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On Wednesday (June 8, 2022), the Headquarters of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) witnessed the opening of the Second International Conference on Countering Violent Extremism, under the theme “Collective Intelligence in Facing Terrorism and Building CVE/PVE Strategies,” being held by the Moroccan Observatory on Extremism and violence, in partnership with ICESCO, The General Delegation for Prison Administration and Reintegration (DGAPR) of Morocco, Mohammadia League of Scholars, and the Policy Center for the New South, with the participation of several experts, researchers and representatives of international and regional organizations and institutions, and centers of thought and strategy.

The three-day conference began with the recitation of verses from the Holy Qur’an, then Ambassador Khaled Fathalrahman, Director of ICESCO Center for Civilizational Dialogue, presented the work of the sessions.

During the opening ceremony, Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, ICESCO Director-General, gave an address wherein he stressed that the collective intelligence in combating terrorism and violent extremism is not only a means that inquires, anticipates, expands and absorbs, but also an end that underlines the importance of the inspiring human partnership, which is a desired civilizational demand.

“The goals of collective intelligence are imposed by the urgent need to build common policies and mechanisms among the various stakeholders. In this regard, ICESCO draws on a very clear vision that turns its fields of competence into vital platforms to develop ideas and solid plans for confronting the currents of extremism through awareness-raising. As part of this vision, the Center for Civilization Dialogue published the Encyclopedia of Deconstructing the Discourse of Extremism, in partnership with the Muslim World League and the Muhammadiyah League of Scholars.

For his part, Mr. El Mostafa Rezrazi, President of the Moroccan Observatory on Extremism and Violence, tackled the rationale behind the theme of the conference. “There are still imbalances in international cooperation in the field of combating terrorism, which we are trying to overcome with social intelligence,” he stressed.

In a video speech, Mr. Waixeung Chen, Acting Executive Director of the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Executive Directorate, underscored that terrorist groups are spreading in a large number of conflict areas and that the COVID-19 pandemic has increased the scale of social problems that lead to violence, calling for continued collective efforts to face violence.

Mr. Abdelouahed Jamali El Idrissi, Coordinator of Mohammed VI Foundation for the Reintegration of Prisoners, noted the importance of rehabilitating perpetrators of violent and terrorist crimes, reviewing the institution’s reintegration programmes for inmates within society, and building mutual trust.

Mr. Haboub Cherkaoui, Director of the Bureau of Legal Investigations of the Kingdom of Morocco, stated that resolutely confronting terrorism requires the adoption of a comprehensive vision, social intelligence and optimal formulas to unify visions, proposals and solutions to eradicate extremism.

Mr. Abderahim Hanine, Presidency of Public Prosecution, pointed out that terrorist groups have developed their mechanisms through the Internet given its openness to a wide audience.

Mr. Mohammed Loulichki, Former UN Ambassador and Researcher at the Policy Center for the New South, underlined that eliminating the phenomenon of terrorism is a major challenge for the international community, which is making great efforts in this field.

Mr. Carlos Monteiro Reis, Head of the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism and Training (UNOCT) in Africa, stressed that through its support for the Office, Morocco is contributing to the UN orientations and training countries to obtain knowledge and address the various dimensions of the phenomenon of terrorism.

Mr. Mohammed Belekbir, Head of the Center for Research and Studies on Values at Mohammadia League of Scholars, stated that violent extremism is manufactured as people are not born extremists, stressing that this behavior is incited by extremist groups and it is possible to manufacture the opposite of extremism.

The first session then began on the topic “Extremism and Religious Discourses: Narratives of Extremism and Counter-Narratives.”

Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General (DG) of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), stressed the importance of promoting and developing investment given its instrumental role in generating employment opportunities, noting that innovation and creativity are paramount to keep pace with the skills of the future and sustain the growth of businesses and institutions.

This statement came in his address during the regional conference on “The Future of Labor and the Role of Entrepreneurship and MSMES in a Post-Covid-19 world,” organized by the Moroccan Ministry of Economic Inclusion, Small Business, Employment and Skills. The event is held in Rabat, capital of the Kingdom of Morocco, and via videoconference, on June 7-8, 2022, in partnership with the African Development Bank Group (AfDB), and several international institutions.

During the session on the future of employment after the pandemic, ICESCO DG reviewed the Organization’s initiatives geared toward enhancing employment in the fields of education, science and culture, emphasizing that ICESCO’s new vision supports the efforts of Member States to remain in sync with the changing global landscape by upgrading educational systems, strengthening infrastructure, promoting green, sustainable economy, and investing in future professions.

Dr. AlMalik also reviewed ICESCO’s efforts towards boosting employment, mainly through supporting innovation and entrepreneurship among women and girls during the pandemic and turning the repercussions into income-generating opportunities for them by encouraging the local production of sanitary and protective equipment. He also referred to ICESCO’s programme for training youth in creating and developing small projects in the field of technology and innovation, and the leadership incubators aimed at equipping the Islamic world’s youth with the requisite skills in education, science and culture.

Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General (DG) of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), received Mr. Nasreddine Nsibi, Minister of Employment and Vocational Training of the Republic of Tunisia, where they discussed ways to enhance cooperation between ICESCO and Tunisia, especially in the field of youth training and capacity-building.

During the meeting, held on Tuesday, June 7, 2022, at ICESCO Headquarters in Rabat, in the presence of a group of heads of sector, department and center at the Organization, Dr. AlMalik reviewed the mainline of ICESCO’s vision and strategic orientations to anticipate the future and serve the Islamic world.

The meeting touched upon ICESCO’s key programmes on youth training and capacity-building to keep pace with tomorrow’s professions and future labor market challenges, including the Leadership Training in Peace and Security Programme; the Youth Training Programme on how to create and develop small projects in the field of technology and innovation; ICESCO incubators to support youth and the Young Professionals Programme; as well as the possibility of cooperation between the Organization and the Republic of Tunisia in these leading programmes.

For his part, the Tunisian Minister commended ICESCO’s qualitative leap, openness and innovative thinking, which helped the Organization succeed in its great achievements for the benefit of Member States.

Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General (DG) of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), received Mr. Abdoulaye Diop, Minister of Culture and Communication of the Republic of Senegal, and together they explored avenues for enhancing cooperation between the Organization and Senegal in the cultural field.

During the meeting, which was held on Friday, June 3, 2022, at ICESCO headquarters in Rabat, the two parties emphasized their keenness to maintain the distinguished relations between ICESCO and Senegal, in light of the Organization’s vision and action strategy, which rests upon greater communication with Member States to identify their needs and priorities and devise programmes and activities accordingly.

The meeting touched upon the major programmes and activities that were implemented in cooperation between ICESCO and the competent authorities in Senegal. The two parties also discussed mechanisms for enhancing cooperation on heritage preservation, mainly through the inscription of Senegalese sites and cultural elements on ICESCO’s Islamic World Heritage List, as well as youth capacity-building and leadership training for peace and security.

For his part, the Senegalese Minister hailed the development and modernization that ICESCO has witnessed, and commended the support it provides to Member States in its areas of competence, underscoring Senegal’s keenness to sustain its fruitful cooperation with the Organization.

The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) and the Government of the Lebanese Republic signed an agreement on humanitarian assistance to secure the return of Lebanese students who were pursuing their studies in Ukraine and were stranded in neighboring countries.

The agreement was signed at ICESCO Headquarters on Friday, June 3, 2022, by Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, ICESCO Director-General (DG), and Mr. Ziad Atallah, the Lebanese Ambassador to the Kingdom of Morocco.

During the signing, Dr. Al-Malik reaffirmed ICESCO’s eagerness to enhance cooperation with the Lebanese Republic in the fields of education, science and culture, as part of its new vision based on an open-door approach to all stakeholders to establish partnerships to support youth capacity-building in the Islamic world.

For his part, Ambassador Ziad Atallah expressed the gratitude and appreciation by government and people of Lebanon to ICESCO for its support, especially during the difficult circumstances the country is going through, noting that this humanitarian assistance from ICESCO will contribute to solving a major problem facing some Lebanese families of the currently stranded students.

The Lebanese ambassador valued ICESCO efforts in promoting regional cooperation and exchanging expertise and experiences, noting the high-quality activities that the Organization held to address important issues for the youths in the Islamic world and contribute to strengthening their sense of belonging.

Dr. Abdelilah Benarfa, Deputy DG, Ambassador Khaled Fath Al-Rahman, Head of the Center for Civilizational Dialogue, and Mr. Mohamed Hedi Shili, Head of the Department of Legal Affairs and International Standards, attended the signing of the agreement.