Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General (DG) of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), met a host of culture ministers of the Organization’s Member States following their participation in the 12th Conference of Ministers of Culture in the Islamic World, organized by ICESCO, and hosted by the State of Qatar, represented by its Ministry of Culture, on 25-26 September 2023, with the rallying call “Towards the Renewal of Cultural Action in the Islamic World.”
During these meetings, Dr. AlMalik underlined ICESCO’s support for its Member States in its areas of action, its keenness to achieve synergy towards renewing cultural action and its strategic vision of adopting culture as a beacon of sustainable development. He further stressed ICESCO’s valorization of the heritage of its Member States through its inscription on ICESCO’s Islamic World Heritage List and building the capacities of personnel working in the field.
ICESCO Director-General highlighted the outcomes of ICESCO’s key programmes and initiatives in the Ministers’ respective countries and ways of fostering cooperation between ICESCO and their countries.
ICESCO DG held separate meetings with Mr. Mohammad Mehdi Esmaili, Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Dr. Ahmed Fakkak Al-Badrani, Minister of Culture, Tourism and Antiquities of the Republic of Iraq, Dr. André Jacques Augand, Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports of the Republic of Gabon, Mr. Ahmed Ould Sid’Ahmed Die, Minister of Culture, Youth, Sports and Relations with the Parliament of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, Mr. Jamal Shah, Minister for National Heritage and Culture of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, and Dr. Farah Sheikh Abdulqadir, Minister of Education, Culture and Higher Education of the Federal Republic of Somalia.
The 12th Conference of the Ministers of Culture in the Islamic World, organized, in Doha, by the Islamic World Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), and hosted by the State of Qatar, represented by its Ministry of Culture, concluded its first day’s proceedings, which witnessed the composition of the Conference Bureau and the Islamic World Heritage Committee, the adoption of the Report of the 18th Meeting of the Consultative Council for Cultural Development in the Islamic World, as well as the documents presented by ICESCO General Directorate.
The Conference’s working sessions began with the formation of the Conference Bureau with Qatar as its President, Senegal as the Vice-president, and Tunisia as the Rapporteur.
The Conference adopted the Organization’s Achievements Report in the Cultural Field between the Two Sessions of the Conference, presented by Dr. Mohamed Zinelabidine, head of the Culture and Communication Sector at ICESCO, in which he highlighted the Organization’s efforts to contribute to the renewal of cultural action. He also noted the Organization’s proposal to add an eighteenth goal to the Sustainable Development Goals for 2030 and submit it to the United Nations General Assembly. Sheikh Abdulrahman bin Hamad bin Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani, Minister of Culture of Qatar, announced Doha’s endorsement of this proposal.
Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, ICESCO Director-General, mentioned that during his meeting with Ms. Amina Mohammed, Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, in New York, he had presented this proposal, which she welcomed.
Dr. Walid Alseif, Chairman of the Islamic World Heritage Committee, also presented a report on the Committee’s prominent efforts during its previous session.
The Conference approved the new composition of the Islamic World Heritage Committee, the membership of which included the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Sultanate of Oman, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the Kingdom of Morocco, the Republic of Burkina Faso, the Republic of Gabon, the Republic of Benin, the Republic of Senegal, Malaysia, Brunei Darussalam, and the Republic of Kazakhstan, as well as the State of Palestine, as a permanent member of the Committee, and the State of Qatar, as the conference president.
Mr. Najib Rhiati, Cultural Advisor to ICESCO Director-General, presented a document outlining the mechanisms for developing ICESCO’s Programme for Culture Capitals in the Islamic World. The Document included a new approach to selecting the culture capitals. The Conference adopted this document, which included the names of cities scheduled to be celebrated in the coming years, namely Shusha in the Republic of Azerbaijan for 2024, Samarkand in the Republic of Uzbekistan for 2025, Al-Khalil in Palestine, Abidjan in the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire for 2026, Siwa in the Arab Republic of Egypt for 2027, and Lusail in the State of Qatar for 2030.
Dr. Ghanem bin Mubarak Al-Ali, the Assistant Undersecretary for Cultural Affairs at the Qatari Ministry of Culture, reviewed the results of the meeting of the Consultative Council for Cultural Development in the Islamic World and a report on the activities performed in the celebration of Doha as the 2021 Culture Capital in the Islamic World, under the theme “A Story of Success and Excellence.”
Dr. Nami Salhi, Director of the Islamic World Heritage Center at ICESCO, outlined the broad framework of the valorization of Living Human Treasures and traditional knowledge in the Islamic World program.
Mr. Mohamed Hedi Shili, Director of the Legal Affairs Department at ICESCO, presented a draft strategic document to combat the illicit trafficking of cultural property in the Islamic World. Both documents were adopted.
The head of the delegation of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia presented an initiative specific to Hajj’ Routes, in addition to a project on cultural indicators for the Islamic world countries. The Conference welcomed and approved both initiatives.
The second working session of the Conference will involve the delivery of addresses by the heads of participating countries’ delegations to exchange insights and ideas on the importance of renewing cultural action in the Islamic world and the means and mechanisms to achieve this goal.
The 12th Conference of Ministers of Culture in the Islamic World kicked off today, Monday, 25 September, 2023, in Doha. The Conference is organized by the Islamic World Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) and is hosted by the State of Qatar, represented by the Ministry of Culture, under the theme, “Towards the Renewal of Cultural Action in the Islamic World.” The Conference brought together a host of Culture Ministers, delegations of ICESCO Member States, and representatives of various regional and international organizations active in cultural fields.
The Conference’s opening session began with the recitation of verses from the Holy Quran, followed by the address of Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, ICESCO Director-General, who emphasized that the Organization is fulfilling its cultural responsibilities, stating that culture is not merely an identity or a social label but rather the essence of nations’ contributions to the progression of civilization. Dr. AlMalik also highlighted ICESCO’s efforts and key initiatives aimed at developing and renewing cultural action in the Islamic World, through capitalizing on artificial intelligence applications, engaging the youth in heritage preservation and promotion endeavors, implementing various projects and programs, and creating new concepts to foster civilizational outreach.
Moreover, Dr. AlMalik expressed his gratitude to the State of Qatar, its Emir, Government, and people for hosting this major cultural event in Doha, a city recently celebrated as a Culture Capital in the Islamic World. He added that this city well-represented its proud history and highlighted all aspects of its prosperity and ingenuity, and successfully navigated the challenges of hosting the FIFA World Cup, seizing the largest opportunity to display culture in the history of the World Cup.
Subsequently, a documentary was screened showcasing the achievements scored during the celebration of Doha as the 2021 Culture Capital in the Islamic World, under the theme “Our Culture is Light.”
Speaking next was Ms. Irina Bokova, former UNESCO Director-General, and the Conference’s guest of honor, who stressed that Islam is a religion of peace, highlighting the role of the Islamic civilization as a catalyst for bringing cultures closer together. The former UN official also commended ICESCO’s efforts in heritage preservation and youth and women empowerment.
Afterward, the State of Qatar assumed the Conference presidency from the Republic of Tunisia, the President of the previous session. This was followed by a group photo of the participating Heads of Delegations.
By the end of the opening session, the ICESCO Director-General and the Culture Ministers went on a tour of the Conference exhibition, which features a pavilion dedicated to ICESCO’s key publications in its areas of competence.
The first working session began with the composition of the Conference’s Bureau, with the State of Qatar as Chair, the Republic of Senegal as Vice-Chair, and the Republic of Tunisia as Rapporteur.
In his address, Sheikh Abdulrahman bin Hamad bin Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani, Minister of Culture of the State of Qatar and president of the Conference, welcomed the participants, and emphasized Qatar’s commitment to cultural development, stating that celebrating Doha the 2021 Culture Capital in the Islamic World was a testament to the depth of its cultural heritage and civilizational legacy.
Furthermore, he called for working towards preserving cultural identity and shielding the new generations against detrimental ideologies, noting that culture has often been threatened by external influences.
Over the course of two days, The Conference will continue its proceedings to adopt the reports and documents presented to the Culture Ministers and participating delegations.
Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), received Dr. Speciose Hakizimana, a representative of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in the Kingdom of Morocco, and together explored avenues for closer cooperation between the two Organizations and building synergy aimed at facing the adverse effects of Al Haouz earthquake on educational facilities and students. During the meeting, which took place on Thursday 22 September 2023 at ICESCO Headquarters in Rabat, Dr. Salim M. AlMalik renewed ICESCO’s commitment to supporting the efforts of the Kingdom of Morocco in the face of the destructive effects of the Al Haouz earthquake and expressed the Organisation’s openness to cooperating with all organizations and competent bodies.
The meeting touched upon new developments in the existing cooperation between ICESCO and UNICEF and discussed a set of potential joint initiatives aimed at supporting people affected by the earthquake, reconstructing and rehabilitating schools, as part of UNICEF’s programme of water and sewage networks repair in rural areas, in addition to providing mental and psychosocial support to students in areas affected by the earthquake.
For her part, Dr. Hakizimana commended ICESCO’s contributions to overcoming the effects of the devastating earthquake and emphasized UNICEF’s keenness to cooperate with ICESCO in implementing children support programmes and providing them with proper conditions to continue their education.
At the end of the meeting, the two Organisations agreed to hold a series of technical and expert-level meetings to follow up on the implementation plans of the discussed joint programmes.
The meeting saw the attendance of Ms. Ramata Almamy Mbaye, Head of the Human and Social Sciences Sector.
Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), held a meeting with Dr. Chakib Benmoussa, Morocco’s Minister of National Education, Preschool, and Sports, President of the Moroccan National Commission for Education, Sciences, and Culture, to discuss ways for ICESCO to contribute to the Kingdom’s efforts to aid those impacted by Al-Haouz earthquake, and help Morocco mitigate the negative impact of the disaster on students and educational facilities.
At the beginning of the meeting, held on Thursday 21 September 2023, at the Ministry’s headquarters in Rabat, Dr. Malik reiterated ICESCO’s solidarity with the Kingdom of Morocco in the face of this natural disaster. He also commended the clear-sighted leadership of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may Allah assist Him, and the efforts of the Moroccan authorities to address the damage sustained by citizens in earthquake-affected areas. Likewise, the Director-General praised the remarkable spirit of solidarity demonstrated by the Moroccan people across all sectors of society, who all rushed to help their fellow citizens by all means possible.
In addition, Dr. AlMAlik expressed the Organization’s readiness to mobilize its resources to provide all forms of support to the Ministry to ensure seamless continuity of the educational process for students in the affected areas, including cooperation to rebuild and rehabilitate some schools damaged by the earthquake. He added that ICESCO can also provide psychological and moral support to students in the earthquake-affected regions and arrange visits for them to the International Exhibition and Museum of the Seerah and Islamic Civilization, currently hosted at ICESCO’s headquarters in Rabat.
On his part, Dr. Benmoussa expressed his appreciation for ICESCO’s efforts and solidarity initiatives with the Kingdom of Morocco during the catastrophe, reaffirming his keenness to strengthen cooperation with the Organization in areas of mutual interest.
Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), and the accompanying delegation participated in the opening ceremony of the extended 45th session of UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee (WHC) held in Riyadh in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, president of the current session of WHC, between 10 and 25 September 2023.
His Highness Prince Bader bin Abdullah bin Farhan, Minister of Culture and Chairman of Saudi National Commission for Education, Culture and Science, opened the session by reaffirming the Kingdom’s belief in the importance of heritage as a cultural treasure and as a human and knowledge heritage. His Highness reiterated the Kingdom’s unwavering commitment to supporting cultural projects, under the supervision of King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, and His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, may Allah protect them.
The Murabba Historical Palace in Riyadh was host of the ceremony organized by the Saudi ministry of culture, in the presence of Ms. Audrey Azoulay, UNESCO Director-General, and representatives of heritage international organizations, heads of delegation, experts, researchers and international, regional and local specialist in the field of culture and heritage.
The extended session is the occasion for the committee to meet to decide which of the 50 sites, among which 37 are cultural and 12 natural, will be inscribed on the World Heritage List, and to discuss amendments to some heritage sites.
ICESCO’s delegation, represented by Mr. Mohammed Zine Alabidine, head of Culture and Communication Sector and Dr. Nami Salihi, Supervisor of the Islamic World Heritage Centre, will provide substantive and technical support to the delegations of ICESCO member states who filed requests to inscribe historic sites or cultural elements on the World Heritage List.
ICESCO’s participation in the extended WHC session is part of its diligent efforts in the field of preservation, conservation and valorization of heritage in the Islamic world. ICESCO inscribed more than 430 historic sites and cultural element on its Islamic World Heritage List, in addition to holding a number of workshops, training sessions for the executives and professionals acting in the field of heritage and a set of international conferences and symposiums to restore and combat the traffic in cultural property.
Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), received Dr. Driss El Hadani, Senior Advisor to the director of the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) in Vienna, Austria. They explored potential opportunities between ICESCO and UNOOSA, particularly in encouraging investment in space exploration, space applications and youth capacity-building in the field.
Dr. AlMalik opened the meeting, held on 8 September 2023 at ICESCO Headquarters in Rabat, by congratulating Dr. Hadani on his appointment to such a prestigious position in an international organization, wishing him success in his mission stating that the Islamic World as a whole shares Morocco’s honor and pride about his achievement.
For his part, Dr. El Hadani thanked the ICESCO Director-General for the meeting, stressing that he was keen to visit the headquarters of the Organization before leaving Rabat to assume his new duties in Vienna.
He also noted that he had followed ICESCO’s programs and activities and its active role in the field of space sciences during his tenure as the director of the Royal Center for Remote Sensing in the Kingdom of Morocco. Moreover, Dr. El Hadani commended the Organization’s efforts in promoting the importance of space sciences.
The meeting touched upon proposals for cooperation between ICESCO and the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs to encourage the countries of the Islamic world to engage and invest in space science, which is witnessing successive developments, through the joint organization of international conferences and training workshops for young people.
The meeting was attended by Dr. Raheel Qamar, Head of Science and Technology Sector at ICESCO, and Dr. Muhammad Sharif, Advisor in the Sector.
Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization received His Excellency Mr. Atumannu Dainkeh, ambassador of the Republic of Sierra Leone to the Kingdom of Morocco. They discussed ways to strengthen cooperation between ICESCO and Sierra Leone in the fields of education, sciences, and culture.
During the meeting, held on Thursday, September 7, 2023, at ICESCO Headquarters in Rabat in the presence of several heads of Sectors of the Organization, Dr. AlMalik underlined the importance ICESCO attaches to its Member States in the African continent; as evidenced by the implementation of various projects and programs in the areas of modernizing educational systems, capacity-building of youth and women, promoting business leadership in technology and Artificial Intelligence, teaching Arabic to non-Arabic speakers, and consolidating the values of peace and civilizational dialogue.
Furthermore, ICESCO Director-General pointed out that the Organization adopts a distinct approach of communication vis-à-vis its Member States. This communication takes place through its National Commissions for Education, Science, and Culture to identify the priorities and needs of each State and design programs and projects that address these needs.
On his part, the Sierra Leone ambassador commended ICESCO’s efforts geared toward supporting its Member States in its areas of expertise, affirming that his country, which acquired full membership at ICESCO in 1985, is keen to promote cooperation with the Organization.
On Wednesday, September 6, 2023, Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director General (DG) of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), received Mr. Erick Estuardo Escobedo Ayala, Ambassador of Guatemala accredited to Morocco. The two officials discussed prospects for cooperation between ICESCO and Guatemala in areas of common interest.
During the meeting, which took place at ICESCO headquarters in Rabat, Dr. AlMalik stressed that, as part of its vision and strategic orientations, the Organization has adopted an inclusive approach to disseminate the culture and civilization of the Islamic world and the human values it embodies, to promote peace and security in the world and combat extremism and hatred.
He also pointed out that ICESCO allows non-member states to join the Organization as observers, to serve Muslim communities around the world and strengthen cooperation between these countries and the countries of the Islamic world.
For his part, the Guatemalan Ambassador praised ICESCO’s role, indicating his willingness to establish fruitful cooperation with the Organization and the countries of the Islamic world.
The meeting was attended by Mr. Anar Karimov, head of the Partnerships and International Cooperation Sector, and Mr. Mohamed Hedi Shili, Director of the Legal Affairs and International Standards Department.
Dr. Salim Al-Malik, Director-General (DG) of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), and Dr. Abdellatif Miraoui, Minister of Higher Education, Scientific Research and Innovation of the Kingdom of Morocco, held a meeting to discuss ways to enhance cooperation between ICESCO and the Ministry in the areas of scientific research development, academic exchange and qualifying youth in the field of artificial intelligence.
Following the bilateral meeting between Dr. Al-Malik and Dr. Miraoui, on Tuesday, September 5, 2023, at ICESCO’s headquarters in Rabat, during which they reaffirmed their keenness to develop the distinguished relations between the two sides, an expanded meeting was held in the presence of Dr. Abdelilah Benarfa, ICESCO Deputy DG, and several heads of Sectors, directors of departments and centers of the Organization, and the delegation accompanying the Minister of Higher Education, Scientific Research and Innovation in Morocco.
During the meeting, the two parties reviewed the results of the existing cooperation between ICESCO and the Ministry, and discussed proposals for programs and projects for cooperation in the future, especially in the areas of building youth capabilities, developing their skills to keep pace with developments taking place in the world, and harnessing modern technology and applications of artificial intelligence to achieve sustainable development as part of celebrating ICESCO Year of Youth, which will be officially launched at the end of this September.
The meeting also touched upon academic cooperation between Moroccan universities and the Federation of the Universities of the Islamic World, affiliated with ICESCO, and networking with member universities to cooperate in the fields of open education, training teachers, and publishing master and doctoral theses in different languages.
After the conclusion of the meeting, Dr. Al-Malik accompanied Dr. Miraoui on a tour of the Exhibition and Museum of the Prophet’s Seerah and Islamic Civilization, which is currently hosted at ICESCO Headquarters, as part of the strategic partnership between ICESCO, the Muslim World League, and the Mohammadia League of Scholars. Dr. Miraoui received detailed explanations about the contents of the pavilions and sections of the Exhibition and Museum which uses modern display technologies to tell and document in detail the Seerah of the Prophet, may the best prayers and peace be upon him.
The Moroccan Minister of Higher Education, Scientific Research and Innovation expressed his admiration for what he saw at the Exhibition, stressing the importance of passing to the youth of the Islamic world this important information about the biography of the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, and the lofty values it carries.
