Category: Director General

Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), met with Dr. Mohammed Amer Al-Mardini, Minister of Education of the Syrian Arab Republic, and together they explored prospects of cooperation between ICESCO and Syria in the field of education.

The meeting was held today, Tuesday, January 16, 2024 in Jeddah, concurrently with ICESCO’s Consultative Meeting, organized as part of the 44th Session of the Executive Council, being held on 16-18 January. The Executive Council is hosted by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, represented in its National Commission for Education, Culture and Science.

During the meeting, Dr. AlMalik highlighted the key axes of the Organization’s vision and the major orientations of its action strategy. He added that ICESCO’s programs and projects focus on building the capacities of young people and women, developing their skills to keep up with the professions of the future, training them in the field of leadership for peace and security and building their foresight knowledge.

Moreover, the Director-General stressed the Organization’s keenness to promote cooperation with Syria within its areas of competence, as part of the Organization’s efforts to contribute to developing the fields of education, science and culture and capitalizing on modern technology, AI and space sciences in its Member States. The Director-General further explained that the Organization also opens up to non-Member States through providing them with the opportunity to join ICESCO as Observer States.

For his part, the Syrian Minister commended ICESCO’s efforts and key roles in supporting its Member States in its areas of competence, expressing his country’s keenness to cooperate with ICESCO in the implementation of a number of programs and projects to exchange expertise.

Dr. Al-Mardini extended the invitation to ICESCO Director-General to visit Syria to take stock of the extent of damage caused to the field of education and the efforts exerted to make up for the educational loss.

Gen. Brice Oligui Nguema, Gabon’s Transitional President, received Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), at the Presidential Palace, in Libreville. The meeting was attended by several Gabonese ministers and officials, as well as Dr. AlMalik’s accompanying delegation.
At the beginning of the meeting, held on Tuesday, January 11, 2023, Dr. AlMalik extended his congratulations to Gen. Nguema for the remarkable stability, peace, coexistence, and tangible development witnessed in Gabon during the transitional period. He further reiterated ICESCO’s keenness to enhance cooperation with Gabonese institutions through the implementation of projects and programs in the fields of education, science, and culture.

Dr. AlMalik provided an overview of the outcomes of his meeting with Dr. Hervé Ndoume Essingone, Gabonese Minister of Higher Education, Scientific Research, and Technological Innovation, most notably the agreement to strengthen cooperation between the Organization and Gabon in the upcoming period.

Moreover, he put forth a series of proposals for collaborative activities and programs in areas of mutual interest, in line with ICESCO’s vision and Gabon’s objectives to develop and modernize the fields of education, science, and culture, focusing on building the capacities of youth, providing leadership training for peace and security, supporting women, addressing school dropout rates, and protecting children.

On his part, Gen. Nguema commended ICESCO’s efforts and its innovative initiatives aimed at serving its Member States in education, science, and culture.

Furthermore, he expressed his commitment to closely follow the Organization’s work in the period ahead, instructing officials to promptly settle Gabon’s overdue contributions to ICESCO’s budget for the current year.

As the close of the meeting, the Gabonese President presented Dr. AlMalik with a valuable collection of books about Gabon. In return, Dr. AlMalik presented him with the Organization’s shield.

The meeting saw the presence of Ms. Ramata Almamy Mbaye, Head of ICESCO Social and Human Sciences Sector, and Dr. Juste Tindy-Poaty, Expert in the same sector.

Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), held a meeting with Dr. Hervé Ndoume Essingone, Gabonese Minister of Higher Education, Scientific Research and Technological Innovation, President of the Gabonese National Commission for Education, Science and Culture, to explore mechanisms of promoting cooperation between ICESCO and Gabon in the fields of education, science and culture.

At the outset of the meeting, held on Thursday, 11 January 2024, as part of the official visit of Dr. AlMalik to the Gabonese Republic, ICESCO Director-General congratulated Dr. Essingone on his new position as Minister of Higher Education, Scientific Research and Technological Innovation, wishing him every success in his mission.

Moreover, Dr. AlMalik stressed ICESCO’s keenness to develop and promote new prospects for cooperation in the fields of teaching Arabic to non-Arabic speakers, providing scholarships for students in prestigious universities in the Islamic world, and building the capacities of youth and training them on modern technology and artificial intelligence. Dr. AlMalik also expressed ICESCO’s readiness to cooperate with Gabon to empower and support women, combat girls’ school dropout, and inscribe Gabonese cultural heritage sites and elements on ICESCO’s Islamic world heritage lists.

For his part, Mr. Essingone expressed Gabon’s willingness to consolidate cooperation relations with the Organization, create several ICESCO scientific chairs in Gabonese universities, work together to anchor and integrate the values of peace, coexistence and dialogue in educational curricula, and promote the use of technology and AI applications in education.

At the end of the meeting, the two parties agreed to maintain the outstanding partnership between ICESCO and Gabon and coordinate to arrange for ICESCO experts to visit Libreville to agree on several joint programs and projects with the Gabonese authorities in charge of the fields of education, science, and culture.

H.E. President Macky Sall, President of the Republic of Senegal, decorated Dr. Salim. M. AlMalik, Director-General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) with the Title of Commander of the National Order of the Lion, the highest decoration offered by the Senegalese President to international figures.

The decoration came in recognition of Dr. AlMalik’s efforts to develop the fields of education, science and culture in the countries of the Islamic world, promote peace, anchor the values of coexistence and civilizational dialogue, and lead ICESCO to become a beacon of global outreach.

The decoration ceremony took place during the reception of the Director-General by H.E. The Senegalese President in the Presidential Palace in Dakar, on Tuesday, January 9, 2024. The reception was attended by Mr. Cheikh Oumar Anne, Minister of National Education, Special Advisor to the President, Secretary-General of the Senegalese National Commission, and the ICESCO delegation.

During this audience, Dr. AlMalik expressed his heartfelt thanks and appreciation to H.E. President Sall for his sustained support of ICESCO, stressing his keenness to maintain the great partnership relations between ICESCO and Senegal in the fields of education, science and culture.

For his part, H.E. the Senegalese president commended ICESCO’s efforts to support its Member States within its areas of competence, reaffirming his support for ICESCO and keenness to further develop cooperation relations with the Organization.

At the close of the audience, President Sall gifted the ICESCO Director-General a handmade rug made by Senegalese craftsmen, which reflects an aspect of the creative abundance of the heritage crafts in the Republic of Senegal. Dr. AlMalik presented the President with ICESCO’s Honorary Shield and Kaaba Door miniature.

His Excellency President Macky Sall, President of the Republic of Senegal, has approved the proposal put forth by Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, ICESCO Director-General, appointing His Excellency as ICESCO Goodwill Ambassador, in appreciation of his leadership, constructive efforts, and recognized contributions to promoting the values of coexistence and peace in Senegal and across the African continent.

This announcement unfolded during the reception hosted by His Excellency President Macky Sall for Dr. AlMalik at the Presidential Palace in Dakar on 9 January 2024. The event was attended by Mr. Cheikh Oumar Anne, Senegalese Minister of National Education, the Special Advisor to the President, the Secretary-General of the Senegalese National Commission for UNESCO and ICESCO, along with the accompanying delegation from ICESCO.

Dr. AlMalik expressed deep gratitude and appreciation to President Sall for not only accepting the proposal, but also for his ongoing support to ICESCO.

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.