Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General (DG) of the
Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), and
Dr. Ghada Abdel Bari, Secretary-General of the Egyptian National Commission for
Education, Science and Culture, paid a visit to the new administrative capital
of the Arab Republic of Egypt on Saturday, September 25, 2021, to examine the
facilities prepared to host ICESCO’s General Conference and the Executive
Council in December 2021.
ICESCO DG also inspected the halls and facilities of
the Conference venue and took stock of the arrangements made to host Member
States’ delegations and the Organization’s General Directorate.
In this connection, Dr. AlMalik commended the
preparations and high-level arrangements made to host the proceedings of the
Organization’s Executive Council, as well as the General Conference which Egypt
is hosting for the first time in the Organization’s history.
Dr. Salim AlMalik,
Director-General (DG) of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization (ICESCO), visited the National Museum of the Egyptian Civilization
in the Fustat area in Cairo, where he listened to a presentation from museum officials about the collection
of Egyptian civilization from all ages, notably the Royal Mummies’ Hall, which
includes the mummies of twenty kings and queens from ancient Egypt.
During the visit to the museum,
which is part of the activities of his visit to the Arab Republic of Egypt, Dr.
AlMalik was accompanied by Dr. Ghada Abdelbary, Secretary-General of the
Egyptian National Commission for Education, Science and Culture.
During the visit, ICESCO DG
expressed his admiration for the museum’s large collection of Egyptian Civilization
treasures from different ages. The
museum is the first of its kind in Egypt and the Arab world as it contains
fifty thousand artifacts that reflect the stages of the development of Egyptian
civilization, in addition to a presentation of the achievements of Egyptians in
various fields of life.
At the kind invitation of Dr. Khaled Abdel Ghaffar, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Chairman of the Egyptian National Commission for Education, Science and Culture, Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director General (DG) of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), attended the meeting of the Supreme Council of Egyptian Universities, hosted at the University of Helwan, on Saturday, September 25, 2021.
Dr. Abdel Ghaffar started the meeting with an address, wherein he welcomed ICESCO DG and highlighted the potential areas of cooperation between the Egyptian universities, ICESCO and the Federation of the Universities of the Islamic World (FUIW), explaining that Dr. AlMalik, FUIW Secretary-General, has a vision that will ensure a fresh start for the Federation. Afterward, Dr. Maged Negm, President of Helwan University, welcomed ICESCO DG and the heads of the participating Egyptian universities. Dr. Ghada Abdelbary, Secretary-General of the Egyptian National Commission, gave a presentation on ICESCO and the cooperation programs with Egypt, including the organization General Conference and Executive Council of ICESCO next December.
At the beginning of his address, Dr. AlMalik expressed his happiness to attend the meeting of the Supreme Council of Universities in the Arab Republic of Egypt, which is the hub of knowledge and scientific and cultural heritage, stressing that it is ripe time to modernize higher education and its structures. He underscored that “the 21st Century University must be in line with various changes to overcome the current challenges as digitization has brought about a profound transformation in learning and working methods, the mentalities of young people and students, and the environment and professions of today and tomorrow.”
Besides, Dr. Al-Malik called on the Egyptian universities that are not members of the FUIW to join the Federation to expand the scope of cooperation between universities in the Islamic World, especially on matters relevant to artificial intelligence, open science, remote education, and review of curricula to keep up with current changes.
In appreciation of his efforts to develop ICESCO and the Federation of the Universities of the Islamic World, Dr. Abdel Ghaffar presented Dr. Al Malik with the shield of the Supreme Council of Universities. Dr. Negm also handed Dr. Al Malik the shield of Helwan University respectively in appreciation of his visit to the University and his participation in the meeting of the Supreme Council of Universities.
After the meeting, ICESCO DG toured the Arts and Culture Complex at Helwan University, which includes more than 2,000 various pieces of art. Dr. Ashraf Reda, CEO of the Complex, reviewed the history, establishment and collection of the Complex.
Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General (DG) of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), held a working session with Dr. Khaled Abdel Ghaffar, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, President of the National Commission for Education, Science and Culture of the Arab Republic of Egypt, and together explored the latest developments on promoting cooperation and the ongoing preparation for Egypt’s hosting of the Organization’s General Conference and Executive Council in December 2021.
During the meeting held, today, Saturday, September 25, 2021, in Cairo, in the presence of Dr. Ghada Abdel Bari, Secretary-General of the Egyptian National Commission, the two parties discussed the key programs and activities to be implemented in 2021-2022 in Egypt in cooperation between ICESCO and said Commission.
Moreover, the meeting discussed the latest preparations for ICESCO General Conference, to be held next December in Egypt for the first time in the history of the Organization. The Conference will see the participation of international personalities who will take part in the different activities to be held on the sidelines of the Conference.
The two parties also explored cooperation between Egyptian universities and the Federation of the Universities of the Islamic World (FUIW), within the framework of the Federation’s new strategy and development plan.
For the second year, the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) is celebrating the Islamic World Heritage Day, an occasion it hopes to become an annual celebration of peoples’ memories and a call to pay due attention to human heritage in general.
The occasion came to existence following the proposal that ICESCO submitted to the 11th Conference of Culture Ministers in the Islamic World, held in Tunis, on Septembre 17, 2019, to proclaim Septembre 25 as the Islamic World Heritage Day. This day is an opportunity to highlight the abundance and diversity of cultural heritage in the countries of the Islamic World and underline the serious efforts exerted to preserve, safeguard, and promote this heritage.
ICESCO reiterates the great interest it accords to preserving human cultural heritage, raising awareness of its significance and roles, and warning against the dangers of its destruction, especially during conflicts. The Organization also recalls the support it has provided for its Member States to build their capacities to better publicize, restore and rehabilitate such heritage by launching several initiatives and issuing numerous declarations that all stress the need to call on public sectors, international and regional organizations, and civil society bodies to work closely together to safeguard cultural heritage in the Islamic world. In this regard, the Islamic World Heritage Committee (IWHC) sustained its efforts to inscribe new heritage sites and elements to develop and promote the historical and civilizational heritage of the Islamic world.
In line with its new strategy which adopts a more comprehensive and realistic vision towards preserving the heritage of the Islamic world, ICESCO, through its Islamic World Heritage, launched several programs and virtual activities in the fields of heritage preservation. These included distance training sessions for professionals working in the various fields of heritage in the Islamic world, in addition to virtual symposia that brought together a host of heritage experts and officials from the Member States and beyond, as well as international organizations active in heritage fields. All these activities share the key goal of discussing heritage issues and shedding light on the negative impact of these unprecedented emergency circumstances on heritage, in a time when almost all heritage sites and museums are still closed.
In the hope that the world crisis caused by the pandemic is over soon, ICESCO calls on regional and international organizations, government institutions, and heritage competent parties to exert more efforts to give due attention to tangible and intangible cultural heritage. It also urges them to continue assuming their roles in publicizing and preserving this heritage and allocate virtual presentation mechanisms and capitalize on AI technology and applications to safeguard and highlight the diversity and abundance of such heritage. Likewise, the Organization calls for taking the necessary measures for a safe reopening of heritage sites and historic landmarks and working towards raising people’s awareness of the significance of preserving this heritage.
Dr. Salim
M. AlMalik, Director-General (DG) of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific
and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), is taking part in the meeting of the
Supreme Council of Universities, in the Arab Republic of Egypt, at the
invitation of Dr. Khaled Abdel Ghaffar, Minister of Higher Education and
Scientific Research, Chairman of the Egyptian National Commission for
Education, Science and Culture.
ICESCO DG participates
in this meeting in his capacity as Secretary-General of the Federation of the
Universities of the Islamic World (FUIW). The meeting which is due to be held
on Saturday, September 25, 2021, at the Arts and Culture Complex, Helwan
University in Cairo, will focus on sharing expertise between the Egyptian
universities and the FUIW and inviting non-member Egyptian universities to join
the Federation.
This
meeting is part of the visit of ICESCO DG to Cairo, which will last from 24
until 27 September 2021, during which he will meet several senior Egyptian
officials to explore the prospects of cooperation between the two parties, the
activities ICESCO suggested to implement in Egypt in 2021-2022, and the preparations
for the General Conference and the Executive Council of the Organization that the
Arab Republic of Egypt will host on December 6-9, 2021.
The Culture and Communication Sector of the
Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) held a
training session on combating illicit trafficking in cultural property, in
cooperation with the Libyan National Commission for Education, Culture and
Science. The purpose of this training course is to train trainees on the steps
to follow to combat illicit trafficking in the property as an attempt to
address this phenomenon that has become global, and many countries suffer from
it especially those experiencing instability.
The session, which was held on September 23, 2021, via videoconference, aims to introduce the
necessary legal and administrative steps to prepare files for the recovery of
cultural properties that were illegally taken, in addition to the relevant
national laws and international agreements.
The session was inaugurated by Dr. Mohamed
Zine ElAbidine, Head of ICESCO Culture and Communication Sector, and Dr. Faraj
AlSuwais, Secretary-General of the Libyan National Commission for Education,
Culture and Science, and presented by Dr. Ahmed
Abdel Zaher, an expert in combating illegal trafficking in cultural property,
and Dr. Osama Al-Nahas, an expert in heritage at ICESCO.
An in-person training session will be held
in Libya, for the benefit of workers in the fields of heritage, during the next
week.
The Headquarters of
the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO),
in Rabat, witnessed, on Thursday, September 23, 2021, the closing ceremony of the
ICESCO Program for Leadership Training in Peace and Security (LTIPS) for women
and youth. The meeting announced the code of engagement of ICESCO Youth Ambassadors
for Peace, and distributed certificates to members of the cohort from more than
20 countries, who are now official peace ambassadors of ICESCO.
The closing ceremony
of LTIPS, implemented in partnership with UNESCO Maghreb Office, the Conference
of Education Ministers of French-speaking Countries (CONFEMEN), the Conference
of Ministers of Youth and Sports of French-speaking Countries (CONFEJES), and
Luanda Conference brought together officials and ambassadors from various countries
and the representatives of a group of international organizations and bodies
both at ICESCO headquarters, in Rabat, and via videoconference.
In his opening
address, Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, ICESCO Director-General (DG), stressed that
peace is an essential component of the Islamic civilization, which is a
prerequisite for building a prosperous society. He underscored that “it is not
possible to build and form an active human capital capable of handling challenges
without peace and security.”
Dr. AlMalik also pointed
out that ICESCO has become a leading Organization in building peace and
security through building its multiple partnerships, and its strategy based on
integrating peace issues in the fields of education, noting that ICESCO’s LTIPS
aims to focus on the essential role of youth and women as builders of peace and
security in their communities.
Mr. Tun Musa bin
Hitam, former Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia, highlighted the importance of women
and youth training programs to form peace ambassadors who contribute to
building peaceful and secure societies, calling for cooperation between all
parties to alleviate the suffering of displaced people in conflict areas.
In a speech delivered
on his behalf by Dr. Mustapha Messaoudi, Secretary-General of the Ministry, Mr.
Othman El Ferdaous, Moroccan Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports, commended
ICESCO’s initiative to train women and youth leaders as active parties in
building peace and citizenship. Dr. Faisal bin Muaammar, Secretary-General
of King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz International Center for Interreligious and
Intercultural Dialogue (KAICED), called for intensifying cooperation to
implement similar training programs that promote a culture of peace and
security.
Mr. ElHadj As Sy,
Chairman of the Board of Kofi Annan Foundation, congratulated ICESCO on the
success of its training program, calling for concerted efforts to combat
violence. Dr. Abdel Rahmane Baba-Moussa, Secretary-General of CONFEMEN,
stressed the importance of improving the quality of education as an essential
way to build safe societies. Mr. Modibo Traoré, Deputy Secretary-General of CONFEJES,
indicated that the conference programs aim to consolidate the principles of
peace and social cohesion through sports activities.
Mr. Salah Khaled,
Director of UNESCO’s Regional Office for Central Africa, commended the ICESCO’s
program aimed at promoting peace and security through training youth and women.
Afterward, the code
of engagement of ICESCO Youth Ambassadors for Peace was read out in the three
languages of the Organization, which stipulates the commitment of the young
ambassadors to take the necessary measures to spread peace and security while
addressing all forms of violence and extremism, focusing on women and youth in
building peace, and refraining from promoting any political agenda or taking any political stance that would undermine the
efforts and missions of ICESCO and its partners.
During the ceremony, four
members of the 2021 cohort of the ICESCO training program received the Peace
Leadership Support Award, and 30 cohort members from more than 20 countries received
certificates of participation to officially become ICESCO Ambassadors for Peace.
At the close of the
ceremony, the winners of the Peace Leadership Support Award presented their
projects. Besides, the participants discovered the future stages of ICESCO’s
LTIPS program.
The
Director-General (DG) of the Islamic World Educational Scientific and Cultural
Organization (ICESCO), Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, received the Ambassador of the
Italian Republic to Morocco, Mr. Armando Barucco. The meeting explored
prospects for cooperation between ICESCO and Italy in the fields of education,
science and culture.
At the
outset of the meeting, held on Wednesday, September 22, 2021, at the Organization’s
headquarters in Rabat, ICESCO DG expressed his gratitude and appreciation to
the Italian government for the good organization of the G20 Interfaith Forum
2021, held in Bologna. The Ambassador, in his turn, stated that one of the
reasons for his visit to ICESCO is to thank Dr. AlMalik for his distinguished
participation in the Forum’s activities.
ICESCO DG reviewed the main axes of the
Organization’s vision and action strategy, stressing that ICESCO adopted an
open-door policy to all countries, international organizations, and bodies to forge
partnerships for the benefit of its Member States and Muslim communities around
the world. He also highlighted the Organization’s interest in civilizational dialogue
and its effort in anchoring the values of coexistence and peace and training
and building capacities for youth and women.
Dr.
AlMalik stated that safeguarding heritage and restoring cultural artifacts are
among the fields that have broad prospects for cooperation between ICESCO and
Italy. The latter is known for its ancient civilization, invaluable heritage
treasures, and distinguished expertise especially in utilizing modern technologies.
The
Italian ambassador to Rabat commended the roles of ICESCO, stressing his
keenness to build fruitful cooperation between the Organization and Italy, home
to a large Muslim community consisting of Muslim immigrants and others born
there. He also stated that Italy is currently working on the establishment of
an Islamic library in Palermo, which will be one of the largest Islamic
libraries in Europe.
The
meeting brought together several ICESCO’s heads of sector and department, who
gave presentations on the ongoing programs and projects of their sectors and
departments.
Under the theme, “Animal stories,” the 21st edition of Sharjah International Narrator Forum (SNIF) kicked off on Wednesday, September 22, 2021, and saw the participation of 40 countries across the globe as well as ICESCO, UNESCO, and ALECSO. The event, held at Sharjah Expo Center and the headquarters of Sharjah Institute for Heritage, will last until 30 September 2021.
The Forum was opened by H.H. Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmed bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Deputy Ruler of Sharjah. Dr. Abdelilah Benarafa, Deputy Director-General (DG) of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), attended the opening session and presented His Highness with a selection of ICESCO publications in the field of cultural heritage.
Moreover, Dr. Benarafa presented a paper at the opening session on “Institutional Efforts to Safeguard Living Human Treasures,” which discussed ICESCO’s efforts to preserve both tangible and intangible heritage. He explained that ICESCO capitalizes on the inscription on heritage lists, preservation, documentation, and publication to exert such efforts, through the work of its Islamic World Heritage Committee and Islamic Heritage Center, in addition to numerous ICESCO bodies and mechanisms.
Likewise, the ICESCO Deputy DG reaffirmed the significance of cooperation with Sharjah Institute for Heritage, in coordination with ICESCO Regional Office in Sharjah.
At the close of his paper presentation, the ICESCO Deputy DG gave several practical proposals to activate this cooperation, including working towards setting up national systems for safeguarding living human treasures in the Member States, and launching the project to create the “Storyteller House” or the “House of Tales” in every Member State that enjoys a treasure trove of stories. He also proposed launching joint programs in observance of World Storytelling Day, that would include specialized training sessions and workshops on preserving storytelling heritage.
Speaking next were the respective representatives of UNESCO and ALECSO. The opening session was moderated by Dr. Ahmed Bahi Eddine Al-Assas.
The Forum’s first session was dedicated to “Animal Stories in Gulf Drama.” The second session will be held on Thursday, September 23, under the theme “Cultural Heritage in the Sudan,” which will be dedicated to the efforts of Dr. Ahmed Abdel Rahim Nasr, the Forum’s Personality of the Year, in documenting cultural heritage. The Forum’s sessions are all dedicated to animal stories and each focuses on a different perspective such as Emirati heritage, Arab and world heritage, and Arab drama.
