The Director-General
(DG) of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization
(ICESCO), Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, met with Sheikh Dr. Mohammad Al-Issa, Secretary-General
of the Muslim World League (MWL). The two parties examined cooperation between
ICESCO and the League and the programmes that can be implemented during the
next phase.
During yesterday’s
meeting in Riyadh, KSA, Dr. Al-Issa reviewed the most significant activities of
the League during the COVID-19 pandemic with their great impact. Dr. AlMalik
also touched on ICESCO’s work in its fields of competence, the programmes and
activities that the Organization launched and implemented, and the support it
provided to several of its Member States in facing the negative effects of the pandemic.
He then presented Dr. Al-Issa with a copy of the report on ICESCO’s
achievements during the period from May 2019 to September 2020.
The two parties
agreed to develop the partnership between ICESCO and the League in many areas
and to work together to implement programmes and assist several countries in
dire need of aid during the COVID-19 pandemic. The parties also agreed that the
MWL and the Muhammadan League of Scholars in Morocco will be strategic partners
in ICESCO’s international conference on “Civilizational Values in the Prophet’s
Seerah,” which the Secretary-General of the League described as important,
especially in light of the despicable attacks on the person of the Prophet
Muhammad (PBUH).
The Headquarters of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific, and
Cultural Organization (ICESCO) saw on Thursday, February 18, 2021, the signing
of a partnership agreement between ICESCO and the University of Lahore (UOL) in
Pakistan. The agreement provides for cooperation in project implementation
promoting the quality of higher education, granting scholarships to students
from the ICESCO Member States, and supporting scientific research in the
Islamic world.
Ambassador Khalid Fath Al-Rahman, Supervisor of the Department of
Partnerships and International Cooperation, signed the agreement on behalf of
ICESCO and Mr. Awais Raoof, UOL’s Chairman of Board of Governors, signed the
agreement on behalf of the University in the presence of several heads of
ICESCO sectors and university representatives.
In his address at the signing ceremony, Dr. Rahil Qamar, Director
of the Sector of Science and Technology at ICESCO, gave an overview of ICESCO’s
new vision regarding the sector of science and technology, and the programmes
that the Organization launched to build the capacities of scientists in the
Islamic world. He also talked about ICESCO’s school grants and the announcement
of ICESCO’s Prize for Innovation in Science and Technology.
Mr. Raaoof underlined the importance of joining efforts to promote
research and innovation in the Islamic world. He expressed the University’s
readiness to cooperate with ICESCO in areas of mutual interest, particularly in
providing scholarships for students from the ICESCO Member States and holding
training sessions for women leaderships in scientific fields as well as in
other areas.
The agreement provides for supporting student exchange between
universities, encouraging scientific research and technological innovation, and
promoting joint research projects between universities and research centers in
the Islamic world. It also provides for granting 20 scholarships to students at
different higher education levels to study at the UOL; holding joint workshops,
and supporting joint programs in the ICESCO Member States.
Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General (DG)
of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (ICESCO)
held a meeting with Mr. Hamed bin Mohammed Fayez, Saudi Deputy
Minister of Culture. The meeting also brought together Mr. Hattan bin Mounir
bin Samman, Secretary-General of the Saudi National Commission for Education,
Culture, and Science; Mr. Rakan Ibrahim Al-Touq, General Supervisor of Strategy
and International Relations at the Ministry; and some officials at the Ministry.
During the meeting, held yesterday February
18, 2021, Dr. AlMalik reviewed the main initiatives, programmes, and activities
of ICESCO in the coming two years as well as the celebration of 2021 as the
Year of Women. He also commended the achievements of the Saudi Ministry of
Culture which strives to publicize identity through leading cultural
initiatives inside and outside of Saudi Arabia and supporting and disseminating
Islamic arts worldwide.
Dr. AlMalik reaffirmed ICESCO’s keenness to
cooperate with the Saudi Ministry of Culture and all the competent parties
concerned with ICESCO’s areas of action.
The Deputy Minister of Culture lauded the leading
role of ICESCO in all the cultural fields, particularly Islamic arts such as
Arabic calligraphy and many others.
ICESCO DG proposed to the Saudi Ministry of
Culture to sponsor some of ICESCO cultural chairs and awards and co-organize
the Islamic Arts Biennale which the Ministry plans to hold this year.
The two parties also agreed that ICESCO
will submit multiple programmes for the Ministry of Culture to adopt. Officials
at the Ministry showed particular interest in ICESCO’s celebration of 2021 as
the Year of Women while stressing the importance of Saudi women’s participation
in these activities and highlighting that several female staff members serve at
the Ministry. Many women also served as CEOs on some of the Ministry’s bodies.
The Joint Committee of the Islamic World
Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) and the Moroccan News
Agency (MAP) held a coordination meeting, yesterday, February 18, 2021, to develop
a cooperation roadmap in accordance with the Partnership Agreement that Dr.
Salim M. AlMalik, ICESCO Director-General (DG), and Mr. Khalil Idrissi Hashimi,
MAP DG, signed on February 08, 2021.
During the meeting, held at ICESCO headquarters
in Rabat, the Committee considered the proposals of cooperation programmes and decided
to start developing the implementation plans for several others, particularly on
training and capacity-building of journalists and media professionals from
Morocco and ICESCO member States, as well as the programme of the first
training session.
The Committee also explored cooperation
between ICESCO and MAP in the production of some radio and television
programmes relevant to the Organization’s areas of action and its celebration
of 2021 as the Year of Women. The programmes aim at promoting cultural
awareness in the Islamic world. They will be broadcast next Ramadan on
MAP-affiliated RIMRADIO and M24 TV Channel as well as on ICESCO’s social media platforms.
At the close of the meeting, the two
parties agreed to hold periodic meetings to decide on the details of the cooperation
plans and programmes, follow-up to their implementation and assess their outcomes.
The meeting brought together Dr. Abdelilah
Benarafa, Cultural Advisor to ICESCO DG; Ambassador Khalid Fatahalrahman,
Supervisor of Partnership and International Cooperation Sector at ICESCO; Dr.
Ahmed Said Bah, Advisor to ICESCO DG for Partnerships and International
Cooperation; Mr. Mohamed Hadi Shili, Director of Legal Affairs Department at
ICESCO; and Mr. Samy El-Kamhawy, Supervisor of Institutional Information and
Communication at ICESCO.
The delegation representing MAP was made up
of Mr. Rachid Eltajani, Director of Communication and Cooperation; Mr. Mohamed
Anis, Secretary-General of the Atlantic Federation of African News Agencies; and
Mr. Hicham Elkhal, Director of Media Outlets.
Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General (DG) of the Islamic World
Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), met with Eng.
Waleed bin Abdulkarim Al-Khuraiji, Deputy Foreign Minister of Saudi Arabia, to
explore cooperation prospects between the Kingdom and ICESCO in the fields of
education, science, and culture, in addition to several topics of mutual
interest.
During the meeting on Wednesday, February 17, 2021, at the Ministry
of Foreign Affairs in Riyadh, Dr. AlMalik discussed the major programmes and
activities that ICESCO will implement over the next period, as part of the Organization’s
proclamation of 2021 as the Year of Women. The DG also discussed the work
ICESCO carried out during the COVID-19 pandemic to support the efforts of its
Member States to mitigate the impact of the crisis, presenting the Deputy
Foreign Minister with a copy of ICESCO’s achievement report over the period
between May 2019 and September 2020.
The DG also noted that ICESCO’s new vision adopts an open-door
policy with regional and international organizations and bodies and endorses
building cooperation with them for the benefit of ICESCO Member States and
Muslim communities across the globe.
Eng. Al-Khuraiji commended the work of ICESCO and its leading roles
in the fields of education, science, and culture, reaffirming the importance of
cooperation with international and specialized organizations, especially the
Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).
The ICESCO
Regional Educational Center in Chad hosted a three-day training session on “Excel-based
Statistical Data Analysis in Arab education in Chad.” The Center kicked off on
February 17 the videoconference in cooperation with the Statistical, Economic
and Social Research and Training Centre for Islamic Countries (SESRIC).
Mr. Adel
Bouraoui, Advisor to Director-General (DG) for ICESCO’s External Centers and University
Chairs of Arabic Language represented ICESCO at the opening ceremony. In
attendance were also Dr. Nebil Dabur, SESRIC Director General, and Dr Ali
Mohammad Qamar, Director of ICESCO Regional Educational Center in Chad.
Mr. Bouraoui
reviewed ICESCO’s efforts to help its Member States to have access to computer
software and ensure efficient use of ICTs in the service of national education
planning and build the skills required for current and future work, production,
and creativity processes. He also stressed the need to strengthen cooperation
and coordination between joint Islamic action institutions, including ICESCO
and SESRIC, to help competent educational parties in the Islamic world develop the
digital skills of their pedagogical staff.
Thirty
educational staff from among the Center’s teachers, pedagogical advisors, and
principals of Arab schools in Chad, attended the session that aims to enable participants
to better use analytical tools for statistical data in the field of Arab
education in Chad. The step would help them master assessment and planning
processes and take good decisions in their educational or administrative fields
of action.
The session features
various topics and materials falling into three themes: “Basic concepts and
principles in the field of statistics and data processing”; “Services offered
by Excel in the field of statistical analysis”; and “Inferential statistics,
hypotheses and statistical tests”.
Ms. Waad Bani Odeh, Statistician and Manager
of the Balance of Payments Statistics Project at the Palestinian Central Bureau
of Statistics (PCBS), supervised the session while Dr. Ali Mohamed Qamar,
Director of the ICESCO Regional Educational Center in Chad, supervised its
organizational aspects in coordination with ICESCO Center for Arabic for Non-Arabic
Speakers.
Dr. Abdulmajeed bin Abdullah Al-Banyan,
President of Naïf Arab University for Security Sciences (NAUSS), received Dr.
Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General (DG) of the Islamic World Educational,
Scientific, and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), on Wednesday, February 17, 2021,
at the University headquarters in Riyadh. The meeting also brought together the
vice-presidents of the University and saw the signing of a cooperation
agreement between ICESCO and NAUSS.
Dr. Al-Banyan gave a presentation on NAUSS’s
future vision on security sciences, which focuses on leadership in training,
academic excellence, reference in scientific research, institutional
effectiveness, and financial sustainability. He also stressed that NAUSS aspires
to be the first Arab university in the areas of security sciences through
prioritizing the development of security sciences in the areas of
cybersecurity, organized crime, combating terrorism, extremism and forgery, and
environmental security, etc.
Dr. Al-Banyan shed light on the potentials
and the research and training centers of the University while reaffirming that NAUSS
can become one of the top 10 world universities in the field of security
sciences.
The meeting also reviewed the most recent
programmes and projects that are being implemented in cooperation with
international organizations, research centers, and universities, particularly between
ICESCO and NAUSS. The focus was also on future cooperation programmes,
particularly in the exchange of scientific and academic expertise and capacity-building
experiences, the promotion of scientific research and technology transfer, and
scholarships for students from Member States.
The two parties also tackled the expansion
of scholarships to provide opportunities for more students from the Islamic
world to study at NAUSS and benefit from its modern training centers and post-graduate
programmes in various security disciplines.
The cooperation agreement that ICESCO DG
and NAUSS President signed during his meeting aims at strengthening cooperation
between the two parties in academic and scientific fields, research, programmes
and activities, training and scientific seminars, capacity-building for
decision-makers, policymakers and civil society institutions, and good investment
of scientific potentials and resources to promote policies in areas of common
interest.
Following the meeting, Dr. Al-Banyan took
Dr. AlMalik on a tour of some of the specialized centers, which the University
equipped with state-of-the-art technologies, and provided an explanation of
their working mechanisms and contribution to the development of security
sciences, in accordance with the latest global standards.
The Islamic World Educational, Scientific, and Cultural
Organization (ICESCO) took part in the annual international conference, held
this year under the theme, “Combatting Violent Extremism: New Responses to New
Challenges.” The Moroccan Observatory on Extremism and Violence is holding on
February 16-18, 2021, the three-day conference, in partnership with the General
Delegation for Prison and Reintegration Administration and the Mohammedan
League of Scholars.
Dr. Abdelilah Benarafa, Cultural Advisor to ICESCO Director-General
(DG), represented the Organization and gave an address at the opening session.
Dr. Benarafa reviewed the Organization’s strategy in the field, which follows a
proactive and preventive approach that relies on external and internal
protection in the fields of education and culture. The Cultural Advisor stated
that the strategy also focuses on economic integration and psychological
rehabilitation, seeks to address the impact of polarization, and carry out the
necessary intellectual reviews to attain reconciliation with oneself as well as
with society.
The Organization representative also mentioned the strategic
partnership program between ICESCO and the Mohammedan League of Scholars in
shielding against extremism, networking with universities, training programs to
dismantle the discourse of extremism, and the program of publishing and
translating educational tools relevant to countering the discourse of
extremism.
Dr. Benarafa talked about preparing a practical guide in
dismantling extremism discourse, hailing the comprehensive Morocco’s strategy
in fighting violent extremism, which has received international acclaim and is
based on three axes: a security approach, a socio-economic approach, and a
cultural and religious approach. He also commended the trust that Morocco
received upon its ratification of the UN Convention on Combating Terrorism with
the aim of opening the first UN center for fighting terrorism in Africa in
Rabat.
The conference’s programme featured specialized sessions on the
following topics: changes in terrorist threats: new responses to new threats”;
“new cyber challenges: from propagation and polarization to targeting infrastructures”;
“intellectual changes in violent extremism and new forms of extremist narratives and hatred discourse”;
“disengagement, fighting terrorism and rehabilitation: approaches, programs,
and evaluation tools”; and “women and violent extremism: towards a new
approaches that exceed stereotypes.”
The conference saw the participation of the UN Counter-Terrorism
Executive Directorate and multiple sectors in the Moroccan Government
representing the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Interior, the
Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Human Rights, the General Prosecutor, and
the Higher Magistrates’ Institute (ISM).
The conference also brought
together participants from the following countries: Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia,
Mauritania, Libya, Senegal, Nigeria, Kenya, Spain, France, the UK, Italy,
Belgium, Switzerland, Hungary, the USA, Austria, Portugal, Norway, Romania,
Malta, Egypt, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and the Philippines.
The Islamic World Educational, Scientific,
and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), signed on Tuesday, February 16, 2021, a partnership
agreement with King Abdulaziz University and a Memorandum of Understanding
(MoU) with the Academy of Arab Poetry of Taif University, at the headquarters
of the Emirate of Makkah Region, in the presence of H.R.H. Prince Khalid
Al-Faisal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Advisor to the Custodian of the Two Holy
Mosques, Governor of Makkah Region.
Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, ICESCO Director-General
(DG), and Dr. Abdulrahman Obaid Al-Youbi, President of King Abdulaziz
University, signed the partnership agreement, which provides for cooperation
between the two parties to support scientific research in the fields of
education, science, culture, and communication. The agreement also aims to hold
fora and meetings in the fields of education and science, fund twenty chairs of
ICESCO Chairs Programme, provide the necessary technical assistance for
conducting and publishing educational and scientific research and studies, implement
specific activities and programmes, and encourage creative young talents in the
field of scientific research.
Dr. AlMalik and Dr. Yousef Asiri, President
of Taif University, signed the MoU, which sets forth cooperation between ICESCO
and the Academy of Arab Poetry in supporting Arab poetry, promoting women’s
poetry, and celebrating the World Poetry Day through cultural and artistic
activities. The MoU also aims at publicizing Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal
International Prize for Arabic Poetry, holding an international forum of
poetry, networking the academies, associations and clubs of poetry, publicizing
the works of great poets, translating poetry anthologies to world languages,
promoting the role of poetry and poets in the civilizational dialogue,
enhancing the values of tolerance, synergy and solidarity, and sharing
scientific and academic expertise and capacity-building experiences.
His Royal Highness Prince Khalid
Al-Faisal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Advisor to the Custodian of the Two Holy
Mosques, Governor of Makkah Al-Mukarramah region, received on Tuesday, February
16, 2021, at the headquarters of the Emirate of Makkah Al-Mukarramah, the
Shield of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization
(ICESCO).
Dr. Salim M. Al-Malik, ICESCO
Director-General (DG), presented the Shield to the prince in recognition of His
Highness’ great efforts in the service of the Arabic language and the
dissemination and presentation of Arab-Islamic culture.
During the reception by H.R.H. Prince
Khalid Al-Faisal of Dr. AlMalik, ICESCO DG reiterated his thanks and gratitude
to His Highness for his participation in the great international celebration
that ICESCO organized in December 2020 to mark the International Arabic
Language Day, under the theme: “The Arabic Language: Foresight in a
Changing World.” The DG underlined that the designation of H.R.H. Prince
Khalid Al-Faisal as the key speaker of the Conference had a great impact due to
the prestigious status of His Highness in all fields.
The DG also presented the main
aspects of the Organization’s vision and new action strategy, as well as the
most important initiatives, programs, and activities it is implementing to
strengthen the efforts of its Member States to achieve sustainable development
based on education, culture, innovation, and the use of modern technologies. He
also mentioned ICESCO’s proclamation of 2021 as the Year of Women, as well as
the main programs implemented in this framework to ensure equal opportunities
for girls and women and to eliminate gender discrimination in all fileds.
Dr. AlMalik also presented His Royal
Highness with a copy of the report on ICESCO’s achievements during the period
from May 2019 to September 2020, and the final report of ICESCO’s celebration
of the International Arabic Language Day, which includes all the interventions
of the participants and the issues raised during this event.
H.R.H. Prince Khalid Al-Faisal
welcomed ICESCO’s choice of His Highness to be the key speaker of the said
international conference and praised the central role the Organization plays in
the fields of education, science, and culture.
