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The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) and the Institute of Silk Road Strategy Studies (ISRSS) of the Shanghai International Studies University (SISU) in the People’s Republic of China signed a memorandum of understanding and an action plan for cooperation, to promote the values of coexistence, peace and civilizational dialogue, as well as to enhance knowledge in higher education, scientific research and cultural exchange.

In his speech delivered at the signing ceremony on Friday, 24 February 2023, Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, ICESCO Director General, welcomed this strategic cooperation and partnership between the two parties, as part of the Organization’s policy of opening up to universities and higher institutes, and its contribution to consolidating the values of peace and tolerance and promoting civilizational dialogue. He also stressed the importance of this partnership in enhancing the Silk Road’s historical dimension and achieving coexistence between civilizations.

For his part, Mr. Jiang Feng, SISU Chairman of the Board, expressed his satisfaction with the signing and reviewed the missions of the University and the great importance it accords to youth capacity building and the development of research, through cooperation with its international partners and knowledge networking. He also stated that the Memorandum of Understanding and the Action Plan signed with ICESCO will open up broad perspectives on Chinese civilization for the countries of the Islamic world.

The memorandum and the action plan were signed by Mrs. Amira El Fadil, Head of ICESCO Partnerships and International Cooperation Sector, and Dr. Ma Li Rong, ISRSS Dean, with the attendance of several Heads of Sectors and Departments and Experts of ICESCO, as well as officials of the Institute.

In her speech, Mrs. Amira El Fadil stressed the importance of implementing the terms of the memorandum and the procedures contained in the action plan to achieve tangible results to consolidate the cooperation between ICESCO and the Institute. For his part, Dr. Ma Li Rong reviewed the terms of the memorandum and the areas of cooperation, stressing the Institute’s eagerness to sustain this fruitful cooperation with ICESCO.

The memorandum and the plan include setting up a Chair for Silk Road Studies to enrich the civilizational discourse between China and the Islamic world, holding a joint exhibition on Silk Road heritage, international forums and workshops for youth in this field, as well as harnessing modern technology to enhance the educational capabilities of youth in China and ICESCO Member States, in addition to publishing joint articles on Silk Road studies.

The headquarters of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) hosted a major ceremony to select the three winners out of the 10 finalists in the first edition of “My Thesis in 1000 Words” contest, organized by ICESCO’s Federation for the Universities of the Islamic World. The candidates had five minutes to present a summary of their doctoral theses in front of a jury and an audience and compete for the three first spots. Out of ten contestants, the jury selected the first and second winners while the audience selected the third through live online voting.

The grand finale of the contest kicked off on Wednesday, February 22, 2023, with the recitation of verses from the Holy Quran, followed by the opening remarks by Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, ICESCO Director-General, FUIW Secretary-General, who stated that organizing this contest aims to test the ability of Ph.D. students in the Islamic world to present their theses in a condensed manner. He added that mastering and fully grasping the topic of the thesis is reflected in the ability to convey complex thoughts in a simplified manner to a non-specialized audience in few minutes.

Moreover, the Director-General stressed that ICESCO and FUIW organized this contest to encourage universities to adopt this approach in training students on presentation skills, capturing the audience’s attention and managing to convey difficult ideas in a simple way without compromising the requirements of sound scientific research.

In his address, Dr. Omar Halli, Advisor to ICESCO Director-General for the FUIW, stated that the Prize aims to provide students with networking opportunities and highlight the positive progress made by the universities of the Islamic world.

For his part, Dr. Khalid Berrada, Head of the Prize Jury, stated that 181 student researchers from 17 countries participated in this contest, creatively presenting their theses in less than 1000 words in one of ICESCO’s working languages (Arabic, English or French). He added that they each presented video segments and thesis abstracts, noting that the selection of the ten finalists was carried out in a consistent and unbiased manner.

Following the opening remarks, the ten finalists from universities in the State of Qatar, Kingdom of Bahrain, Kingdom of Morocco, Malaysia, Sultanate of Oman and the Republic of Tunisia proceeded to present their theses to the jury and the audience within the five-minute time limit.

After the jury’s deliberations and the closing of the online voting, Khalsa Al Bahri from Sultan Qaboos University in the Sultanate of Oman won first place, while Nisrine Nouj from Ibn Zohr University in the Kingdom of Morocco won second place. As for the audience choice, Chaymae Fouikhri from Hassan II University in the Kingdom of Morocco won third place.

At the close of the ceremony, Dr. AlMalik presented the prizes to the three winners, which consisted of commemorative shields and monetary awards standing at USD 2,000 for the first winner, USD 1,500 for the second, and 1,000 for the third. The other finalists were also presented with 500-dollar monetary rewards.

A delegation from the Academy of the Kingdom of Morocco, headed by Dr. Abdeljalil Lahjomri, Permanent Secretary of the Academy, visited the International Exhibition and Museum of the Prophet’s Seerah and Islamic Civilization, which is hosted by the headquarters of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) in Rabat.

Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, ICESCO Director-General, received Dr. Lahjomri and his accompanying delegation on Wednesday, February 22, 2023, where he reaffirmed ICESCO’s eagerness to cooperate with the Academy of the Kingdom of Morocco in intellectual, scientific and cultural fields, commanding its roles in scientific research and supporting intellectual and scientific capacities at the national and international level, as well as spreading the values of dialogue between cultures and civilizations.

He stated that the initiative to host the Exhibition and Museum of the Prophet’s Seerah and Islamic civilization comes as part of a strategic partnership between the Organization, the Muslim World League (MWL) and Morocco’s Mohammadia League of Scholars and that the visitors of the Exhibition admire the encyclopedic information it contains, which was the fruit of scrutinized scientific efforts on the Prophet’s Seerah that lasted 17 years, indicating that the Exhibition is witnessing a great turnout from the public.

During the tour, the delegation, accompanied by Dr. Abdelilah Benarafa, ICESCO Deputy Director-General, listened to detailed presentations on the contents of the Exhibition’s various pavilions and the modern display technologies, which virtually take the visitor back to the time of the Prophet (PBUH).

Following the tour, the delegation of the Academy of the Kingdom of Morocco expressed their happiness at ICESCO hosting this great scientific event. Dr. Mohamad Kettani, Assistant Permanent Secretary of the Kingdom of Morocco Academy, indicated that it presents valuable information and important messages about tolerance in the Islamic religion and the Prophet’s Seerah using the latest virtual and augmented reality technologies.

The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) and Mohammed V University, in Rabat, Kingdom of Morocco, signed an agreement to establish ICESCO Chair Open Education at the university “for fair access to inclusive and quality education,” aimed at developing open education and related fields, promoting open educational resources and practices, and sharing experiences among researchers, academics, university students and higher education institutions in the Kingdom of Morocco and the ICESCO Member States.

Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, ICESCO Director-General, and Dr. Farid El Bacha, President of Mohammed V University, signed the agreement, on Wednesday (22 February 2023), at the University’s headquarters, in the presence of several heads of sectors and departments of ICESCO and the University officials.

In his address during the signing ceremony, Dr. AlMalik reaffirmed that ICESCO’s new vision seeks to keep up with new developments by establishing and supporting scientific university chairs specialized in the fields of education, culture, science and artificial intelligence, pointing to the need for universities to keep up with the labor market developments and the professions of tomorrow.

For his part, Dr. El Bacha commended the agreement, stressing that Mohammed V University is aware of the importance of open resources in the academic field to disseminate and develop knowledge through modern technologies for quality and inclusive education.

In his speech, Dr. Mohamed Tahiri, Director of Higher Education and Pedagogical Development at the Ministry of Higher Education, Scientific Research and Innovation in the Kingdom of Morocco, praised the initiative to establish the ICESCO Chair for Open Education, pointing out that the initiative is in line with the Ministry’s strategy to enhance digital resources in higher education institutions and encourage them to utilize open resources, to develop the capabilities of students and researchers.

Dr. Mahmoud Abdsamih, Head of Programs and Activities of UNESCO, ICESCO and ALECSO at the Moroccan National Commission for Education, Science and Culture, stressed in a speech, delivered on behalf of the Secretary-General of the Moroccan National Commission, that open educational resources and information technologies has become a prerequisite for the development of society through the transfer of human knowledge and preparing the next generation of leaders and innovators, noting that ICESCO Open Education Chair comes within the framework of this global progress.

The agreement indicates that the chair aims to raise professors’ awareness of the essential role of open education by providing relevant knowledge and expertise, supporting the participation of researchers and academics in open education practices, disseminating these innovative practices among Ph.D. students, and urging professors to positively develop their educational practices.

Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), received Dr. Maryam Bigdeli, Representative of the World Health Organization (WHO) in the Kingdom of Morocco, and together explored prospects of cooperation between the two organizations.

During the meeting, held today, Wednesday, February 22; 2023, at ICESCO Headquarters, Dr. AlMalik highlighted ICESCO’s efforts to provide health assistance to its Member States, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. He further explained that these efforts included the implementation of several programs and projects and the organization of medical, social and educational caravans to promote public and mental health, noting that ICESCO works on designing programs and activities that focus on achieving equality in health services by capitalizing on modern technology.

He added that ICESCO works on launching the program to create healthcare federations, scientific networks and social outreach groups, stating that the Organization has recently launched ICESCO’s Health Consortium, which aims to foster cooperation between the Organization and its Member States in the implementation of programs and projects geared towards developing the health systems by capitalizing on modern technology and innovation and building the capacities of health workers.

For her part, Dr. Bigdeli commended ICESCO’s efforts in the health sector in service of its Member States, reaffirming the WHO’s keenness to promote cooperation with active international organizations that have a direct impact on societies such as ICESCO in order to develop joint health programs to promote health services.

The meeting also discussed project and program proposals for cooperation between the two organizations in areas of common interest. The two parties agreed to pick up the pace of cooperation over the upcoming period to achieve common goals and initiate positive healthcare and human change in the Islamic world.

The meeting was attended by Ms. Amira El-Fadil, Head of the Sector of Partnerships and International Cooperation and Ms. Ramata Almamy Mbaye, Head of the Sector of Human and Social Sciences.