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The World Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) concluded its Ramadan Legal Series on Friday, March 13, 2026, by organizing its third and final scientific seminar, titled “Protection of Cultural Property in the Digital Age: Legal Challenges and Solutions.” The event saw the participation of experts and academics specializing in law, cultural heritage, and archaeology.

The webinar, held via videoconference, aimed to examine the growing challenges posed by digital transformation to heritage protection. It considered the opportunities for documentation and preservation offered by technological development, against the backdrop of increasing risks related to the facilitation of illicit trafficking, smuggling, and forgery of cultural property.

The webinar commenced with an opening address by Mr. Mohamed Hedi Shili, Director of the Legal Affairs and International Standards Department at ICESCO. Participants discussed the roles of digital platforms, social media, and e-commerce markets in the emergence of new methods for displaying and selling artifacts illegally, which presents challenges to national legislation and international mechanisms concerned with protecting humanity’s heritage.

Moderated by Dr. Asmaa Mehidioui, expert at the Legal Affairs and International Standards Department, the seminar featured presentations covering comparative dimensions and national experiences. Mr. Tchan Issifou Ibrahim, a legal expert from the Republic of Benin, presented the findings of a comparative study on African legislation to combat the illicit trafficking of cultural property, highlighting the legal and institutional challenges in the context of digital transformations.

Dr. Anas Al Khabour, Associate Professor of Archaeology at Lund University in Sweden, presented the results of a similar study on Asian countries, noting the disparity of legal frameworks, the difficulties of tracing, and the relative weakness in international coordination.

For his part, Dr. Badr bin Nasser Al-Khamisi, Director of the Legal Department at the Ministry of Heritage and Tourism in the Sultanate of Oman, presented the Omani experience in protecting cultural property, explaining the most prominent methods of smuggling and illicit trafficking, including the exploitation of digital technologies and platforms to market artifacts outside legal channels. In turn, Professor Fethi Jerray, Professor of Archaeology and Cultural Heritage at the University of Tunis, focused on the potential of digitization and artificial intelligence in the documentation, archiving, and recording of cultural property.

At the close of the webinar, the participants emphasized the necessity of updating legal and institutional frameworks to keep pace with rapid digital transformations, enhancing international and regional cooperation, and exchanging expertise to combat the illicit trafficking of cultural property and protect heritage.

The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) held on Monday, 9 March 2026, the first webinar titled “Ethical Considerations of AI in Education,” as part of its Ramadan Legal Series. The series comprises three international scientific webinars featuring experts and academics specializing in AI ethics, the protection of cultural property in the digital age, and the fight against cybercrime.

The webinar, held via videoconference, brought together Mohamed Hedi Shili, Director of the Department of Legal Affairs and International Standards at ICESCO, alongside Prof. Dr. Emmanuel R. Goffi, Professor of Ethics of Artificial Intelligence Applications at the Digital Engineering School (ISEP) in Paris, Dr. Musab AlRawi, Director of the ICESCO Chair for AI Ethics at the University of Technology and Applied Sciences in Muscat, Dr. Hamid Shimal Aldulaimi, specialist in information and communication technology engineering, Dr. Pierre Baz, public policy and strategy expert, and Prof. Dr. Ahmed Ajaoun, Dean of the Faculty of Legal and Political Sciences at Ibn Tofail University in Morocco.

Participants addressed key themes, including the risks of algorithmic bias in educational decision-making, data protection and privacy, institutional responsibility when adopting AI systems, and the importance of human oversight to ensure the safe and ethical use of these technologies.

Moderated by Rana Ezzaddin Alasbahi, expert at the Department of Legal Affairs and International Standards, the webinar also featured an interactive discussion on the institutional challenges facing universities when integrating AI into education, and the need to develop clear governance frameworks and ethical standards that balance technological innovation with the protection of educational values and learners’ rights.

The ICESCO Ramadan Legal Series continues with two additional sessions on 10 and 13 March 2026. The first will examine “Online Manipulation: Legal Responses to the Evolving Challenges of Juvenile Cybercrime,” while the second will address “Protecting Cultural Property in the Digital Age: Legal Challenges and Responses.” Experts, specialists, and researchers may participate in the sessions, which will be held virtually.

The Culture Sector at the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) participated in an international seminar titled “The Arab World in the Twenty-First Century: Challenges to Renaissance and the Absence of a Common Vision,” organized by the Dialogue Lab of the Gulf Research Center, in cooperation with the Arab Thought Forum, via videoconference on Tuesday, 3 March 2026.

In his address, Dr. Mohamed Zine El Abidine, Head of ICESCO’s Culture Sector, stressed the need to focus on comprehensive development, educational, social, economic, and cultural, across the Arab and Islamic worlds, noting that weak development indicators in general continue to hinder progress and growth in Arab societies.

He emphasized that the real priority today lies in enhancing the quality of education, higher education, and scientific research, in addition to strengthening women’s rights, as essential elements for building individuals’ capacities to improve their personal and collective realities.

Dr. Zine El Abidine also reviewed a set of general indicators reflecting the cultural landscape in the Islamic world and highlighted ICESCO’s efforts in promoting culture as a fundamental pillar of sustainable development across its Member States. In this context, he explained that the Organization has proposed the inclusion of an 18TH goal dedicated to culture within the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

The seminar, moderated by Dr. Zaid Alfadeil, Cultural Program Director at the Gulf Research Center, featured insightful contributions and in-depth discussions with the participation of writer Samira Rajab, Dr. Saoud El Mawla, researcher and university professor, and Al-Sadiq Al-Faqih, Sudanese thinker and diplomat. Additional participants were also invited to share their remarks and broaden the scope of discussion.

Ambassador Khalid Fathalrahman, Director of the Center for Civilizational Dialogue at the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), participated in the Expert Workshop on the Protection of Sudanese Cultural Heritage, organized by the Japanese Agency for Cultural Affairs in partnership with the Tokyo National Research Institute for Cultural Properties and in cooperation with the Sudanese Embassy in Japan, with the aim of developing practical projects for the protection and recovery of Sudanese antiquities.

During the workshop’s scientific sessions, which started on Tuesday, February 24, 2026, in the Japanese capital, Tokyo, Ambassador Khalid Fathalrahman shed light on the extent of the destruction inflicted on cultural galleries and heritage museums in Sudan. He also reviewed ICESCO’s efforts to protect Sudanese heritage through several initiatives being prepared by the ICESCO Heritage Center in the Islamic World, including organizing a specialized international conference on heritage protection and launching a capacity-building program. He further outlined his vision for building bilateral cooperation between the Organization and the Japanese government in this regard.

The ongoing workshop features the participation of Sudanese experts alongside representatives of relevant international organizations and includes organized visits to a number of Japanese heritage sites, enabling them to benefit from Japan’s advanced expertise in both restoration and reconstruction.

On the sidelines of the workshop, Mr. Takamasa Saito, Director General of the Tokyo National Research Institute for Cultural Properties, received the participating delegations in the presence of Ambassador Elrayih Yduob, Sudan’s Ambassador to Japan. Mr. Saito affirmed the Institute’s readiness to enhance cooperation with Sudan in the protection of cultural heritage, while Ambassador Yduob emphasized the importance of benefiting from Japanese expertise in the rehabilitation of Sudanese archaeological sites.

The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), in partnership with Oracle’s Research and Development Center in Morocco, held the Second Session of the Regional Workshop on Bridging Curricula and the Tech Industry. The event aimed to support Member States’ efforts in keeping pace with digital transformations and accelerating the development of more effective innovation ecosystems. The workshop brought together about 50 university professors, researchers, and experts from engineering schools and higher education institutions.

Held on Wednesday, February 18, 2026, in Tangier, Kingdom of Morocco, the workshop focused on identifying gaps between academic training and industry needs. Participants explored practical solutions to enhance graduates’ readiness for emerging technologies, improve their employability, and align university programs with the evolving job market.

In this context, Dr. Issam Krimi, an Expert from ICESCO’s Science and Environment Sector, delivered a presentation on the vital role of sustainable partnerships between universities and industries in modernizing curricula and linking them to productive realities, stressing that such collaborations foster innovation-driven development across Member States. Meanwhile, Mr. Mohammed Rashwan, from ICESCO’s Young Professionals Program, highlighted the importance of participatory approaches in program design to bring together academic and economic stakeholders.

The workshop featured two presentations by representatives of the Oracle Center, namely Ms. Yousra Elhatib, Strategy Director, and Ms. Valerie Hayotte, Director of University Skills Development for Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. The two experts proposed practical integration pathways and areas of cooperation to bridge the divide between education and the workforce.

At the close of the workshop, participants stressed the need to build sustainable coordination channels between academic institutions and industry partners and to develop collaboration models that incorporate hands-on training, career guidance, and up-to-date pedagogical content.