Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General of the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), met with Dr. Farid Chourak, Wali of Marrakech-Safi Region. The Officials discussed cooperation between ICESCO and the Wilaya, as part of celebrating Marrakech as a Capital of Culture in the Islamic World for 2024, under the high patronage of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may Allah assist him.
At the outset of the meeting, held today, Thursday 22 February 2024 at the headquarters of the Wilaya in Marrakech, Dr. AlMalik expressed ICESCO’s appreciation for the support of the Wilaya of Marrakech-Safi in ensuring the successful launch of the celebration of Marrakech as the Capital of Culture in the Islamic World for 2024, which will continue throughout the year. ICESCO Director-General further emphasized the Organization’s keenness to cooperate with relevant civil society institutions to implement programs, activities, and launch various competitions highlighting the cultural momentum of the Red City.
Moreover, Dr. AlMalik presented the Wali of the Marrakech-Safi Region with a commemorative plate engraved with a poem in Arabic titled “Marrakech of Glories,” which Dr. AlMalik composed himself, on the occasion of the celebration of Marrakech as the Capital of Culture in the Islamic World for 2024, and recited at the end of his address during the launch ceremony.
On his part, Dr. Chourak lauded ICESCO’s evolution, and its initiative to select Marrakech as the Capital of Culture in the Islamic World for this year, commending the success of the official launch of the celebration last month. The Wali of Marrakech-Safi Region particularly expressed his admiration for the poem presented to him, thanking Dr. AlMalik for the words of beauty, praise, and appreciation it contained, and conveyed about the city of joy, its kind people, and its illustrious history.
During the Meeting, both sides agreed to implement a number of activities aimed at involving youth, women, and civil society organizations, and coordinating the participation of delegations from Islamic and non-Islamic countries in these activities, in addition to forming a team from ICESCO to visit the headquarters of the Wilaya of Marrakech-Safi Region to develop executive plans for cooperation between the two sides throughout the year of celebration.
The International Symposium on Media Education: Horizons and Aspirations, kicked off today, Wednesday, February 21, 2024, at ICESCO headquarters and via videoconference. The Symposium is being held by the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) and Naif Arab University for Security Sciences (NAUSS) in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, in cooperation with the League of Arab States, represented in its Media and Communication Sector—Department of the Technical Secretariat of the Council of Arab Information Ministers, and the Ministry of Youth, Culture and Communication of the Kingdom of Morocco.
The Symposium, which brought together high-caliber participation from 16 countries, including ministers, prominent international figures, and experts specializing in the field of media, IT and security education, aims to disseminate and consolidate the concepts and principles of media and IT education and works toward integrating them in school curricula to develop critical thinking skills.
The Symposium opened with the recitation of verses from the Holy Quran, followed by the Address of Dr. Salim. M. AlMalik, ICESCO Director-General, who stressed the central role of media in all fields, noting that the media sector has the power necessary to design, develop and improve the quality of its mechanisms. Moreover, the Director-General highlighted new web media statistics, which show that more than 4.4 billion people, representing 64.6% of the world population, exchange news, and ideas via social media. He also noted that humans spend 15% of their awake time on social networks, with a total of 10 billion hours spent daily in the virtual world.
In the same vein, the Director-General stated that the unfolding waves of new media and the communication revolutions necessitate a closer look at their implications with regard to personal privacy violations and fake news propaganda, to find ways to fight these phenomena and establish for a media education that upholds the values of equality, justice and citizenship.
Speaking next, Dr. Khaled bin Abdulaziz Alharfash, NAUSS Vice-President for External Relations, reaffirmed that the University’s programs aim to translate its interest in the role of media in fighting and preventing crimes into a tangible reality that contributes to promoting the concept of intellectual security. He added that this interest stems from the University’s mission to implement Arab security strategies and plans and prevent crime, expressing his high hopes that this Symposium serve as a stepping stone towards an Arab strategic plan to mainstream media education.
In his address, Mohamed Mehdi Bensaid, Minister of Youth, Culture and Communication of the Kingdom of Morocco, stressed Morocco’s commitment to addressing the issues of media and communication to promote critical media literacy among all social groups, especially young people, and empower them to positively use different media tools. The Moroccan Minister also highlighted his country’s efforts to promote media education and integrate it in school curricula.
In a recorded address, Mr. Jean Emmanuel Rimtalba Ouedraogo, Minister of Communication, Culture, Arts and Tourism of the Republic of Burkina Faso, talked about his country’s great interest in media education, casting light on its efforts in this field, which include raising awareness of the proper way to handle social media.
Dr. Farid El-Bacha, President of Mohamed V University, also gave an address at this key event, on behalf of Dr. Abdelatif Miraoui, Minister of Higher Education, Scientific Research and Innovation in the Kingdom of Morocco, where he addressed the theme of the Symposium, in light of the current world changes.
For his part, Mr. Hicham Bellaoui, Secretary-General of the Presidency of the Public Ministry, addressed the Symposium on behalf of Mr. El-Hassan Daki, King’s Attorney General at the Court of Cassation, President of the Public Ministry in the Kingdom of Morocco, stressing the significance of media education in light of a global context characterized by a technological revolution in the field of media. The Secretary-General stated that media education aims to develop people’s abilities to analyze media messages, highlighting the Kingdom’s efforts in this field.
There followed the address of Mr. Boubker Sabik, Police Superintendent General, Spokesperson for the General Directorate of National Security and the General Directorate of Territorial Surveillance, on behalf of Mr. Abdellatif Hammouchi, Director of the General Directorate for Territorial Surveillance (DGST), Member of NAUSS Supreme Council, who underscored the need to shield society and raise shared awareness of the importance of media education to prevent crime, noting that the Directorate has exerted significant efforts to integrate development plans and modern approaches to collectively promote security.
Over the course of two days, the Symposium’s working sessions will discuss scientific papers on partnerships between the fields of media and education to build a knowledge society and achieve sustainable development; ethics of the freedom of expression in media legislations and charters; leading Arab and international experiences in disseminating media education; prerequisites of media education in Arab school curricula; and AI and the future of media education.
The Islamic World Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), in partnership with the Standing Committee for Scientific and Technological Cooperation of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (COMSTECH) and the Songhai Center in the Republic of Benin, are holding an international training workshop on “Innovative Practices for the Development of Sustainable Agricultural Activities” in Porto-Novo, capital of Benin. The workshop aims to raise awareness about achieving food security and to identify sustainable solutions to the challenges facing food and agricultural systems, through the exchange of knowledge and expertise in the fields of science, technology, and smart agricultural techniques, benefiting participants from 17 ICESCO Member States.
During the first day of the workshop, which began on 19 February 2024, and spans five days, Dr. Mohamed Sharif, Advisor in ICESCO’s Science and Technology Sector, explained that this activity is part of ICESCO’s initiative to address food security challenges in the Islamic world, particularly in the Sahel region. He emphasized ICESCO’s special focus on environment protection issues, tackling the challenges of climate change, and promoting the use of modern technologies in sustainable agriculture.
The opening of the training workshop was attended by Mr. José Didier Tonato, Minister of Living Environment and Sustainable Development of Benin, Dr. Godfrey Nzamujo, Director General of the Songhai Center, and several officials and experts in agriculture, environment, and climate change.
Dr. Salim. M. AlMalik, Director-General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), received Ms. Saulekul Sailaukyzy, Ambassador of the Republic of Kazakhstan to the Kingdom of Morocco, Kazakhstan Permanent Delegate to ICESCO, and together they discussed the latest cooperation developments between the two parties in the fields of education, science and culture.
At the beginning of the meeting, held Tuesday, February 20, 2024, at ICESCO headquarters, Dr. AlMalik commended the special partnership relations between ICESCO and Kazakhstan in areas of mutual interest, expressing his keenness to develop these relations through co-implementing a set of programs and initiatives in Kazakhstan and other Member States.
The meeting discussed the latest cooperation development between ICESCO and Kazakhstan, notably the publication of the academic papers presented during the International Conference, “Al-Farabi and His Contributions Throughout Human History”, organized by ICESCO in its headquarters in October 2023, in cooperation with the Kazakhstani Foreign Ministry, represented by the country’s Embassy in Rabat.
The meeting also discussed the visit of Mr. Yerlan Karin, State Advisor of the Republic of Kazakhstan, to ICESCO headquarters with the aim to develop cooperation between the two parties in the upcoming period.
The meeting was attended by Mr. Anar Karimov, Head of the Sector of Partnerships and International Cooperation; Dr. Marwan Awartani, Senior Advisor of ICESCO Director-General; and Mr. Asim Ismagulov, Consul at the Embassy of Kazakhstan in Rabat.
The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), the Muslim World League (MWL) and the Mohammadia League of Scholars are delighted to announce the new visiting hours of the International Exhibition and Museum of the Prophet’s Seerah and Islamic Civilization, hosted at ICESCO headquarters in Rabat, in Ramadan. The Exhibition will be open to the public from 11 a.m. until 5 p.m. throughout the week except on Mondays, starting from Tuesday, March 12, until Friday, April 5, 2024.
The International Exhibition and Museum of the Prophet’s Seerah and Islamic Civilization, originally based in Al Madinah Al Munawwarah and held under the high patronage of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may Allah assist him, is the first of its kind outside the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The Exhibition uses modern technologies to showcase the message of Islam and its values of justice, peace, mercy, tolerance, coexistence, and moderation, based on the teachings of the Holy Quran, the noble Sunnah, and the bright Islamic history.
The International Exhibition and Museum comprises three pavilions; the “International Exhibition and Museum of the Prophet’s Seerah and Islamic Civilization”, the “Panorama of the Noble Prophet’s Chamber”, displayed for the first time in history using 3D and virtual reality technologies under the supervision of MWL, and the “Exhibition on the Attachment of Moroccans to the Noble Prophet, a Symbol of Love and Loyalty,” which is supervised by the Mohammadia League of Scholars in the Kingdom of Morocco.
The exhibition witnesses an impressive turnout, since its launch on 28 November 2022, from different categories inside and outside Morocco, as it attracted nearly five million satisfied visitors who declared it a preferred destination for those interested in delving deeper into the details of the noble Prophet’s Seerah.
Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), affirmed that the Organization adopts a participatory approach with its Member States’ national commissions, recognizing the pivotal roles of these commissions and seeking to achieve integration and solidarity between them and ICESCO. This was clearly evident during the 44th session of the Organization’s Executive Council, hosted by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in mid-January in Jeddah. The session was preceded by a consultative meeting that included brainstorming sessions between ICESCO leaders and the delegations of national commissions regarding future action plans.
Dr. AlMalik made these remarks during his participation in the ordinary session of the General Assembly of the Moroccan National Commission for Education, Science, and Culture, which was held on 16 February 2024, at the headquarters of the Regional Academy of Education and Training in Rabat. The meeting was chaired by Dr. Chakib Benmoussa, Minister of National Education, Vocational Training, and Sports, and President of the Moroccan National Commission for Education, Science, and Culture, and attended by members of the General Assembly of the Commission, its Secretary-General, and representatives of UNESCO and ALECSO in Morocco.
Dr. AlMalik added that the General Assembly meeting of the National Commission is an opportunity for assessment, reviewing achievements, and envisioning ways to enhance cooperation and integration among ICESCO and the Moroccan National Commission, and its partners from international organizations. Moreover, he stressed the support received by the Organization from His Majesty King Mohammed VI, and the Moroccan Government.
Dr. AlMalik also pointed out the celebration of Marrakesh as the capital of culture in the Islamic world 2024, which began last month under the high patronage of His Majesty. ICESCO, in collaboration with the Ministry of Youth, Culture, and Communication and all relevant ministries, is working to make its program a cultural event worthy of the standing of Marrakesh.
It is worth noting that the ordinary meeting of the General Assembly of the Moroccan National Commission for Education, Science, and Culture featured the distribution of the Commission’s awards in the fields of education, scientific research, vocational training, and culture.
Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), received Mr. Mohsen Al-Mandalawi, First Deputy Speaker of the Iraqi House of Representatives, and his accompanying parliamentary delegation, during their visit to ICESCO’s headquarters in Rabat.
At the outset of the meeting, held on Friday 6 February 2024, in the presence of Dr. Botan Dizayee, Chargé d’affaires of the Iraqi Embassy in Rabat, and Dr. Abdelilah Benarafa, Deputy Director-General of ICESCO, Dr. Al-Malik reviewed the main axes of the Organization’s vision and strategic directions. His Excellency emphasized that they take root in the Organization’s openness and cooperation with all, for the benefit of its Member States and all Muslim communities worldwide.
Moreover, the Director-General pointed out that ICESCO has become an innovative organization that promotes the culture of foresight, builds the capacities of women and youth in all fields. Dr. AlMalik furthermore noted that the Organization encourages its Member States to invest in space science and its various applications, supports their efforts to benefit from the potential offered by modern technology, and works to anchor the values of coexistence, peace and civilizational dialogue.
On his part, Mr. Al-Mandalawi reaffirmed Iraq’s support for ICESCO’s efforts and the Country’s keenness to develop cooperation with the Organization in its areas of competence, praising the multi-faceted remarkable role in contributing to the development of education, science and culture in its Member States.
Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), received Mr. Faisal Akif Al-Fayez, President of the Senate of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, and his accompanying delegation, who visited the International Exhibition and Museum of the Prophet’s Seerah and Islamic Civilization, currently housed at the Organization’s headquarters.
During the meeting, held on Thursday, February 15, 2024, in the presence of Ms. Jumana Ghunaimat, Ambassador of Jordan to Morocco, Dr. AlMalik reviewed the key aspects of ICESCO’s vision and strategic orientations, which are based on openness and partnerships for the benefit of the countries of the Islamic world and Muslim communities worldwide, highlighting the Organization’s major initiatives, programs and projects that focus on consolidating the values of coexistence and peace, confronting hatred and extremist ideas, building the capacities of youth and women, and promoting the culture of foresight.
Afterward, the ICESCO Director General took the President of the Jordanian Senate and his accompanying delegation on a tour of the International Exhibition and Museum of the Prophet’s Seerah and Islamic Civilization, being organized in partnership between ICESCO, the Muslim World League, and the Mohammadia League of Scholars. The guests listened to detailed explanations about exhibited elements using modern display techniques to virtually showcase the biography of our Messenger, peace and blessing be upon him.
At the close of his tour, Mr. Al-Fayez expressed his happiness at visiting this great museum, which thoroughly narrates the biography of the Prophet in a simplified way and addresses all groups, thanking the three organizing parties.
The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) and Naif Arab University for Security Sciences of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia are holding a scientific symposium, themed “Media Education: Prospects and Aspirations,” on 21-22 February 2024, in cooperation with the Media and Communication Sector of the League of Arab States, the Technical Secretariat of the Council of Arab Information Ministers and the Moroccan Ministry of Youth, Culture and Communication. The event aims to explore ways to consolidate the concepts and values of media and information education and encourage efforts geared towards integrating them into various educational curricula to develop critical thinking skills and enhance mechanisms of information collection from reliable sources.
The symposium, which will be organized in person at ICESCO Headquarters, in Rabat, and shared via videoconference, will witness the participation of ministers, ambassadors, distinguished international figures and researchers specialized in the field of media, information and security education.
The first-day agenda features the opening remarks by the guests of honor, followed by three working sessions, which will see the participation of prominent figures from the Islamic world and beyond. The first session addresses “Pioneering Arab and international national experiences in spreading media education;” and the second session focuses on the “Importance of media education in enhancing the security and ethical understanding of the expression of opinion: an analysis within the framework of Arab and international media legislations and conventions.” The third session focuses on “Educational media partnership: a strategic vision towards building a sustainable knowledge society.”
The second day features three working sessions, during which experts and speakers will discuss several topics, including “Requirements for incorporating media education in the educational systems,” “Basics of dealing with media outlets, social media and information sources,” and “Artificial Intelligence and the future of media education.” The symposium will then conclude by issuing its final report and several recommendations.
On February 11th of each year, the world celebrates the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, and on this occasion, for this year themed: “Women in Scientific Leadership: A New Era for Sustainability,” the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) seizes the opportunity to reaffirm the importance of bolstering the participation of women and girls in the fields of science, to contribute to building a sustainable and prosperous future, based on knowledge, creativity, innovation, and the achievement of excellent scientific research that benefits humanity.
In this context, ICESCO calls for concerted international efforts to address gender-based discrimination, support girls and women, and provide opportunities for their training in STEM fields, considered as essential levers to achieving peace and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Likewise, the Organization emphasizes that overcoming the major challenges to achieving the SDGs by 2030 requires mobilizing all human resources, including female capacities in scientific fields, especially since the percentage of female researchers worldwide does not exceed 30%.
As part of supporting its Member States’ efforts to enhance the presence of girls and women in science and scientific research, the Organization has implemented several initiatives, programs, and projects aimed at qualifying women and girls in the fields of technological entrepreneurship, artificial intelligence, data science, smart and sustainable cities. Additionally, ICESCO has been providing direct financial support to women and girls in science through its scholarship programs, on top of organizing many seminars and conferences relevant to the abovementioned fields, chief among which was hosting an international conference on women and university leadership at ICESCO Headquarters, in partnership with Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, to support international efforts geared towards strengthening female leadership in higher education.
In this regard, ICESCO emphasizes the importance of cooperation and coordination among countries, organizations, and relevant institutions to recognize and acknowledge women’s contributions to scientific research and innovation inside and outside the Islamic world countries throughout history. Moreover, the Organization stresses the necessity of breaking stereotypes and supporting women in overcoming the professional, social, economic, and financial challenges they face on their path toward building better societies.
