The Director General of the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO), Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, will take part in the Third Forum on Balanced and Inclusive Education, to be held by the Education Relief Foundation (ERF), on 27-29 January 2020 in Djibouti.
The Forum aims to promote balanced and inclusive education in light of globalization. This edition, to be held in Djibouti City, brings together ministers of education of a number of countries from Africa, Latin America and Asia, in addition to representatives of international organizations concerned with the educational field and civil society institutions. The previous edition was held in Mexico City, on 20-22 November 2018.
The participation of Dr. AlMalik in the Forum is part of the cooperation between ISESCO and ERF in the field of education, which aims to promote the role of the specialized civil society institutions in disseminating and anchoring the values of balanced and inclusive education.
It is worth noting that the ERF is a non-profit institution that works towards developing and promoting a new global approach to education that highlights the importance of balance and inclusion in curricula presented to students. ERF’s action is based on field research and studies in different world regions, and aims to achieve inclusion, global cooperation and indiscrimination in a way that reflects the contributions of the various cultures and civilizations to our modern world.
Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director
General of the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
(ISESCO), stressed that the crisis of the profession of press is not only limited
to the ethical aspect and the societal issues, this profession also suffers,
due to the new technological transformations, from a vocational vulnerability
that negatively affects the work of journalists and necessitates the restructuring
of its working systems.
This statement was part of his
address at the third gathering of ISESCO Cultural Forum, yesterday evening, at
ISESCO headquarters, under the theme ‘Future of Information: from paper to
digital press’.
Dr. AlMalik added that “the
responsible press reflects the freedom of expression. It has always had the
respect of the public opinion. However, many transformations have marred this
trust. In the society of knowledge, communication and impressive digital
transformations, information become in the heart of all the strategies.
Journalists, press institutions and the funding parties become subject to wide
criticism and there is much talk about the manipulation of public opinion by
some media outlets, which consequently influenced the moral authority of press.”
Dr. AlMalik also stated that the
technological developments deeply affected the profession of press as the
modern technological means radically impacted the sources of information and
the relationship of journalists with readers. “Now, any human being can serve
as an editor-in-chief of a personal blog, or even a special correspondent of
newscasts. Thus, it is indispensable to redraw the borders of this profession
and the types of engagements it requires with readers,” he stressed.
Besides, ISESCO Director General highlighted
that the traditional model of press cannot keep up with the digital
developments in this profession because the social media, current priorities
and the speed of the news flow immensely affected this model. “Press is a noble
intellectual profession which requires hardworking, rigor, transparency,
culture, time, and assisting means likely to contribute to the edification of
the society of citizenship and democracy. It also contributes to the
construction of the collective memory,” Dr. AlMalik stressed.
At the close of his address, Dr.
AlMalik asked many questions: Is the press still shaping the public opinion amid
the new transformations? Does the press really contribute to sharing the true
information and enlightening minds? Will the responsible press and the
professional media stand before the accelerating digital developments that have
allowed wrong hands to manipulate texts and images and disseminate fake news? He
added that “Mr. Khalid AlMalik, Saudi Editor-in-Chief of the Saudi Newspaper Al
Jazirah, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Saudi Journalists
Association, and President of the Gulf Press Union; and the Moroccan renowned
writer and journalist, Mr. Mohammed Seddik Maaninou, who served in many
positions and was Director of the National Television, will surely answer these
questions.” He thanked them for their participation at ISESCO Cultural Forum.
Today in his office, Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director General of the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO), received M. Steffen Krueger, representative of the German Conrad Adenauer Foundation (KAS) in the Kingdom of Morocco, and together they examined the latest preparations for the launch of « the Forum of the Future », to be organized by ISESCO, in cooperation with the Foundation, in its headquarters in Rabat, on 17-18 February 2020,
During the meeting the two parties highlighted
the importance of organizing the said Forum and explored the major topics it
will address, with the participation of international experts and distinguished
personalities in the field of strategic foresight as well as representatives of
international organizations and private sector. The topics of the Forum include
the latest applications and uses of Artificial Intelligence and the anticipation
of the future of the world by 2040, in addition to other topics related to the
workshops which will be held during the forum on some of ISESCO fields of
competence, namely education, culture and sciences.
Talks also explored cooperation
opportunities between ISESCO and Conrad Adenauer Foundation in light of the
Organization’s new vision which adopts openness to civil society institutions
to serve the citizens of its Member States.
It is worth mentioning that the Conrad
Adenauer Foundation, a non profit institution, was established in 1964 and
bears the name of Conrad Hermann Adenauer, first German Chancellor after World
War II (1949-1963). The Foundation is active in supporting democracy,
establishing the rule of law and promoting peace.
The meeting was attended by Dr Kais
Hammami, Director of the Center of Strategic Foresight and Dr Mohammed Hadi
Sehili, Legal Advisor to the Director General.
Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director
General of the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
(ISESCO), today at his office, received Mr. Chawki Tabib, President of the Tunisian
National Anti-Corruption Authority (INLUCC), and together they explored
ways to raise awareness of and educate university students about the issues of
good governance and anticorruption.
This meeting tackled some proposals
on raising awareness about such issues among school students, including the introduction
of some simplified subjects and information into the educational curricula.
The meeting was held as part of
ISESCO’s new vision which adopts openness to all so as to support sustainable
development in Member States and empower young people to have access to quality
education and training with a view to achieving their ambition to have a decent
life.
At the close of his visit to the
Organization, INLUCC President offered the Shield of the Authority to ISESCO
Director General.
The meeting was attended from ISESCO
by Mr. Mohamed Ghemari, Director of the Secretariat of the General Conference,
Executive Council and Specialized Ministerial Conferences; Mr. Najib Ghiati,
Director of Culture; Dr. Kais Hammami; Director of the Centre of Strategic
Foresight; and Mr. Mohamed Hedi Shili, Legal Advisor to the Director General.
The
permanent headquarters of the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization (ISESCO) in Rabat, today, hosted a coordination meeting on “ways
to address divisive stereotypes in curricula” between ISESCO and the Conflict
and Education Learning Laboratory (CELL), a foundation specialized in education
in conflict zones.
Co-moderated
by Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, ISESCO Director General, and Dr. Jo Ritzen, Chairperson
of CELL Foundation and former education minister of the Netherlands, the
meeting was attended by ISESCO’s directors and experts along with Mr. Atif
Rizvi, CEO and co-founder of CELL; and Ms. Ayla Bonfiglio, CELL Executive
Director and Regional Coordinator for North Africa of the Mixed Migration
Center.
The meeting
opened with a welcoming address by Dr. AlMalik wherein he talked about the
expertise of the Foundation in the field of education in conflict zones and the
importance it attaches to the theme of the meeting. Afterwards, Dr. Ritzen took
the floor thanking ISESCO and its Director General for his invitation to the
meeting. He pointed out that the theme of the meeting is of great importance as
divisive stereotypes in textbooks, curricula and the media have damaging
effects on children and the youth because they shape their minds, history and
identity.
Moreover,
Dr. Ritzen stated that the general objectives of CELL and ISESCO converge in
this regard. Thanks to its presence all over the Islamic world, ISESCO provides
a cumulated knowledge-based activity made up of practices and partnerships with
different education institutions and research on textbooks, curricula and
information materials.
Through its
research and creative “Info Hive” platform, Mr. Ritzen added, CELL presents a golden
opportunity for participation and promotion of cooperation between experts,
researchers, decision-makers, practitioners, teachers and the public to accumulate knowledge
and raise awareness about the ways in which divisive stereotypes lead to
extremism, conflict, violence and violation of the rights of children, youth,
women and disadvantaged groups, including refugees and ethnic minorities in
ISESCO Member States.
For his
part, Mr. Rizvi pointed out that the staff and experts working in the fields of
education and conflict alleviation have long realized that revising textbooks
can largely contribute to changing, jointly or individually and at the
institutional level, the minds of children and the youth. In this regard, he
underscored that textbooks can promote the respect for the diversity of
beliefs; encourage mutual understanding and critical thinking to address prejudices;
and promote wellbeing.
Afterwards,
Ms. Bonfiglio made a presentation on the “Info Hive” Platform, a project
initiated by CELL and will be soon accessible to the public, stressing that it
is a tool designed to catalyze a worldwide change of the approaches to the
issues of education, health, wellbeing and conflict.
In the same
vein, Ms. Bonfiglio stated that the Foundation chose to design the “Info Hive”
in the form of a smartphone application, out of its belief in the principle of democratization,
as that the largest possible number of users can access these applications,
hence they are the most fit to achieve this principle.
As soon as
the presentation ended, the floor was opened for discussion between ISESCO’s
experts and CELL during which the two parts agreed on the importance to promote
and develop cooperation since the theme of the Meeting is of paramount
importance, given the exacerbating issues of political and military, migration
and asylum.
At the close
of the Meeting, the two parties agreed to continue coordination for further
cooperation and give effect to joint action in the “Info Hive” Project. To this
effect, Dr. Ritzen requested Dr. AlMalik to engage ISESCO’s experts in
developing the Platform to launch it within a year. Similarly, CELL requested
ISESCO to invite education experts in its Member States to contribute to the
Project.
The Director General of the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization (ISESCO), Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, and the Ambassador Extraordinary
and Plenipotentiary of Algeria to the Kingdom of Morocco, Mr. Abdelhamid
Abdaoui, explored cooperation between ISESCO and the People’s Democratic
Republic of Algeria in the fields of education, science and culture.
These talks were held
during the visit of the Algerian Ambassador today to ISESCO headquarters in
Rabat, wherein the Algerian official reaffirmed that his country is looking
forward to strong and more effective cooperation with ISESCO in the upcoming
period.
For his part, the Director General promised that the
Organization will do its utmost to shape and consolidate cooperation with
Algeria, as part of the Organization’s new vision which is based on
establishing more communication with
Member States, and meeting their needs and expectations in the activities and
programmes implemented by ISESCO in its areas of competence.
The two parties also agreed to organize joint
programmes and activities, as well as assisting Algeria in inscribing a number
of its historic sites on the Islamic World Heritage List (IWHL) through
providing the necessary training for technical officials in charge of preparing
the technical files of these landmarks.
Likewise, the two parties talked about the official
invitation the Director General recently received from the Algerian Government
to visit Algeria, which he accepted and promised to make it during the first
half of 2020, after coordination with the Algerian parties.
The Director
General of the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
(ISESCO), Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, received Mr. Ashraf Ibrahim, Ambassador of the
Arab Republic of Egypt to the Kingdom of Morocco, and together they explored
ways to promote cooperation between ISESCO and Egypt in the next phase, under
ISESCO’s new vision and in light of the selection of Cairo as the Arab region’s
Islamic Culture Capital for 2020.
During the
meeting which was held at ISESCO headquarters in Rabat, Dr. AlMalik highlighted
that the celebration would give new impetus to the special and continued
cooperation ties between the Organization and Egypt. He also pointed out that
the arrangements for the celebration should be carried out in a manner worthy
of the history and standing of Cairo and its plethoric heritage landmarks and
cultural institutions and events.
The
discussions also touched on strengthening cooperation between ISESCO and Egypt
through inscribing the maximum possible number of Egyptian heritage and
historic landmarks on the Islamic World Heritage List, organizing symposia and
lectures in the educational, cultural, environmental and scientific fields and
other areas falling under the realm of ISESCO’s competence.
Moreover,
the parties reviewed some proposed ideas about activities and programmes for
implementation in 2020 as part of the Celebration.
At the close
of the meeting, the parties agreed to set up a joint committee of ISESCO and
the competent Egyptian authorities to implement the activities and programmes.
The committee will meet in Cairo at the start of February to put the finishing
touches to the celebration.
The Director General of the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization (ISESCO), Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, and the Permanent Delegate of
Libya to ISESCO, Dr. Said M’hamad Ed-Dbib, explored ways to promote cooperation
between ISESCO and State of Libya in the fields of education, science and
culture, amid the current circumstances Libya is going through.
At the outset of the meeting, held today at ISESCO headquarters, Dr. AlMalik welcomed the Libyan delegate who briefed him on the major priorities and pressing needs of Libya over the next two years, in terms of programmes and activities in the fields of education, science and culture, as part of ISESCO’s action plan and under its new vision which entails more communication with Member States to identify their real needs and incorporate them in ISESCO’s activities and programmes.
In addition, the two parties talked about the ongoing preparations to hold the 40th ISESCO Executive Council, on 29-30 January 2020, in Abu Dhabi, State of the United Arab Emirates.
The Delegate also undertook to pay Libya’s arrears and contributions to ISESCO’s budget.
Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director
General of the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
(ISESCO), congratulated His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tariq bin
Taimur on being chosen as Sultan of Oman to succeed the late Sultan Qaboos bin
Saeed.
Dr. AlMalik reaffirmed that Sultan
Haitham made great contributions to the sector of culture in Oman during his
term as Minister of Heritage and Culture of the Sultanate since February 2002.
He also beseeched Allah Almighty to grant him success so as to continue the
development of the Sultanate of Oman.
The Director General of the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization (ISESCO), Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, mourned the passing of His Majesty
Sultan Qaboos bin Said bin Taymoor, may Allah rest his soul in peace, stating
that he received the news with profound grief and great sorrow.
In this regard, Dr.
AlMalik conveyed the heartfelt condolences and deep sympathy, on his own behalf
and that of all ISESCO staff members, to the Omani people and to the royal
family for the death of the leader of the resurgence of the modern Sultanate of
Oman.
