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Dr. Abdelilah Benarafa, Deputy Director-General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), is participating in the 12th Samaa Marrakech for Sufi Meetings and Music, under the theme, “Enter It in Peace, safe,” being held on 19-22 October 2023, under the high patronage of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may Allah assist Him.

The theme of this year’s edition of the Festival is dedicated to, “The Present and Future of Ancient Cities in Morocco,” organized by the “Munyia Marrakech Association for the Revival and Preservation of Morocco’s Heritage,” in partnership with the Ministry of Youth, Culture, and Communication, in addition to several other Moroccan ministries and institutions.

In his address at the opening session, Dr. Benarafa emphasized the importance of preserving the cultural heritage of Marrakech, noting that it will be celebrated as the 2024 Culture Capital in the Islamic World, as part of ICESCO’s Islamic World Culture Capitals. He stated that this celebration offers an opportunity for collaboration between the city’s local authorities, the Ministry of Youth, Culture, and Communication, other Moroccan government bodies, and civil society organizations active in the field of cultural heritage.

ICESCO Deputy Director-General will be participating in the closing seminar of the event under the theme “Eastern Marrakech,” which highlights the symbolic, spiritual, cultural, historical, and architectural values of the eastern part of the city.

The Executive Bureau for the Environment in the Islamic World held its sixth meeting in Jeddah, on Wednesday 18 October 2023, under the presidency of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and with the participation of Bureau members and the Islamic World Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), which is in charge of the Bureau’s Secretariat. The Meeting discussed and examined the documents featuring on its agenda, as well as the draft resolutions to be submitted to the 9th Conference of Environment Ministers in the Islamic World.

At the outset of the meeting, Dr. Osama Faqeeha, Deputy Minister of Environment, Water, and Agriculture for Environmental Affairs of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, emphasized the importance of the Meeting, commending ICESCO General Directorate’s efforts in preparing the presented documents and coordinating joint action in the field of environmental protection.

Afterwards, presentations were given on the reports and documents listed on the Meeting’s agenda, including:

1. Report on ICESCO’s Activities in the Fields of Environment and Sustainable Development between the 8th and 9th Sessions of the Conference of Environment Ministers in the Islamic World;
2. Report on the Third Edition of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Award for Environmental Management in the Islamic World (KSAAEM);
3. Draft Strategy for Smart and Sustainable Cities in the Islamic World;
4. Draft Program of the Management and Reduction of Natural Disasters Risks in the Islamic World;
5. Draft Guideline on Best Practices on Green Transformation in the Islamic World;
6. Draft Agenda and Draft Programme of the 9th Conference of Environment Ministers in the Islamic World;
7. Draft Resolutions of the 9th Conference of Environment Ministers in the Islamic World.

Following the discussions, the Bureau welcomed the reports and documents listed on the agenda and recommended that the 9th Conference of Environment Ministers in the Islamic World adopt relevant draft resolutions.

The Bureau underlined the importance of developing the structure of both the Conference of Environment Ministers in the Islamic World, and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Award for Environmental Management in the Islamic World.

At the close of the meeting, the Bureau members expressed their gratitude to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for its support in organizing the sessions of the Conference of Ministers of the Environment in the Islamic World, and to the Ministry of Environment, Water, and Agriculture. Moreover, the Bureau members commended ICESCO’s role in promoting joint environmental action among its Member States and developing green transformation policies in the Islamic world.

The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) reaffirms its full solidarity with the Palestinian people in the face of the brutal aggression against the Gaza Strip by the Israeli occupation, which continues its arrogance by destroying educational, cultural and health infrastructure.

ICESCO strongly condemns the barbaric Israeli occupation’s behavior, which shows no respect for human sanctity or international instruments, after the bombardment of al-Ahli Baptist Hospital in Gaza, which resulted in hundreds of martyrs and injuries; thus, reaffirming the Israeli occupation’s aggressive approach, which has become one of its abhoring attributes.

Moreover, ICESCO points out that targeting civilian sites, especially hospitals, constitutes the worst form of aggression, which is strongly and clearly criminalized by international community which should confront this reckless behavior by all means.

The Organization reaffirms its unwavering support for the Palestinian people and its willingness to provide all forms of aid to strengthen Palestinian institutions and contribute to rebuilding the educational institutions destroyed, including schools, universities or other symbols of Palestinian identity, which the Israeli occupation is constantly targeting in an attempt to obliterate the Palestinian cultural identity.

The Strategic Foresight Center at the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), in partnership with the Lebanese National Commission, held a seminar on the foresight dimension of artificial intelligence and its future impact on humanity. Additionally, a training workshop on strategic foresight for decision-making was held at the Faculty of Information and Documentation at the University of Beirut, under the patronage of Mr. Ziad Makary, Minister of Information of the Lebanese Republic.

The seminar’s opening session, held on Monday 16 October 2023, was attended by Mr. Makary, Ms. Hiba Nashabe, Secretary-General of the Lebanese National Commission, and Dr. Rami Najem, Director of the Faculty of Information and Documentation. It also brought together several professors, students, and experts in the field of artificial intelligence.

In his remark, Dr. Kais Hammami, Director of ICESCO’s Strategic Foresight Center, highlighted the Center’s objectives and missions, stressing that the seminar is an opportunity to identify the key future trends and their impact on future professions. He added that it also serves as a platform to develop a shared vision regarding the proper utilization of foresight tools and artificial intelligence techniques.

During the Training Session on Strategic Foresight for Decision-Making, held on Tuesday, 17 October 2023, Dr. Hammami provided valuable insights into practical foresight mechanisms, by assessing factors of change and creating possible scenarios. The participating students delved into a variety of topics, such as the future of education in Lebanon by 2035, factors of change in the Arabic language within the Lebanese society, the prospects for healthcare by 2035, and the future and impact of artificial intelligence on humanity.
Following the seminar and the training session, Dr. Hammami and Mrs. Rim Jalloul from the ICESCO Strategic Foresight Center, held a meeting with Ms. Hiba Nashabe, and Mr. George Kallas, Minister of Youth and Sports in Lebanon to explore avenues of cooperation between ICESCO and the Lebanese Republic in building the youth’s capacity to keep up with future professions and skills.

The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) held a workshop on leadership for peace and security, in partnership with the Yemeni National Commission for Education, Science and Culture, for the benefit of 30 youth and women to build their capacities and introduce them to strategies and tools of achieving social cohesion and integration.

The two-day workshop, which concluded its activities on Tuesday, 17 October 2023, in the city of Aden, saw the participation of a host of trainers and experts in the field of peace and security, who delivered presentations and practical training on ICESCO’s 360° Peace Approach, international mechanisms of engaging youth and women in peace-making in addition to the best practices of building peaceful societies.

In his address via videoconferencing, Mr. Alioune Ndiaye, expert at ICESCO’s Social and Human Sciences Sector, highlighted the significance of peace in achieving development and reviewed ICESCO’s key programs in the field of youth and women rehabilitation, notably the Leadership Training for Peace and Security Programme (LTIPS).
For her part, Dr. Hafida Saleh Nasser Al-Shaikh, Secretary-General of the Yemeni National Commission for Education, Science and Culture, extended her thanks and appreciation to ICESCO for its support in implementing the workshop.

The Islamic World Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) and the Moroccan National Commission for Education, Science, and Culture are pleased to invite everyone to participate in the second edition of ICESCO’s Marathon, on Saturday 28 October 2023, as part of the activities of ICESCO’s Year of Youth Program, under the theme: ‘Together for social solidarity’.

ICESCO and the Moroccan National Commission are organizing this marathon, in partnership with the Ministry of National Education, Preschool, and Sports, and the Ministry of Youth, Culture, and Communication of Morocco, and in cooperation with the Islamic Centre for Development of Trade (ICDT), the Royal Moroccan Federation of School Sports, and the Rabat-Sale-Kenitra Region.
The marathon will start in front of ICESCO’s headquarters in Rabat, at 9:00 a.m., with a route spanning approximately nine kilometers.
ICESCO organizes this marathon to emphasize the importance of harnessing the power of sports to instill values of coexistence and peace, support social cohesion and solidarity, strengthen community resilience, and contribute to improving physical and mental well-being in the Islamic World, particularly for individuals with special needs.
To participate in the marathon, kindly register via the following link: https://icesco.org/en/get-engaged/icesco-marathon/
Participants will be divided into four categories:

• Participants under the age of 15.
• Adults.
• Senior people, including men and women aged 65 and above.
• People with special needs.
  At the end of the race, medals and special awards will be presented to the winners in each category. All participants will receive participation certificates.

Following two days of rich intellectual and scientific debates, the First Session of the International Conference on Islamic Scholars concluded its proceedings, on Thursday, October 12, 2023, by issuing a set of key recommendations on ways to promote and disseminate the extensive and interdisciplinary scientific legacy of the prominent scholar, Al Farabi. The Conference was organized by the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), in partnership with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan, represented by the Embassy of Kazakhstan in Rabat, under the theme “Al-Farabi’s contributions throughout human history”.

The Conference recommended the organization of an international forum on the contributions of Muslim scholars, calling on education ministers in the Islamic world to prepare a reference document for integrating biographies of Muslim scholars and philosophers in school curricula, and republishing Al Farabi’s works as integral publications, alongside “Al-Farabi’s Terminology.” The Conference also recommended holding a workshop on Al Farabi’s studies, translating scientific works on this prominent Muslim figure from and into Arabic, setting up an open-source online platform on Al-Farabi, organizing Al Farabi’s festival for young musicians and establishing an interdisciplinary scientific committee to re-authenticate and republish Al Farabi’s Great Book of Music.

For his part, Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, ICESCO Director-General, in his address at the closing of the conference, delivered on his behalf by Dr. Mohamed Zinelabidine, Head of ICESCO Culture and Communication Sector, stated that ICESCO will publish the research papers presented during this conference in its three working languages (Arabic, English and French), and work towards implementing its recommendations. The Director-General added that the Conference’s success encourages the Organization to continue publicizing scholars of the Islamic world as well as their contributions to the different aspects of human civilization.

Furthermore, he announced that the second session of the International Conference on Islamic Scholars will pay tribute to Abu Yusuf Ya’qub ibn Ishaq Al-Kindi, who died the same year Al Farabi was born, and extended his heartfelt thanks and appreciation to the Republic of Kazakhstan and its Embassy in Rabat for their cooperation to hold the conference.

Speaking next, Ms. Saulekul Sailaukyzy, Ambassador of the Republic of Kazakhstan to Morocco, extended her thanks to ICESCO, the participants and all researchers for their rich contributions during the sessions, stressing the importance of the initiative in disseminating Al Farabi’s scientific heritage, understanding and the spiritual and philosophical foundations for the prosperity of modern societies.
In his address, Dr. Abdelillah Benarafa, ICESCO Deputy Director-General, underlined the critical role played by Al Farabi to lay the foundations for human thought, highlighting that his publications reflect his rich life experiences.
Following this, the researchers and panelists received certificates of participation in the Conference.
The second day of the Conference featured rich discussions during the third session on the philosophy of music and aesthetics in Al-Farabi’s thought and the fourth session, which focused on renewal in Al-Farabi’s contemporary studies, where the audience asked several topic-related questions.