Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General (DG) of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), held a working session with Dr. Khaled Abdel Ghaffar, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, President of the National Commission for Education, Science and Culture of the Arab Republic of Egypt, and together explored the latest developments on promoting cooperation and the ongoing preparation for Egypt’s hosting of the Organization’s General Conference and Executive Council in December 2021.
During the meeting held, today, Saturday, September 25, 2021, in Cairo, in the presence of Dr. Ghada Abdel Bari, Secretary-General of the Egyptian National Commission, the two parties discussed the key programs and activities to be implemented in 2021-2022 in Egypt in cooperation between ICESCO and said Commission.
Moreover, the meeting discussed the latest preparations for ICESCO General Conference, to be held next December in Egypt for the first time in the history of the Organization. The Conference will see the participation of international personalities who will take part in the different activities to be held on the sidelines of the Conference.
The two parties also explored cooperation between Egyptian universities and the Federation of the Universities of the Islamic World (FUIW), within the framework of the Federation’s new strategy and development plan.
Dr. Salim
M. AlMalik, Director-General (DG) of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific
and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), is taking part in the meeting of the
Supreme Council of Universities, in the Arab Republic of Egypt, at the
invitation of Dr. Khaled Abdel Ghaffar, Minister of Higher Education and
Scientific Research, Chairman of the Egyptian National Commission for
Education, Science and Culture.
ICESCO DG participates
in this meeting in his capacity as Secretary-General of the Federation of the
Universities of the Islamic World (FUIW). The meeting which is due to be held
on Saturday, September 25, 2021, at the Arts and Culture Complex, Helwan
University in Cairo, will focus on sharing expertise between the Egyptian
universities and the FUIW and inviting non-member Egyptian universities to join
the Federation.
This
meeting is part of the visit of ICESCO DG to Cairo, which will last from 24
until 27 September 2021, during which he will meet several senior Egyptian
officials to explore the prospects of cooperation between the two parties, the
activities ICESCO suggested to implement in Egypt in 2021-2022, and the preparations
for the General Conference and the Executive Council of the Organization that the
Arab Republic of Egypt will host on December 6-9, 2021.
The Headquarters of
the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO),
in Rabat, witnessed, on Thursday, September 23, 2021, the closing ceremony of the
ICESCO Program for Leadership Training in Peace and Security (LTIPS) for women
and youth. The meeting announced the code of engagement of ICESCO Youth Ambassadors
for Peace, and distributed certificates to members of the cohort from more than
20 countries, who are now official peace ambassadors of ICESCO.
The closing ceremony
of LTIPS, implemented in partnership with UNESCO Maghreb Office, the Conference
of Education Ministers of French-speaking Countries (CONFEMEN), the Conference
of Ministers of Youth and Sports of French-speaking Countries (CONFEJES), and
Luanda Conference brought together officials and ambassadors from various countries
and the representatives of a group of international organizations and bodies
both at ICESCO headquarters, in Rabat, and via videoconference.
In his opening
address, Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, ICESCO Director-General (DG), stressed that
peace is an essential component of the Islamic civilization, which is a
prerequisite for building a prosperous society. He underscored that “it is not
possible to build and form an active human capital capable of handling challenges
without peace and security.”
Dr. AlMalik also pointed
out that ICESCO has become a leading Organization in building peace and
security through building its multiple partnerships, and its strategy based on
integrating peace issues in the fields of education, noting that ICESCO’s LTIPS
aims to focus on the essential role of youth and women as builders of peace and
security in their communities.
Mr. Tun Musa bin
Hitam, former Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia, highlighted the importance of women
and youth training programs to form peace ambassadors who contribute to
building peaceful and secure societies, calling for cooperation between all
parties to alleviate the suffering of displaced people in conflict areas.
In a speech delivered
on his behalf by Dr. Mustapha Messaoudi, Secretary-General of the Ministry, Mr.
Othman El Ferdaous, Moroccan Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports, commended
ICESCO’s initiative to train women and youth leaders as active parties in
building peace and citizenship. Dr. Faisal bin Muaammar, Secretary-General
of King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz International Center for Interreligious and
Intercultural Dialogue (KAICED), called for intensifying cooperation to
implement similar training programs that promote a culture of peace and
security.
Mr. ElHadj As Sy,
Chairman of the Board of Kofi Annan Foundation, congratulated ICESCO on the
success of its training program, calling for concerted efforts to combat
violence. Dr. Abdel Rahmane Baba-Moussa, Secretary-General of CONFEMEN,
stressed the importance of improving the quality of education as an essential
way to build safe societies. Mr. Modibo Traoré, Deputy Secretary-General of CONFEJES,
indicated that the conference programs aim to consolidate the principles of
peace and social cohesion through sports activities.
Mr. Salah Khaled,
Director of UNESCO’s Regional Office for Central Africa, commended the ICESCO’s
program aimed at promoting peace and security through training youth and women.
Afterward, the code
of engagement of ICESCO Youth Ambassadors for Peace was read out in the three
languages of the Organization, which stipulates the commitment of the young
ambassadors to take the necessary measures to spread peace and security while
addressing all forms of violence and extremism, focusing on women and youth in
building peace, and refraining from promoting any political agenda or taking any political stance that would undermine the
efforts and missions of ICESCO and its partners.
During the ceremony, four
members of the 2021 cohort of the ICESCO training program received the Peace
Leadership Support Award, and 30 cohort members from more than 20 countries received
certificates of participation to officially become ICESCO Ambassadors for Peace.
At the close of the
ceremony, the winners of the Peace Leadership Support Award presented their
projects. Besides, the participants discovered the future stages of ICESCO’s
LTIPS program.
The
Director-General (DG) of the Islamic World Educational Scientific and Cultural
Organization (ICESCO), Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, received the Ambassador of the
Italian Republic to Morocco, Mr. Armando Barucco. The meeting explored
prospects for cooperation between ICESCO and Italy in the fields of education,
science and culture.
At the
outset of the meeting, held on Wednesday, September 22, 2021, at the Organization’s
headquarters in Rabat, ICESCO DG expressed his gratitude and appreciation to
the Italian government for the good organization of the G20 Interfaith Forum
2021, held in Bologna. The Ambassador, in his turn, stated that one of the
reasons for his visit to ICESCO is to thank Dr. AlMalik for his distinguished
participation in the Forum’s activities.
ICESCO DG reviewed the main axes of the
Organization’s vision and action strategy, stressing that ICESCO adopted an
open-door policy to all countries, international organizations, and bodies to forge
partnerships for the benefit of its Member States and Muslim communities around
the world. He also highlighted the Organization’s interest in civilizational dialogue
and its effort in anchoring the values of coexistence and peace and training
and building capacities for youth and women.
Dr.
AlMalik stated that safeguarding heritage and restoring cultural artifacts are
among the fields that have broad prospects for cooperation between ICESCO and
Italy. The latter is known for its ancient civilization, invaluable heritage
treasures, and distinguished expertise especially in utilizing modern technologies.
The
Italian ambassador to Rabat commended the roles of ICESCO, stressing his
keenness to build fruitful cooperation between the Organization and Italy, home
to a large Muslim community consisting of Muslim immigrants and others born
there. He also stated that Italy is currently working on the establishment of
an Islamic library in Palermo, which will be one of the largest Islamic
libraries in Europe.
The
meeting brought together several ICESCO’s heads of sector and department, who
gave presentations on the ongoing programs and projects of their sectors and
departments.
The participants in the International Webinar
on international assessments and their role in improving the quality of
education stressed the importance of these international assessments and tests
for drawing lessons to improve education systems and support the relevant policies
and initiatives in the Islamic world.
The webinar
that the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
(ICESCO) and the Education and Training Evaluation Commission (ETEC), in Saudi
Arabia, held via videoconference, on Wednesday, September 22, 2021, under the
title “How International Large-Scale Assessments from the Past 20 Years can
Inform Policy and Practice: Global Lessons to Improve Education Quality,”
witnessed the participation of high-profile education officials from many
countries, as well as international experts in education and international
assessments.
In his address
at the opening session, Dr. Khalid Bin Abdullah Al-Sabti, Chairman of ETEC
Board of Directors, indicated that education has become the key factor in the economy,
adding that modern technology requires the positive interaction of individuals and
further national projects to develop high-quality educational systems to
prepare young people for the labor market.
Dr.
Al-Sabti noted the importance of the “Human Capacity Development
Program” that Saudi Arabia has launched for developing an educational base
for all citizens, providing lifelong learning opportunities, and meeting the
future labor requirements. He underlined that “cross-country comparisons are
among the advantages of international assessment studies. They can serve as
incentives to enhance education quality and achieve better results.”
In his address,
Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, ICESCO Director-General (DG), stressed that education
plays a pivotal role in building the future and constitutes the driving force
for progress and security in societies, and cohesion among individuals. He
added that international assessments are essential tools for evaluating
education systems and a key indicator for assessing students’ skills and performance
in basic subjects. Dr. AlMalik also underscored that “ICESCO is keen on ensuring
the participation of the largest number of countries in the Islamic world in
international assessments taking into account that the Organization intends to
conduct studies on the international assessment data of each Member State to
ensure better education.”
ICESCO DG pointed
out the need to reconsider educational systems from a forward-looking
perspective to develop educational policies and programs in line with
international standards of quality and excellence, and adopt technology and
artificial intelligence in schools of the future to contribute to the
sustainable development in Muslim countries.
The first session
touched upon how international student assessments like PISA and TIMSS can
inform policy and practice to improve education quality: key learning from
international assessments over the last 20 years. The second session reviewed
the international models from Portugal, Chile, Estonia, and Poland to present evidence
from countries that have improved in terms of their performance in
international assessments, to understand how they have utilized the data that
they collect from international assessments for evidence-based policymaking.
In the
third session, the participants explored the participation of ICESCO Member
States in international assessments to determine the common factors that affect
students’ achievement and performance scores, through examples from Saudi
Arabia, Malaysia, Azerbaijan, and Morocco. The closing session discussed the
future roadmap for developing educational policy and improving the quality of
education based on the results of international assessments.
The
Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) and
the Moroccan National Commission for Education, Science and Culture launched
the free distribution of sanitizers and prevention materials produced within
the framework of the project for countering the repercussions of the Covid-19
pandemic developing entrepreneurial spirit among women and youth. The project
was implemented in partnership with Alwaleed Philanthropies for the benefit of
10 African countries, including the Kingdom of Morocco.
In his address
at the launching ceremony, held on September 21, 2021, at the Commission’s
headquarters in Rabat, Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, ICESCO Director-General (DG),
stressed that empowering women and girls, who are the most affected by this pandemic,
has significantly contributed to mitigating the ensuing repercussions, particularly
through the production of necessary prevention materials and sanitizers. He
also reaffirmed the need to ensure the sustainability of income and training of
girls taking part in this project.
Dr.
AlMalik indicated that ICESCO has proclaimed 2021 as the Year of Women under
the theme “Women for the Future”, an initiative celebrated under the
high patronage of His Majesty King Mohammed VI. He also expressed his thanks
and appreciation to Alwaleed Philanthropies Foundation, a supporting partner in
this promising project, and to the Moroccan National Commission for its
interest and action to implement this project, as well as the cooperatives that
ensured the participation of women and girls in the project.
Dr. Said
Amzazi, Minister of National Education, Vocational Training, Higher Education
and Scientific Research, Chairman of the Commission, in his speech delivered on
his behalf by Mr. Jamal Eddine El Aloua, Secretary-General of the Commission,
said that the project was a success. Mr. El Aloua stressed the importance of
this project in supporting the productive units of the informal sector to empower
them to improve their working methods and help them have access to the formal
sector, and enable the vulnerable categories to benefit from masks, sanitizers,
liquid soaps, and floor cleaners, made within the framework of the project.
He thanked
ICESCO and its DG for all the initiatives that truly embody the strategic
partnership between the Organization and the National Commission, considering
that this ceremony is the culmination of the efforts made by each participant
to make this promising project a success, since its launch in November 2020.
During
this ceremony, the representatives of the cooperatives benefiting from the
project in different regions of Morocco delivered their respective speeches,
wherein they expressed their thanks to the project organizers.
In this
regard, Ms. Jamila Idbourrous, from the Union of Women’s Cooperatives of Argan
Tree “Tissaliwine”, reaffirmed that the pandemic has negatively
affected many of the argan products. She noted that this project has been an
opportunity to diversify production to include sanitizers, and added that it
has offered many opportunities for rural women to work in the region of Agadir.
Mr. Yassine Al Hara, from the company “Fast Clean Missour,” said that this project has allowed small cooperatives to modernize the equipment used in production, which has allowed them to increase this production and offer more jobs for women. Ms. Hassbia Nouari, from the company “Hassbia Fashion,” said that this project has made a leap forward in the field of sewing for the company, which has produced masks and provided many job opportunities for women.
At the end
of the ceremony, ICESCO DG, the Secretary-General of the Commission, and the
participants of the Moroccan National Commission, as well as the officials of
the Social and Human Sciences Sector at ICESCO took a look at the products produced
by the cooperatives in the framework of the project.
Dr. Salim M. AlMalik,
Director-General (DG) of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization (ICESCO), stressed the need for the 21st-century
university to keep up with change and cater to the needs of the ever-changing labor
market. He reaffirmed that such goals call for relying on critical thinking and
open science, endeavoring to train new capacities and professors in both
academia and scientific research; providing them with the skills to keep up
with the change; and monitoring training and scientific research in their
relation to the jobs of the future.
The DG made this statement in a pre-recorded
address to the First Regional Forum for Open Science in the Arab Region, hosted
by Galala University in Galala, Egypt. The Ministry of Higher Education and
Scientific Research in the Arab Republic of Egypt organized the event, in
cooperation with the Egyptian National Commission for Education, Science and
Culture, UNESCO Regional Office for Arab Countries in Cairo, and Galala
University. The opening session of the Forum, which kicked off today, Tuesday, September
21, 2021, saw the screening of the pre-recorded address of Dr. Khaled Abdel Ghaffar,
Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, President of the Egyptian
National Commission.
In his address, Dr. AlMalik hailed
the role assumed by Galala University, a new generation university that strives
to ensure good education in line with the current major trends in the field of
higher education. He noted that it is high time to bring about the desired
change in higher education and scientific research as today’s youth possesses
different sets of skills and aspirations regarding information, and have
different approaches to dealing with the learning tools. He added that the
traditional pre-set model of specialty and field of knowledge fades away before
changes witnessed in the universities of the 21st century.
In the course of his address, the DG
posed two questions: How can we rethink the mission of research professors who face
challenges that require re-setting their missions and roles? And how can we
build students’ capacities in the universities of the 21st century
through open science and open-source resources? The answer to these two
questions, he noted, leads us to keep up with the changes pertaining to the
jobs of the future and the ever-changing roles of universities, scientific
research and innovation.
At the close of his address, Dr.
AlMalik reaffirmed that ICESCO, in light of its forward-looking vision, has
made serious strides towards highlighting this major trend through holding international
conferences and symposia, most notably, the seminar on “Skills and Jobs of
Tomorrow”, held in April 2021, in addition to numerous events on AI application
mechanisms.
The Forum saw high-caliber
participation including several presidents of Egyptian universities,
international experts and academicians in the field of open science, in
addition to Dr. Ghada Abdel Bari, Secretary-General of the Egyptian National
Commission for Education, Science and Culture. ICESCO also participated in the
face-to-face proceedings of the Forum with a delegation comprised of Dr. Raheel
Qamar, Head of the Sector of Science and Technology, and Dr. Omar Halli,
Advisor to the DG for the Federation of the Universities of the Islamic World.
The Director-General (DG) of the Islamic World Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, received the delegation of the State Agency for Public Service and Social Innovations under the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan (ASAN), with whom he examined the ongoing successful cooperation between the State Agency and ICESCO in relevant areas.
During the meeting, held at ICESCO headquarters in Rabat, the two parties discussed the acceleration of smart services in creative industries, which has become an interesting strategic sector to boost competitiveness, productivity, employment, and sustainable economic growth.
The meeting also touched upon creative industries, which are increasingly being utilized to promote social innovation, cultural diversity, as well as a main pillar of the 4th industrial revolution.
ASAN’s delegation gave a detailed presentation on the wide range of services and projects provided by the State Agency.
The
headquarters of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization (ICESCO) hosts the two-day meeting of ICESCO’s Financial Control
Committee (FCC), which kicked off on Monday, September 20, 2021, to examine the
Organization’s financial report and closing accounts for the year 2020, the FCC
Draft Rules of Procedure and the report of the auditing company for the year
2020.
Mr. Yussuf
Ali Al-Najar, representative of the State of Kuwait, FCC Chairman, chaired the
meeting, which brought Mr. Mohammed bin Abdulkarim Alabdulkarim, representative
of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, FCC Rapporteur, and Mr. El Hadji Habib Kébé,
representative of the Republic of Senegal, member of the Committee. Mr. Araz Baghirli,
representative of the Republic of Azerbaijan, joined the meeting via videoconference
along with the representative of Malaysia, as they could not travel to the
Kingdom of Morocco due to the repercussions of the Covid-19 pandemic.
At the
beginning of the meeting, Dr. Salim AlMalik, ICESCO Director-General (DG),
delivered a speech wherein he welcomed the FCC members, stressing that the Organization’s
General Directorate adopts transparency and credibility while reviewing the
measures taken about the financial matters and the Organization’s accounting system.
He noted
that ICESCO, despite the circumstances of the Covid-19 pandemic, has sustained
its programs in many Member States, launched several initiatives, organized a
series of competitions, held forums with high-level attendance of scientists and
distinguished international figures, and signed agreements that contribute to
the development of the Organization’s action.
ICESCO DG
concluded his speech by wishing success to the members of the Committee, before
leaving the floor to the Committee to continue its meeting with the officials
concerned at ICESCO.
For his part, the FCC Chairman highlighted that
the Committee has been in constant contact with ICESCO officials, noting that
the Committee will ascertain the integrity of the financial statements to enable
the Organization to fully discharge its mission.
In his turn,
the FCC Rapporteur noted the short duration of the meeting, calling for the
automation of the financial and administrative services and the development of
the internal control mechanisms of the Organization.
Afterward,
the Committee reviewed the financial report for the year 2020 and follow-up to the
implementation of FCC’s recommendations for the past year. The Committee also examined
some points included in the financial report.
The
Committee meeting included a presentation on ICESCO’s implemented projects and
programs, and signed partnerships, which enabled the Organization to diversify the
funding sources and carry out programs that generate positive feedback from the
Member States. The meeting also addressed the means and steps that were adopted
to collect the arrears of the Member States’ contributions.
The Committee
concluded its first day by examining and approving the FCC’s draft rules of
procedure, which defines the tasks, competencies and structure of the Committee,
and submitting the proposed amendments. On the second day, the Committee will examine
and discuss the report of the auditing company for the year 2020, in the
presence of the company’s representative, and draft its final report.
The
Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO)
participated in the “International Cultural Forum: Central Asia at the
Crossroads of Civilizations”, which was held in Khiva, Uzbekistan, on
September 14-15, 2021, under the patronage of His Excellency the President Shavkat
Mirziyoyev. The Forum aims at exploring and promoting culture and the common heritage
in Central Asia and consolidate their important role in shaping civilizations
in the region and beyond.
Dr. Salim
M. AlMalik, Director-General (DG) of ICESCO, took part in the closing session
through a video speech, on Wednesday, September 15, 2021. Mr. Ozodbek
Nazarbekov, Minister of Culture of Uzbekistan, moderated the closing session,
which also brought together Assistant DG for the Social and Human Sciences of
UNESCO, ICCROM DG, the Minister of Culture of Azerbaijan, and the Minister of
Culture of Turkey.
In his speech,
ICESCO DG noted the prominent role that the Central Asian region played in
human civilization throughout history. “It was the cradle of many sciences and
arts thanks to its scholars and thinkers, who influenced the ancient and modern
human civilization,” he added.
Dr.
AlMalik highlighted ICESCO’s great interest in investing in the opportunities
of the applications of artificial intelligence and space sciences and
supporting the Member States to keep pace with modern technology. He explained
that the Organization has established an artificial intelligence unit at ICESCO
Heritage Center, which undertakes the tasks of preserving heritage in the
Islamic World. He also called on the ICESCO Member States to submit files to
register their historical sites and cultural elements on the lists of heritage
in the Islamic world, which now includes 326 sites and heritage elements.
ICESCO DG announced
the Organization’s initiative to conduct an extensive study on the impact of
climate change on several sectors, including heritage, with proposals for fully
feasible solutions, to reduce the risks of this phenomenon.
At the close
of his speech, Dr. AlMalik called for developing the existing cooperation
between ICESCO, Uzbekistan, and all the countries of the region in the Organization’s
areas of competence.
Dr. Osama
Al-Nahas and Mr. Bilel Chebbi, experts at Culture and Communication Sector,
represented ICESCO at this forum, which saw the high-level participation of
representatives of many international organizations, in addition to experts and
specialists in the fields of culture, heritage, science, and the arts.