dr. Yousef bin Ahmad Al-Othaimeen, OIC Secretary-General. The meeting’s agenda features a set of topics and issues relevant to the Islamic world.

On the sidelines of the meeting, Dr. AlMalik will meet the heads of several delegations of the Member States and international organizations to explore cooperation and publicize the major initiatives, activities, programs and projects of ICESCO during the lockdown period to counter the pandemic.

Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General (DG) of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), received yesterday at ICESCO’s headquarters in Rabat, Mr. Mohamed Mahmoud Ben Labat, Ambassador of Mali to Morocco.  The two parties explored the ways to develop and promote the cooperation prospects between ICESCO and Mali.

The goal is to contribute to national capacity-building in Mali in the sector of education, science, culture, communication, and human and social sciences. The Ambassador presented his credentials to the DG as a Permanent Delegate of Mali to ICESCO.

The meeting saw the participation of the heads of sectors and the advisors of ICESCO DG. Dr. AlMalik reviewed ICESCO’s new vision, which has been translated into major programs and initiatives for the benefit of several Member States, including Mali, to counter the negative repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic in the fields of education, science, and culture.

Dr. AlMalik reiterated ICESCO’s constant willingness to support the competent parties in Mali to develop Arabic language courses and the Islamic school program. ICESCO also supports Mali’s efforts to ensure the conservation of manuscripts and the protection of heritage in Timbuktu, in particular, and Mali, in general.

The Organization assists Mali in implementing programs of social support and education on peace. The activities are likely to entrench the values of coexistence, social cohesion, and the rejection of violence and extremism in the country, expressed the DG.

Mr. Ben Labat commended the outstanding work of ICESCO, which generously supported Mali. He also expressed his country’s desire to benefit from ICESCO’s expertise in Arabic language courses and the conservation of manuscripts and the protection of heritage.

The Ambassador stressed Mali’s keenness to sustain and promote constructive cooperation with ICESCO through the specialized national institutions, including Ahmed Baba Institute of Higher Learning and Islamic Research, which is the biggest center for the conservation of manuscripts in Sub-Saharan Africa.

The Director-General (DG) of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, stressed the need to build peaceful and harmonious societies, following the upsurge of violence and hatred during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The DG also called for establishing common mechanisms of action, based on values promoting religion, culture, human rights, and sustainable development, and coordinating among the different bodies and organizations of the international community to bring the voice of children, youth, and women and guarantee their rights.

The statement was part of the DG’s address at the “Religion, Human Rights and Sustainable Development Goals” webinar. “Religions for Peace” Foundation held yesterday, the videoconference, in partnership with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and the Free University of Amsterdam (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam), with the participation of representatives of specialized international organizations.
Dr. AlMalik added that acts of fanaticism and hatred contribute to the disintegration of societies and undermine the sacredness of religions. He also stressed that cultural and religious discourse is constantly used to justify the oppression perpetrated against women, girls, the elderly, people with special needs, and minorities.

Dr. AlMalik also indicated that supporting the empowerment of women and girls is a priority for ICESCO, which has proclaimed 2021 as the Year of Women. He also underscored the need to fight gender-based discrimination to enable women to play their full role in society. He then explained that humanity cannot reach its potential by leaving half of society marginalized.

On the occasion of the World Children’s Day on November 20, the DG said that it is necessary to guarantee the rights of all children, by providing them with quality education and health services and protecting them against all forms of violence and abuse, as they are the cornerstone for a brighter future.

Dr. AlMalik added that the Organization, at the time the webinar was being held, is celebrating “ICESCO Day for Africa” as part of its considerable interest in the African Member States. “The world continues to discover the wealth that the continent enjoys, despite the increasing rates of poverty, recorded particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic,” he continued.

The DG called on all components of the society as well as officials to work together to combat violence and fanaticism, by sensitizing and educating those who perpetrate crimes in the name of religion and establishing a discourse based on human values.

Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General (DG) of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), received on Friday, at the Organization’s headquarters in Rabat, Mr. Abdellatif Bensfia, Director of the Higher Institute for Information and Communication (ISIC). The two parties explored cooperation prospects.

Dr. AlMalik reviewed ICESCO’s new vision, which promotes an open-door policy towards all universities and develops mechanisms of communication and scientific and academic cooperation in Muslim countries.

The meeting also touched upon fields of cooperation in the upcoming period, most notably the preparation of an agreement to set up the Chair of ICESCO and ISIC. The discussion also involved developing business incubators and providing scholarships for students as well as training opportunities. Mr. Bensfia commended ICESCO’s new vision and progress as well as its open-door policy towards universities and the academic community. He also expressed his desire to develop constructive cooperation to serve Muslim countries.

Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General (DG) of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), received on Friday, at the Organization’s headquarters, Ms. Golda El-Khoury, Director of UNESCO Regional Office in Rabat. The two parties explored fields and programs of cooperation between ICESCO and UNESCO in the spheres of education, science, and culture in 2021.

During the meeting, Dr. AlMAlik reviewed the major activities and programs that ICESCO launched and implemented to support Member States’ efforts to counter the repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic.  He also highlighted ICESCO’s progress as part of its new vision and action strategy, which promotes an open-door policy.

Ms. Golda El-Khoury expressed UNESCO’s willingness to sustain cooperation with ICESCO through programs in the area of common interest between Member States of ICESCO and UNESCO in 2021.

The Director-General (DG) of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, yesterday, held a videoconference with Mr. Anar Karimov, Acting Minister of Culture of Azerbaijan, to discuss ways of promoting cooperation and partnership between ICESCO and Azerbaijan. Mr. Vasif Evaz Zadeh, Secretary-General of the Azerbaijani National Commission for Education, Science, and Culture, also attended the videoconference.

During the meeting, Mr. Karimov briefed Dr. AlMalik on the destruction of some historic monuments in the Nagorno-Karabakh region and the attempted desecration of mosques and places of worship, in the wake of the conflict with Armenia. The two parties examined ways of joint action to restore those sites.

The Acting Minister invited ICESCO DG to visit Azerbaijan for a meeting with senior officials in the country to explore cooperation aspects and tour the heritage sites that have been destroyed or have endured serious vandalism in Nagorno-Karabakh Region.

Talks during the meeting centered on the arrangements for Baku Heritage Forum, to be held on May 5, 2021. ICESCO will actively participate in the forum as part of its new vision and working strategy.

ICESCO Heritage Center is a testament to the special attention the Organization’s vision and strategy pay to heritage. The Center trains professionals of the field within the Member States and inscribes historical sites on the Islamic World Heritage List (IWHL) following the adoption of the inscription files by the Islamic World Heritage Committee (ISWHC).