Dr.
Salim M. AlMalik, Director General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific
and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), met with Sheikha Nawal Al-Hamoud Al-Malik
Al-Sabah, Honorary President of Deerat Al Khair for Voluntary Work, and her
accompanying delegation, and together they explored cooperation relations in
the field of voluntary work.
During this meeting, which took place
yesterday, at ICESCO headquarters in Rabat, in the presence of a number of
officials of the Organization, the two parties discussed the importance of
supporting and empowering youth and women, two groups at the center of the priorities of ICESCO’s new strategic
vision, through the implementation of programmes and activities aiming at
rehabilitating, training, honing the skills and building the professional,
financial and economic capacities of these groups.
As part of ICESCO’s openness to
cooperation with civil society organizations, the two parties also explored
cooperation in creating specific programmes to empower women at the social,
knowledge and economic levels.
For her part, Sheikha Nawal expressed her keenness to
establish a fruitful partnership between ICESCO and Deerat Al-Khair Group in
the fields of the Organization’s work, including culture, and suggested
organizing a forum that gathers prominent intellectual figures in the Islamic
world to discuss cultural issues.
The Islamic World
Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), at its headquarters
in Rabat, held a special ceremony in observance of the International Women’s
Day, which was attended by Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, ICESCO Director General, and
all ICESCO staff members. During this ceremony, the Organization paid tribute
to its female staff members who were presented with commemorative gifts.
On this occasion, ICESCO
Director General gave an address wherein he congratulated all women,
reaffirming that women assume major exclusive roles. He pointed out that ICESCO
adopts women empowerment in its new vision, a principle tangibly applied by the
General Directorate as a number of women assume leading positions at the
Organization. In the same vein, Dr. AlMalik underlined that the new Personnel
Regulations, which entered in force in February 2020, following its adoption by
the Executive Council, guarantees more rights and gains to female staff
members.
Moreover, ICESCO
Director General promised that the Organization will sustain its efforts to
encourage women in Member States to be creative and innovative in all its areas
of competence, namely education, science, culture or communication. He further
explained that these efforts can take the form of projects and programmes
likely to build women’s capacities, guarantee their rights to education, and
prepare them for taking on leading positions in different job sectors in
fulfillment of the principle of equality and in a bid to disseminate concepts
based on sound social and cultural values and providing all forms of support to
women to ensure their success. The Director General also called on the
countries of the Islamic world to exert more commitment to issues of gender
equality and implementing laws and policies that preserve women’s dignity and effectively
protect them against human rights violations.
At the close of the
ceremony, the Director General took a group photo with all female ICESCO staff
members.
Today, we are proud to celebrate International Women’s Day as a momentous occasion when weacknowledge and recognize the progress made towards achieving gender equality and women empowerment. A few decades ago, the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO)highlightedthe significance of this important day dedicated to women, calling on all sectors of society to march towards gender equality, women’s rights and their rightful place in all spheres at the turn of the century.
In its new strategic plan, ICESCO has identified women’s participation and leadership in peace-building initiatives, science and technology, as among crucialdrivers of change. The development of a dynamic and an all-inclusive ecosystem, ensuring progress for women at all levels, in culture, education, and other socio-economic undertakings, is paramount.
One glaring reality, as nations of the world commit themselves to the UN’s 4th Sustainable Development Goal on education is that girls and women currently comprise 65 percent of the world’s 40 percent illiteracy rate. Education policies still do not adequately address all of the development challengesfaced bygirls and women in vital sectors if we are toachieve sustainable development and growth.These goals can only be achieved if we muster the full and equal participation of women and men in all ofour communities.
Dr Salim AlMalik, Director General of ICESCO, urges us to challenge antiquated gender norms, empower each other,embracediversity and inclusion,dismantlestereotypes, reject discrimination, and act together to safeguard women’s rights and their enormous potential in leadership roles.
ICESCO calls for greater political commitment to gender equality, more effectiveimplementation of laws and policies, activating legislation that preserves women’s dignity and shields them fromhuman rights violations. The Organization also callsfor spreading concepts based on the highest socio-cultural values and necessary legal protections likely to help overcome the obstacles currently hampering women’sparticipation in different economic sectors and to provide all other forms of support to ensure the success of women in all spheres.
The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), in keeping with the responsibility incumbent upon it and by virtue of its competencies and functions;
In view of the risks posed to the world by the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19);
And being aware of the serious repercussions of the spread of this pandemic in the Islamic world;
Calls upon the Member States’ competent authorities in the fields of education, sciences, culture and communication to exercise the highest degree of vigilance and precaution to prevent the causes of this disease and take urgent and effective measures to reduce its spread.
In the event educational institutions were to be closed temporarily in countries that show signs of the spread of this pandemic, and class attendance were to be substituted with available educational alternatives according to each country’s means, ICESCO expresses its permanent willingness to support the efforts of Member States in such a way as to ensure the sustainability of the right to education and the continuity of the educational process in the best appropriate conditions.
In its bid to encourage medical and specialized scientific
research, thereby promoting humanitarian and social undertakings as its core
objective, the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
(ICESCO) announced setting up a US$200,000 prize award for individuals or group
who will find an effective cure or develop vaccine against Coronavirus (Corvid
19).
The ICESCO Director
General, Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, reaffirmed this initiative, reflecting the
Organization’s awareness of the serious repercussions of this virus, threatening
to become a global pandemic with serious impact on the world socio-economic
situation.
Dr. AlMalik added that setting up this Prize goes in harmony with
ICESCO’s new vision which highlights the need to adopt applied scientific
research as a tool to find appropriate solutions to exigent and challenging
issues, calling on all governments, international organizations and civil
society institutions to assume their roles and intensify their efforts to
counter the spread of this dangerous virus.
In the same context, Dr. AlMalik reiterated his sympathy for the
families of the victims who lost their lives to this virus, and reasserts the
Organization’s absolute readiness to assume its humanitarian role to abate the continued
proliferation of the deadly contagion.
The
Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO)
headquarters in Rabat, hosted, Monday morning, the signing ceremony of an agreement
between ICESCO and the Mohammadia League of Religious Scholars in the Kingdom
of Morocco.
On
this occasion, Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, ICESCO Director General, held a meeting
with Dr. Ahmed Abbadi, Secretary General of the League, in the presence of delegation
of the League leaders, and ICESCO leaders and experts.
Dr.
AlMalik opened the meeting with a speech, in which he welcomed the Secretary
General of the League and the accompanying delegation, and praised the great attention
that King Mohammed VI accords to knowledge and scholars, in addition to the
special attention he gives to ICESCO, adding that this attention presents us
with the great challenge of achieving both His Majesty’s and the Islamic
peoples’ objectives.
The Director General added that the
cooperation agreement, which is being signed today with the Mohammadia League, is
founded on preparing guides for fortification against extremist discourse,
organizing qualifying programs and national training sessions in that area,
holding lectures and a guide for the monitoring and assessment of immunization
progress, preparing an encyclopedia on the deconstruction of extremist
discourse, and networking universities in terms of research in Islamic
sciences.
ICESCO
Director General concluded his speech by emphasizing the urgent necessity to
achieve the goals of this agreement in the shortest possible time, adding that
the entire Organization is putting this agreement at the center of its
attention, and will strive to implement the initiatives included therein.
Then, Dr. Ahmed Abbadi, Secretary General of
the Mohammadia League delivered a speech in which he thanked Dr. AlMalik and ICESCO
for the fruitful and continuous cooperation with the League, and said that the
agreement being signed today between the two sides aims to achieve two goals. The
first is to seek further functionality for scientific research in the fields of
humanities and social sciences, and the second is to develop the necessary
activities and applications to “immunize” youth against extremism and
terrorism.
Afterwards, Najib Rhiati, Director of Culture
at ICESCO, delivered a speech in which he praised the cooperation between the
two sides, and said that the agreement includes 6 projects, three of them aim
to rebuilding mechanisms to achieve the transition from fortifying youth in the
Islamic societies to immunizing them against extremism and terrorism, namely
preparing guides for persons active in combating extremist ideology and
terrorism, and implement training sessions to facilitate the interaction of
those individuals with the guides, and then evaluate training sessions and
guides to assess their effectiveness.
Then,
Dr. Abdelilah Benarafa, Cultural Advisor to the Director General of ICESCO, took
the floor and mentioned that the other three projects aim at bringing together
scholars and youth in the Islamic world, affirming that scholars must reach out
to youth and open dialogue channels with them, be aware of their hopes and
aspirations, and deal with them closely. He added that these projects include
networking universities and research centers, giving lectures in the field of
humanities research, and working on preparing an encyclopedia on the deconstruction
of the extremist discourse.
At the end, Dr. AlMalik and Dr. Abbadi signed the cooperation agreement between
the two sides.
The Islamic World
Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) will take part at
the first Edition of Old Salé Prize for Handicraft and Traditional Creations,
in the Kingdom of Morocco, awarded by Bouregreg Association to excellent
creators of traditional handicraft products.
In this regard, ICESCO granted
a financial support to the Prize’s current edition, being held in cooperation
with the Chamber of Crafts of the Region of Rabat-Salé-Kenitra, Rabat Memory
Association in Salé, and the National Association for the Conservation of
Heritage and Handicrafts.
The Prize will be awarded on
28 February 2020 at Riwaq Bab Fez, Salé, to a number of skillful artisans in
recognition of their efforts to upgrade and promote the tangible heritage of
the old city of Salé.
ICESCO will be represented
in this ceremony by Mr. Mustapha Eid, Expert at the Directorate of Culture and
Communication.
Dr. Salim M. AlMalik,
Director General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization (ICESCO), and Mr. Miguel Moratinos, High Representative for the
United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC), explored ways to promote
cooperation between the two Organizations to strengthen coexistence and
dialogue between cultures, in light of the great changes and challenges facing
the world today.
At the outset of the
meeting, which took place today, Friday, at ICESCO headquarters in Rabat, Dr.
AlMalik welcomed Mr. Moratinos and his delegation, stressing that ICESCO’s new
vision adopts openness, cooperation and effective partnerships with all
entities in its areas of competence, namely education, science and culture, as
it seeks to serve Muslims in its 54 Member States and Muslim communities in
non-Member States as well.
Moreover, ICESCO
Director General explained that in order to widen the scope of cooperation with
non-Member States, the Organization is establishing contact with many of them
regarding becoming Observer States in the Organization. He added that one of
the manifestations of ICESCO’s openness was the “Forum Future”, which
it organized in cooperation with the Konrad Adenauer Foundation at its
headquarters on 17-18 February. The Forum brought together more than 30 experts
working at international organizations such as UNESCO and other eminent bodies,
specializing in strategic foresight and artificial intelligence and coming from
different countries, some of which are not ICESCO Member States.
For his part, Mr.
Moratinos thanked ICESCO Director General for his warm welcome, praising
ICESCO’s important role in its areas of competence, and stressing that it is
one of the organizations that the Alliance of Civilizations would cooperate and
work with in many fields, especially those related to the dialogue between
cultures, which is becoming ever more important and complex. He added that at a
time when there is ongoing talks about the need to protect the environment and
save the planet from global warming, there is also a need to preserve our
humanity, learn about coexistence and mutual respect, and understand the
existence of different religions, cultures and civilizations.
Mr. Moratinos called on
ICESCO to cooperate and participate in the Ninth Global Forum of the United
Nations Alliance of Civilizations, to be held on 29 November- 01 December 2020,
in Fez, Kingdom of Morocco, stating that it is the first the Forum is held in
Africa. He added that this session marks the 15th anniversary of the
UNAOC, which started as an initiative by the UN Secretary General, maintaining that
the session will assess the work of the UNAOC since its inception and devise a
plan of action to save humanity.
ICESCO Director General
reaffirmed the Organization’s readiness to cooperate and support this major
event, as it relates to its areas of competence, maintaining that the
Organization has a Division of Dialogue and Cultural Diversity affiliated with
the Cultural sector.
A number of ICESCO officials talked about key ICESCO activities scheduled for the upcoming period, including the First Meeting of the First Ladies of ICESCO African Member States, to be held end of next March, in Niamey, capital of Niger, in cooperation between ICESCO, the Nigerien Government and the First Lady of Niger, Dr. Lalla Malika Issoufou. This meeting will be dedicated to discussing issues of community development in Africa, empowering women, combating illiteracy, and facing violence against girls.
The delegation of the
Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO)
concluded its visit to the Republic of Uzbekistan with a series of meetings
with officials from the Uzbek Ministry of Culture, as part of the preparations
for the celebration of Bukhara as the Asian region’s Islamic World Capital of
Culture for 2020.
At the headquarters of
the Ministry of Culture in Tashkent, ICESCO delegation, composed of Mr. Najib
Rhiati, Director of Culture, Dr. Abdelilah Benarafa, Cultural Advisor to the
General Director, and Mr. Bilal Chebbi, Programme Specialist at the Directorate
of Culture, met with Mr. Ozodbek Nazarbekov, Minister of Culture of Uzbekistan,
and a number of the Ministry officials, and together they discussed the
outcomes of the meetings of ICESCO delegation and its visits to the cities of
Tashkent, Bukhara and Samarkand; and agreed upon the minutes of the
coordination meetings.
Afterwards, ICESCO
delegation met with Mr. Rustam Kasimov, Advisor to the President and President
of the International Islamic Academy of Uzbekistan. The delegation also met
with the Director of ICESCO Chair for Islamic Civilization, Dr. Doran Maksudov,
and the teaching staff (38 teachers), who are teaching 500 students within the
framework of the Chair. The two parties reviewed the activities of the Chair
and its contribution to the celebration of Bukhara; and the delegation took
stock of the Chair’s needs in terms of providing grants and hiring a professor
of Arabic language and a professor of Sharia sciences.
Following its meetings
at the headquarters of the Ministry of Culture and in the presence of officials
in the Ministry, ICESCO delegation along with the Deputy Minister held a press
conference wherein the delegation presented ICESCO’s conception of the
celebration as part of the Organization’s new vision.
The Director General of
the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), Dr.
Mohamed M. AlMalik, today, at ICESCO headquarters in Rabat, met with Dr.
Khalifa Al Suwaidi, , member of the Board of Trustees of Hamdan bin Rashid Al
Maktoum Foundation for Distinguished Academic Performance, and together they
explored ways to promote cooperation between ICESCO and the Foundation in the
sector of education, in light of ICESCO’s new vision, which adopts openness and
cooperation with the civil society institutions operating in the Organizations’
areas of competence.
The two parties also
reviewed the preparations for the awarding ceremony of “Hamdan– ICESCO Prize for
Voluntary Development of Education Facilities in the Islamic World Countries”,
to be held at ICESCO headquarters early April 2020, in the presence of His
Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chair of the Prize, Deputy Ruler
of Dubai and Minister of Finance of the United Arab Emirates. Likewise, the two
parties discussed arrangements for holding the second edition of the Prize.
The meeting was attended
by Dr. Ahmed Said Bah, Director of External Relations and Cooperation at
ICESCO.
Today’s meeting is the
second between Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum and Dr. AlMalik, after the
one held early February, in Zabeel Palace in Dubai, following the close of the
40th session of ICESCO Executive Council, held in Abu Dhabi, UAE,
which adopted the Organization’s new vision and a number of key decisions
contributing to ICESCO’s fresh start. During the first meeting, Dr. AlMalik
invited His Highness to award the winners of the Prize’s first edition.
Established in 2017 with
support from His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum and in
cooperation with ICESCO, the Prize aims to incentivize and pay tribute to authors
of voluntary initiatives and charity works in education, namely in the
development of educational institutions in Islamic world countries.
The Prize is awarded biennially
to three winners from among individuals or institutions having contributed to
developing education institutions in Islamic world countries. The value of the
Prize stands at US$ 300,000. Each winner receives a shield and a reward of
US$100,000 which will go to charity work, especially developing education
institutions.
