Category: Director General

H.E. Mr. Azali Assoumani, President of the Union of the Comoros, received Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General (DG) of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), at the Beit-Salam Presidential Palace in Moroni, at the end of the official visit of ICESCO’s DG and the accompanying delegation to the Union of the Comoros.

At the start of the meeting, which took place on Monday 24 July 2023, Dr. AlMalik expressed his warm thanks and deep gratitude to H.E. the President of the Comoros for the warm reception and hospitality himself and the accompanying delegation received, as well as for the interest shown by Comorian ministers and officials in strengthening cooperation with ICESCO, in coordination with the Comorian National Commission for Education, Science and Culture.

In addition, ICESCO’s DG presented to the president of the Comoros the main programs and projects currently implemented by the Organization, particularly in African countries, as well as its efforts to ensure equal opportunities in terms of access to education, addressing the problem of school girls dropout, combating child labor, striving to reject violence and consolidating the values of coexistence and peace, through a training program of youth and women on leadership for peace and security which trains ICESCO’s Ambassadors for Peace.

For his part, H.E. Mr. Assoumani praised the processes of development and renewal that ICESCO has undergone over the past four years, under the leadership of its Director-General, Dr. Salim AlMalik, who spares no effort to serve the interests of its Member States, reaffirming the keenness of the Union of the Comoros to cooperate with ICESCO to achieve its objectives, and to support its programs and projects aimed at achieving sustainable development in its Member States.

He added that the Comorian people appreciate the Organization’s efforts to reform the education systems and safeguard the tangible and intangible cultural heritage of its Member States, including the Union of the Comoros.

At the end of the meeting, President Assoumani presented Dr. AlMalik with a commemorative medal bearing the emblem of the Union of the Comoros. For his part, ICESCO DG presented the Organization’s shield to the President of the Comoros.

Dr. Salim Al-Malik, Director-General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) met Dr. Loub Yakout Zaïdou, Minister for Health, Solidarity, Social Protection and Gender Promotion of the Union of the Comoros, and explored cooperation prospects between the two sides in promoting health awareness and supporting women and girls.

During the meeting, held on 22 July 2023 in Moroni, Dr. Al-Malik stressed the great interest ICESCO attaches in its vision and action strategy to health issues as an essential component of the development of society, highlighting the Organization’s efforts in supporting Member States in the field of health through its implementation of numerous programmes and projects in the fields of health and social and human sciences, and the organization of socio-educational and medical caravans.

For her part, Dr. Loub reviewed the challenges facing the Comoros in the areas of physical and psychological health, issues of women, children and youth, stressing the urgent need to benefit from ICESCO’s support to train healthcare personnel, establish mental health centres for the benefit of children with special needs, and rehabilitation centres for drug victims, and commended ICESCO’s socio- educational and medical caravans.

At the end of the meeting, the two parties agreed to continue coordination to support the Ministry’s efforts to enhance the status of women in the Union of the Comoros, contribute to its economic development through income-generating activities and support women entrepreneurs.

Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) met on 22 July 2023 in Moroni, with Mr. Djaanfar Salim, Comorian Minister of Youth, Employment, Labour, Sports, Arts and Culture to discuss ways to strengthen bilateral cooperation in culture, arts and youth capacity building.

During the meeting, Dr. AlMalik reviewed a number of important upcoming events related to culture and youth, including the Conference of Culture Ministers in the Islamic World due to be held in October 2023 in Doha, and the ICESCO Youth Year, which will begin in September 2023 under the auspices of His Excellency President Abdel Fattah Al-Sissi of Egypt, thus reflecting the special attention the Organization devotes to youth through pioneering programs, such as the ICESCO Youth Peace Ambassadors Program and the Young Professionals Program.

ICESCO Director-General highlighted the importance of heritage preservation in the Organization’s orientations and action plans through its programme to inscribe historic sites and cultural elements on the Islamic World Heritage List, calling on the Minister to submit files for the inscription of Comorian heritage sites on this list.

In addition, he reiterated ICESCO’s readiness to accompany the Comoros in the field of culture and heritage, through the organization of training workshops and capacity building for the benefit of national officials in the preparation of applications for the inscription of heritage sites.

For his part, Mr. Djaanfar welcomed ICESCO’s vision in addressing cultural issues in the Islamic world and welcomed the efforts of the Organization and the practical mechanisms it provides for Member States to benefit from its expertise and various programmes. He also announced that the ministry is ready to prepare the files for the inscription of Comorian heritage sites on the Islamic World Heritage List. He noted that ICESCO’s proclamation of the Year of Youth is fully in line with the Comoros’ orientations, which give young people a prominent place in its development policies, through the creation of the National Youth Council.

Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), met with Ms. Kanizat Ibrahim, Vice-President of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), and discussed cooperation between the Organization and the Federation, particularly in terms of encouraging women in the Islamic world to engage in sports activities, and consolidating values through sport.
At the start of the meeting, held in Moroni in the presence of Ms. Ramata Almamy Mbaye, Head of the Human and Social Sciences Sector, and Mr. Adel Bouraoui, Advisor to the Director-General in charge of ICESCO’s external Arabic language centers, Dr. AlMalik expressed his thanks to Ms. Kanizat for her valuable participation in January 2023 in ICESCO’s first International Forum: “Women in Sport,” praising her successful professional career, as one of the sports icons in the Comoros and Africa, and the first woman to hold the position of Vice President of CAF.

During the meeting, which was held on Saturday 22 July 2023, ICESCO officials presented the Organization’s initiative to reintegrate street children through sport, in particular football. They also reaffirmed ICESCO’s conviction of the importance of promoting women’s participation in Africa and the Islamic world in sporting activities, including football, and of supporting women leaders at the head of national and international sports structures.

The meeting also touched upon proposals for cooperation between ICESCO and CAF, notably about youth, the integration of women from the Islamic world into sporting activities, the consolidation of values through sport and the promotion of the educational dimension of sport, particularly football.

Both parties agreed to pursue coordination to agree on several specific programs and projects for cooperation between ICESCO and CAF and sign an agreement thereon.

At the end of the meeting, Dr. AlMalik presented Ms. Kanizat with the fifth edition of “The Societies We Want” magazine, published by ICESCO on its “Sport for Social Impact: Harnessing the Power of Sport to Build Inclusive and Resilient Societies” initiative.

Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), began his official visit to the Union of the Comoros with a meeting with Dr. Takiddine Youssouf, Minister of National Education, Scientific Research, Training and Professional Integration, President of the National Commission. The two officials exchanged views on strengthening cooperation between ICESCO and the Union of the Comoros in the fields of education, higher education, vocational training, capacity-building for women and youth, the teaching of Arabic and the integration of the values of coexistence and peace into educational curricula, the use of sport to consolidate these values, and the preservation of heritage sites.

During the meeting, which took place on Friday 21 July 2023 at the Ministry headquarters in Moroni, Dr. AlMalik reviewed ICESCO’s vision and strategic orientations, which place Africa at the top of its priorities, and pay particular attention to women and youth issues, heritage preservation and adaptation to the needs of Member States in its action plans, pointing out that the Organization has adopted openness to serve its Member States.

Dr. AlMalik added that ICESCO strongly supports the development of education systems in its Member States, and underlined the Organization’s support for the teaching of Arabic in non-Arabic-speaking countries, through the creation of national training poles of excellence in the field of Arabic language teaching.

For his part, Dr. Youssouf expressed his deep appreciation for the great support the Comorian education sector has received from ICESCO in recent years, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, which enabled the Comoros to ensure the continuity of the educational process. He also reviewed the projects that the Ministry plans to implement with ICESCO’s support.

The two parties agreed to work together to build the capacities of educational and university institutions in the Union of the Comoros, through ICESCO’s creation of a national center of excellence in Arabic language training, and its technical support for the creation of a PhD program and a faculty of medicine. It was also agreed to pursue coordination to establish appropriate funding mechanisms for cooperation programs.

The meeting was attended by Ms. Ramata Almamy Mbaye, Head of ICESCO’s Human and Social Sciences Sector, and Mr. Adel Bouraoui, Advisor to the Director-General in charge of ICESCO’s external Arabic language centers. It also brought together a number of senior education officials from the Union of the Comoros.

The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), the Ministry of Education in the Republic of Yemen and the Benevolence Coalition for Humanitarian Relief (BCHR) Foundation have signed an agreement to implement a remedial education project for out-of-school girls in Yemen. The project is part of the cooperation between ICESCO and the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KSRelief) to provide the necessary educational support and teaching resources and offer a second educational opportunity to girls who have dropped out of school.

The agreement was signed remotely on Wednesday, 19 July 2023, by Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, ICESCO Director General, Dr. Tareq Salem al-Abkari, Yemeni Minister of Education, and Engineer Fahmi bin Mansour, CEO of BCHR.

At the signing ceremony, which was attended by Dr. Koumbou Barry, Head of ICESCO’s Education Sector, and Mr. Anar Karimov, Head of ICESCO’s Partnerships and International Cooperation Sector, Dr. AlMalik expressed his thanks and gratitude to KSRelief for its generous funding of this important project, noting that ICESCO accords major importance to education given its role in achieving sustainable development and for being the best investment to ensure a better future.

For his part, Dr. Al-Akbari welcomed the agreement, which will help develop the education system in Yemen, empower future generations and protect them from destructive ideas, underlining the Ministry’s willingness to strengthen cooperation with ICESCO.

The Foundation’s CEO welcomed the launch of the project, which provides a valuable service to girls who have dropped out of school in Yemen, and thanked the Yemeni Ministry, ICESCO and KSRelief for their support of the project, whose initial phases have been highly successful.

Under the terms of the agreement, BCHR will undertake the implementation of the project in 7 Yemeni governorates over a 12-month period, the KSRelief will fund the project, while ICESCO will oversee its management and monitor all its implementation stages. In addition, the project will equip 21 schools for girls’ education in the beneficiary areas, provide school bags and supplies to 19,000 girls, organize training programs to develop the capacities of 350 professionals in the field of girls’ education and equip 100 alternative classrooms to take in girls who have dropped out of school and in displacement camps. It will also provide professional support for the families of drop-out girls, facilitate procedures for welcoming displaced girls into schools, and create awareness-raising programs that encourage girls’ schooling.

The International Scientific Forum “Culture and Arts and their Role in Combating Crime and Extremism”, held by the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) in partnership with the Naif Arab University for Security Sciences (NAUSS) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) for the Gulf Cooperation Council States, issued several important recommendations at the close of its proceedings, which saw the presentation of visions, innovative ideas and rich debates among leaders and experts in the fields of justice, security, culture and the arts.

The recommendations, released at the end of the Forum on Tuesday, 18 July 2023, included a renewed call for a global definition of extremism to address it from a perspective of justice and equity, an invitation to intellectuals to contribute positively and effectively to enrich the “dialogue of culture and arts on crime and extremism,” the promotion of the roles of the socio-economic and cultural approach in the strategy of combating extremism and terrorism, and the call for making creative training essential and attractive subjects into pre-university studies.

The recommendations also included the need to empower young people to face major global challenges, the creation of regional centers to provide cultural and artistic services, support for adherence to international conventions and treaties related to the fight against crime and extremism, and the need to intensify official control of all artistic works and visions presented through audiovisual messages to combat ideas that contradict religious and social values.

The participants welcomed ICESCO’s initiative to create a scientific chair on cultural approaches to the fight against crime and extremism, in cooperation with the Naif Arab University for Security Sciences in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

The second day of the Forum featured five sessions: 1) culture and the arts as a permanent soft power for coexistence between civilizations and peoples; 2) the importance of cultural and artistic content in the fight against extremism; 3) the importance of supporting coexistence between individuals, peoples and civilizations in the fight against extremism; 4) the impact of some cultural and artistic practices in the fight against extremism and crime; 5) types of best practices of cultural and artistic institutions in the fight against extremism and crime.

At the end of the Forum, Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, ICESCO Director General, delivered a speech in which he thanked all of the participants for their commendable contributions during the said sessions and discussions, stressing that they would be examined by the scientific committee of the Forum with a view to including them in the final report.

ICESCO Director-General praised the distinguished partnership between the Organization and the Naif Arab University of Security Sciences, expressing his gratitude to the University’s leadership and his pride in the partnership.

Amid high-level presence, the International Scientific Forum on the Role of Culture and Arts in Combating Crime and Extremism kicked off today, Monday, July 17, 2023, at the headquarters of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO). The Forum is being held by ICESCO in partnership with Naif Arab University for Security Sciences (NAUSS) in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) for the Gulf Cooperation Council Region, aimed at highlighting the role of artistic and cultural work in combating crime, shedding light on the importance of cultural and artistic contents in supporting coexistence, and reviewing best Arab, regional and international practices and experiences in the field.

The opening session of the three-day forum saw the participation of senior officials and experts from the Ministries of Interior, Justice, Social Affairs, Information and Culture in the Arab countries, along with representatives of regional and international organizations, and researchers from universities and competent authorities.

The event opened with the recitation of verses from the Holy Quran, followed by the address of Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, ICESCO Director-General, who stressed the key role of culture and art in human life, as they provide the best mediums to express human feelings, pointing out that crime and extremism are the product of harsh social conditions, devoid of societal role models.

The Director-General made five recommendations, which focused on the role of cultural and artistic policies as a tool for addressing the issues of crime and extremism, the role of intellectuals as an integral part of social and civilizational edification, the significance of creating interesting cultural and artistic training materials at the pre-university level, the need for cultural facilities in neighborhoods and regions to provide cultural and artistic services that meet residents’ needs, and the importance of according due attention to younger generations to face current challenges.

The session, moderated by Amb. Khaled Fathulrahman, Head of ICESCO’s Centre for Civilizational Dialogue, saw next the address of Mr. Abdellatif Wehbi, Minister of Justice of the Kingdom of Morocco, who stressed the importance of culture and arts in creating a cultural reference for humanity, noting that the Kingdom of Morocco has been keen to adopt an integrated national approach in the field of countering terrorism and extremism.

Speaking next was Dr. Mohammad bin Ali Koman, Secretary-General of the Secretary General of Arab Interior Ministers Council, who pointed out that the security approach cannot singlehandedly combat crime, which prompted the Council to enhance the role of culture and arts in combating terrorism and acts of extremism, through several programs and initiatives.

For his part, Mr. Khalid bin Abdulaziz Alharfash, NAUSS Vice President for External Relations, stated that the Forum is organized as part of the partnership between the University and ICESCO, in reflection of both institutions’ awareness of the role of art as one of the paths to support coexistence, combat extremism and promote cultural rapprochement. The NAUSS official also highlighted the University’s efforts in the academic and security fields.

Afterward, the Director General and the NAUSS Vice President for External Relations exchanged commemorative shields.

The first session focused on the role of art and culture in community integration through rehabilitation programs, which was moderated by Dr. Ahmed Said Bah, Advisor to ICESCO Director-General for Partnerships and International Cooperation, Supervisor of the General Secretariat of National Commissions and Conferences. The session featured the respective addresses of Mr. Mohamed Dkhissi, Wali of National Security, Central Director of the Judicial Police; Dr. Angelo Miramonti, Expert at the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime; Dr. Samah Muhammad Lotfy Muhammad Abdul-Latif, Assistant Professor of Crime Sociology at Al-Arish University, Egypt, and Mr. Ahmed Jenidy, Expert at the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.

The second session of the first day will discuss ways to promote the role of culture and art in combating crime, while the third session will focus on the types of cultural and artistic works and their contribution to combating crime and extremism.

Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), met with Amb. Saulekul Sailaukyzy, Ambassador of the Republic of Kazakhstan to the Kingdom of Morocco, Kazakhstan’s Permanent Delegate to ICESCO, and together they discussed the latest cooperation developments between the Organization and Kazakhstan in the fields of education, science and culture.

During the meeting, held on Tuesday, July 4, 2023, at ICESCO Headquarters in Rabat, Dr. AlMalik stressed ICESCO’s keenness to strengthen cooperation with Kazakhstan in areas of common interest through the implementation of a set of practical programs and projects.
For her part, the Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Morocco praised ICESCO’s roles in supporting the efforts of its Member States in the fields of education, science and culture, and in consolidating the values of coexistence and peace, stressing that she is keen to participate in all forums held by the Organization.

The meeting, which was attended by Dr. Mohamed Zinelabidine, Head of the Culture and Communication Sector, and Mr. Anar Karimov, Head of the Partnerships and International Cooperation Sector, discussed preparations for the International Conference on Al-Farabi’s Intellectual Contributions, to be held at ICESCO Headquarters in October 2023. It also discussed the creation of an ICESCO chair at the Eurasian National University in Kazakhstan and discussed the proposal to sign the agreement on its creation in the presence of the President of the University during the Al-Farabi Conference.

At the close of the meeting, the two parties agreed to sustain coordination to develop cooperation.

Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), received Mr. Hicham El Habti, President of Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P), and together explored developing cooperation between ICESCO and the University.

During the meeting, held on Monday, July 3, 2023, at ICESCO Headquarters in Rabat, Dr. AlMalik commended the success of the Conference on the State of Foresight Studies in the World, held in cooperation between ICESCO and UM6P at the University’s headquarters last May. The Director-General also praised the set of recommendations the Conference issued on promoting the culture of strategic foresight and the remarkable participation it has attracted, including researchers and international experts in strategic foresight and sustainable development.

Moreover, the Director-General reaffirmed that the Organization accords great importance to launching and implementing programs and projects that aim to encourage the countries of the Islamic world to capitalize on modern technology and AI to invigorate the fields of education, science, culture and achieve sustainable development, through attaining a holistic understanding of technological applications to benefit from their opportunities and curb their dangers and negative impact on society.
For his part, Mr. El-Habti commended the roles ICESCO assumes in support of advancing scientific research, expressing the University’s keenness to develop cooperation with the Organization, particularly in providing study grants in modern specialties to the youth of the Islamic world and holding training sessions and workshops.

At the close of the meeting, the two parties agreed to sustain coordination to develop cooperation in areas of common interest, notably, data and information sciences and supporting entrepreneurship and strategic foresight.