Category: Director General

The Islamic World Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) held on February 11, a press conference announcing its major programs and activities for 2021, which the Organization has proclaimed as the Year of Women themed “Women for the Future” under the high patronage of H.M. King Mohammed VI of Morocco.

At the onset of the press conference, which ICESCO held at its headquarters through videoconference, Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, ICESCO Director-General (DG), expressed his thanks and gratitude to HM King Mohammed VI for responding to ICESCO’s request to confer his patronage on the Year of Women. The step is an example of the attention the monarch accords to the Organization following in the footsteps of his father, late King Hassan II, may Allah rest his soul in peace.

Dr. AlMalik stated that, through the proclamation of 2021 as the Year of Women, ICESCO seeks to honor women and promote their leading role and high status as part of ICESCO’s new vision contained in its Strategic Plan 2020-2030. The Vision, Dr. AlMalik added, aims to build an innovative and smart civilizational system for the Muslim world and enable women, youth, and children to exercise their educational, scientific, cultural, technological, and environmental rights.

ICESCO DG reaffirmed that the Celebration’s program includes four lines of action, namely conferences, forums, programs and projects, studies and awards, as well as initiatives.

“These themes focus on the empowerment, rehabilitation, capacity-building and integration of women within society, as well as combating illiteracy, ensuring the right of girls to education and addressing gender discrimination,” he added.

Dr. AlMalik pointed out that this two-pronged program targets women inside ICESCO and in the Member States. “First, it seeks to ensure the principle of equal opportunities, train women leaders, provide a woman-friendly work environment, establish a department for women, provide leadership trainings for as many girls as possible in the fields relevant to the Organization’s fields of action throughout 2021, and honor ICESCO’s female staff members as part of the “Model Women Staff Member Program,” he underscored.

Dr. AlMalik added that in Member States, ICESCO will implement and support women-specific programs and activities, allocate a budget to support women novice innovators and entrepreneurs, train the maximum number of girls and women in the Organization’s areas of competence, and establish a set of specialized women’s networks in the Islamic world.

The DG underscored that “this part of the program aims to enhance the presence of Muslim women in international events and ensure respect for their identity; publish and translate outstanding women’s literary works; provide annual scholarships for talented women in the Organization’s areas of action.”

“ICESCO will also dedicate programs for protecting women against all forms of violence, support Member States in fighting school dropout among girls, reduce the rate of illiteracy among women and distribute from 25,000 up to 50,000 computers to women in Member States, in cooperation with donors and local women’s institutions and associations as well as the National Commissions,” highlighted Dr. AlMalik.

After reviewing the broad lines of ICESCO’s programs and activities scheduled for the Year of Women 2021, Dr. AlMalik received journalists’ questions that focused on the details, budget, target groups, and share of rural women in these programs.

Dr. AlMalik along with the heads and directors of ICESCO’s sectors and departments answered all questions, stressing that the programs, which target all girls and women, will be funded in partnership between ICESCO and several cooperating institutions and donors.

The Islamic World Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) and the Moroccan News Agency (MAP) have signed a media partnership agreement. The measure includes a joint implementation of several practical programs and projects to train journalists and media professionals from the ICESCO Member States, particularly in Africa, co-organize international media conferences, and cooperate in the areas of publishing and production of information materials.

Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, ICESCO Director-General (DG), and Mr. Khalil Hachimi Idrissi, MAP DG, signed the agreement today, February 8, 2021, at ICESCO’s Headquarters, in Rabat, with the presence of many directors from ICESCO and MAP.

In a statement at the signing ceremony, Dr. AlMalik stressed the agreement constitutes a fresh start of cooperation between the Organization and the Agency.

“This agreement aims at implementing major and impactful programs and projects in capacity-building and training in the field of media. ICESCO’s new vision prioritizes support and training of young people as well as investment in manpower.”

Mr. Idrissi stated that the agreement will strengthen the bilateral relations of the two parties and benefit many young media professionals, particularly in the African continent, through training and capacity-building in the field of media.

The agreement provides for co-holding symposia, fora and workshops, and cooperation in preparing, producing, and broadcasting information materials in paper and digital publication, in addition to the 7th International Conference of International News Agencies that MAP will hold in in Marrakech, in 2022.

The two parties will also form a joint committee for monitoring and overseeing the implementation of the agreement, particularly the development of a results-based action plan, the preparation of the implementation schedule and modalities, and the submission of periodic reports to the officials concerned on the progress of the projects.

Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General (DG) of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), received yesterday at the headquarters of the Organization, Dr. Stéphane Monney Mouandjo, DG of the Pan African Intergovernmental Organization (CAFRAD). The meeting explored the new prospects of cooperation and partnership between the two parties, mainly on practical projects and programs.

During the meeting, Dr. AlMalik reviewed the various structural changes and developments at ICESCO and highlighted the main aspects of the Organization’s vision and new strategy of action. The measure promotes an open-door policy and partnerships with regional and international organizations and bodies to benefit Member States and Muslim communities around the world. He also shed light on the major projects and programs of ICESCO in the coming period.

Dr. Mouandjo highlighted the working mechanisms and the main programs and projects of CAFRAD, particularly responsible public governance, trainings in various areas, knowledge transfer, and capacity-building. He also expressed his delight to visit ICESCO headquarters and discover the changes that had taken place while stressing the Centre’s willingness to cooperate with ICESCO as part of the common projects for similar target groups.

Dr. AlMalik and Dr. Mouandjo agreed to draft a new agreement between ICESCO and CAFRAD, which would include highly beneficial programs and projects.

The delegation of CAFRAD then met with the directors of sectors and departments, as well as the advisors and experts at ICESCO. The meeting explored the details and the means to ensure the success of the proposed cooperation programs and projects in 2021. The two parties also stressed the importance of the strategic partnership taking into account their common interests and objectives while considering this meeting as a new start for a fresh and constructive partnership.

At the close of the meeting, the two parties agreed to prepare the new partnership agreement between ICESCO and CAFRAD to sign as soon as possible.

The Director-General (DG) of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), Dr. Salim Al-Malik, received yesterday, at the Organization’s headquarters in Rabat, the credentials of MohammadHumayun Azizi, Ambassador of Afghanistan to France, as permanent representative of his country to ICESCO.

During the meeting, Dr. Al-Malik reaffirmed that ICESCO, as part of its new vision and action strategy, enhanced communication with its Member States and designed programs and projects as per the priorities and needs of each Member State. He pointed out that cooperation between the Organization and Afghanistan will grow during in the coming period.

Ambassador Azizi expressed Afghanistan’s keenness on ensuring constructive cooperation with ICESCO in the fields of education, science, and culture, while appreciating the excellent action that the Organization carried out during the COVID-19 pandemic and its support for the efforts of several of its Member States in facing the pandemic.

The Islamic World Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Imam Bukhari International Scientific Research Center (IBISRC) in Uzbekistan to promote cooperation in the field of culture. The measure is part of the celebration program of Bukhara as the Asian Region’s Capital of Islamic Culture for 2020.

Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, ICESCO Director-General (DG), and Dr. Shovosil Ziyodov, Director of IBISRC, signed the memorandum, on Monday, February 1, 2021, in a virtual signing ceremony.

The MoU provides for cooperation between the two parties in the fields of digital heritage and publishing, restoring and publicizing manuscripts, as well as co-holding international symposia on Islamic thought, philosophy, and heritage.

The memorandum is the result of the videoconference of Dr. AlMalik with Dr. Furkat Sidikov, Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister of Uzbekistan, last August. The meeting explored the cooperation prospects in safeguarding, restoring, studying manuscripts, and training several specialists in the field in the Asian region. IBISRC in Samarkand will host the programs and activities.

The Director-General (DG) of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, received on January 29, at the Organization’s headquarters in Rabat, Arabic calligraphy artist Dr. Mohamed Maghraoui, Professor of Medieval Civilization and History at Mohammed V University in Rabat and Abu Dhabi, Chairman of the National Committee for the Organization of the Mohammed VI Prize for the Art of Arabic Calligraphy in Morocco, to explore cooperation in the field.

Dr. Mohamed Zine El Abidine, Head of Culture and Communication Sector at ICESCO, and Dr. Abdelilah Benarafa, Cultural Advisor to the DG, also attended the meeting that examined the arrangements for setting up the jury of the ICESCO Virtual Prize for Calligraphy, Patterns, and Miniatures and its working mechanism. ICESCO launched the Prize in November 2020, in celebration of Islamic Art Week, with the application deadline set on February 23, 2021.

The meeting touched on the importance of organizing training workshops in Arabic calligraphy and decoration arts for young people, as part of ICESCO’s vision to support the youth, enhance talents and creativity in the field of Arabic calligraphy and ensure its sustainability as an intangible cultural heritage.

Dr. Maghraoui appreciated ICESCO’s distinguished work and the prizes it has launched to support Arabic calligraphy artists and showcase their works. He underscored that the Organization’s virtual prize allows all calligraphers and visual artists to reveal their artistic talents in calligraphy and patterns using virtual technology.

The Director-General (DG) of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, reaffirmed that youth training and capacity-building is a topmost priority for the Organization under its new vision and action strategy. He stated that the leadership incubator that ICESCO launched at the end of 2020 will be followed by 10 incubators designed to equip the Islamic world youth with the future required leadership skills in educational, scientific, and cultural fields.

The DG then watched video-clips and listened to introductory presentations on the new strategy and programs of the Sector of Culture and Communication that a group of young interns at ICESCO prepared under the supervision of the Chief of the Sector and its experts. Dr. AlMalik expressed his ambition that by the end of 2021 interns would outnumber staff members and that youth from all Member States would come to conduct internships at the Organization.

Posing for a photo with the young interns, ICESCO DG lauded the work and creative ideas of the interns, which reflect the benefits from the expertise of the staff of ICESCO. He also stressed that ICESCO will continue implementing the initiatives to contribute to capacity-building, training, and rehabilitation of the Islamic world youth for a better future for them and their countries and that the Organization will announce the launch of the “Youth Council.”

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.