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The Education Sector of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) participated in the “Lifelong Learning for the Future of Education 2023 “Conference, held by the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Korea, in partnership with the National Institute for Lifelong Learning (NILE), Jeju Province, along with a number of Korean educational institutions and bodies.

The Conference, held on 18-19 September 2023, in Jeju Province, Korea, aimed to create a knowledge space during which attendees exchange ideas and share best and innovative practices, to assess the current situation, discuss lifelong learning policies, build a better future in this context, and promote Open Online Group Courses.
During the main session, Dr. Koumbou Boly Barry, Head of the Education Sector at ICESCO, presented an overview of the Organization’s activities and programs to promote educational systems in the countries of the Islamic world, as well as the Education Sector projects related to lifelong learning, emphasizing the valuable insights gained from these projects. Dr. Boly also underscored the role of States in enhancing appropriate mechanisms to uphold and guarantee the right to education for all, with active involvement from the public and private sectors.

Dr. Ahmed Al-Banyan and Dr. Sungbong Kim, both experts in the Education Sector at ICESCO, also attended the Conference.

ICESCO’s participation in the Conference comes within the framework of its strategic partnership with the National Institute for Lifelong Learning (NILE), which aims to contribute to the development of the strategies of ICESCO Member States in the field of lifelong and adult education.

Doha is set to host the 12th Conference of Ministers of Culture in the Islamic world on 25-26 September 2023. Organized by the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) in partnership with the Ministry of Culture in Qatar, this event will bring together culture ministers from many ICESCO Member States, along with representatives of regional and international organizations working in the areas of culture and heritage. The primary agenda is to engage in discussions about renewing collaborative cultural actions and ways to develop cooperation among Islamic countries in this sphere.

The conference, centered around the theme “Toward renewing cultural action in the Islamic world” will host working sessions covering a range of topics, including special reports on the success story of Doha Capital of Culture in the Islamic World, the 18th session of the Consultative Council for Cultural Development in the Islamic World, ICESCO’s achievements in the cultural field, cultural policy guidelines and sustainable development indicators in a changing world document: ICESCO’s Initiative for the 18th Cultural Development Goal for Sustainable Development as a model. Additionally, the Conference will endorse the report of the Islamic World Heritage Committee and compose the committee for the forthcoming session.

The Conference will also include working sessions dedicated to the review and adoption of several draft programmes and documents, such as the document on the broad framework of the valorization of Living Human Treasures and traditional knowledge in the Islamic world, development of ICESCO’s programme for cultural capitals in the Islamic world document, and strategy to combat illicit trafficking in cultural property document. Furthermore, a seminar to discuss the latest developments in cultural matters within the Islamic world and their impact on humanity will be organized. The Conference will conclude its proceedings by adopting the Doha Declaration on Renewing Cultural Action in the Islamic World and determining the date and venue for its upcoming sessions.

Before the start of the Ministerial Conference, the Consultative Council for Cultural Development in the Islamic World, whose General Secretariat is held by ICESCO, will hold its 18th meeting on Saturday, September 23, 2023, to discuss several documents related to the Ministerial Conference, mainly the adoption of draft agenda of the Ministerial Conference and the formation of its specialized bodies.

Qatar’s hosting of the 12th Conference of Ministers of Culture in the Islamic World is the culmination of the success of the activities celebrating Doha Capital of Culture in the Islamic World 2021, under the slogan ” Our Culture is Enlightenment Culture” from 8 March 2021 to 17 January 2022, which witnessed the organization of approximately 250 cultural events and activities, as part of ICESCO’s Culture Capitals Programme.

The Islamic World Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) has concluded its program to train young people on how to create and develop small technology and innovation projects in the Republic of Tunisia. Tunisia is one of the 10 countries benefiting from this ambitious program in its second year, which is being implemented by the Science and Technology Sector of the Organization in Tunisia in collaboration with the business incubator “Start-Up GateX.” The three winning teams were announced from among 134 participations at the national level.

The participating teams presented their projects during the forum, which began on Thursday, September 7, 2023, and lasted for two days in the city of Nabeul, Tunisia. They presented their projects before a jury consisting of Dr. Ismaila Diallo, expert in the sector of science and technology at ICESCO, the group of experts of the business incubator “Start-Up GateX”, as well as specialists in the field of entrepreneurship and Startup financing.

After the evaluation, the jury announced the names of the winning teams. The first-place went to the “Cardify” team, which presented a smartwatch project that allows remote, real-time monitoring of vital signs in heart patients. The second-place was awarded to the “Intell’Eau” team, with a project for an intelligent system that tracks water consumption, detects leaks, and monitors water quality. The third-place was secured by the “Golden Medina” team for their project consisting of a platform aimed at promoting cultural heritage.

The ICESCO Youth Training Program on how to create and develop small technology and innovation projects was implemented in 10 Member States of the Organization in its first edition in 2022. In its second annual, it has been launched in six countries so far and will be fully rolled out in ten countries by the end of 2023. This program aligns with ICESCO’s strategy, which aims to support startups in the field of innovation and technology in its Member States.

A special jury will shortlist the top three teams from each Member State to compete in the final phase, to be held at ICESCO headquarters in Rabat, in order to present their project ideas to donor institutions and investors, to provide funding for their implementation.

The General Directorate of ICESCO made a set of decisions to reaffirm, along with its employees, its solidarity with the victims of the devastating earthquake in Al Haouz. ICESCO Director-General, executives and employees will donate 10% of their monthly salary, to be deposited in a special bank account at Bank Al Maghrib, following the instructions of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, to receive the voluntary solidarity contributions.

ICESCO mobilized on Sunday 10 September 2023 in-kind aid including tents, blankets and essential foodstuffs to the regions most affected by the quake. In response to the call of the Director-General, Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, the initiative was organized by ICESCO employees, accompanied by doctors, who volunteered to provide on-site assistance in disaster areas to the affected people. ICESCO will also organize a blood donation campaign to save the lives of the wounded.

The General Directorate reaffirms these aids are part of ICESCO’s endeavours to stand in solidarity with the Kingdom of Morocco in the face of the earthquake, and that further measures would be taken in the following days.

Following the Al Haouz earthquake, ICESCO issued a formal statement to offer its condolences to the King, government and people of the Kingdom as well as the families of victims who lost their lives. It also expressed its full readiness to cooperate with Moroccan competent authorities in the face of damage caused by the earthquake, especially in its areas of expertise; the restoration and conservation of historic monuments that were affected in some cities.

The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), in cooperation with the Economic, Social and Environmental Council (CESE) in the Kingdom of Morocco, conducted a training session on Strategic Foresight as a Foundation for Decision-making for the benefit of 20 senior executives and experts at CESE to enhance their capacities in strategic foresight and introduce them to the most recent concepts and mechanisms of foresight.

Dr. Kais Hammami, Director of ICESCO Centre of Strategic Foresight and supervisor of the two-day training, which started on Wednesday, 6 September 2023 in Rabat, stressed the importance of foresight in building a better future, urged for leveraging it to determine and prepare for change factors, and outlined its multidisciplinary perspective consisting of economic, social and planning approaches.
Mounia Haoudi Marzak, Director of Projects and Strategic Partnerships at CESE, was pleased to note the considerable interest that CESE accords to its partnership with ICESCO.

The training held various workshops and practical sessions directed at enhancing the participants’ capacities in using foresight for problem-solving, change mechanism determination and scenario-making.

The Center of Arabic for Non-Arabic Speakers, affiliated with the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), took part in the fourteenth International Scientific Forum for the Arabic Language, focusing on digitizing the Arabic language within the framework of focused language policy. This forum was organized and hosted by the Islamic University of Mataram on Lombok Island, Indonesia, from 6 to 8 September 2023, in collaboration with the Arabic Teachers Association of Indonesia, the League of Arabic Language Teaching Institutions for Non-Arabic Speakers in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and the World Assembly of Muslim Youth.

Dr. Anas Hussam Saeed Al-Nuaimi, expert at the Center of Arabic for Non-Arabic Speakers, represented ICESCO in the forum. During the first scientific session, he emphasized in his presentation titled “Utilizing Digital Sources in Teaching Arabic Literature to Non-Arabic Speakers,” the importance of these sources and their role in enhancing the teaching of Arabic literature and providing new capabilities that the printed resources and methods could not provide, especially for non-Arabic-speaking students. He also presented key digital sources and provided examples of their effective use in the educational process.

The conference brought together over 300 university presidents, professors, researchers, and Arabic language experts from many countries. They engaged in discussions covering a range of scientific research topics centered on the significance of digitizing the Arabic language and keeping pace with technological advancements in the realms of education and scientific research.

To celebrate International Literacy Day, held on 8 September of each year, the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) is delighted to announce the winning institutions of its 2023 prize for girls and women’s literacy, which was previously launched on 6 September 2022 for the benefit of civil society organizations and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). The prize aims to encourage pioneering initiatives and best practices in literacy and non-formal education designed for girls and women.

ICESCO set up a committee of experts to select among 439 files from 24 member states those that meet the requirements and criteria of the prize. The committee selected two winning institutions; Future Eve Association for Family Development and Environment from the Arab Republic of Egypt on its project named “Education as a Gateway to Empowerment: The Approach of Women and Life” and Obhizatrik Foundation from the People’s Republic of Bangladesh on its project “Empowering the Poorest Women.” The committee suspended the award for the French-speaking countries for failure to meet the eligibility criteria and requirements of the nominees.

Each prize amounts to USD 3,000, in addition to ten tablets and appreciation certificates that ICESCO will award to the three winners during its next session of the executive council in Jeddah in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

The prize came as part of ICESCO’s vision, which accords special importance to education as a beacon of achieving sustainable development.

On International Literacy Day, and in a world with more than 750 million people, both youth and elderly, unable to read and write and another 250 million children, and mostly women and girls, failing to acquire basic literacy skills, ICESCO would reiterate the significance of harnessing synergy to fight illiteracy and guarantee equitable, inclusive and quality education for all in addition to promoting lifelong learning opportunities.

In the era of AI and modern technologies, ICESCO stresses the need for serious action aimed at bringing a fundamental change through the use of ICT by focusing on the most vulnerable population, especially girls and women, mobilizing necessary financial resources and leveraging investments allocated to this field, as well as providing more Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs).