Category: Front Page

he Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), in partnership with the Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al Saud Foundation, and in cooperation with ICESCO’s Regional Office in Baku, held the closing ceremony of the Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al Saud International Program for Language Training: Arabic Language in Central Asia. The program benefited more than 200 educators and postgraduate students across six phases in Central Asia, covering Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Kazakhstan (two phases in Almaty and Turkistan), as well as Bashkortostan.

The closing ceremony, held on Monday, 22 June 2026, at ICESCO’s Regional Office in the Azerbaijani capital, was attended by ambassadors of several countries accredited to Azerbaijan, led by Mr. Essam bin Saleh Al Jutaili, Ambassador of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques in Baku, along with representatives of the universities that hosted the training program and several Azerbaijani government officials. The ceremony featured artistic performances reflecting the cultural heritage of Central Asia.

The ceremony opened with remarks by Dr. Abdulhakeem AlSenan, Director of ICESCO’s Regional Office in Baku; Mr. Saleh bin Ibrahim Al-Khulaifi, Director-General of the Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al Saud Foundation; Dr. Majdi Hajj Ibrahim, Head of the Arabic Language Center for Non-Arabic Speakers at ICESCO; and Mr. Farrukh Jumayev, Secretary-General of the Azerbaijani National Commission for Education, Science and Culture. All speakers commended the cooperation between ICESCO, the Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al Saud Foundation, and the host universities.

The speakers praised the training program for fostering scientific and educational exchange, promoting the status of the Arabic language and its civilization, and promoting cultural diversity through building bridges of communication among ICESCO’s Member States and their peoples, particularly in Central Asia.

It is worth noting that this program was organized under a strategic partnership between ICESCO and the Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al Saud Foundation, in cooperation with several universities in the host countries, namely Eurasian University in Baku, Tashkent State University of Oriental Studies, Bishkek State University, Al-Farabi University, Khoja Akhmet Yassawi University, and the Russian Islamic University. Training was delivered by three experts from ICESCO’s Center for Arabic Language for Non-Arabic Speakers.

The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) held an academic lecture on Monday, 22 June 2026, at its headquarters in Rabat, as part of its “Global Thinkers at ICESCO” series, titled “Manuscript Terminology in the East and West.” The lecture was delivered by Dr. Ahmed Chaouki Binebine, Curator of the Hassania Royal Library in Morocco, in the presence of a number of experts and researchers specializing in manuscripts from the Arab world.

The lecture began with an address by Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, ICESCO Director-General, delivered on his behalf by Dr. Abdelillah Benarafa, Deputy Director-General, wherein he emphasized that manuscript heritage is a significant part of Arab and Islamic civilization, being the most enduring and comprehensive repository of knowledge from previous civilizations, and the richest in subject matter.

He also highlighted the numerous connections between Arabic manuscripts and those written in other languages, noting that Western philologists played a significant early role in studying manuscripts and defining their terminology, alongside valuable Arab contributions that helped shape the lexicon of codicology.

During the lecture, moderated by Dr. Idham Hanash, Director of the Calligraphy and Manuscripts Center at ICESCO, Dr. Binebine explained that the preparation of the “Dictionary of Arabic Manuscript Terminology: A Codicological Lexicon,” which he co-authored with Dr. Mustapha Toubi, was based on an inductive approach aimed at reviving neglected manuscript terminology. He described manuscripts as one of the key elements of tangible heritage and a living memory preserving the Ummah’s connection to its scientific and cultural past.

The speaker traced the development of manuscript terminology in both Western and Eastern contexts, reviewing scholars’ contributions to advancing manuscript concepts in Arab and non-Arab settings. He noted that the first project to compile a dictionary of manuscript terminology in the Western world dates back to 1953.

Dr. Binebine also addressed Arabic manuscript terminology, highlighting that early scholarly attention to terminology was initially linked to the vocabulary of the Holy Quran and the Prophetic Hadith as well as their interpretation. The need for new lexicons only emerged later, as knowledge expanded and Islamic society evolved.

The meeting concluded with scholarly discussions on the importance of unifying manuscript terminology, strengthening codicological studies in the Islamic world, and enhancing cooperation among specialized institutions to preserve, catalogue and restore manuscripts, making them accessible to researchers.

Rabat: 23 June 2026
As part of its International Forum “Culture for Rethinking the World,” the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) held the sixth session of its program “Artists of the World, Guests at ICESCO,” under the theme “Art, Music, and Cultural Management,” with the participation of a number of specialists and experts, marking World Music Day, observed annually on 21 June.

The meeting, held on Friday, 19 June 2026, was opened by Dr. Mohamed Zinelabidine, Head of ICESCO’s Culture Sector, who emphasized the importance of music and the arts in building societies, highlighting ICESCO’s role in promoting cultural exchange, knowledge sharing, and dialogue among creators, academics, and professionals working in the cultural field.

Soprano Samira Kadiri, a specialist in Mediterranean musical heritage, delivered a presentation in which she reviewed the richness of historical interactions among Arab, Andalusian, and Mediterranean musical traditions, noting that music represents a unique space for intercultural dialogue. She also addressed her experience in opera singing, calling for the adoption of creative approaches that combine cultural authenticity with artistic innovation.
For his part, Dr. Fakher Hakima, Director of the Higher Institute of Music of Sousse, Tunisia, focused on the central role of higher artistic education in cultural development, stressing the need to strengthen links between academic institutions, creative sectors, and public policies, so that universities can serve as a genuine driver of cultural and economic development.

Mr. Mahmoud Lemseffer, a Moroccan expert in cultural management, highlighted the importance of music festivals in developing cultural and creative industries, fostering intercultural dialogue, and strengthening openness to the world. He also underlined the need to accord culture a more prominent place within public policies, strengthening mechanisms to support artists, and protecting copyright.

The meeting concluded with remarks by Dr. Idham Hanash, Director of the Center for Calligraphy and Manuscripts at ICESCO, who shed light on the importance of cultural geography in understanding the trajectories of artistic and musical influence and interaction within the Islamic world. He also referred to historical influences originating in Iraq that contributed to shaping musical traditions and enriching Andalusian heritage.

The Directorate General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) organized a celebratory day dedicated to traditional national attire in its Member States, in an initiative reflecting pride in cultural heritage and shared civilizational identity. The event featured a wide variety of traditional garments in a vivid display that showcased the richness and diversity of cultural heritage across the Islamic world and highlighted the historical, symbolic, and aesthetic significance embodied in national dress.

During the celebration, Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General of ICESCO, emphasized that this initiative reflects the richness of cultural diversity in the Islamic world and underscores the important place occupied by traditional attire as a component of national identity and a means of expressing the distinctive civilizational characteristics of peoples.

Dr. AlMalik noted that over the past six years, the Organization has worked to attract the largest possible number of qualified professionals from its Member States, and that ICESCO’s staff now represent more than 40 countries from within and beyond the Islamic world, which was visibly reflected in this celebration.

ICESCO has designated Friday of every week as National Dress Day, with the aim of strengthening pride in cultural identity and showcasing the civilizational diversity that characterizes its Member States.

Through such initiatives, ICESCO remains committed to safeguarding tangible and intangible cultural heritage and promoting awareness of its importance in reinforcing a sense of belonging and pride in identity, in line with its mission to support cultural diversity and encourage civilizational dialogue among Member States.

The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) held an international online training workshop titled “New Policies for Cultural Professions and Employability” as part of the series “ICESCO: Leadership in New Cultural Policies 2021–2029,” with the participation of over 160 experts, researchers, and representatives of cultural institutions and National Commissions from 22 countries.
Opening the workshop, held on Thursday 11 June 2026, Dr. Mohamed Zinelabidine, Head of the Culture Sector at ICESCO, stressed that culture has become a key driver of development, innovation, and societal transformation. He emphasized the need to integrate the cultural dimension into the development policies of Member States and to strengthen the position of cultural identity as one of the principal foundations for building balanced and sustainable societies.

For his part, Mr. Anar Karimov, Head of the Partnerships and International Cooperation Sector at ICESCO, who moderated the session, explained that the development of cultural policies remains dependent on the availability of accurate data and specialized studies. He noted that the absence of reliable indicators limits the ability to demonstrate the true contribution of culture to economic, social, and civilizational development.

During the workshop’s keynote presentation, Dr. Rim Jellouli, ICESCO external expert specializing in cultural policies and sustainable development, presented the outcomes and tools of the ICESCO 2025 Strategy on Cultural Professions and Employability. The Strategy is structured around three main pillars: a framework for sustainable and innovative cultural and creative economies, the ICESCO Reference Framework for Cultural Professions and Competencies, and a roadmap toward 2030 aimed at supporting Member States in developing information systems dedicated to cultural employment.

Dr. Jellouli further explained that cultural and creative industries contribute, on average, 3.1% of gross domestic product (GDP), although with significant variation among countries. She also noted that 43% of ICESCO Member States have not yet adopted reliable indicators related to cultural employment, underscoring the need to develop modern measurement tools that support the integration of culture into development planning priorities.

The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) launched a new measurement tool aimed at supporting cultural and creative industries in its Member States during a training workshop entitled “ICESCO Index for Cultural and Creative Technologies.” The workshop was held in a hybrid format at ICESCO headquarters in Rabat, with over 190 participants from 23 countries, including researchers, experts, representatives of National Commissions, Ministries of Culture, and creative institutions.

In his opening remarks at the workshop, attended by Ms. Raja Youssefi, Chargé d’Affaires at the Embassy of Tunisia in Rabat, Dr. Mohamed Zinelabidine, Head of the Culture Sector at ICESCO, stressed that cultural and creative technologies have become a strategic driver of sustainable development and innovation. He emphasized the importance of developing reliable indicators to support the formulation of data-driven cultural policies and noted that the launch of the index forms part of the series “ICESCO: Leadership in New Cultural Policies 2021–2029.”

Subsequently, Ms. Saloua Abdelkhalek, Director-General of the International Tunisian Center for Digital Cultural Economy, delivered a presentation on the Center’s role in supporting innovative initiatives in cultural and creative industries, highlighting the growing impact of digital tools in advancing cultural ecosystems across the Islamic world.

For his part, Dr. Mohamed Amine Hammami, artist and international expert in digital creativity and digital culture, presented the structure of the new index, explaining that it is built around 47 indicators distributed across nine pillars: digital innovation, skills, infrastructure, the market, regulatory framework, audience engagement, sustainability, data and artificial intelligence, as well as cooperation and partnerships.

The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), in cooperation with the Naif Arab University for Security Sciences (NAUSS), held a panel discussion titled: “Employing Artificial Intelligence Tools in Managing Security-Related Media Crises and Their Societal Impact” on Wednesday, 10 June 2026, in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The event was organized as part of the scientific forum “The Role of Media Security in Enhancing Societal Security,” with the aim of strengthening media security as a fundamental pillar of comprehensive national and societal security through addressing the challenges of the modern digital environment and promoting integration among the media, security, and technology sectors.

Dr. Barakat Al-Wegyan, Head of the Communication Division at ICESCO’s Media and Communication Sector, reviewed the Organization’s and the Sector’s efforts to enhance media and digital literacy and build the capacities of institutions and individuals through their training programs and specialized initiatives, thereby contributing to the promotion of media security and the fight against misinformation.

He also highlighted the impact of AI on transforming the nature of media crises and the consequent need to develop mechanisms for monitoring, verification, and rapid response in order to curb the spread of disinformation and safeguard public awareness.

Mr. Khalid Alshammari, Director of Strategic Communications and Media at the Pilgrim Experience Program, addressed the role of security media and the use of AI tools in organizing the Hajj season. He emphasized the importance of strategic communication in supporting crowd management, building trust, and delivering media messages that keep pace with field requirements.

For his part, Mr. Hadi Alfakeeh, expert in strategic communication and former leader within the Saudi Vision 2030 ecosystem, explained that successful media crisis management requires integration between technical and communication dimensions. He stressed the importance of preparedness and the development of flexible communication strategies capable of responding to the rapidly evolving digital environment.

The session concluded with an open discussion during which participants’ questions were addressed and views were exchanged on the topics covered by the panel.