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The 40^th Executive Council of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), being held in Abu Dhabi, State of the United Arab Emirates, which enjoys the powers of ICESCO General Conference, adopted the amendment to the Organization’s Charter and Internal Regulations, submitted by ICESCO General Directorate so as to keep up with the Organizations new vision and future action plan that promote the position of ICESCO in the Islamic and international arenas.

 The General Directorate reaffirmed in the presentation, delivered by Dr. Mohammed Hadi Sehli, Legal Advisor to the Director General, before the Executive Council, that these amendments aim to:

1. Ensure accuracy and clarity in the legal texts and avoiding any ambiguity therein so as to observe the principle of legal safety;
2. Upgrade the Organization to join the rankings of renowned organizations in terms of the quality of legislations with a view to recruiting the best competencies;
3. Create an atmosphere of safety and trust between ICESCO and its partners at the internal and external levels;
4. Anchor the principle of geographical balance and de facto and full gender equality inside the Organization.

He also highlighted that the General Directorate has adopted a participatory approach in adopting these amendments by offering the chance to the staff members to discuss these proposals and put forwards their opinions and perspectives in this regard. 

He also stated that the main amendments to the Charters and Internal Regulations of the General Conference and Executive Council as well as the Financial regulations are as follows:

1. Clearly and meticulously redrafting the objectives, tasks and measures of the Organization without affecting their substance;
2. Adopting ICESCO’s action plan and budget for (4) years instead of (3) years, and arranging the legal effects of this measure by increasing the Director General’s term of office and the Financial Control Committee’s term to four years;
3. Extending the powers of ICESCO’s General Conference and Executive Council by conferring upon them the powers to ratify the memorandums and agreements prepared by the General Directorate in its fields of competence;
4. Proposing a new mechanism for the selection of ICESCO’s Assistant Director General while observing the equal geographical distribution in nomination for these senior positions.
5. Proposing a new financing sources for the Development Waqf.

As for the Personnel Regulations and the Internal Regulations of the Medical Insurance Fund and the End-of-Service Allowance Fund, the amendments thereto are as follows:

• Developing the mechanisms and conditions of recruitment in the Organization in such a way as to ensure the better attraction of the best competencies while ensuring deliberation on the positions by removing the open-end contracts;
• Promoting the rights of staff through the amendment to the scale of salaries and family allowances so as to entrench social peace within the Organization taking into account the cost of living and price index in the Seat Country as well as the financial balances of ICESCO.

Amendments have also been introduced to the Leave Regulation, including the increase of the maternity leave from two months to 10 weeks; the Medical Insurance Fund, by promoting the social and medical security coverage for ICESCO’s staff and their families; as well as the End-of-Service Allowance Fund, whose rates of contributions have been revised in addition to the calculation of the allowance with a view to preserve the general balances of the Fund and observe the acquired rights of staff.

Moreover, as for the Observer Status Regulations, the Directorate General decided to allow any non-Member State to enjoy the right of Observer in accordance with the criteria and condition set forth.

The 40^th Executive Council of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), being held in Abu Dhabi, State of the United Arab Emirates, which enjoys the powers of ICESCO General Conference, adopted the Establishment of ICESCO International Consultative Council.

In this regard, the General Directorate of ICESCO stressed that among the practices and customs that are established worldwide, which the regional and international organizations and renowned major universities are keen to use, is the establishment of international consultative bodies, networks, academies or councils that include an elite of international figures from among experts with extensive experience, profound knowledge and outstanding status, so as to benefit from their considerable expertise and sound proactive visions.

In this context, and to give body to ICESCO’s move towards more openness to international horizons as part of its new vision, the Organization is keen to benefit from the practices, customs and traditions followed by international organizations and institutions to establish an international consultative council which will benefit ICESCO through its work, thought, expertise and consultation to improve the Organization’s outreach worldwide and provide advice to support the process of reform and development in which it is currently embarked on.

The Council will also coordinate regularly, cooperate closely and consult continuously with the Organization’s statutory bodies, namely the Executive Council, the General Conference, the subsidiary and specialized organs such as the Federation of the Universities of the Islamic World (FUIW), the Islamic World Heritage Committee, ICESCO Goodwill Ambassadors, and the Supreme Consultative Council for Education, Science and Culture for Muslims outside the Islamic World. Accordingly, the Council, in assuring its functions and tasks, will take into consideration these bodies’ decisions and recommendations as well as the issues dealt with by the specialized ministerial conferences, held by ICESCO, and the outcomes of the high-level forums.

Moreover, the Council aims at achieving the institutional transformation and quantum leap which will place ICESCO at the forefront of major leading international organizations active in its areas of competence; supporting the reform approach and the process of development currently followed by ICESCO; implementing the Shura mechanism which is, from the Islamic perspective, a fundamental of successful collective management, and benefiting from it to formulate the appropriate orientations and take the right decisions; and accelerating the pace to achieve the desired goals of ICESCO’s plans and programmes.

The Council shall comprise sixteen (16) members, eight (8) from ICESCO Member States, and eight (8) from other countries and parties, who shall be selected by ICESCO according to specific criteria. If interest demands and should the need arise, the number of members may be increased as may be required by the Council to discharge its missions and in accordance with measures taken in this regard.

The Council’s functions include contributing to the formulation of ICESCO’s strategies, priorities and orientations and to developing its courses of action; anticipating future trends of issues directly or indirectly affecting ICESCO’s areas of competence in the medium and long terms at the regional and international levels; and expressing opinions and providing consultation on the topics relevant to ICESCO’s fields of competence which are submitted to the Council.

The Council shall also encourage openness to future prospects and enhance the visibility of the Organization on the international scene through its achievements and projects; propose new major sustainable projects and initiatives that cater for the common needs of Muslim countries, and develop executive measures to them, while taking into account realities and regional and international changes; boost shared strategies and programmes between the Organization and parallel regional and international organizations. It shall also establish practical partnership and true twinning with a number of regional and international organizations sharing the same interest so as to learn from their accumulated rich expertise and pioneering experiences; enhance partnership between ICESCO and civil society organizations; suggest an executive framework for such partnership, in such a way as to make of the civil society an influential positive force impacting on orientations and programmes of ICESCO; provide scientific consultations; and enrich the issues and topics submitted to the ministerial and sectoral conferences of the Organization and participate in their academic sessions.

Today, in Abu Dhabi, States of the United Arab Emirates, the 40^th session of the Executive Council of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), held its closing session. This session adopted the Final Report of 40^th Session, which was marked by the start of a new phase in ICESCO’s history. The Council adopted many decisions, plans and amendments presented by the Organization’s General Directorate. This Session also enjoyed the powers of the General Conference, the highest authority supervising ICESCO’s action, by virtue of the powers vested in it by the 3^rd Extraordinary General Conference, held in the Area of Makkah Al-Mukarramah, on 9 May 2019.

The opening session kicked off with the adoption of the Final Report of 40^th Session. Then, Dr. Salma Al-Darmaki, Secretary General of the National Commission, gave an address on behalf of Dr. Noura bint Mohammed Al Kaabi, Minister of Culture and Knowledge Development of the United Arab Emirates, wherein she conveyed her congratulations on the adoption of the new start of ISESCO, while reaffirming the commitment of the United Arab Emirates to support ICESCO so as to attain its desired objectives based on the belief that achieving a better future for the progress and prosperity of the Islamic world requires combining efforts and achieving a cultural and educational resurgence based on solidarity and collective thinking for the good of Muslim peoples.

Thereafter, H.E. Dr. Boubakar Doukouré, Chairman of the Executive Council of ICESCO, took the floor and expressed his sincere thanks and deep gratitude to the United Arab Emirates for hosting the 40^th session of the Executive Council, and to the Council members for their active interactions with the plans and decisions presented by the General Directorate as well as the constructive discussion throughout the sessions. He also stated that, for special conditions, he sent his resignation to the National Commission of Burkina Faso, and waits for the appointment of new Secretary General while stressing that he will continue to support ICESCO.

Besides, Dr. AlMalik delivered a closing address in which he expressed his thanks to the United Arab Emirates for the generous hospitality offered to the Council members and ICESCO’s working team. He also thanked the Council members for their enlightened opinions, ideas and proposals expressed while examining ICESCO’s strategic vision and future action plans.

Dr. AlMalik also underlined that the support of the Executive Council to ICESCO’s consolidates belief in in a better future for the joint Islamic action in the fields of education, science, technology, culture and communication while stressing that the Organization will provide all its efforts to serve Member States and Muslim communities outside the Islamic world, focus on the priorities and needs expressed by the national competent parties, and pay special attention to the most vulnerable and needy regions and groups.

On his part, Dr. Ali Zeidan Abu Zuhri, President of ISESCO General Conference, in a short address, expressed his thanks to the United Arab Emirates for hosting the 40^th session of the Executive Council, which he considered as pivotal in the history of the Organization as it adopted important decisions that will impact its action over the coming period and enable it to implement its new vision for the benefit of Member States.

He also thanked Dr. Boubakar Doukouré for all the services he gave to ICESCO throughout his membership and chairmanship of the Council.

Afterwards, Dr. Boubakar Doukouré received a commemorative medal from Dr. AlMalik under huge applaud of the Council members. He also received a certificate of thanks and appreciation from Lalla Malika Issoufou, First Lady of Niger, Guest of Honor of the 40^th Session.

The morning session of the Council’s second day adopted the Project on the Establishment of a Development Waqf Fund for ICESCO, Project on the Establishment of ICESCO International Consultative Council, the New Audit Company, and Election of the Financial Control Committee Members, including Republic of Senegal, State of Kuwait, Republic of Azerbaijan, Malaysia, and Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

The Council also announced the date and venue of the 41^st Session, to be held at the beginning of next year at ICESCO headquarters in Rabat, before the General Conference, to be held in Malaysia, in 2021.

During this session, the delegate of the Kingdom of Morocco called on all the national commissions to attend the workshop organized by Morocco in cooperation with ISESCO this year so as to share expertise in order to develop the action of these commissions in line with ICESCO’s new vision.

The Islamic World Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) paid tribute to Dr. Boubakar Doukouré, Chairman of ICESCO Executive Council, in recognition of his services to the Organization throughout his years as member of the Executive Council, then its Chariman, a position he announced resigning from today, at the closing session of the 40^th Executive Council in Abu Dhabi.  Dr. Doukouré stated that he sent his letter of resignation to the President of the National Commission of Burkina Faso and informed the said Commission to select another representative in the Council.

During the session, Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, ICESCO Director General, decorated Dr. Doukouré with a commemorative medal, amid a standing ovation from the members of the Executive Council. Dr. Lalla Malika Issoufou, First Lady of Niger, guest of honor of the Executive Council, also handed the former Chairman a certificate of thanks and appreciation, in the presence of Dr. Ali Zaidan Abu Zuhri, President of ICESCO General Conference, and Dr. Salma Al Darmaki, Secretary General of the Emirati National Commission.

For his part, Dr. Doukouré expressed his thanks to the Organization for this tribute, stating that he has fond memories of the Organization’s General Directorate and staff members; and promised to constantly support ICESCO’s new plans and visions.

The 40^th session of the Executive Council of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), being held in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, adopted the new ICESCO Organizational Structure, submitted by the Organization’s General Directorate to the Council, in order to meet the requirements of ICESCO’s new vision and future action plan. The current session of the Executive Council enjoys the powers of the General Conference.

The Structure was adopted, taking into consideration the observations of ICESCO Executive Council members during deliberations, following the presentation made by the General Directorate on the reasons behind changing the old structure, including the interplay between the functions of some directorates, the inadequate status of some directorates in comparison with the roles they play. The new structure also aims to meticulously identify the responsibilities in a way that guarantees optimal performance at the Organization in light of its vision that adopts openness and more communication with Member States, the world, and regional and international organizations in the fields of education, science and culture.

In this regard, the General Directorate stated that the Organization sought the services of the Institute of Public Administration (IPA) in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to examine ICESCO’s Organizational Structure and submit a draft new structure based in the working requirements of the Organization in the next period. To this end, a consultative team was formed consisting of the IPA training faculty members specializing in relevant fields. The team reviewed the old Structure and separately met with all ICESCO directors and officials to identify the work nature of each directorate and center, then proposed the new structure which was fine-tuned based on the observations of ICESCO staff.

Key elements in the new Structure  include the creation of the two new positions, namely, the Deputy Director General and the Assistant Director General. The Deputy Director General shall be in charge of ICESCO’s main action sectors (Education, Culture and Communication, Social and Human Sciences, Science and Technology), whereas the Assistant Director General shall be in charge of the common services including the Directorates of Support Services, Information Technology and Printing and Publishing, in addition to the Center of Translation. Other directorates report directly to the Director General, including the Office of the Director General, the Directorate of Legal Affairs, the General Secretariat  and Conferences, the Financial Controller, the Directorate of Institutional Information and Communication, the Directorate of Public Relations and Protocol, the Directorate of Prizes, Scholarships and Excellence Initiatives, and the Office of Goodwill Ambassadors.

** AlMalik: The new name opens wide prospects for the Organization’s presence at the international level

The 40^th Executive Council of the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), which kicked off today in Abu Dhabi, State of the United Arab Emirates, adopted the modification of the name of the Organization into the “Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization” (ICESCO).

In this regard, Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, ICESCO Director General, stated that the modification of the name of the Organization aims to clarify the nature of its missions, which are not D’awa-related, and open wide prospects for its presence at the international level.

Dr. AlMalik also highlighted that the new name accurately reflects the nature of the civilizational mission of ICESCO in the fields of education, science, culture and communication, as well as its purposes and objectives.

In the document on the draft modification, the General Directorate of ICESCO underlined that the proposed expression ‘Islamic World’ refers to the civilizational space which takes into account the global dimension in all the regions which include Muslim populations and minorities, or the regions which have contributed in a way or another to building and enriching the common civilizational heritage of these regions. “Thus, this concept is not constant or stagnant; it is rather flexible, integrated, open and expandable. Besides, the Muslim population in some non-Member States is larger than its counterpart in some Member States. The name ‘Islamic World Organization’ allows the Organization to cooperate with these countries and implement programmes and activities for Muslims in such countries within an institutional and official framework,” the General Directorate added.

The General Directorate also stressed that the modification of this name will open wide prospects for expanding the bases of partnership and cooperation in Member States and with non-Member States and an important number of international and regional governmental institutions which were not fully aware of the nature of the Organization’s missions, fields of action, and beneficiaries, as well as their strategic commonalties and development priorities shared with ICESCO.

It is worth mentioning that the 40^th ICESCO Executive Council enjoys the powers of ICESCO General Conference, the highest power representing all the 54 Member States in supervising the Organization’s action and general policies, by virtue of the powers vested in it by the 3^rd Extraordinary General Conference, held in the Area of Makkah Al-Mukarramah, on 9 May 2019, which commissioned the Executive Council to examine and adopt the amendments proposed by the Director General to ICESCO’s regulations, plans and working mechanisms.

Today, in Abu Dhabi, the 40^th session of the Executive Council of the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO), kicked off. This session will review, over the course of two days, the Organization’s new vision, Action Plan for 2020-2021, the new Medium-Term Strategic Plan for 2020-2030, and a number of organizational matters submitted by the General Directorate to the Council.

The opening session of ISESCO Executive Council started with the address of Dr. Noura Mohammed Al Kaabi, Minister of Culture and Knowledge Development of the United Arab Emirates, wherein she welcomed the hosting of the Executive Council in Abu Dhabi, while conveying her wishes for the attainment of the desired outcomes in such a way that serves the peoples of the Islamic world. She also expressed her thanks to ISESCO Director General, Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, for his efforts and vision aimed at developing the Organization’s organs and promoting effective coordination with Member States.

Moreover, Dr. Al Kaabi stated that the historic changes witnessed throughout the Islamic world and affecting all walks of life compel us to keep up with the changes and adopt innovative and forward-looking solutions that respond to Muslim societies’ needs and build a better future for the next generations.

At the close of her address, the Emirati Minister reiterated her country’s commitment to supporting the new vision and strategy of ISESCO to anchor its position as a civilizational beacon and an effective platform for joint Islamic action in the cultural, scientific and educational fields.

In his address, Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, ISESCO Director General, thanked the members of the Executive Council for attending the 40^th session of the Council. He also expressed his thanks and gratitude to His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the State of the United Arab Emirates, Ruler of Abu Dhabi, and to His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, Chairman of Abu Dhabi Executive Council, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces, for the good reception and generous hospitality they offered to the Council members and guests. Likewise, he thanked Ms. Noura bint Mohammed Al Kaabi, Minister of Culture and Knowledge Development, as well as the Ministry’s team. Moreover, Dr. AlMalik welcomed Her Excellency Lalla Malika Issoufou, First Lady of the Republic of Niger,  guest of honor of the Council at its current session.

Afterwards, the Director General reviewed the Organization’s new vision, stating that ISESCO adopted an anticipatory vision that will allow it to move from idealistic aspirations to realistic achievements, position the Organization at a leading standing to become a beacon of global outreach in its areas of competence, and develop action mechanisms that meet the Islamic world’s expectations for a better future.

Dr. AlMalik also reviewed a number of initiatives while expressing his confidence that the Executive Council will contribute to supporting and enriching the orientations of this new vision to build together an ISESCO of the future and the world of tomorrow.

In his address, Dr. Boubacar Doukouré, Chairman of ISESCO Executive Council, commended the dynamics and spirit of renewal within ISESCO, which has achieved great results since the appointment of Dr. AlMalik as Director General. He also promised, on behalf of the Executive Council, that he will support Dr. AlMalik in the implementation of the new vision, which aims to turn ISESCO into an outreach beacon for Member States.

On his part, Dr. Ali Zeidan Abu Zuhri, President of ISESCO General Conference, expressed his pleasure and honor to attend the 40th Session of ISESCO Executive Council, in the State of United Arab Emirates, which constitutes an annual educational, cultural and scientific gathering aiming to develop ISESCO’s action.

Besides, Dr. Abu Zuhri requested the Council to seize this session to enrich the debate on the promotion of many issues relevant to the Organization so as to enable ISESCO to open up to the world while wishing every success to the Council.

In her address, Ms. Lalla Malika Issoufou, First Lady of the Republic of Niger, praised the role that ISESCO plays in supporting education while pointing out “Education is the key to life. Girls are marginalized in many countries such as Niger, where only 5 out of 100 girls enrolled in primary schools  reach the secondary school level” .

She also conveyed to the Council the special greetings of the President of Niger, H.H. Mahamadou Issoufou, who reiterated his support to ISESCO and the development of cooperation relations in its areas of competence.

At the close of the session, ISESCO Director General and the Emirati Minister of Culture and Knowledge Development presented ISESCO’s Prizes in the fields of Literacy and Non-Formal Education, which was won by the “Aarafa Centre” in the Republic of Chad, which was received on the Centre’s behalf by Dr. Ali Mohammed Qamar, the representative of the Republic of the Chad at the Executive Council; and ISESCO Prize for Open Source Educational Resources for the year 2018, to the representatives of the Ministry of National Education in the Kingdom of Bahrain, and the Senegalese Ministry of  Education for their initiatives on “Digital Resources for All”.

Moreover, Yanbu Digital Platform of the Centre of Learning Resources won ISESCO Prize for Digital Educational Resources for the year 2019.