Category: Director General

The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), in partnership with the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, on Friday 11 November 2022, in Sharm El-Sheikh, launched an initiative to establish a fund for safeguarding heritage sites and museums in Egypt and the Islamic world from the effects of climate change.

The launch of this initiative saw the participation of high-level figures, including HRH Princess Dana Firas, UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for Cultural Heritage, President of the Petra National Trust (PNT) in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, Dr. Ayman Ashour, Egyptian Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Chairman of the Egyptian National Commission for Education Science and Culture, as well as Dr. Mostafa Waziri, Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, and Dr. Mohamed Bayoumi, Deputy Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Head of the Climate Change Team, in addition to a large number of COP 27 leaders from around the world.In his address, Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General of ICESCO, pointed out that climate change and its impacts have become one of the major challenges facing humanity, adding that the world is witnessing new phenomena related to climate change that threaten plans and policies and contradicts anticipations and aspirations.

Dr. AlMalik underscored that climate change has become a tangible threat to human heritage, stating that it has caused damage to about 33% of the world’s natural heritage and about 31 cultural heritage sites in 29 countries, a number which is expected to increase due to the acceleration of these changes.

The Director-General explained that ICESCO’s initiative, launched in cooperation with the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, reaffirms the Organization’s commitment and efforts with Member States in establishing effective partnerships to better anticipate the future, based on common visions and the spirit of sharing.For his part, Dr. Ayman Ashour stressed that this initiative represents a real translation of the recommendations into a tangible reality and that the related programmes will contribute to the protection of heritage sites against climate change damage. He added that this initiative reaffirms the commitment of Egypt in the fight against climate change in accordance with international standards given their great importance for humanity. He also commended ICESCO’s efforts in protecting the heritage of its Member States through the inscription of historical sites and heritage items on its Islamic World Heritage List.

Dr. Mostafa Waziri emphasized the role played by ancient Egypt in facing environmental challenges, most notably flood barriers and torrents. He called for a better understanding of the heritage and history of civilizations in order to learn from the experiences of ancient civilizations in adapting to unexpected climate change.

For his part, Dr. Mohamed Bayoumi stressed the need to protect heritage areas from the effects of climate and sea level rise, despite the high cost of their protection, the goal is to preserve the world’s heritage from disappearance.

It should be noted that the establishment of this Fund aims to study the impact of climate change on heritage sites and museums to provide the necessary funding for the development of plans for their protection, encourage ICESCO Member States to adopt green transition initiatives and use clean energy in heritage sites and museums, to preserve the heritage environment and face the challenges that heritage and actors in this field are facing because of climate change.

As part of holding the 27th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP27), and with high-level attendance at the Egypt Pavilion in the Blue Region, a memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed between the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, ICESCO, UNESCO, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Industrial Modernization Center (IMC) in Cairo, Egypt, on Friday, November 11, 2022, to support the green transformation project and the use of clean energy, represented in converting heritage sites and museums in Egypt to the use of solar energy as a sustainable alternative that does not affect the environment and contributes to achieving sustainable development goals.

The signing ceremony witnessed a high-caliber presence of princes, ministers and officials of the MoU participating parties and the Member States, mainly HRH Princess Dana Firas, UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for Cultural Heritage, President of the Petra National Trust in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, and from the Arab Republic of Egypt.

Dr. Ayman Ashour, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research and Chairman of the Egyptian National Commission, Dr. Ahmed Issa, Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, Dr. Ahmed Samir, Minister of Trade and Industry, and Dr. Mostafa Waziri, Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities of Egypt.

Dr. Mohamed Zine El Abidine, Head of the Culture and Communication Sector, signed the MoU on behalf of ICESCO. During the signing ceremony, Dr. Salim M AlMalik, ICESCO Director-General, delivered an address in which he explained that the cultural and natural heritage is among the most precious treasures of human history and the responsibility to preserve it is a collective task that requires a lot of planning, action and perseverance to achieve success.

Dr. AlMalik pointed out that climate changes increase the deterioration of several natural heritage sites, as the number of sites affected by climate changes increased from 35 to 62 sites in just three years, and the number of sites degraded due to the severity of climate changes increased to 16 sites since 2017, noting that this alarming situation requires all stakeholders to redouble efforts and build bridges of communication for greater cooperation to protect and preserve heritage sites of all kinds from deterioration.

The MoU comes in implementation of ICESCO’s vision and strategic orientations in adopting and supporting green transformation initiatives, in order to preserve the environment and address the damages caused by climate changes that affect all aspects of life on the planet, especially heritage that ICESCO accords special attention to and places its protection, safeguarding and sustainability at the forefront of its strategic objectives.

By participating in this agreement, ICESCO aims to use clean energy in heritage sites and museums to provide sustainable protection for heritage sites from the effects of using unclean energy sources that negatively affect heritage sites, museums and their collections.

ICESCO also aims to encourage and motivate its Member States to adopt and implement green transformation initiatives with all their components based on the use of clean solar energy. ICESCO contributes to converting several heritage sites and museums to use solar energy with the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities.

It started with the Museum of Islamic Art and another site that does not belong to the Islamic historical era, as a confirmation that ICESCO’s interest in heritage does not distinguish between one era and another or its connection to a particular religion as human heritage represents the identity of peoples and is a cultural and civilizational diversity.

In this connection, ICESCO calls on Member States to participate in signing an international agreement, to be adopted by ICESCO, to convert all heritage sites and museums in the Islamic world to use clean energy through relying on green transformation initiatives.

Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), met with Mr. Jerome C. Glenn, CEO of the Millennium Project, where they discussed cooperation prospects for developing think tanks in the Islamic world.

During the meeting, held on Thursday (November 10, 2022) before the kick-off of the ICESCO Think Tank Forum “Towards a New Vision for Time,” at the Organization’s headquarters, in Rabat, Dr. Al-Malik reaffirmed that ICESCO strives through its foresight vision to establish the first network of intellectual centers aimed at building a safe world for future generations, pointing out that the Organization will launch its think tank “Fatima al-Fihriya,” in honor of this great figure, who had a major impact on the cultural and scientific history of humanity by building the University of al-Qarawiyyin in Fez, Kingdom of Morocco.

Moreover, he reviewed the efforts of ICESCO and its Center of Strategic Foresight for consolidating the culture of foresight and addressing future challenges.
For his part, Mr. Glenn commended ICESCO’s efforts and plans to advance the fields of thought and foresight in the Islamic world, stressing the need to enhance and elevate the international status of think tanks.

At the end of the meeting, the two parties agreed to cooperate for the development of think tanks in the Islamic world through the promotion of networking between experts from different countries and knowledge sharing.

The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), in partnership with the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), held an international conference on the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA), at ICESCO Headquarters in Rabat, in the presence several representatives and officials of the education ministries in several Member States.

During his opening address, on Tuesday, November 9, 2022, Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, ICESCO Director-General, stressed the importance of redoubling and unifying efforts to achieve the common aspiration for the fourth goal of the Sustainable Development Goals, which aims to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.

Dr. AlMalik explained that ICESCO and OECD seek to establish distinguished educational systems to create healthy competition among Member States to enhance the quality of educational standards and ensure their efficiency.

He pointed out the importance of the availability of accurate data for countries, as it represents an essential tool for developing effective policies in the field of education, highlighting the importance of the PISA program in evaluating the education systems of the participating countries and raising awareness among students about the need for basic knowledge and skills that would enable them to fully participate in social and economic life.

For his part, Andreas Schleicher, Director of OECD Education and Skills, reviewed the Organization’s efforts to promote the quality of education through the PISA assessment, which relies on a set of accurate and comprehensive criteria for the elements of the educational process to study and analyze all challenges that hinder the progress of some countries in achieving quality in education.

The high-level session of the conference on enhancing the results of learners in the ICESCO Member States witnessed distinguished addresses on contribution mechanisms that evaluate “PISA” to keep pace with global requirements and develop education policies in the Islamic world. Dr. Hassan Al-Muhairi, the representative of the United Arab Emirates, stressed the importance of exchanging experiences in the field of education at the local and global levels to enhance the curricula. Mr. Ahmed Al Shuaibi, the representative of the Kingdom of Morocco, reviewed Morocco’s experience in raising the level of education quality assessment to keep pace with modern technological developments. Mr. Amour El-Tayeb, the representative of the Republic of Tunisia, explained the relationship between the process of assessing learners and its connection to real-life skills.

Dr. Fahd bin Abdullah Al-Suhaimi, the representative of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, reviewed the Kingdom’s experience in strengthening the assessment process by developing an external body that follows up on the performance of educational institutions to help them meet their requirements and qualify teachers’ capabilities. Dr. Wan Risuha Bint Ali, the representative of the State of Malaysia, identified the challenges facing education in her country, mainly the gap between students and the solutions to address it. For his part, Mr. Massar Diop, the representative of the State of Senegal, explained that the educational systems must rely on a proactive vision to meet the challenges of the future and to benefit from the experiences of countries where the means of education have been developed.

The conference included two discussion sessions; the first focused on the development of the PISA system into a global mechanism that meets the needs of the twenty-first century, while the second session touched upon empowering educational institutions and teachers through PISA assessment.

Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), received the two prominent plastic artists, Dr. Rashid Diab and Mr. Khalid Al-Saei, and together they discussed ways to promote Arabic calligraphy and raise awareness of its importance at the international level.

During the meeting, held today, Thursday, November 3, 2022, at ICESCO Headquarters, Dr. AlMalik stated that ICESCO accords great attention to promoting the civilizational aspects of visual arts, especially Arabic calligraphy and Islamic patterns, which are two key components of international art awareness.

The meeting also focused on the possible contribution of prominent plastic artists from the Member States in the project ICESCO is planning to launch aiming to promote Arabic calligraphy through participation that draws inspiration from renewal trends of this art and organizing seminars and contests in the Islamic world.

For their parts, the two artists commended the attention ICESCO gives to Arabic calligraphy and expressed their keenness to cooperate with the Organization to support this field.

The meeting was attended by Dr. Abdelilah Benarafa, Deputy Director-General, Dr. Mohamed Zinelabidine, Head of the Sector of Culture and Communication, and Amb. Khaled Fathalrahman, Head of the Center for Civilizational Dialogue.

Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), received Dr. Abdelmalek Hibaoui, Professor of Higher Education at the University of Tübingen and President of the German-Moroccan Council in Germany, on the occasion of the publication of the new book of the Centre for Civilizational Dialogue entitled, “German Orientalism.”

During the meeting, held on Wednesday, November 2, 2022, at ICESCO’s Headquarters in Rabat, the two parties discussed the book’s overall academic and philosophical vision, its focus on the German orientalist path and its distinctive elements which set it apart from other European orientalist studies, thus constituting a distinguished academic breakthrough that greatly enriches human thought.

The meeting also discussed the leading roles that Muslim communities can play in Europe, in a spirit of a civilizational will that highlights the values of Islamic tolerance and moderation. It also shed light on the efforts undertaken by ICESCO in this regard within the framework of its new vision, which embraces openness and strategic orientations.
The meeting was attended by Dr. Abdelilah Benarafa, ICESCO Deputy Director-General, and Ambassador Khalid Fathalrahman, Head of the Civilizational Dialogue Centre.

The International Forum held by the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) on the future of teaching strategies in light of current developments, kicked off on Tuesday, November 1st, 2022, with the participation of a host of education ministers, experts and prominent figures from several countries, to cast light on the importance of adopting modern teaching strategies and explore the new trends in the field.

During the inaugural session of the two-day virtual forum, Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, ICESCO Director-General (DG), delivered an address, in which he noted that the Organization is particularly keen to bring excellence and creativity to the educational process in order to keep pace with developments to achieve the sustainable development goal 4 (SDG 4).
Dr. AlMalik emphasized that we must draw upon the recommendations emanating from the ‘Transforming Education Summit,’ held last September at the United Nations Headquarters, in aligning teaching strategies with current developments mainly by digitizing education, integrating creative skills into school curricula and affording greater attention to distance learning.

“Building a robust educational system requires the decentralization of education and its association with cultural influences to keep pace with developments in society. This should be coupled with the generation of funding means with greater responsiveness to local and global economic fluctuations,” added ICESCO DG.

He concluded his address by noting that ICESCO endeavors to play its part in forging effective partnerships between educational institutions in Member States and donor institutions and providing the desired expertise in developing forward-looking teaching strategies and enabling the exchange of experiences between educational systems in Member and Non-Member States.

For his part, Mr. Marwan Awartani, Palestinian Minister of Education, underlined that school is a second home for students, therefore, it is paramount to invest in teachers, understand the students’ perception of school and develop education strategies accordingly.

In her address, Ms. Mariatou Koné, Minister for National Education and Literacy of the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire, stated that it has become imperative to rethink the future of education after the COVID-19 pandemic and advance education in African countries through the establishment of open educational institutions that use modern teaching methods.

The ministerial session on teaching strategies for quality and inclusive education subsequently began, featuring the intervention of Cheikh Oumar Anne, Senegalese National Education Minister, who detailed the major steps to be followed to develop education, and those of Mr. Kouaro Yves Chabi, Minister of Secondary, Technical and Vocational Education in Benin, and Mr. Flávio Arns, Brazilian Senator, who reviewed their countries’ adopted strategies for reforming education and keeping pace with current developments.

In an address delivered on his behalf by the Ministry’s Secretary-General, Laurent Serge Etoundi Ngoa, Cameroonian Minister of Basic Education, praised the role of advanced educational methods in integrating students and providing the basic requirements for learning national languages and cultures. For his part, Mr. Ibrahim Natatou, Nigerian Minister of National Education, noted that countries have different educational systems and that crises contribute to creating inequalities in education, underscoring his country’s efforts to align education with current challenges.

The second session then started, featuring presentations in which various experts and professors tackled the different applications of modern teaching strategies and the challenges they raise.

Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), received a delegation from the Sultan Bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud Foundation in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, headed by Dr. Abdulaziz Almagushi, Deputy Director General of the Foundation.

During the meeting, which took place on Tuesday 25 October 2022 at ICESCO Headquarters in Rabat, Dr. AlMalik reviewed the main thrusts of ICESCO’s vision and action strategy, which aim at contributing to the achievement of sustainable development in the service of Member States and Muslim communities worldwide in the fields of education, science and culture. He also stressed ICESCO’s willingness to cooperate and reach out to all in order to implement innovative programs and projects everywhere.

In his turn, Dr. AlMagushi reaffirmed the Foundation’s readiness to establish fruitful cooperation with the Organization in various fields and disciplines, especially with regard to strengthening civilizational dialogue among peoples.

At the end of the meeting, Dr. AlMalik and several heads of sectors and directors of the Organization accompanied the delegation on a tour of the youth training incubators and visited the Mishkat room, which is equipped with the latest technologies for holding remote training sessions and workshops.

Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General (DG) of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), received M. Badr Alaredh, Minister of Justice of the Republic of Yemen, and his delegation, at ICESCO Headquarters, in Rabat, on Tuesday (25 October 2022).

During the meeting, which saw the participation of Mr. Ezzedine Al-Asbahi, Ambassador of the Republic of Yemen to the Kingdom of Morocco, Dr. Abdelilah Benarafa, Deputy DG of ICESCO, and several heads of ICESCO Sectors, Departments and Centers, the two parties reaffirmed their keenness to enhance cooperation between ICESCO and Yemen in the educational and scientific, cultural and humanitarian fields.

Dr. AlMalik reviewed the key programmes and activities of ICESCO, particularly youth capacity-building and training on leadership for peace and security as well as space sciences. He also highlighted the major programmes scheduled for implementation in Yemen, most notably the project to address girls’ school dropout, in cooperation with strategic partners.
The heads of sectors and departments also delivered presentations on the potential programmes and projects of cooperation between ICESCO and Yemen, which are designed based on ICESCO’s new vision to meet the priorities and needs of Member States.

For his part, the Yemeni Minister of Justice commended ICESCO’s efforts geared towards supporting its Member States, and highlighted the present needs of Yemen, including youth capacity-building in the field of innovation and modern technology, and building the capacities of judges and members of the Public Prosecutor’s Office of Yemen in the fields of antiquities, heritage and treatment of detainees. He also requested ICESCO’s technical expertise to help preserve the Court of Aden’s library, which includes a large collection of historical books and manuscripts.

In conclusion, the two parties agreed to start the implementation of a number of joint programmes, in coordination with the Yemeni National Commission for Education, Science and Culture.

Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), received Ms. Hiba Nashabe, Secretary-General of the Lebanese National Commission for Education, Science and Culture, on Monday 24 October 2022, at ICESCO Headquarters, in Rabat. The meeting explored ways to strengthen cooperation between ICESCO and Lebanon in the Organization’s areas of competence.

During the meeting, Dr. AlMalik stressed that within the framework of its new vision and strategic orientations, ICESCO seeks to cooperate with various parties in the fields of education, science and culture to serve humanity and face the relevant global challenges, indicating that the Organization is willing to implement its programmes and projects anywhere in the world.

The two parties also discussed the cooperation relations between ICESCO and the Republic of Lebanon, including the signing of a special agreement on humanitarian assistance, in June 2022, to ensure the return of Lebanese students pursuing their studies in Ukraine, who were forced by the security situation to leave to neighboring countries.
The meeting focused on the possibility of cooperation in several programmes and projects on youth capacity-building and training on leadership, innovation, students’ mental health and the inscription of Lebanese heritage in ICESCO’s Islamic World Heritage List.

For her part, Ms. Hiba Nashabe lauded the development and modernization that ICESCO has seen over the past three years, stressing the need to establish a partnership between the Organization and Lebanon in the fields of education, science and culture, indicating that she would exert every effort to finalize the membership of Lebanon in ICESCO.