Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General (DG) of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), received Ms. Vasylieva Oksana Yurievna, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to Morocco. They discussed cooperation prospects between ICESCO and Ukraine in the fields of education, science, and culture, as well as Ukraine’s membership to the Organization as an observer.
During the meeting, which took place at the headquarters of ICESCO today, in the presence of several directors and experts of the Organization and the Consul General of Ukraine in Rabat Dr. AlMalik underlined that ICESCO adopts more communication and openness, not only with its Member States but also with non-Member States. The Organization also adopts an open-door policy with international organizations and bodies and civil society institutions, and builds partnerships and cooperation for the benefit of Member States and Muslim societies around the world.
More than two million Muslims live in Ukraine enjoying their full rights, with independent
institutions that represent them before the Ukrainian government. The cooperation in the fields of education, science, and culture would augur well to the new strategic vision the Organization is espousing towards achieving its goal for the benefit not only of its Member States but ideally to ICESCO Observer States as well.
The Ambassador of Ukraine praised the remarkable work that ICESCO accomplished and thanked the DG for his invitation to attend many of the Organization’s rich activities, stressing her country’s desire for more cooperation with ICESCO and the countries of the Islamic world.
There is no
doubt that the COVID-19 pandemic we are facing today has shown the importance
of safe access to water and sanitation.
Yet, even basic practices such as washing hands with soap to avoid the
spread of the virus are not available in most households. This precarious
situation highlights the importance of investing in innovative water technologies
and solutions, water supply systems, sanitation, and hygiene services.
The
international community is celebrating the 22 March of each year, the World Water
Day. The theme of this year is “Valuing Water.” The Islamic World Educational,
Scientific, and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) takes the opportunity to
reiterate its commitment to support its Member States to achieve SDG 6 and all
water-related SDGs.
Indeed, Integrated
management of water resources, improving access to drinking water and
sanitation, as well as facing the challenges of water scarcity, remain among
the main problems of ICESCO’s Member States. The situation is becoming
increasingly difficult when considering the effects of climate change on the water
sector. Many countries are in arid regions, vulnerable to climate change and
experiencing acute water shortage and frequent drought.
This
situation is no longer tolerable. We need to act URGENTLY.
Through its strategy on integrated water resource management, our action plans
have set up several programs. In 2020, ICESCO has launched the ambitious Programme
for Improving Water Sanitation and Hygiene Services in 1000 rural schools in
the Islamic World. The programme targets to improve access to water,
sanitation, and hygiene by helping the Member States implement their projects
in remote areas as well as provide safe and clean water to schools to enhance
youth, girls’ health and education conditions. It will rely on using innovative
technologies and solutions adapted to remote areas.
Furthermore, ICESCO
is supporting the 9th World Water Forum Under the theme “Water Security
for Peace and Development”, which will be held next year in Dakar, in
collaboration with its partners, a comprehensive capacity building Programme for
Transferring Sustainable Water Management Solutions in the Islamic World. This
Programme will consolidate knowledge on sustainable solutions transfer of water
management techniques and technologies, address water scarcity challenges, and
assist Member States to develop financial planning and priority tools to
implement relevant water management programmes to address the global agenda in
the sector (SDGs).
Dr. Salim M.
AlMalik, Director-General (DG) of the Islamic World Educational, Scienctific,
and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), participated virtually, today, March 20,
2021, in the international celebration that the “Museum of Black
Civilizations” in Senegal held in honor of Dr. Ahmadou-Mahtar M’Bow,
former DG of UNESCO, Goodwill Ambassador for ICESCO, on the occasion of his
100th birthday. High-level African Heads of State and several leaders of
international organizations attended the ceremony.
During his address
at the opening session, Dr. AlMalik praised Dr. M’Bow’s cultural and
intellectual legacy to human civilization, as well as the distinguished work he
had done while he was ambassador of goodwill for ICESCO. Dr. M’Bow’s
contributions included his proposal to establish ICESCO’s Regional Center for
Education on the Culture of Peace, which was founded in Yamoussoukro, Côte
d’Ivoire to teach tomorrow’s youth and women leaders to preserve peace.
ICESCO DG praised
the achievements of Dr. M’Bow during his tenure at UNESCO, including the
convention on the protection of the cultural and natural heritage in the world
and its entry into force after a large number of countries ratified it, as well
as his efforts to enhance the protection of neglected heritage sites at risk.
In his speech, Dr.
AlMalik expressed thanks and appreciation, on behalf of ICESCO, to Dr. M’Bow as
one of the few who had worked hard to make our world better. He added that the
former UNESCO DG had received many international awards and honors, all of
which, however, are not enough to appreciate his role.
Dr. Ahmadou-Mahtar
M’Bow held several positions in the field of education in Senegal, before
becoming Minister of Education and Culture in 1957, then he ran several
ministries until 1970, and was elected to the UNESCO Executive Council in 1966,
before being appointed as Assistant DG then DG of the Organization,
respectively in 1970 and from 1974 to 1987.
The Islamic World Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), in cooperation with the Academy of Arab Poetry (KSA), is organizing a major international ceremony to celebrate, on Tuesday March 23rd 2021, the World Poetry Day, under the slogan: “Poets, Wings of Peace, ” to express its interest for the poetry as a sublime world language, as well as its pride of all creative poets.
The ceremony will begin at 9 a.m. (GMT) / 10 a.m. (Rabat time) in face-to-face and virtual modes, at ICESCO headquarters in Rabat. Representatives of high-level international institutions interested in poetry, in addition to eminent poets and poetry specialists, will attend the ceremony to exchange opinions and ideas and debate on poetic institutions and feminine and universal poetry.
The opening session will include a remark by the guest of honor, Mr. Mohamed Benaïssa, President of Assilah International Festival, and the remark of the Academy of Arab Poetry. ICESCO Director-General, Dr Salim M. AlMalik, will recite a ceremonial poem he produced on this occasion, while the poet Mohamed Achaâri, winner of 2020 Argana International Poetry Prize, will recite one of his poems.
Five sessions will be discussed during this ceremony: “Poetry and its institutions: constants and variables;” ” Women and poetry: female-authored poems ;” “The age of poetry… the age of narration;” “Rising talents in today’s poetry;” and “Poems from the other shore: Poetry and the cross-border vision.”
The celebration will include a performance by the great Moroccan singer Karima Skalli, and a video entitled: “The bird of the blond tales,” produced by ICESCO on the occasion of this cultural event.
In a bid to
strengthen partnership and cooperation ties with National Commissions and give an
effective participatory approach by the Islamic World Educational, Scientific,
and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) through the establishment of an interactive
platform and other communication mechanisms for the National Commissions, the
General Secretariat of the National Commissions and Conferences at ICESCO,
launched from 8 March 2021, a series of bilateral meetings with the National
Commissions for Education, Science, and Culture in the Member States.
During these
meetings, the parties discussed several issues, most particularly:
The priorities, activities, and
achievements of the National Commissions.
The challenges that the National Commissions
face and their future perspectives.
Proposals to enhance cooperation and
partnership between National Commissions and ICESCO.
Proposals to develop educational, cultural,
and scientific systems after COVID-19.
Proposals on ICESCO’s Year of Women 2021
and women empowerment to enjoy their educational, cultural, scientific, and
technological rights.
These meetings
provide an opportunity to foster mutual understanding, exchange of knowledge, expertise,
and successful experiences in the Organization’s areas of competence and examine
the challenges faced by the National Committees and the ways to address them.
They also constitute a platform for strengthening the roles of Commissions toward
constructive participation in the advancement of educational, cultural, and
scientific systems in the Member States.
These dialogues
will enable ICESCO to identify the needs and aspirations of the Member States
in the Organization’s action areas, taking into account the national, regional,
and international variables affecting the sectors of education, science and
culture.
The General
Secretariat of the National Commissions and Conferences will prepare
comprehensive and integrated reports that include proposals, recommendations,
and concrete outputs for the benefit of the National Commissions and the
sectors and centers of the Organization.
Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, ICESCO Director-General (DG), and Dr. Sidi
Mohamed Ould Tah, DG of the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa
(BADEA), held a virtual meeting on Wednesday, March 17, 2021, to explore ways
to foster a partnership between the Organization and the Bank in multiple
fields. Several ICESCO sector directors, advisers, and experts also attended
the meeting.
The two parties explored prospects of cooperation between ICESCO
and BADEA in several fields to address African needs, taking into account the
respective strategies of the two institutions. The two parties agreed to set up
a joint committee to identify the major projects, lay down their budgets, and
outline the goals to attain positive and concrete outcomes.
The two officials discussed several programs including cooperation to
train 1000 young female leaderships, support women and girls’ entrepreneurial
sense, empower newly literate women in Africa and train them on setting up income-generating
projects such as sewing, embroidery, and traditional and artisanal industries.
The two parties also discussed cooperation to grant scholarships to
girls and reaffirmed the need to sustain cooperation in the field of teaching
Arabic to non-Arabic speakers through the Regional Educational Center for
Arabic to non-Arabic Speakers in Chad. They discussed setting up five other
language centers in African countries in the upcoming two years.
ICESCO and BADEA have established strong cooperation ties since
their first partnership in 1994.
As part of the activities of the Islamic
World Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization’s (ICESCO) 2021 Year
of Women, under the high patronage of His Majesty King Mohammed VI of Morocco,
the ICESCO Learning Café hosted Dr. Hayat Sindi, Chief Scientific Advisor to
the President of the Islamic Development Bank. In the meeting entitled “Challenges
and Successes,” Dr. Sindi talked about the beginnings of her passion for
science and scientists, who contributed to change, and the impact of
inspiration in her life.
During the meeting, held yesterday, March
17, 2021, at ICESCO Headquarters in Rabat, Dr. Sindi told the participants
about her childhood dreams of success and the contribution of her father, who strengthened
her passion for science, while stressing that the main motivation behind the
passion is considering science as the first and basic means for satisfying all the
human needs.
Dr. Sindi stated that there are vulnerable
and poor groups that are deprived of access to technology. The situation
encouraged her to look for the means likely to provide technology for all
without exception because science and technology derive their power from being
accessible for all.
Dr. Sindi added “men monopolize the fields
of science and women are looking for their position there too. The perceptions that
women and men have on science are different from one another. For instance, men
consider Artificial Intelligence more appropriate for wars while women find it
useful for health and social care, which is a source of invention and
innovation.”
Speaking of inspiration, Dr. Sindi
reaffirmed that it is a particularly important element in our life, without
which no goal can be achieved, stating that she drew inspiration from her family
and school. She was about to give up, especially in her beginnings, but she drew
strength and perseverance from considering every day of her life as a new
challenge.
The participants asked questions and expressed
their ideas, with which Dr. Sindi interacted based on her rich career and
experience in the fields of science and innovation.
The International
Symposium on Human Rights and the Digital Challenge kicked off today, Tuesday,
March 16, 2021, at ICESCO headquarters. The Islamic World Educational,
Scientific, and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) and the Ministry of State in
Charge of Human Rights and Relations with the Parliament held the symposium
face to face and via videoconference. The event saw a high-level participation
from Morocco and beyond.
During the opening
session, Mr. El Mostapha Ramid, Minister of State in Charge of Human Rights and
Relations with the Parliament, talked about the remarkable strides Morocco made
in the field by strengthening the legislative powers with several laws,
including the right to access information and the cybersecurity law. He added that the misuse of technology caused
several problems such as the spread of the discourse of extremism, hate, and
racism, stressing that ensuring the sound use of technology requires devising
plans and measures likely to guarantee the rights of individuals. The Minister
also underscored that restricting the right to access to the digital world
should be an exception.
In his address, Dr. Salim
M. AlMalik, ICESCO Director-General (DG), noted that some governments have
almost completely embraced digital transactions, while others still do not
possess the prerequisites of digital transformation, which, he stated, calls
for ensuring territorial justice for all. The DG also warned that the impact of
the growing digital progress on human rights requires the adoption of a different
approach that respects and protects the collection, storage, and transfer of
individuals personal information within the digital world.
Dr. AlMalik stated that
the dangers that modern technology pose should not eclipse its numerous
advantages and major role in advancing societies and humans, reaffirming that
the ultimate goal is to strike balance between technological development and
the protection of peoles’ basic rights and freedoms.
The DG also commended the
approach Morocco adopts in dealing with human rights, under the high patronage
of His Majesty King Mohammed VI.
In her address, Ms. Amina
Bouayach, President of Moroccoʻs National Council of Human Rights, talked about
the challenge of subjecting digital spaces to legal provisions, in light of the
growing numbers of people accessing these spaces and the emergence of what is
called new media. She added that the transnational digital revolution
elaborated the forms of demanding rights in our societies, especially economic,
social and cultural ones, and anchored the notion of social and territorial
justice as a new concept.
Mr. Mʻhammed Abdenabaoui,
President of the Public Prosecution, talked about the efforts of Morocco to
protect citizens’ rights within the digital space, highlighting several measures
taken to protect the rights of this space’s users and prosecute violators. He
added that digital technologies have become a tool to exercise several rights
such as the right of expression and publication and consolidated principles
such as equality, noting that the digital space allowed for promoting access to
several services and departments, especially during the pandemic.
Mr. Omar Seghrouchni,
President of Morocco’s National Commission for the Control of Personal Data
Protection, underlined the need to focus more on protecting citizens in the
digital society rather than just protecting their personal data, stating that
societies should shield themselves against international platforms whose sole
interest in making profit.
The symposium includes
three sessions addressing the following topics: “Right of access to accurate
information in cyberspace and the protection mechanisms of personal data,”
“Hate, violent and discriminatory speech in the digital space: prevention
mechanisms and protection tools”, and “Human rights and the digital
challenge: actors’ roles.” The close of the symposium features reading the
symposium’s final report and recommendations.
The Director-General
(DG) of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (ICESCO),
Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, reaffirmed that the future challenges, which the rapid developments
in technology and artificial intelligence pose, impose upon us a set of common
duties and responsibilities. The list includes ensuring safe access by Islamic
world societies to cyberspace where the freedom of expression and belief as
well as academic, cultural, and educational freedoms are respected and the
dignity of the human self is preserved.
The
statement came in his address at the opening session of the international symposium
“Human Rights and the Digital Challenge,” that ICESCO and the Ministry of State
in charge of Human Rights and Relations with the Parliament in Morocco held
today, face-to-face at ICESCO headquarters and by videoconference.
In his
address, Dr. AlMalik stated that ICESCO seeks to thwart the threats to
individual rights in the cyberspace by urging its Member States to develop
their legislation and ratify international conventions related to the
protection of personal data, the fight against all forms of discrimination and
violence against women and children and immigrants, as well as those relevant
to combatting violent extremism, prevention of money laundering and all forms
of cybercrime.
The DG
called for joint action to develop regional and international systems based on
cooperation and complementarity between the judicial and legislative
institutions and the civil society. He also lauded the quantum leap that Member
States and private legislation made in monitoring cyberspace and responding to
all sorts of crimes. Dr. AlMalik announced ICESCO’s establishment of the “Human
Rights and Digital Transformation” Chair to promote the sincere efforts to
absorb these changes in Member States.
ICESCO DG reaffirmed
that all the risks associated with modern technologies should not conceal their
advantages in developing societies and ensuring human progress. “Technology is
an efficient tool in monitoring and anticipating potential violations to human
rights. Our objective is to ensure balance between technological development
and the protection of rights and freedoms,” he concluded.
The Islamic World Educational, Scientific,
and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) and the Moroccan Ministry of State for Human
Rights and Relations with Parliament, will hold tomorrow, Tuesday, March 16,
2021, an international symposium on “Human Rights and the Digital
Challenge,” to tackle the risks of the digital revolution, the rapid
expansion of digital space and its growing effects on fundamental rights and
freedoms, and ways to counter violent and hate speech against women, girls,
children and refugees, and combat cybercrime.
The symposium will start at 09:00 (GMT), at
ICESCO headquarters, in Rabat, and through videoconference. The addresses
scheduled on the opening session include those of Mr. El Mostapha Ramid,
Minister of State for Human Rights and Relations with Parliament, and Dr. Salim
M. AlMalik, ICESCO Director-General (DG). The symposium will also witness a
high-level participation, including the representatives of the National Council
for Human Rights, the Presidency of the Public Prosecutor, the National
Commission for the Control of Personal Data Protection in Morocco, and international
specialized organizations, as well as specialists and experts.
The symposium aims to broaden the
partnership framework on the protection of human rights in the virtual world,
open channels for dialogue and experience-sharing among participants. The
symposium also aims to contribute to the development of Member States’ mechanisms
for the protection of human rights in the digital space, share successful
experiences on the use digital media, and anticipate future challenges
resulting from the rapid technological development.
The event is part of the partnership
agreement that ICESCO and the Moroccan Ministry of State for Human Rights and
Relations with the Parliament signed, on December 10, 2020, to ensure coordination
and cooperation to achieve the strategic objectives of the national action plan
on democracy and human rights.
