Category: Director General

Dr. Salim AlMalik, Director-General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), met Mr. Yerlan Nyssanbayev, Kazakhstan’s Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources, to discuss cooperation between ICESCO and Kazakhstan in the environmental and sustainable development fields.

During the meeting, Dr. AlMalik presented the programs and initiatives implemented by ICESCO in Islamic countries, as well as its pioneering projects in its areas of expertise.

In turn, Mr. Nyssanbayev presented his country’s efforts and projects to protect the environment, including desert greening, increasing forest cover through extensive tree planting, and conserving water resources by adopting modern methods to reduce water waste.

Mr. Nyssanbayev also referred to Kazakhstan’s efforts in terms of climate protection, reducing carbon emissions, and the sustainable exploitation of natural resources. He expressed his country’s desire to host the tenth session of the Conference of Environment Ministers in the Islamic World.

For his part, Dr. AlMalik expressed his thanks and appreciation to the Republic of Kazakhstan, stressing ICESCO’s readiness to cooperate in sharing Kazakhstan’s expertise and successful experience with Member States in greatest need of it.

In attendance were Mr. Anar Karimov, Head of ICESCO’s Partnerships and International Cooperation Sector, and Mr. Abdulhakim AlSenan, Director of ICESCO’s Regional Office in Baku.

H.E. President Ilham Aliyev of the Republic of Azerbaijan awarded Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), the Order of Friendship (Dostlug Order), in recognition of his outstanding role in strengthening and developing close cooperation between Azerbaijan and ICESCO across education, science, and culture, This honor is one of the highest in Azerbaijan.

During the awarding ceremony, held in Shusha, the President praised the achievements and distinctive initiatives resulting from this partnership, commending Dr. AlMalik’s efforts in advancing joint work to broader horizons.

For his part, Dr. AlMalik expressed his sincere gratitude to President Ilham Aliyev for this high honor, noting that the award recognizes ICESCO as a whole and all its staff who work diligently to serve Member States and enhance actions in education, science, culture, and innovation.

This state honor reflects the growing international recognition of ICESCO’s standing and its forward-looking vision, which positions it as a leader in fostering future-oriented initiatives, bridging cooperation between the Islamic world and beyond, and advancing innovation, digital transformation, heritage preservation, and youth preparation for the future.

Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), received a high-level delegation from Prince Mohammad bin Fahd University (PMU) in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, headed by the University President, Dr. Issa Al Ansari. The meeting resulted in an agreement to build a strategic partnership between the two sides in the fields of knowledge, artificial intelligence, space sciences and their applications, as well as in promoting the standing of the Arabic language globally.

During the meeting, held on Monday, 8 September 2025, at ICESCO’s headquarters in Rabat, in the presence of several leaders and heads of sectors and centers at the Organization, Dr. AlMalik reviewed ICESCO’s vision and new strategic directions, which focus on innovation, capacity-building, fostering a culture of foresight, and leveraging artificial intelligence in the fields of education, science, and culture.

ICESCO’s leaders delivered a presentation on the most prominent initiatives and programs launched in recent years to support Member States and enhance the Organization’s standing internationally.

Dr. Al Ansari underscored the University’s notable achievements in education, scientific research, and innovation, highlighting pioneering projects carried out both locally and internationally that have established it as one of the region’s foremost universities.

The meeting discussed a set of proposed joint cooperation projects, including: an international conference on artificial intelligence and its ethics; ICESCO’s training workshop on designing an educational satellite (CanSat) at PMU in its next session; ICESCO’s participation in the Maarifa Program launched by PMU, which focuses on publishing and translating valuable books; as well as foresight studies serving the future of the Islamic world.

To support cooperation, Dr. Al Ansari announced the allocation of scholarships for students from Islamic countries to study at PMU, to be coordinated through ICESCO.

For his part, Dr. AlMalik expressed appreciation for this gracious initiative and the promising opportunities it offers for complementarity between the two sides, affirming that the partnership between ICESCO and PMU will soon be reflected in the form of joint projects and qualitative initiatives that will benefit the Islamic world.

Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), met with Dr. Mohammad Abu Al-Khair Shukri, Syrian Minister of Religious Endowments, at the conclusion of His Excellency’s official visit to the Syrian Arab Republic, during which he headed a high-level delegation from the Organization.

The discussions, held on Thursday, 21 August 2025, in Damascus, focused on avenues of bilateral cooperation for the implementation of the project to revive Aleppo’s manuscripts and its Waqf Library, as well as on convening an international conference to support efforts aimed at restoring the Aleppo Library and its counterparts in other Syrian cities.

Dr. AlMalik reaffirmed ICESCO’s commitment to supporting the revival of both the tangible and intangible heritage of Aleppo. He highlighted the scholarly and historical significance of the city’s Waqf Library and its wealth of invaluable civilizational legacy, underscoring the urgency of proceeding with its revival through restoration and digitization, in order to reinstate its enlightening cultural role.

For his part, the Syrian Minister of Religious Endowments commended ICESCO’s initiatives in the field of manuscript preservation and revival, affirming the Ministry’s readiness to cooperate with the Organization in this regard.

The meeting was attended on behalf of ICESCO by Dr. Adham Hamawiya, expert at the Center of Arabic for Non-Arabic Speakers, while from the Syrian side it was attended by a number of directors of departments at the Ministry of Religious Endowments.

Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General (DG) of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), and Dr. Mohammed Abdulrahman Turko, Syrian Minister of Education, Chairman of the National Commission for Education, Science and Culture, discussed ways to enhance their cooperation with a view to rebuilding the educational system in Syria. The discussions included reconstructing damaged schools, capacity-building for teachers, standardizing curricula, and reintegrating school dropouts.

During this meeting, held on Monday 18 August 2025 at the Ministry’s headquarters in Damascus, Dr. AlMalik underlined the Organization’s support for the development of education in Syria, emphasizing its commitment to contributing to the reconstruction of the Syrian educational system. He also highlighted several ICESCO programs implemented to promote education in its Member States, most notably the “Remedial Education Project for Dropout Girls in Yemen”, benefiting 19,000 girls, besides the project aiming to provide “Educational and Social Support for Displaced and Boarding School Girls” in the Republic of Burkina Faso.

The ICESCO Director-General highlighted the importance of integrating artificial intelligence applications into educational curricula, emphasizing that science and artificial intelligence are at the core of the Organization’s concerns. This has prompted ICESCO to issue the Riyadh Charter on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence for the Islamic World and to devise programs and activities that keep pace with the latest developments in the digital field. He also proposed ICESCO’s participation in a conference on educational curricula development in Syria, with the aim of showcasing success stories from countries that made progress in this regard and benefiting from international best practices. The Director-General expressed the Organization’s readiness to receive a group of Syrian youth for training at its headquarters and participation in its various capacity-building programs.

During the Meeting, the two parties agreed to form a joint committee to study the needs of the Syrian Ministry of Education, in coordination with the Syrian National Commission, and to explore ways for ICESCO to contribute to providing the needed resources for educational development, in accordance with the identified priorities.

For his part, the Syrian Minister of Education indicated that the Ministry’s current priority is building schools, followed by devising and standardizing curricula and training teachers. He emphasized Syria’s openness to successful international experiences to keep pace with the developments, especially in the digital and artificial intelligence areas.