Category: Director General

The Islamic World Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) and the National Commission for Education, Science, and Culture of Côte d’Ivoire signed an agreement to implement the Project of “Countering COVID-19 Effects through Supporting Innovation and Entrepreneurship among Women and Youth.” The project is part of the partnership between ICESCO and Alwaleed Philanthropies to support the efforts of 10 African countries to mitigate the impact of the pandemic.

The signing ceremony took place today, Tuesday, January 26, 2021, via videoconferencing, with the participation of Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, ICESCO Director-General (DG), and Mr. Adama Diawara, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, President of the Ivoirian National Commission.

In his address at the ceremony, the DG reaffirmed ICESCO’s sustained efforts to support its Member States in mitigating the impact of COVID-19. The efforts are part of the Organization’s new vision that is based on promoting communication mechanisms with the Member States and identifying their respective needs and priorities.

The DG also expressed his thanks to ICESCO’s partner, Alwaleed Philanthropies, for its generous support for ICESCO’s humanitarian and social initiative to assist 10 African countries, including Côte d’Ivoire. H.R.H. Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal Al Saud chairs the Foundation’s Board of Trustees.

Mr. Adama Diawara congratulated ICESCO for the outstanding initiatives, programs, and activities the Organization has launched and implemented during the pandemic to support its Member States’ efforts and build their capacities to mitigate the pandemic’s impact. He also commended the assistance Alwaleed Philanthropies provided to Côte d’Ivoire through its partnership with ICESCO.

At the close of the ceremony, the project’s Memorandum of Understanding was signed. The project aims to nurture the sense of entrepreneurship among women and young people, especially in rural areas, as well as workers in the informal sector through the local production of hygiene products and preventive equipment. It also aims to promote women and young people’s innovation and entrepreneurship skills and disseminate new hygiene practices to foster public health awareness and facilitate the restructuring of economic activities in Côte d’Ivoire.

ICESCO provided in June 2020, in partnership with Alwaleed Philanthropies, humanitarian aids consisting of food items and medical products valued at USD40,000. Underprivileged people received the aid to mitigate the impact of the pandemic and protect against the virus.

Over the course of four decades, Alwaleed Philanthropies has provided support, spent more than SAR15 billion, and implemented over 1000 projects in more than 189 countries across the globe. Ten Saudi female members managed the projects, benefiting more than one billion people around the world, regardless of gender, race, or religion. Alwaleed Philanthropies collaborates with a range of philanthropic, governmental, and educational organizations to combat poverty, empower women and youth, develop communities, provide disaster relief, and create cultural understanding through education. Together, we can build bridges for a more compassionate, tolerant, and accepting world.

The Director-General (DG) of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, called on all organizations and competent authorities concerned with heritage issues to cooperate and partner with ICESCO to fully implement its new vision on heritage preservation, build networks, and share expertise. The goal is to make heritage, with its various elements, one of the levers of sustainable development. He stressed ICESCO’s willingness to put its technical expertise at the disposal of its regional and international partners.

The statement came during the DG’s address at the opening session of the international forum under the theme: “Memory Preservation and Transmission for Mutual Enrichment,” that the Mohammedan League of Scholars in Morocco held, in partnership with the U.S. Department of State, the “Mémoire pour l’Avenir” Foundation, and the “Archives du Maroc.” The videoconference kicked off today and brought together high-profile participants for a two-day debate.

In his address, Dr. AlMalik explained that ICESCO pays great attention to cultural memory and seeks to ensure the preservation, promotion, and rehabilitation of cultural heritage in its Member States as one of its priorities. Dr. AlMalik added ICESCO, under its successive action plans, has dedicated many activities and programs to heritage whose importance is emphasized in the relevant reference documents of the Organization.

The DG also pointed out that ICESCO has established the Islamic World Heritage Committee which has to date inscribed more than 200 heritage sites from the various tributaries of civilizations and cultures that have succeeded and coexisted in the Member States, including sites and elements of ancient civilizations and divine Christian and Jewish religions. He underscored that the Organization aspires to register the largest number of possible heritage elements in the coming years.

ICESCO DG praised the spirit of tolerance in Morocco while appreciating the country’s civilizational model of coexistence, which testifies the long-standing and unique traditions of preserving the right of all religious groups.

At the close of his address, Dr. AlMalik reaffirmed ICESCO’s utmost willingness to inscribe the tangible and intangible heritage of religious groups in the Member States to enhance the culture of coexistence for future generations and preserve the historical and cultural memory in the Islamic world countries.

The International Conference on Smart Technologies and Resilience for Sustainable Agriculture in Africa that the Islamic World Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) stressed to the participants the need to use smart and innovative applications to address land degradation in Africa. It is also necessary to promote agricultural tourism and rural entrepreneurship in rural areas and build the capacities of local communities. The participants also called for the preservation of biological and botanical diversity and a boost in the regional and international cooperation to promote the agricultural sector and draw on satellite data and Earth observation in the agricultural field. The event was in collaboration with the Government of Niger.

The organizers held the videoconference on Wednesday, January 20, 2021, in partnership with the German Corporation for International Cooperation (GIZ), the Islamic Organization for Food Security (IOFS), the World Agricultural Heritage Foundation, the International Centre for Asia and Pacific Studies, the Regional Remote-Sensing Centre for the North African States, and the African Regional Centre for Space Science and Technology. The participants explored the best ways to implement the joint project of ICESCO and the Government of Germany to address land degradation.

The conference kicked off with an opening address from Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, ICESCO Director-General (DG), wherein he reaffirmed that Africa needs to shift to innovative and smart technologies to preserve ecosystems and biodiversity and meet its populations’ needs in terms of agricultural products and food security.
“The continuing desertification and degradation, which threaten 46% of the African territory, will result in a 20% reduction of agricultural production in Africa. This threatens the social and food security of nearly 70% of the population,” the DG warned.

Mr. Mallam Zaneidou Amirou, Minister of Environment of Niger, then stated that smart technologies play an important role in developing agriculture and promoting the resilience of ecosystems. He added that Niger made many efforts in the fields of environment and food security to address climate change challenges.

Ms. Hassana Zeinabou Ibrahim, Minister for Decentralization of Niger, commended the cooperation of her Government with ICESCO in the implementation of the land degradation project through the development of smart and innovative technologies.
Mr. Yerlan Bidolit, IOFS DG, stressed that smart agriculture is one of the pillars of food security. “Innovative technologies have allowed the development of the agricultural field to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals 2030,” he added.

Mr. Sani Mamadou Abdou Gaoh, GIZ representative in Niger, gave a detailed presentation on the partnership efforts between GIZ and Niger to reduce the degradation of natural resources. Dr. Muhammad Sharrif, Advisor at Science and Technology Sector of ICESCO, gave an overview of the themes of the conference.

Dr. Aicha Bamoun, Program Director at ICESCO, moderated the first working session, which tackled the role of innovative and smart technologies in strengthening the resilience of ecosystems. Dr. Abdelmajid Tribaq, Expert at Science and Technology Sector of ICESCO, moderated the second session, which touched upon innovative, smart, and relevant technologies for strengthening the resilience of communities and ecosystems.

The third session explored the development of value chains and the challenges and opportunities for rural entrepreneurship in the post-COVID-19 period. Dr. Ismaila Dialo, Expert at Science and Technology Sector of ICESCO, moderated the session.

The Islamic World Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) and the Leibniz Association Germany held yesterday, January 21, a virtual working session to explore fruitful cooperation opportunities between both entities in mutual areas of interest.

Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, ICESCO Director-General (DG), presided over ICESCO’s team of heads of sectors, advisors, and experts, while Prof. Matthias Kleiner, President of the Leibniz Association, headed the Association’s team of directors of institutes and specialized research centers.

At the beginning of the session, both Dr. Al-Malik and Dr. Kleiner affirmed their interest in developing cooperation between ICESCO and the Leibniz Association, through practical programs with tangible results, in education, science, technology, culture and communication.

The two officials also welcomed bridging relations between the German Association and the ICESCO’s Member States, underscoring the past cooperation in organizing the “ICESCO Forum on Scientific Paper and Patent Writing,” which benefited over 10,000 students and researchers. The discussions also included cooperation in preparing for a large international conference as part of ICESCO’s activities to celebrate women in 2021.

ICESCO DG reaffirmed the Organization’s open-door policy that offers an Observer Status to non-Member States and international institutions, to promote cooperation in education, science, culture, communication, and environment protection. The policy is part of ICESCO’s recently renewed vision and strategy, elaborated Dr. AlMalik.

Prof. Matthias Beller, Vice President of Leibniz Association and Executive Director of Leibniz Institute for Catalysis (LIKAT), mentioned the proposed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between ICESCO and the institute. He proposed the cooperation between the two parties is a model for more Leibniz institutes to emulate.

During the working session, the directors from both sides highlighted the various institutes, centers, and departments in the Leibniz Association and ICESCO, and the prospects and proposals for direct cooperation in smart agriculture, climate change research, and heritage preservation. The discussions included the upcoming joint Ph.D. program between ICESCO and LIKAT and proposed an “ICESCO- Leibniz-DAAD” Scholarship.

At the close of the meeting, the participants agreed to draft a cooperation agreement between ICESCO and Leibniz Association.

** Africa needs to shift into smart technologies to preserve ecosystems and biodiversity.

Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General (DG) of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), reaffirmed that Africa needs to shift to innovative and smart technologies to preserve ecosystems and biodiversity and meet its populations’ needs in terms of agricultural products and food security.

“The continuing desertification and degradation, which threaten 46% of the African territory, will result in a 20% reduction of agricultural production in Africa. This threatens the social and food security of nearly 70% of the population,” the DG warned.

The statement was part of Dr. AlMalik’s opening address at the International Conference on Smart Technologies and Resilience for Sustainable Agriculture in Africa that ICESCO held today, January 20, 2021. The videoconference was in cooperation with the Government of Niger, and in partnership with the German Corporation for International Cooperation (GIZ), the Islamic Organization for Food Security (IOFS), the World Agricultural Heritage Foundation, the International Centre for Asia and Pacific Studies, the Regional Remote-Sensing Centre for the North African States, and the African Regional Centre for Space Science and Technology. The event brought together Mr. Mallam Zaneidou Amirou, Minister of Environment of Niger; Ms. Hassan Zeinabou Ibrahim; Minister Delegate in Charge of Decentralization of Niger; and a high-level group of experts and specialists.

In his address, Dr. AlMalik explained that smart technologies will improve ecosystems and mitigate the impact of climate change through climate-smart agriculture and geospatial technologies. The innovations provide accurate and timely data to assist in decision-making, as well as big data and Artificial Intelligence to ensure precision agriculture, enable farmers to improve incomes and reduce costs and facilitate consumers’ access to proper and healthy food.

“I am confident that the participants in this Conference will suggest innovative and new options for ICESCO’s Land Degradation Project, developed in cooperation with the Governments of Niger and the Federal Republic of Germany respectively, through the development of innovative, intelligent, geospatial, and entrepreneurial technologies in Niger, which has demonstrated great interest in this project through its high-level participation,” he underscored.

 At the close of his address, ICESCO DG announced that the Organization will launch an award for innovation in agricultural technologies in 2022, provide scholarships in the field of smart agricultural technologies, and support agricultural startups in ICESCO Member States, particularly in Africa.

**working session between ICESCO and Yemen’s Prime Ministry to identify priorities

The Islamic World Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) and the Yemeni Prime Minister held on January 19, a virtual working session to explore existing cooperation between ICESCO and Yemen and the programs and projects for the upcoming period as part of Yemen’s proclamation of 2021 a Year of Recovery.

Dr. Maeen Abdulmalek Saeed, Yemeni Prime Minister, presided over the Yemeni party in the presence of Mr. Azzedine Al-Asbahi, Ambassador of Yemen to Morocco, while Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, ICESCO Director-General (DG), presided ICESCO’s team of heads of sectors, advisors, and experts.

The Prime Minister of Yemen welcomed Dr. AlMalik and his team recalling that his Government declared 2021 “the Year of Recovery.” Dr. Saeed is working toward implementing a wide range of reforms to systems of education and culture as part of the reconstruction process.

The parties then examined the needs of the country to alleviate the suffering of its people and mitigate its aftermath. The parties agreed to implement a series of joint workable projects in the areas of education, culture, heritage preservation, information, and communication.

ICESCO DG reaffirmed the Organization’s willingness to extend assistance to Yemen, particularly in the reform of education policies, the training of educational staff, rehabilitation of educational leaderships, scholarships for Yemeni students enrolled at prestigious universities, the training of Yemeni students on leadership, and overcoming learning loss.

The DG added that ICESCO’s assistance will also include the restoration of several historic heritage sites and museums following the technical teams’ assessment of the damage caused to those sites and rehabilitate endangered ones. The DG also inscribed  Yemeni heritage sites and cultural items on the Islamic World Heritage List, supporting arts symbolic to Yemeni identity, and honoring Yemeni women innovators and creators, as part of the ICESCO celebration of 2021 as Year of Women.

Dr. AlMalik stressed that the Organization will set up an expert group to visit Yemen and meet officials from the targeted areas while reaffirming that ICESCO is standing with Yemen in the “Year of Recovery” and beyond and deploys all its means and expertise to contribute to rebuilding the country.

The Organization will also carry out foresight studies on the country’s future through ICESCO Center of Strategic Foresight. The heads of sectors and advisors put forward ideas and proposals for programs and projects to implement in Yemen.

The Yemeni Prime Minister lauded the ideas and proposals while reiterating that this meeting opened larger prospects for discussion and cooperation and that ICESCO’s far-sighted vision enabled the Organization to take further action than other international organizations, crediting the understanding of the General Directorate of the nature of the Arab-Islamic region.

At the close of the meeting, the parties agreed to arrange for the visit of ICESCO’s delegation to Yemen and devise executive plans for the programs and projects discussed during the meeting.

Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General (DG) of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), expressed his admiration for the rare artifacts he saw in the National Carpet Museum in the Azerbaijani capital Baku. He considered that the Museum, which carries the country’s cultural identity to future generations, exhibits rare carpets, some of which are centuries old, that tell the history of Azerbaijan.

The DG affirmed that he was keen to see the Museum’s collections during his visit to Azerbaijan from January 11 to 15, as it is one of the most prominent museums that include the largest collection of rare carpets in the world, explaining that the Museum’s collections show the stages of social development and history of the Republic of Azerbaijan. Each artifact bears the name of one of the country’s seven carpet-making schools (Qoba, Baku, Shirwan, Ganja, Gazakh, Karabag and Tabriz).

After touring the Museum and listening to its Director’s presentation on the history of the Museum, Dr. AlMalik praised the Musuem’s use of the modern technology to provide access to its rare collections for all categories, including those with special needs. The musuem allows touching duplicates of artifacts and presents on a screen adjacent to each piece how and when it was made as well as providing the possibility to listen to the story of each item.

Dr. AlMalik pointed out that the establishment of the Museum and the way each rare carpet artifact was obtained confirm Azerbaijan’s keenness to preserve its heritage and identity, and the pride the country takes in all the components of this heritage, explaining that ICESCO provides all support to its Member States in the field.

AlMalik: ICESCO prioritizes support to Member States

Karimov: We appreciate the visit of ICESCO Director-General to Azerbaijan… We will continue supporting ICESCO

Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General (DG) of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), and Mr. Anar Karimov, Minister of Culture of Azerbaijan, stressed that cooperation between ICESCO and the country has set new prospects of partnership and mutual support.

The two parties made the statement during a press conference, held in Baku, yesterday, January 14, 2021, as part of the official visit of Dr. AlMalik and his accompanying delegation to Azerbaijan. The press conference brought together a host of ambassadors of ICESCO Member States accredited to Azerbaijan as well as several journalists and correspondents of news agencies and TV channels in Baku.

At the onset of the conference, Mr. Karimov expressed his thanks and gratitude to ICESCO DG for his visit to Azerbaijan and the tours of the historical and cultural sites in the regions of Fizuli and Agdam.

“We have outstanding relations with ICESCO, which was among the first international organizations that Azerbaijan joined in 1991. This visit will usher in a new era of partnership between Azerbaijan and ICESCO,” he stressed.

Mr. Karimov commended the meetings of ICESCO DG with the senior officials of Azerbaijan, mainly President Ilham Aliyev. “These meetings reflect ICESCO’s new vision, which adopts an open-door policy to all countries. This vision also stresses ICESCO’s support for Azerbaijan in safeguarding its cultural heritage. Azerbaijan will continue its support to ICESCO to enable it to fully accomplish its mission,” he underscored.

Dr. AlMalik stated that ICESCO prioritizes support to its Member States in the fields of education, science, and culture while stressing that ICESCO will cooperate with Azerbaijan in rebuilding or restoring the damaged historical sites.

ICESCO DG announced that the Organization will dispatch a technical team to inspect these historical sites and assess their current situation. “The team will include experts from Member States and other countries. At the end of its mission, it will draft an independent report, which will be circulated to the international organizations,” he added.

Dr. AlMalik highlighted that ICESCO will take all the necessary steps to exceptionally proclaim Shusha as the capital of culture in the Islamic world for 2022 or 2023. He noted that ICESCO Program for the Capitals of Culture in the Islamic World celebrates three capitals every year in the Arab, African, and Asian regions respectively.

Answering journalists’ questions, ICESCO DG and the Minister of Culture of Azerbaijan stated that the cooperation between the two parties will cover many fields and programs, most notably the civilizational dialogue and the organization of conferences and forums; the first joint event will celebrate the poet and philosopher, Nezami Ganjavi.

The Chairman of the Caucasus Muslims’ Board, Sheikh ul-Islam Allahshükür Pashazade, hailed the role that the Islamic World Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) plays in presenting an accurate image to the world about the Islamic civilization. The Chairman reaffirmed that all Azerbaijanis appreciated the visit of ICESCO Director-General (DG), Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, and his accompanying delegation.

The statement was made during the luncheon the Chairman held at his residence in Baku, today, January 14, to welcome the ICESCO delegation, in the presence of several religious leaderships, parliament members, government officials, and public figures in Azerbaijan.

In his welcoming speech, Sheikh ul-Islam Allahshükür Pashazade stated that he invited to the luncheon all spectrums of the Azeri society and leaderships of all religions to express Azerbaijan’s appreciation of the visit.

The DG expressed his thanks for the initiative, commending the special participations of Sheikh ul-Islam Allahshükür Pashazade in several ICESCO conferences and forums, chief among which was the International Forum of the Role of Religious Leaderships in Times of Crises.

 The DG also stressed that ICESCO endeavors to anchor the values of dialogue and coexistence and that it counts on enlightened religious leaderships to achieve such noble goal. He added that Azerbaijan presents a unique model for coexistence and peace, manifested in the invitees who represented all religions.

The Director-General (DG) of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, and Mr. Ulvi Mehdiyev, Chairman of the Azerbaijan State Agency for Public Services and Social Innovations under the President of Azerbaijan (ASAN Xidmet), explored cooperation between ICESCO and the Agency in technological areas and the sharing of Azerbaijan’s in e-services expertise with ICESCO Member States.

Dr. AlMalik and his accompanying delegation of the heads of sectors conducted on Thursday, January 14, a tour to the main center of the Agency in Baku. During the tour, Mr. Mehdiyev reviewed the history and objectives of the Agency, pointing out that it provides 300 electronic government services to citizens and residents in just one office and that the main center receives more than 3000 citizens daily.

Following the tour, the two parties discussed several proposals of partnership, especially in bolstering the capacities of youth, promoting innovation, and sharing successful experiences in the advancement of digital education and culture.

The two parties also agreed to transfer the expertise of the Agency to ICESCO Member States. ICESCO DG stated that the Organization’s new vision adopts the sharing of expertise, especially in technological development of the Organization’s areas of action, between Member States and non-Member States.