Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director General of the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO), explored with His Highness Prince Faisal Bin Farhan, Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs, the cooperation ties between the Organization and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Dr. AlMalik also reviewed ISESCO’s activities and future programmes within the framework of the new strategic vision, which makes of ISESCO a source of civilizational influence in the Islamic world as well as the rest of the world.
This was part of today meeting of the Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs with ISESCO Director General, who congratulated the Minister on the trust of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman Bin Abdulaziz, and his new position.
The meeting further highlighted the great interest and considerable support of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for the efforts of ISESCO in the fields of education, science and culture.
Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director General of the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO), stated that the Organization has entered into a new phase of rebuilding based on an innovative vision, a developed methodology and modern foundations in its pursuit to achieve a genuine transformation to secure its proper international position and keep up with the rapid changes and modern technologies.
His statement was part of the press conference held today at ISESCO headquarters. Dr. AlMalik started this meeting with media professionals by saying that “ISESCO was founded to become the Islamic world’s version of UNESCO. Today, we seek to become an international organization rather than a local or regional one. Besides, this aspiration is legitimate as it hinges upon a new vision which constitutes the basis of a strategy having future dimensions.”
Moreover, ISESCO Director General stressed that the Islamic world deserves having a high-standing organization, with wide impact on Muslim communities inside and outside the Islamic world, which expresses the Muslim world’s enlightened vision on contemporary issues relevant to ISESOC’s areas of competence.
Dr. AlMalik further highlighted that modernizing ISESCO both in form and content is the major objective which includes the strategic objectives of the Organization. He also explained that ISESCO’s new vision is based on three foundations: a) innovation in planning and achievement, and modernization of performance while rationalizing costs through a developed financial management; b) openness to the prospects of this era so as to be enlightened with modern humanist ideas and international expertise in education, science, innovation, culture, communication and creativity by establishing “ISESCO International Consultative Body”; c) transformation of ISESCO from an organization with limited resources into an organization which produces resources through the establishment of the Waqf Fund on modern bases to ensure its security and continuity in times of crises likely to drain its resources.
ISESCO Director General also said “Our vision aims to turn ISESCO into an international beacon in the fields of civilizational building and knowledge progress, and make of its conferences, meetings and workshops occasions to present new initiatives and useful innovative ideas.”
Besides, Dr. AlMalik stated “we are working to make ISESCO an organization of competencies and a leadership and creativity center, which coordinates the efforts seeking to develop policies and educational systems in Member States, and improve the performance and outputs of these systems.”
He further added that ISESCO should have a purposeful and innovative information mission, an effective communication strategy to defend and promote the status of Arabic language at the Islamic and international levels through the programmes of teaching Arabic language to non-Arabic speakers, support the programmes of writing the languages of Muslim peoples in Arabic script, and become open to the Muslim peoples regardless of the geographical borders.
Dr. AlMalik also underscored that the mission of ISESCO is to develop key leaderships, set developmental policies in its areas of competence, develop knowledge and innovative systems, and provide technical expertise and advice and institutional support through openness to its environment and the world at large.
In conclusion, Dr. AlMalik tackled the nature of the relationship that should be established between ISESCO and media outlets as he commended the role of media professionals and asked to support and develop their role in a consistent way with ISESCO’s new vision.
Afterwards, ISESCO Director General received and responded to the remarks and questions of the various media outlets’ representatives. He also lauded the suggestions made in some remarks and promised to examine and adopt them in line with the new vision of ISESCO while calling for further communication between the organization and media professionals.
AlMalik: Investment in culture’s soft power a winning bet at all levels
Jirari: Islamic world open to influential sides in our modern world
Amid a high-level official, academic and media audience, the “ISESCO Cultural Forum” kicked off yesterday at ISESCO headquarters, with a lecture on the topic “Future Cultural Challenges in the Islamic World” by Dr. Abbès Jirari, Advisor to the King of Morocco, Member of the Academy of the Kingdom of Morocco and other Arab scientific and linguistic academies.
Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, ISESCO Director General, opened the forum with a welcoming address wherein he highlighted that the lecture’s topic touches on two issues: the future and culture as a soft power that can, through its impact and influence, be effective instead of being affected.
In this regard, he stated that elites in today’s world have the influence and impact which he described as being the constituent parts of culture, thought, sports and modern arts. “We should be able to invest this soft power in such a way as to serve high interests of the Islamic world, achieve sustainable development, happiness, and prosperity, and ensure security, serenity, stability, harmony, and peace”, Dr. AlMalik maintained.
He added that ISESCO aims, through its new vision that is open to this ever-changing new, to ensure the visibility of the Islamic world in terms of creativity, innovation, globalization and centralization and to the wide human worlds, pointing out that investment in culture’s soft power is a winning bet at all levels.
In addition, ISESCO Director General mentioned that among the persisting issues of the Islamic world there are the questions of identity and coexistence; dissemination of a culture of life, hope and creativity, the fight against the culture of hate, racism and exclusion; and interest in heritage and language issues. He also cited the assertion of the right of culture and access thereto by all citizens; the right of appropriation of modern technology to create new content; and the establishment of a corresponding digital culture that reflects our history, identity, civilization, and historic character, opens to achievements and gains of modern era, and anticipates the future with all determination, self-confidence, resolve and poise.
In the same vein, he said that the lecture of Dr. Abbès Jirari would touch on these issues and provide answers to our questions, given Dr. Jirari’s rich experience, profound knowledge, and long practice in university work, culture, and other disciplines of knowledge.
“The human mind is unique in its creation and the human soul is from one Divine breath. This compels us to share our unity of determination and values to ensure mutual understanding and preserve the dignity of humanity at large”, Dr. AlMalik concluded.
For his part, Dr. Jirari started his lecture by talking about the future cultural challenges in the Islamic world. He stated that the Islamic world boasts of a glorious past marked by excellence in science and arts, maintaining that the West draw on the Islamic civilization and culture to carry the torch of civilization in modern history and arguing that Muslims are required to keep up with today’s changes and carry again the torch of civilization.
“This is a complex equation whose solution lies in the conciliation of authenticity, the source of our pride, with modernity which we try to catch up with. We pride ourselves on our past and history-steeped heritage without bothering to analyze it and rid it of its stains. We need an accurate diagnosis of our heritage and past to separate the wheat from its chaff. We should handle Western modernity -the product of a different environment- from various angles instead of looking at it from the value perspective which constitutes only one side of the equation”, Dr. Jirari noted.
He continued: “We are a nation that values dialogue with the Other. Undoubtedly, education is key to the dissemination of this culture and awareness thereto. Another factor why Muslims value dialogue is the science on which the West founded its progress. Though the Islamic world abounds with universities, the nature of their impact on the society and contribution to solving social issues may be put into question”.
Despite the dominance of Western modernity, Dr. Jirari pointed out, the Islamic world opened up to other dimensions which have become influential today, adding that despite abundance with qualified competencies, the Islamic world does not benefit from such talents as they emigrate to contribute to the prosperity of the Other. He described this situation as a new challenge and asked about ways to get these wasted competencies back to their societies.
In conclusion, Dr. Jirari said that only through culture, consciousness and self-honesty that we can solve our dilemmas and achieve our objectives.
Shortly after the lecture had ended, Dr. Abdelilah Benarafa, Cultural Advisor to ISESCO Director General, the lecture’s moderator, opened the floor for discussion. The participants asked many questions relevant to the topic of the lecture which were all met with positive responses from the lecturer.
The forum was closed with a reception held by ISESCO Director General in honor of Dr. Abbès Jirari, amid the audience’s praises for the success of the Forum.
During his participation in the award ceremony of Morocco Book Prize 2019, held by the Moroccan Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports, under the high patronage of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, ISESCO Director General, after presenting the Prize to one of the winners, announced his initiative to hold the award ceremony of the next year’s edition of the Prize at the Organization’s headquarters in Rabat. The initiative was largely appreciated by the participating audience made up of intellectuals and members of the diplomatic corps in Morocco.
At the invitation of Mr. El Hassan Abyaba, Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports, Government Spokesperson, Dr. AlMalik attended the ceremony along with Mr. André Azoulay, Advisor to His Majesty the King of Morocco. During his friendly discussion with ISESCO Director General, Mr. Azoulay reaffirmed his great respect for the Organization and its efforts and expressed his willingness to cooperate with its General Directorate.
It is worth mentioning that the Prize covers the following categories: poetry, story-telling and narrative, literary creation in Amazigh language, youth and children’s literature, social sciences, translation, literary, artistic and linguistic studies, and studies in the field of Amazigh culture.
The award ceremony took place today evening at the National Library in Rabat.
The Director General of the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO), Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, stated that the present juncture in the history of the Islamic world gives rise to greater responsibilities to tackle challenges and require constant attention to adapt to and keep abreast of changes, as part of a new innovative and comprehensive vision, and through scientific approaches and an anticipatory culture.
In his address at the opening of the 20th Meeting of the Secretaries General of Arab states’ National Commissions for Education, Science and Culture, held today in Tunis, Republic of Tunisia, ISESCO Director General underlined that “the tough challenges faced by the Islamic world should not shatter our hopes and discourage us from working. A glimmer of hope is always in the horizon as long as there are good initiatives, firm resolve and good anticipation of the future, as Ibn al-Muqaffa says: whoever travels aimlessly, his mount will let him down”.
In addition, Dr. AlMalik stated that advancing the civilizational project in the Arab-Islamic world hinges on updating educational systems; promoting science, technology, innovation and creativity; and renewing policies specific to culture, communication and information. He added that that this civilizational project embodies the collective objective of joint Arab-Islamic action in the fields closely connected to the elaboration of development policies and knowledge systems.
In the same vein, ISESCO Director General pointed out that ISESCO’s new development vision, whose broad-lines are contained in the Medium-Term Strategic Plan (2020-2029), adopts the slogan “Building Systems… Making Minds” and that it will be implemented as part of a forward-looking approach that aims to accomplish ISESCO’s mission and desired objectives. He highlighted that the vision consists of making of ISESCO a beacon of global outreach in the fields of civilizational edification, knowledge progress, with the mission of elaborating development policies and building knowledge and innovation systems, and providing expertise, technical counsel and institutional support.
Moreover, Dr. AlMalik urged Member States to be more effective, be makers of decisions instead of passive observers and achieve their autonomy as dependency, he maintained, kills ambitions and aspirations and breaks wills. He also reaffirmed that from now on, ISESCO will never propose programmes and workshops but rather will wait for the propositions of National Commissions, while taking into consideration their outcomes and impact assessment. He explained that each Commission lives the reality of its country and is well aware of its needs and requirements, while promising that ISESCO would be at the level of expectations of National Commissions only when it receives their support and the one of their countries.
Dr. AlMalik extends invitation to hold the 2020 Joint Meeting of Arab Ministers of Tourism and Culture at ISESCO headquarters.
Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director General of the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO), presented ISESCO’s approach to complementarity between the sectors of tourism and culture, which he said reflects the Organization’s awareness of the positive impact of this complementarity on the economy, the social fabric, the fight against poverty, creation of job opportunities for young people, development of local communities’ economies, and promotion of sustainable development efforts, especially with regard to investing in cultural heritage and employing countries’ rich and diverse historic and cultural capacities.
“This approach is part of ISESCO’s new vision to addressing the issues falling within its areas of competence, namely education, science, and culture”, the Director General stated in an address he gave at the opening session of the Second Joint Meeting of Arab Ministers of Tourism and Culture, which kicked off today, in Tunis. He added that ISESCO’s new approach to safeguarding cultural heritage in Member States and rehabilitating its components to become a destination for cultural tourism through upgrading the work, tasks and roles of the Islamic World Heritage Committee (IWHC), particularly regarding inscribing more historic sites and elements of intangible, natural and industrial heritage. Dr. AlMalik also talked about other measures, which included setting up the Islamic World Heritage List and networking it with the Word Heritage List, and creating the Heritage Projects Support Fund for the Arab and Islamic world, and the Heritage Observatory to monitor the situation of cultural heritage and explore ways to invest therein to develop cultural and environmental tourism.
Moreover, the Director General stressed the need to follow through with the implementation of the new vision through ISESCO’s action plans and cultural tourism programmes for the benefit of Member States. “This can be achieved through building partnerships among Member States in the field of cultural tourism, adopting tourism as a vehicle of publicizing Arab-Islamic heritage and a backbone for safeguarding, investing in, developing and highlighting the developmental potentials of such heritage”, the Director General underscored.
In the same vein, Dr. AlMalik underlined that ISESCO’s new line of action did not neglect building the capacities of workers in the fields of culture and tourism, stating that efforts were geared towards promoting cooperation programmes on this matter with specialized regional and international organizations in order to build outstanding capacities and raise their awareness of the cultural facilities, historic sites, archeological landmarks, environmental pathways as sustainable destinations for cultural tourism.
At the close of his address, ISESCO Director General extended his invitation to hold the 2020 Joint Meeting of Arab Ministers of Tourism and Culture at ISESCO headquarters. He also called on the ministers taking part in the meeting to support ISESCO’s effort and establish cooperation and partnership channels with the Organization to help it achieve its set goals.
The Ministry of Cultural Affairs of the Republic of Tunisia hosted today the Meeting of the High Preparatory Committee of the 11th Islamic Conference of Culture Ministers (ICCM), and the closing ceremony of the celebration of Tunis as Capital of Islamic Culture for 2019, to be both held in Tunis, on 17-19 December 2019.
The Meeting was co-chaired by Dr. Mohamed Zine El Abidine, Tunisian Minister of Cultural Affairs, and Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director General of the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO), and together they reviewed the latest organizational arrangements for the Conference and the celebration. Representatives of the ministries and administrations concerned also made presentations on the preparations carried out by their respective departments to ensure a good organization for the two events.
In this connection, the two parties agreed to mobilize all resources to hold the conference in line with ISESCO’s new vision, which gives more importance to implementing field activities and projects for the benefit of Member States; and adopt a new approach to the relations with National Commissions as part of a modern vision that takes into consideration regional and international mutations.
Prior to the Committee’s Meeting, the Minister of Cultural Affairs and ISESCO Director General had held a bilateral meeting wherein they explored ways to promote cooperation and partnership between the Ministry and the Organization, and reviewed the ongoing preparations for holding ICCM.
The Fifth Meeting of International Organizations: ALECSO, ISESCO and ABEGS kicked off today in Tunis, Republic of Tunisia. It is a periodical meeting to promote cooperation and complementarity among these three organizations and explore the ways and mechanisms to boost their partnership with Member States’ National Commissions.
During the opening session, addresses were given by the representative of Mr. Ahmed Aboul Gheit, Secretary General of the League of Arab States; the representative of Dr. Hatem Ben Salem, Minister of Education and President of the Tunisian National Commission for Education, Science and Culture; and the representative of Dr. Mohamed Zine El Abidine, Minister of Cultural Affairs.
In his address during the opening session, Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, the Director General of the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO), reaffirmed that the common denominators among ISESCO, ALECSO and ABEGS are crystal-clear in their objectives and missions as provided for in their Charters, action programmes and initiatives in vital the fields that determine our present and future destiny (education, science, culture, information and communication) which are the foundations of action marked by the multiplicity of aspects and the complementarity of fields.
Dr. AlMalik also stressed that, in light of ISESCO’s new strategic plan, further attention will be given to the implementation of field activities and projects for the benefit of Member States, adoption of a new approach with regard to the relation with the National Commissions as part of a comprehensive innovative vision and a modern methodology that is mindful of all regional and international changes.
On his part, Dr. Ali bin Abdul Khaliq Al-Karni, Director-General of Arab Bureau of Education for the Gulf States (ABEGS), gave an address wherein he stated that this Meeting is quite important and very special as we all face challenges with determination to make achievements while looking toward the future, especially as we have the brains, wills, experiences, expertise and hopes necessary for creativity.
Afterwards, Dr. Mohamed Walad Amor, the Director-General of the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization (ALECSO), gave his address stressing the importance of cooperation between ISESCO, ALECSO and ABEGS and the need to promote, develop and upgrade this cooperation to reach the level of partnership.
During the opening session, Dr. AlMalik and Dr. Walad Amor signed the Framework Cooperation Agreement between ALECSO and ISESCO. This agreement aims to set a joint framework of action for the period 2020-2021 in the fields of education, culture, heritage, information, communication and special programmes, including the programmes for Al-Quds Al-Sharif and the threats thereto, programmes geared to educational, cultural and scientific conditions in Palestine, programmes designed for the countries with special needs, and the programmes for unstable countries.
During the same session, the participants watched a video on the 8th Islamic Conference of Environment Ministers, which was held on 2-3 October 2019 in ISESCO headquarters in Rabat and brought together a large number of participants, including ministers and officials of environment from Muslim countries, as well as the heads of regional and international organizations operating in the field of environment protection and sustainable development.
On the sidelines of the opening session, the Directors General of ISESCO, ALECSO and ABEGS inaugurated the publications exhibition of the three organizations.
Moreover, Dr. AlMalik met a number of the National Commissions’ secretaries general, and together they explored the fields of cooperation between ISESCO and their respective countries as part of ISESCO’s new vision.
Today morning, in Bandar Seri Begawan, capital of Brunei Darussalam, the Majlis Ilmu Conference kicked off under the presidency of His Majesty Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei, with the participation of Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director General of the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO), as the guest of honor. The Conference was also attended by Government members and officials in Brunei, the ambassadors accredited to the Sultanate, and a large number of academic and cultural figures from the Islamic world and beyond.
In his opening address to the Conference, His Majesty Sultan Bolkiah welcomed the participants from various countries and stressed the importance of unity and determination in supporting cultural projects in the country and publicize the civilizational heritage of Brunei.
During the opening session, Dr. AlMalik congratulated Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah for holding this Confence and reiterated his thanks to His majesty for his invitation and his keeness to hold this event concurrently with ISESCO Programme of the Celebration of Bandar Seri Begawan as the Asian region’s Islamic Culture Capital for 2019. He also stressed ISESCO’s willingness to contribute to the action aiming to publicize this event and support the educational, scientific and cultural initiatives of His Majesty.
This year’s session of this annual conference is marked by the inauguration of the National Manuscript Exhibition, which dispalys significant historical manuscripts and documents of Brunei, including precious and rare manuscripts from the Sultan’s treasury. The participation of ISESCO Director General in this conference is part of his current visit to the Sultanate of Brunei, the first among his scheduled visits to ISESCO Member States, initiated by his meeting with Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah in ‘Istana Nurul Iman’.
Dr. Salim M. Almalik, Director General of the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO), began his first visit to Member States by meeting with His Majesty Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei Darussalam, on Thursday, at Nurul Iman Palace. During this audience, the two parties reviewed the new ISESCO vision and the development steps drafted in the Organization’s plans and strategies; and the proposed innovative mechanisms to support ISESCO’s financial sustainability, most notably through setting up waqfs and holding donor forums.
In this regard, ISESCO Director General hailed Brunei Darussalam’s role in supporting ISESCO and promoting joint Islamic action, reaffirming keenness to render Brunei a regular destination for holding international symposia and hosting some ministerial conferences that falls within the realm of ISESCO’s competence.
The Director General also lauded the celebration of Bandar Seri Begawan as Capital of Islamic Culture for 2019, and the programmes and activities implemented and planned for this occasion.
It is worth noting that since his appointment, based on the nomination of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the endorsement of the Third Extraordinary Session of ISESCO General Conference (9 May 2019, Makkah Al-Mukarramah), Dr. Salim M. Almalik has been working on turning ISESCO, established on 3 May 1982, into an international beacon in the fields of education, science, culture and communication.
Moreover, the notable success in organizing the Eighth Islamic Conference of Environment Ministers, held at ISESCO headquarters, on 2-3 October 2019, is a striking example of the transition the Organization currently witnesses. The conference saw the participation of a large number of Member States and regional and international organizations active in the field of environment; and issued key resolutions that set a forward-looking roadmap to protecting the environment and fostering sustainable development in the Islamic world.
At the invitation of Mr. El Hassan Abyaba, Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports, Government Spokesperson, Dr. AlMalik attended the ceremony along with Mr. André Azoulay, Advisor to His Majesty the King of Morocco. During his friendly discussion with ISESCO Director General, Mr. Azoulay reaffirmed his great respect for the Organization and its efforts and expressed his willingness to cooperate with its General Directorate.
