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** Africa needs to shift into smart technologies to preserve ecosystems and biodiversity.

Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General (DG) of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), reaffirmed that Africa needs to shift to innovative and smart technologies to preserve ecosystems and biodiversity and meet its populations’ needs in terms of agricultural products and food security.

“The continuing desertification and degradation, which threaten 46% of the African territory, will result in a 20% reduction of agricultural production in Africa. This threatens the social and food security of nearly 70% of the population,” the DG warned.

The statement was part of Dr. AlMalik’s opening address at the International Conference on Smart Technologies and Resilience for Sustainable Agriculture in Africa that ICESCO held today, January 20, 2021. The videoconference was in cooperation with the Government of Niger, and in partnership with the German Corporation for International Cooperation (GIZ), the Islamic Organization for Food Security (IOFS), the World Agricultural Heritage Foundation, the International Centre for Asia and Pacific Studies, the Regional Remote-Sensing Centre for the North African States, and the African Regional Centre for Space Science and Technology. The event brought together Mr. Mallam Zaneidou Amirou, Minister of Environment of Niger; Ms. Hassan Zeinabou Ibrahim; Minister Delegate in Charge of Decentralization of Niger; and a high-level group of experts and specialists.

In his address, Dr. AlMalik explained that smart technologies will improve ecosystems and mitigate the impact of climate change through climate-smart agriculture and geospatial technologies. The innovations provide accurate and timely data to assist in decision-making, as well as big data and Artificial Intelligence to ensure precision agriculture, enable farmers to improve incomes and reduce costs and facilitate consumers’ access to proper and healthy food.

“I am confident that the participants in this Conference will suggest innovative and new options for ICESCO’s Land Degradation Project, developed in cooperation with the Governments of Niger and the Federal Republic of Germany respectively, through the development of innovative, intelligent, geospatial, and entrepreneurial technologies in Niger, which has demonstrated great interest in this project through its high-level participation,” he underscored.

 At the close of his address, ICESCO DG announced that the Organization will launch an award for innovation in agricultural technologies in 2022, provide scholarships in the field of smart agricultural technologies, and support agricultural startups in ICESCO Member States, particularly in Africa.

**working session between ICESCO and Yemen’s Prime Ministry to identify priorities

The Islamic World Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) and the Yemeni Prime Minister held on January 19, a virtual working session to explore existing cooperation between ICESCO and Yemen and the programs and projects for the upcoming period as part of Yemen’s proclamation of 2021 a Year of Recovery.

Dr. Maeen Abdulmalek Saeed, Yemeni Prime Minister, presided over the Yemeni party in the presence of Mr. Azzedine Al-Asbahi, Ambassador of Yemen to Morocco, while Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, ICESCO Director-General (DG), presided ICESCO’s team of heads of sectors, advisors, and experts.

The Prime Minister of Yemen welcomed Dr. AlMalik and his team recalling that his Government declared 2021 “the Year of Recovery.” Dr. Saeed is working toward implementing a wide range of reforms to systems of education and culture as part of the reconstruction process.

The parties then examined the needs of the country to alleviate the suffering of its people and mitigate its aftermath. The parties agreed to implement a series of joint workable projects in the areas of education, culture, heritage preservation, information, and communication.

ICESCO DG reaffirmed the Organization’s willingness to extend assistance to Yemen, particularly in the reform of education policies, the training of educational staff, rehabilitation of educational leaderships, scholarships for Yemeni students enrolled at prestigious universities, the training of Yemeni students on leadership, and overcoming learning loss.

The DG added that ICESCO’s assistance will also include the restoration of several historic heritage sites and museums following the technical teams’ assessment of the damage caused to those sites and rehabilitate endangered ones. The DG also inscribed  Yemeni heritage sites and cultural items on the Islamic World Heritage List, supporting arts symbolic to Yemeni identity, and honoring Yemeni women innovators and creators, as part of the ICESCO celebration of 2021 as Year of Women.

Dr. AlMalik stressed that the Organization will set up an expert group to visit Yemen and meet officials from the targeted areas while reaffirming that ICESCO is standing with Yemen in the “Year of Recovery” and beyond and deploys all its means and expertise to contribute to rebuilding the country.

The Organization will also carry out foresight studies on the country’s future through ICESCO Center of Strategic Foresight. The heads of sectors and advisors put forward ideas and proposals for programs and projects to implement in Yemen.

The Yemeni Prime Minister lauded the ideas and proposals while reiterating that this meeting opened larger prospects for discussion and cooperation and that ICESCO’s far-sighted vision enabled the Organization to take further action than other international organizations, crediting the understanding of the General Directorate of the nature of the Arab-Islamic region.

At the close of the meeting, the parties agreed to arrange for the visit of ICESCO’s delegation to Yemen and devise executive plans for the programs and projects discussed during the meeting.

Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General (DG) of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), expressed his admiration for the rare artifacts he saw in the National Carpet Museum in the Azerbaijani capital Baku. He considered that the Museum, which carries the country’s cultural identity to future generations, exhibits rare carpets, some of which are centuries old, that tell the history of Azerbaijan.

The DG affirmed that he was keen to see the Museum’s collections during his visit to Azerbaijan from January 11 to 15, as it is one of the most prominent museums that include the largest collection of rare carpets in the world, explaining that the Museum’s collections show the stages of social development and history of the Republic of Azerbaijan. Each artifact bears the name of one of the country’s seven carpet-making schools (Qoba, Baku, Shirwan, Ganja, Gazakh, Karabag and Tabriz).

After touring the Museum and listening to its Director’s presentation on the history of the Museum, Dr. AlMalik praised the Musuem’s use of the modern technology to provide access to its rare collections for all categories, including those with special needs. The musuem allows touching duplicates of artifacts and presents on a screen adjacent to each piece how and when it was made as well as providing the possibility to listen to the story of each item.

Dr. AlMalik pointed out that the establishment of the Museum and the way each rare carpet artifact was obtained confirm Azerbaijan’s keenness to preserve its heritage and identity, and the pride the country takes in all the components of this heritage, explaining that ICESCO provides all support to its Member States in the field.

AlMalik: ICESCO prioritizes support to Member States

Karimov: We appreciate the visit of ICESCO Director-General to Azerbaijan… We will continue supporting ICESCO

Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General (DG) of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), and Mr. Anar Karimov, Minister of Culture of Azerbaijan, stressed that cooperation between ICESCO and the country has set new prospects of partnership and mutual support.

The two parties made the statement during a press conference, held in Baku, yesterday, January 14, 2021, as part of the official visit of Dr. AlMalik and his accompanying delegation to Azerbaijan. The press conference brought together a host of ambassadors of ICESCO Member States accredited to Azerbaijan as well as several journalists and correspondents of news agencies and TV channels in Baku.

At the onset of the conference, Mr. Karimov expressed his thanks and gratitude to ICESCO DG for his visit to Azerbaijan and the tours of the historical and cultural sites in the regions of Fizuli and Agdam.

“We have outstanding relations with ICESCO, which was among the first international organizations that Azerbaijan joined in 1991. This visit will usher in a new era of partnership between Azerbaijan and ICESCO,” he stressed.

Mr. Karimov commended the meetings of ICESCO DG with the senior officials of Azerbaijan, mainly President Ilham Aliyev. “These meetings reflect ICESCO’s new vision, which adopts an open-door policy to all countries. This vision also stresses ICESCO’s support for Azerbaijan in safeguarding its cultural heritage. Azerbaijan will continue its support to ICESCO to enable it to fully accomplish its mission,” he underscored.

Dr. AlMalik stated that ICESCO prioritizes support to its Member States in the fields of education, science, and culture while stressing that ICESCO will cooperate with Azerbaijan in rebuilding or restoring the damaged historical sites.

ICESCO DG announced that the Organization will dispatch a technical team to inspect these historical sites and assess their current situation. “The team will include experts from Member States and other countries. At the end of its mission, it will draft an independent report, which will be circulated to the international organizations,” he added.

Dr. AlMalik highlighted that ICESCO will take all the necessary steps to exceptionally proclaim Shusha as the capital of culture in the Islamic world for 2022 or 2023. He noted that ICESCO Program for the Capitals of Culture in the Islamic World celebrates three capitals every year in the Arab, African, and Asian regions respectively.

Answering journalists’ questions, ICESCO DG and the Minister of Culture of Azerbaijan stated that the cooperation between the two parties will cover many fields and programs, most notably the civilizational dialogue and the organization of conferences and forums; the first joint event will celebrate the poet and philosopher, Nezami Ganjavi.

The Chairman of the Caucasus Muslims’ Board, Sheikh ul-Islam Allahshükür Pashazade, hailed the role that the Islamic World Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) plays in presenting an accurate image to the world about the Islamic civilization. The Chairman reaffirmed that all Azerbaijanis appreciated the visit of ICESCO Director-General (DG), Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, and his accompanying delegation.

The statement was made during the luncheon the Chairman held at his residence in Baku, today, January 14, to welcome the ICESCO delegation, in the presence of several religious leaderships, parliament members, government officials, and public figures in Azerbaijan.

In his welcoming speech, Sheikh ul-Islam Allahshükür Pashazade stated that he invited to the luncheon all spectrums of the Azeri society and leaderships of all religions to express Azerbaijan’s appreciation of the visit.

The DG expressed his thanks for the initiative, commending the special participations of Sheikh ul-Islam Allahshükür Pashazade in several ICESCO conferences and forums, chief among which was the International Forum of the Role of Religious Leaderships in Times of Crises.

 The DG also stressed that ICESCO endeavors to anchor the values of dialogue and coexistence and that it counts on enlightened religious leaderships to achieve such noble goal. He added that Azerbaijan presents a unique model for coexistence and peace, manifested in the invitees who represented all religions.

The Director-General (DG) of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, and Mr. Ulvi Mehdiyev, Chairman of the Azerbaijan State Agency for Public Services and Social Innovations under the President of Azerbaijan (ASAN Xidmet), explored cooperation between ICESCO and the Agency in technological areas and the sharing of Azerbaijan’s in e-services expertise with ICESCO Member States.

Dr. AlMalik and his accompanying delegation of the heads of sectors conducted on Thursday, January 14, a tour to the main center of the Agency in Baku. During the tour, Mr. Mehdiyev reviewed the history and objectives of the Agency, pointing out that it provides 300 electronic government services to citizens and residents in just one office and that the main center receives more than 3000 citizens daily.

Following the tour, the two parties discussed several proposals of partnership, especially in bolstering the capacities of youth, promoting innovation, and sharing successful experiences in the advancement of digital education and culture.

The two parties also agreed to transfer the expertise of the Agency to ICESCO Member States. ICESCO DG stated that the Organization’s new vision adopts the sharing of expertise, especially in technological development of the Organization’s areas of action, between Member States and non-Member States.

The Director-General (DG) of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), Dr. Salim M. AlMalik explored with Mr. Ramin Guluzade, Minister of Transport, Communications and High Technologies of Azerbaijan, cooperation possibilities between ICESCO and the Azerbaijani Ministry in the fields of technology use in education and culture and in building the capacities of young innovators in the Islamic world.

The discussions were part of the meeting held on Wednesday, January 13, 2021, at the headquarters of the Ministry of Transport, Communications and High Technologies in the capital Baku. The delegation of ICESCO’s heads of sectors, accompanying Dr. AlMalik in his current official visit to Azerbaijan, attended the meeting. Mr. Vasif Eyvazzade, Secretary-General of the Azerbaijan National Commission for Education, Science, and Culture and several Ministry officials also took part in the meeting.

After exchanging expressions of gratitude, the two parties expressed their willingness to build practical cooperation and partnership between them. They then explored the suggested fields of cooperation including the use of modern technology in education as a way to address the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic that caused the lockdown of educational institutions for long periods and triggered a rush to adopt distance learning. They also discussed the possibility of sharing Azerbaijan’s expertise in the program of building smart cities with ICESCO Member States.

Both parties designated a joint committee to prepare for a conference on cyber security that ICESCO and the Azerbaijani Ministry will co-organize. The topic is a key element in the digitization that all sectors have undertaken. The joint committee will also follow up on the design and implementation of cooperation programs in the fields of education, sciences, and culture.

Mr. Ilham Aliyev, President of Azerbaijan, received Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General (DG) of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), and his accompanying delegation of Heads of ICESCO Sectors. The reception took place today, Wednesday, January 13, at the Presidential Palace in Baku, in the presence of Mr. Anar Karimov, Minister of Culture, President of the Azerbaijani National Commission for Education, Science and Culture.

At the outset, President Aliyev welcomed the DG, expressing his appreciation for the visit and the tours Dr. AlMalik and his delegation made yesterday to the historic and cultural sites in the Districts of Fuzuli and Aghdam bordering the Nagorno-Karabakh Province to take ocular verification of the extent of damage that affected the region.

The Azerbaijani President also reaffirmed his country’s appreciation of ICESCO’s sustained support and its clear stance on the importance of considering cultural and historical rights. He also commended the importance the Organization accords to safeguarding and inscribing heritage, stressing that Azerbaijan will always support ICESCO in the implementation of its vision and action strategy.

President Aliyev reaffirmed Azerbaijan’s intent on rebuilding all historic sites in Nagorno-Karabakh, hailing ICESCO’s announcement to provide assistance and technical support to the major project. The President also suggested opening a regional office for ICESCO in Baku soon.

The DG expressed his thanks to the President for inviting him and ICESCO’s delegation to make the official visit. He highlighted ICESCO’s support for all its Member States to safeguard their cultural and civilizational heritage and reviewed ICESCO’s efforts in the field.

The DG also welcomed the proposal to open a regional office for ICESCO in the Azerbaijani capital, Baku, and suggested relocating the office to the city of Shusha in Nagorno-Karabakh once it is rebuilt. President Aliyev welcomed and commended the proposal, he also noted that he proclaimed Shusha as Azerbaijan’s Capital of National Culture.

Dr. AlMalik also stressed building institutional relations between ICESCO and Azerbaijan. The Organization will specifically send a technical team including international experts to examine the heritage sites in Nagorno-Karabakh and assess the extent of the damage. The technical team will also work closely with the Azerbaijani side to lay down a plan for restoring or rebuilding the sites.

The meeting also addressed the special cooperation and partnership ties between ICESCO and Azerbaijan in civilizational dialogue and other fields. Mr. Aliyev then mentioned Baku Forum, which became a key platform for dialogue between Europe and the Islamic world. The DG stated that ICESCO is in the process of creating ICESCO Center for Civilizational Dialogue, which will provide ample opportunity for cooperation with the Baku Forum.