Category: Front Page

Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), received Mr. Yuyu Sutisna, the newly appointed Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Indonesia to the Kingdom of Morocco, on Thursday, 23 October 2025. The meeting explored prospects for expanding cooperation and partnership between ICESCO and Indonesia in the fields of culture, science, and education.

Dr. AlMalik congratulated Ambassador Sutisna on his appointment and wished him success in his new duties. He reviewed ICESCO’s efforts in supporting its Member States and its initiatives in environmental protection, education, science, culture, and the Arabic language. He also emphasized the importance of enhancing cooperation with Indonesia in these areas and expressed the Organization’s willingness to support Indonesia in capacity-building, innovation, and cultural exchange.

For his part, Ambassador Sutisna thanked Dr. AlMalik for the warm welcome and commended ICESCO’s initiatives and its role in empowering youth and women in the Islamic world. He reaffirmed his country’s commitment to strengthening cooperation with the Organization.

The two parties agreed to develop a roadmap for future cooperation, building on the success of previous joint activities, notably the regional project “Language Immersion for Arabic Learners in Southeast Asia” and partnerships with Indonesian universities and scientific institutions to promote scientific research, raise environmental awareness, and enhance Arabic language education.

The meeting was attended by Prof. Raheel Qamar, Head of the Science & Environment Sector; Mr. Anar Karimov, Head of the Partnerships and International Cooperation Sector; Dr. Salim Al Habsi, Director of the General Secretariat of National Commissions and Conferences; and Dr. Fahman Fathurrahman, Expert at the Science and Environment Sector.

The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) has obtained the accreditation of the “ICESCO Journal of Arabic Language” by the Arab Impact Factor, a specialized index for Arabic-language journals that provides both quantitative and qualitative assessments to rank and classify journals based on their scientific merit. The evaluation criteria include the originality of research papers, the quality of editing and peer review systems, regularity of publication, citation frequency, and adherence to research ethics and academic publishing standards.

This accreditation, granted to the journal supervised by ICESCO’s Center of Arabic for Non-Arabic Speakers, marks an important first step toward meeting the requirements of scientific publishing in universities across the Arab and Islamic worlds. It also reflects the significance of the Arab Impact Factor in offering an evaluation environment that aligns with the uniqueness of the Arabic language and content.

The Arab Impact Factor aims to raise the quality of scientific publishing in Arabic, thereby enhancing the journal’s standing in the research community and encouraging scholars to continue producing scientific work in the Arabic language. This contributes to supporting the cultural and intellectual identity of the Arab and Islamic worlds, in accordance with objective criteria that are consistent with international standards.

On this occasion, the Editorial Board of the Journal renews its invitation to experts and specialists to submit their rigorous scientific studies for peer review and publication in upcoming issues, by registering via the link:

🔗 https://ijal.icesco.org/index.php/journal/index

Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), received Ambassador Ahmed Nihad Abdel-Latif, Ambassador of the Arab Republic of Egypt to the Kingdom of Morocco, on Tuesday, 21 October 2025, at ICESCO Headquarters in Rabat. The meeting focused on exploring avenues of joint cooperation between ICESCO and Egypt in the fields of education, science, culture, and heritage preservation.

During the meeting, Ambassador Abdel-Latif submitted the nomination file for the inscription of the Dendera Temple archaeological site on ICESCO’s Islamic World Heritage List, as part of Egypt’s efforts to protect its cultural and civilizational heritage.

The two sides also discussed ongoing preparations for the inauguration of the Grand Egyptian Museum, scheduled for 1 November 2025, and the possibility of broadcasting the inauguration proceedings in ICESCO’s Conference Hall at the Organization’s headquarters in Rabat.

The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) held a workshop on Tuesday, 21 October 2025, as part of its Forum “Culture for Rethinking the World,” focusing on the importance of recovering African cultural property. During the event, researchers Benjamin Brou, French Ivorian academic and writer, and Eleni Lazidou from Greece, presented their new book “Sur l’art africain,” published in 2025 by L’Harmattan.

In his opening remarks, Dr. Mohamed Zinelabidine, Head of the Culture Sector at ICESCO, emphasized the need to safeguard cultural rights in Africa and to promote research and creativity across disciplines to honor the continent’s aesthetic and civilizational memory. He reaffirmed ICESCO’s commitment to supporting initiatives that restore value to heritage and broaden access to it.

Brou and Lazidou outlined the key themes of their book. Brou revisited Africa’s history and the injustices it endured, highlighting the moral symbolism of recovering cultural property as a means of reclaiming a past whose richness and value had been obscured. Lazidou stressed the need for a shared path between Africa and the West to ensure cultural rights, including the restitution of looted or confiscated African artifacts and the affirmation of African heritage.

The workshop was moderated by Ms. Zineb Bougrine, expert at ICESCO’s Culture Sector, and attended by Dr. Mohamed Abba Ousmane, also a specialist in the same sector. Together with the authors, they discussed the book’s content and the questions it raises regarding cultural policies, memory, and heritage preservation in Africa.

The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), in partnership with the Statistical, Economic and Social Research and Training Centre for Islamic Countries (SESRIC) and the Standing Committee on Scientific and Technological Cooperation (COMSTECH), concluded a virtual capacity-building training session on sustainable water management for Member States of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). The session, held on October 15-16, 2025, brought together over 60 experts and researchers from 15 OIC Member States.

In his opening remarks, Dr. Fahman Fathurrahman, Expert in the Science and Environment Sector at ICESCO, stated that the training aimed to support national capacities in water governance, promote innovation, and facilitate the exchange of best practices to address water scarcity and climate change challenges. He noted that urbanization and population growth are intensifying water stress.

Dr. Fathurrahman also reaffirmed ICESCO’s commitment to four key priorities: climate-smart agriculture, non-conventional water resources, integrated governance through the water-energy-food-ecosystems nexus approach, and building resilience to water-related risks.

COMSTECH emphasized the role of science and technology in addressing water issues and called for enhanced cooperation among Member States to develop integrated and effective policies. SESRIC highlighted the importance of capacity building and data-driven policymaking to support integrated water resource management and climate adaptation strategies.

The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) held a panel discussion titled: “Trustworthy AI in Practice: Transparency, Accountability, and Societal Alignment,” in partnership with Princess Sumaya University for Technology (PSUT) and Pakistan’s COMSATS University. The panel discussion took place on the sidelines of the Organization’s participation in the International Conference on Application of Emerging Technologies and AI for Advancing Science, Technology and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), held in Amman, Jordan, from 14–15 October 2025.

In his opening remarks, Dr. Adel Smeda, expert in the ICESCO Science and Environment Sector, emphasized the importance of building AI models that are trustworthy and interpretable. He stressed that making AI systems understandable is not a mere technical luxury but an ethical necessity, warning that the absence of clear accountability frameworks undermines public trust and weakens AI’s capacity to serve sustainable development goals.

During his participation in the conference, Dr. Smeda also discussed steps ICESCO has taken to develop scientific cooperation strategies and knowledge exchange among Islamic countries, including the launch of the Riyadh Charter on AI Ethics in the Islamic World and the preparation of a study titled “Promoting Scientific Diplomacy: Roadmap to the Strategy of ICESCO Member States.”

Professor Raheel Qamar, Head of Science and Environment Sector at the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), presented the Organization’s strategy for building resilient, sustainable, and smart cities in its Member States during the 3rd Azerbaijan National Urban Forum (NUFA3), held in the cities of Khankendi and Baku on Wednesday, 15 October 2025. His intervention took place during a panel session titled “Interplay Between Mobility, Data, and Spatial Planning: Innovative Urban Solutions.”

In this context, Professor Qamar emphasized that mobility, data, and spatial planning constitute the living system of a city and determine whether it merely survives or thrives. He called for leveraging digital technologies as tools to empower people, protect the environment, and drive inclusive development.

Professor Raheel showcased pioneering initiatives by the Organization in this field, notably the “Digital Twin of Marrakech” project, which employs smart technologies to safeguard and promote cultural heritage, enhance tourism, and support urban planning. He noted the adaptability of similar models in other countries, including those with limited infrastructure, through data-driven approaches.

Furthermore, Professor Raheel outlined the key components of ICESCO’s smart cities agenda, including the development of the “Smart, Sustainable, and Resilient Cities Program in the Islamic World,” the promotion of policy adoption through ministerial conferences, and innovation programs such as startup competitions and living labs. He reaffirmed ICESCO’s goal to support each Member State in establishing at least one resilient smart city by 2030.

The Forum brought together over 400 representatives from public and private institutions across 60 countries, in addition to delegates from international organizations, academic institutes, and civil society organizations.