Category: Director General

Dr. Salim. M. AlMalik, Director-General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), met with Amb. Li Changlin, Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to the Kingdom of Morocco, and together they explored prospects for cooperation between ICESCO and China in the organization of a number of cultural activities.

During the meeting, held on Thursday, January 4, 2024, the two parties expressed their keenness to build fruitful cooperation relations between ICESCO and China and reviewed the measures taken to achieve this goal since their last meeting.

In this regard, the Chinese Ambassador stated that during his last visit to China, he held several meetings with a number of Chinese officials to discuss the prospects of cooperation with ICESCO. The Ambassador reported that he has received positive response on their end and readiness to open up to the Organization as a gateway to promote cooperation with the countries of the Islamic world, welcoming the participation of ICESCO’s delegations in some of the cultural activities in China.

The meeting discussed cooperation proposals with regard to the organization of a number of cultural activities of common interest. Dr. AlMalik proposed the organization of a Chinese cultural week as part of the year-long celebration of Marrakesh as the 2024 Culture Capital in the Islamic World. He stated that this celebration is held in coordination with the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Communication of the Kingdom of Morocco, within the framework of the ICESCO program to celebrate historical cities in the Islamic World.

Following the meeting, the Director-General accompanied the Chinese Ambassador and his delegation on a visit to the various sections and pavilions of the Museum of the Prophet’s Seerah and Islamic Civilization, currently housed at ICESCO headquarters, as a result of trilateral partnership between the Organization, the Muslim World League and the Muhammedia League of Scholars.

Dr. Salim Al-Malik, Director-General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), met with Dr. Sami bin Abdullah Al-Saleh, Ambassador of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques to the Kingdom of Morocco and both discussed several topics of common interest and touched on the distinguished partnership between ICESCO and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Dr. Al-Malik began the meeting, which took place on Thursday, 28 December 2023 at the embassy headquarters in Rabat, by congratulating Dr. Al-Saleh on the royal trust and his appointment as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques to the Kingdom of Morocco, wishing him success in his mission.

He stressed the depth and distinction of relations between ICESCO and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and affirmed the Organization’s great appreciation for the support it received from the Kingdom under the wise leadership of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, and of the Crown Prince, His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Prime Minister.

ICESCO Director-General stated that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will host the Organization’s Executive Council next month in the city of Jeddah, commending the cooperation of Saudi authorities and institutions working in the areas of ICESCO’s competence, in coordination with the Saudi National Commission for Education, Culture and Science.

For his part, the Saudi Ambassador to Rabat appreciated ICESCO’s roles and efforts to support its Member States in its areas of competence, stressing the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s keenness to develop cooperation with the organization.

As part of its celebration of the World Arabic Language Day, the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and cultural Organization (ICESCO) held the International Conference, Diplomatic Outlook on the Arabic Language, on Tuesday, December 26, 2023, at its headquarters in Rabat. The Conference brought together high-caliber participation including officials, ambassadors and members of foreign diplomatic missions in a number of countries, for whom Arabic has played a key role in advancing their careers. The Conference discussed the importance of developing programs for teaching Arabic for diplomatic purposes and raising awareness of this language’s civilizational significance and great impact in the political and diplomatic scene.

The Conference opened with the recitation of verses from the Holy Quran, followed by an address by Dr. Majdi Hajji Ibrahim, Head of the Center for Arabic for Non-Arabic Speakers, who welcomed the participants, commending their efforts to promote and disseminate the Arabic language.

In his address, Dr. Salim. M. AlMalik, ICESCO Director-General, stated that the Conference is held at the end of a year full of achievements and initiatives, including the leading initiative to coin the concept of civilizational diplomacy, stating that language communication is one of the pillars of the civilizational diplomacy ICESCO seeks to anchor.

Dr. AlMalik added that the creative contributions of the Arabic language in computer and digital applications remain scarce, noting that foresight studies indicate that Arabic can score more outreach on the global linguistic scene, which calls for according more attention to strategic linguistic planning to disseminate Arabic and consolidate its global status.

Afterwards, Amb. Dr. Abdulaziz Ahmad, Ambassador of Indonesia to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, talked about his journey learning Arabic, which started with memorizing the Holy Quran, calling for providing modern Arabic dictionaries. Speaking next, Amb. Mohammad Sami Rahman, Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan to the Kingdom of Morocco, stated that language is one of the key tools to reflect nations’ cultures, noting that a language’s beauty is manifested through its strong expressive abilities and rich vocabulary.

For his part, Dr. Rachid Lahlou, Former Moroccan Ambassador to the UN, highlighted the history of adopting and using Arabic in international diplomacy, starting with its first use in the United Nations in 1955, up to its adoption as an official UN language as the General Assembly held in 1973.

The Conference featured a video screening on ICESCO’s series, Diplomatic Outlook on the Arabic Language, which included meetings with a number of foreign ambassadors who talked about their experiences and interesting journeys learning the Arabic language.

Following the opening session, the first working session was held under the theme, “Challenges to learning Arabic in the international diplomatic and political sphere”, with the participation of a number of diplomats from Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Chad and Spain.

Afterwards, the names of the winners of ICESCO Youth Contest for Digital Arabic Content were announced. The ICESCO Director-General presented the prizes to the three winners, namely, “International Open Arabic Platform” from Türkiye (first prize winner), Shuruq Library App from Kuwait (second prize winner) and the Arabic Garden App from Morocco (third prize winner).

The second working session discussed the theme, “Prospects of the Arabic language in the fields of politics and diplomacy”, which saw the participation of a host of experts from Morocco, Japan, Jordan and Türkiye. The Conference concluded its proceedings by holding a specialized training session on modern methods to teach Arabic for diplomatic purposes, moderated by the international expert, Dr. Mohamed Alaoui from Sultan Moulay Slimane in the Kingdom of Morocco.

The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) concluded its program aimed at training youth on creating and developing small-scale projects in technology and innovation in Mali. The announcement highlighted the three winning national-level teams out of 63 participating in the program carried out by ICESCO’s Science and Technology Sector in Mali, in collaboration with the business incubators “New Innovation Space” and “DoniLab.”

During the final phase of the event held in Bamako on Friday, 22 December 2023, participants presented their technological project ideas before a jury comprising local experts and representatives of the “New Innovation Space” business incubator. During his address via video conferencing at the opening session, Dr. Mohamed Sharif, advisor in ICESCO’s Science and Technology Sector, commended the efforts of Islamic world youth in the fields of innovation, technology, and entrepreneurship, emphasizing their role in contributing to sustainable development in their respective countries.

The first-place winner was the “Jibo Services” team, presenting a project aimed at improving living conditions for rural residents by developing climate change adaptation mechanisms. The second-place winner, “Speak Mali”, proposed a project to convert waste into organic fertilizers through a specialized biodigester system. The third-place winner was the “Bololo Bop” team, introducing a digital advertisement platform which serves their ads through cultural shows.

It’s worth noting that ICESCO’s program for training youth on creating and developing small-scale technology and innovation projects was implemented in 10 Member States during its first edition in 2022, while the second edition will include 10 more countries by the end of 2023. This program is part of ICESCO’s strategy aimed at supporting startups in the field of innovation and technology within its Member States.

Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) held a meeting with Mr. Ahmed Sayed Ahmed Agg, Minister of Culture, Youth, Sports and Relations with Parliament, President of the Mauritanian National Commission for Education, Culture and Science, to discuss developments in the partnership between ICESCO and Mauritania in cultural fields.

The meeting, which was held at the Ministry’s headquarters, came as part of ICESCO’s Director-General visit to Mauritania to attend the International Conference on the Role of Women Leaderships in Empowering Women in the Digital Field, the closing of Nouakchott Celebration as the Culture Capital in the Islamic World for 2023, and the appointment of Her Excellency Dr. Maryam Mohamed Fadel Al-Dah, First Lady of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, as the Organization’s Goodwill Ambassador.

During the meeting, the two sides discussed the results of the reception of His Excellency Mohamed Ould Cheikh Ghazouani, President of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania to Dr. AlMalik, the developments in the partnership between the Organization and Mauritania in the fields of education, science and culture, and ways of consolidating the outcomes of the celebration of Nouakchott, Capital of Culture in the Islamic World 2023.

The meeting was an opportunity to discuss the proposals and mechanisms for developing a strategic plan to develop and promote the Mauritanian Mahdara, thus continuing its enlightenment role as the pillar of original education system in Mauritania and a beacon of its cultural identity throughout history.

The meeting saw the attendance of Mr. Mohamed Ould Sidi Abdallah, Secretary-General of the Mauritanian National Commission, while ICESCO was represented by Dr. Mohamed Zine El Abidine, Head of ICESCO Culture and Communication Sector, Dr. Ahmed Saeed Abah, Advisor to the Director-General in charge of partnerships and international Cooperation Communication Sector and Dr. Nami Salehi, Supervisor of ICESCO Centre of Heritage in the Islamic World.

Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) met with Ms. Fatimetou Abdel Malick, President of Nouakchott Region in the Islamic Republic of Mauritania.

At the beginning of the meeting, held at the Region’s headquarters, Dr. AlMalik expressed his thanks and appreciation for the Region’s tireless efforts to contribute to the success of the Celebration of Nouakchott as Culture Capital in the Islamic World  for 2023, a year-long festivity that showcased the city’s diverse and unique cultural heritage.

For her part, Ms. Fatimetou Mint Abdel Malick commended ICESCO’s roles in ensuring the success of the celebration and taking part in the implementation of its activities throughout the year. She also commended the participation  of ICESCO’s delegation in the closing ceremony.

The two parties reaffirmed their keenness to sustain coordination and cooperation to consolidate the cultural gains scored during the celebration year.

At the end of the meeting, the Director-General and Region President exchanged commemorative shields.

Prior to the meeting, the two parties visited the Permanent Cultural Diplomacy Exhibition, which was inaugurated at the Place de la Liberté in front of the Mauritanian Parliament, during the Celebration of Nouakchott as Culture Capital in the Islamic World. The Exhibition features photos of Mauritanian figures across a variety of fields, in addition to information on the country’s institutions.

They also visited the plaque placed in the same square bearing the poem, “Flower of Culture Capitals”, which Dr. AlMalik wrote and read out at the opening of the Celebration.