As part of the Doha Declaration on Renewing Cultural Action in the Islamic World, the 12th Conference of Ministers of Culture in the Islamic World, organized by the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) and hosted by the State of Qatar, represented by its Ministry of Culture, issued a statement of solidarity with the Kingdom of Morocco, following the tragic earthquake of Al Haouz and surrounding regions, and the State of Libya in the aftermath of the floods of Derna and eastern regions.
The statement, issued on Tuesday 26 September 2023, offered heartfelt condolences to the respective heads of state, government and people of the Kingdom of Morocco and the State of Libya, paid tribute to the victims and wished a prompt recovery to the injured.
The statement also lauded ICESCO’s initiative to send two humanitarian caravans, the contribution of its staff to the voluntary solidarity fund for the earthquake victims, and its unwavering readiness to support the competent authorities of the Kingdom of Morocco and the State of Libya in assessing and preserving their heritage sites affected by the two disasters.
Likewise, the Conference expressed in its statement its keenness to cooperate with the competent authorities of the two countries in its areas of competence, stressing the need for fostering coordination between the Member States, channeled through ICESCO, by establishing committees and observatories tasked with drawing proactive disaster plans using modern technologies to effectively overcome and mitigate the impacts of foreseeable dangers on cultural and heritage sites.
The Islamic World Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) and the Ministry of Culture in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia signed the Executive Program for the Islamic World Cultural Index Project. This Project aims to contribute to developing the cultural action system, monitoring all cultural quantitative and statistical data, and rendering it analyzable, assessable, and updatable. The Project is also geared towards monitoring the progress achieved by the Member States’ in adopting the cultural index, with a view to building a knowledge database that supports strategic planning for cooperation and benefiting from experiences and expertise in this field.
The Executive Program was signed in Doha, Qatar, on Tuesday 26 September 2023, concurrently with the 12th Conference of Ministers of Culture in the Islamic World, organized by ICESCO and hosted by the State of Qatar represented in its Ministry of Culture.
Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, ICESCO Director-General, signed the agreement on behalf of the Organization, while Mr. Rakan Ibrahim Al-Touq, Assistant Minister, signed on behalf of His Highness Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Mohammed bin Farhan Al Saud, Minister of Culture of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, President of the Saudi National Commission for Education, Culture, and Sciences.
The Islamic World Cultural Index Project, being part of the memorandum of understanding signed between ICESCO and the Saudi Ministry of Culture in Riyadh in September 2022, will strengthen expertise and knowledge exchange between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the other ICESCO Member States. It will also support the cultural system of these countries by building the capacities of professionals and specialists working in the field of culture, as well as researchers in the field of cultural strategic planning.
Moreover, the Program, to be implemented over an extendable period of three years, will support specialized studies in the field of cultural strategies, promote sustainable cultural development by elaborating mechanisms and training methods for cultural management, and invest in cultural diversity and pluralism. Prior to the signing, Dr. AlMalik and Mr. Al-Touq held a meeting where they reaffirmed their respective institutions’ keenness to sustain their outstanding partnership, stressing the great significance of the Executive Program for Islamic World Cultural Index project, given the central role of data in creating cultural strategies.
Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General (DG) of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), met a host of culture ministers of the Organization’s Member States following their participation in the 12th Conference of Ministers of Culture in the Islamic World, organized by ICESCO, and hosted by the State of Qatar, represented by its Ministry of Culture, on 25-26 September 2023, with the rallying call “Towards the Renewal of Cultural Action in the Islamic World.”
During these meetings, Dr. AlMalik underlined ICESCO’s support for its Member States in its areas of action, its keenness to achieve synergy towards renewing cultural action and its strategic vision of adopting culture as a beacon of sustainable development. He further stressed ICESCO’s valorization of the heritage of its Member States through its inscription on ICESCO’s Islamic World Heritage List and building the capacities of personnel working in the field.
ICESCO Director-General highlighted the outcomes of ICESCO’s key programmes and initiatives in the Ministers’ respective countries and ways of fostering cooperation between ICESCO and their countries.
ICESCO DG held separate meetings with Mr. Mohammad Mehdi Esmaili, Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Dr. Ahmed Fakkak Al-Badrani, Minister of Culture, Tourism and Antiquities of the Republic of Iraq, Dr. André Jacques Augand, Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports of the Republic of Gabon, Mr. Ahmed Ould Sid’Ahmed Die, Minister of Culture, Youth, Sports and Relations with the Parliament of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, Mr. Jamal Shah, Minister for National Heritage and Culture of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, and Dr. Farah Sheikh Abdulqadir, Minister of Education, Culture and Higher Education of the Federal Republic of Somalia.
The 12th Conference of the Ministers of Culture in the Islamic World, organized, in Doha, by the Islamic World Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), and hosted by the State of Qatar, represented by its Ministry of Culture, concluded its first day’s proceedings, which witnessed the composition of the Conference Bureau and the Islamic World Heritage Committee, the adoption of the Report of the 18th Meeting of the Consultative Council for Cultural Development in the Islamic World, as well as the documents presented by ICESCO General Directorate.
The Conference’s working sessions began with the formation of the Conference Bureau with Qatar as its President, Senegal as the Vice-president, and Tunisia as the Rapporteur.
The Conference adopted the Organization’s Achievements Report in the Cultural Field between the Two Sessions of the Conference, presented by Dr. Mohamed Zinelabidine, head of the Culture and Communication Sector at ICESCO, in which he highlighted the Organization’s efforts to contribute to the renewal of cultural action. He also noted the Organization’s proposal to add an eighteenth goal to the Sustainable Development Goals for 2030 and submit it to the United Nations General Assembly. Sheikh Abdulrahman bin Hamad bin Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani, Minister of Culture of Qatar, announced Doha’s endorsement of this proposal.
Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, ICESCO Director-General, mentioned that during his meeting with Ms. Amina Mohammed, Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, in New York, he had presented this proposal, which she welcomed.
Dr. Walid Alseif, Chairman of the Islamic World Heritage Committee, also presented a report on the Committee’s prominent efforts during its previous session.
The Conference approved the new composition of the Islamic World Heritage Committee, the membership of which included the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Sultanate of Oman, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the Kingdom of Morocco, the Republic of Burkina Faso, the Republic of Gabon, the Republic of Benin, the Republic of Senegal, Malaysia, Brunei Darussalam, and the Republic of Kazakhstan, as well as the State of Palestine, as a permanent member of the Committee, and the State of Qatar, as the conference president.
Mr. Najib Rhiati, Cultural Advisor to ICESCO Director-General, presented a document outlining the mechanisms for developing ICESCO’s Programme for Culture Capitals in the Islamic World. The Document included a new approach to selecting the culture capitals. The Conference adopted this document, which included the names of cities scheduled to be celebrated in the coming years, namely Shusha in the Republic of Azerbaijan for 2024, Samarkand in the Republic of Uzbekistan for 2025, Al-Khalil in Palestine, Abidjan in the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire for 2026, Siwa in the Arab Republic of Egypt for 2027, and Lusail in the State of Qatar for 2030.
Dr. Ghanem bin Mubarak Al-Ali, the Assistant Undersecretary for Cultural Affairs at the Qatari Ministry of Culture, reviewed the results of the meeting of the Consultative Council for Cultural Development in the Islamic World and a report on the activities performed in the celebration of Doha as the 2021 Culture Capital in the Islamic World, under the theme “A Story of Success and Excellence.”
Dr. Nami Salhi, Director of the Islamic World Heritage Center at ICESCO, outlined the broad framework of the valorization of Living Human Treasures and traditional knowledge in the Islamic World program.
Mr. Mohamed Hedi Shili, Director of the Legal Affairs Department at ICESCO, presented a draft strategic document to combat the illicit trafficking of cultural property in the Islamic World. Both documents were adopted.
The head of the delegation of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia presented an initiative specific to Hajj’ Routes, in addition to a project on cultural indicators for the Islamic world countries. The Conference welcomed and approved both initiatives.
The second working session of the Conference will involve the delivery of addresses by the heads of participating countries’ delegations to exchange insights and ideas on the importance of renewing cultural action in the Islamic world and the means and mechanisms to achieve this goal.
The 12th Conference of Ministers of Culture in the Islamic World kicked off today, Monday, 25 September, 2023, in Doha. The Conference is organized by the Islamic World Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) and is hosted by the State of Qatar, represented by the Ministry of Culture, under the theme, “Towards the Renewal of Cultural Action in the Islamic World.” The Conference brought together a host of Culture Ministers, delegations of ICESCO Member States, and representatives of various regional and international organizations active in cultural fields.
The Conference’s opening session began with the recitation of verses from the Holy Quran, followed by the address of Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, ICESCO Director-General, who emphasized that the Organization is fulfilling its cultural responsibilities, stating that culture is not merely an identity or a social label but rather the essence of nations’ contributions to the progression of civilization. Dr. AlMalik also highlighted ICESCO’s efforts and key initiatives aimed at developing and renewing cultural action in the Islamic World, through capitalizing on artificial intelligence applications, engaging the youth in heritage preservation and promotion endeavors, implementing various projects and programs, and creating new concepts to foster civilizational outreach.
Moreover, Dr. AlMalik expressed his gratitude to the State of Qatar, its Emir, Government, and people for hosting this major cultural event in Doha, a city recently celebrated as a Culture Capital in the Islamic World. He added that this city well-represented its proud history and highlighted all aspects of its prosperity and ingenuity, and successfully navigated the challenges of hosting the FIFA World Cup, seizing the largest opportunity to display culture in the history of the World Cup.
Subsequently, a documentary was screened showcasing the achievements scored during the celebration of Doha as the 2021 Culture Capital in the Islamic World, under the theme “Our Culture is Light.”
Speaking next was Ms. Irina Bokova, former UNESCO Director-General, and the Conference’s guest of honor, who stressed that Islam is a religion of peace, highlighting the role of the Islamic civilization as a catalyst for bringing cultures closer together. The former UN official also commended ICESCO’s efforts in heritage preservation and youth and women empowerment.
Afterward, the State of Qatar assumed the Conference presidency from the Republic of Tunisia, the President of the previous session. This was followed by a group photo of the participating Heads of Delegations.
By the end of the opening session, the ICESCO Director-General and the Culture Ministers went on a tour of the Conference exhibition, which features a pavilion dedicated to ICESCO’s key publications in its areas of competence.
The first working session began with the composition of the Conference’s Bureau, with the State of Qatar as Chair, the Republic of Senegal as Vice-Chair, and the Republic of Tunisia as Rapporteur.
In his address, Sheikh Abdulrahman bin Hamad bin Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani, Minister of Culture of the State of Qatar and president of the Conference, welcomed the participants, and emphasized Qatar’s commitment to cultural development, stating that celebrating Doha the 2021 Culture Capital in the Islamic World was a testament to the depth of its cultural heritage and civilizational legacy.
Furthermore, he called for working towards preserving cultural identity and shielding the new generations against detrimental ideologies, noting that culture has often been threatened by external influences.
Over the course of two days, The Conference will continue its proceedings to adopt the reports and documents presented to the Culture Ministers and participating delegations.
Dr. Abdelillah Benarafa, Deputy Director-General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), took part in the opening of the 18th edition of the World Meeting of Sufism, held on Saturday 23 September 2023, under the patronage of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, on the occasion of Eid Al Mawlid, by Al Moultaqa Foundation and Qadiriyya Boutchichiya Tariqa, in partnership with the European Centre of Islamic Studies.
The World Meeting of Sufim, which continues until September 28, 2023, in Madagh in the province of Berkane, Kingdom of Morocco, with the rallying call “Sufism and religious and patriotic values: towards creating an inclusive citizenship”, drew a huge turnout and participation from intellectuals and religious figures worldwide.
Speaking at the opening session, Dr. Abdelillah Benarafa emphasised ICESCO’s efforts towards fostering patriotic, religious and educational values and the inter-complementarity of the said values. ICESCO Deputy Director-General cited the International Exhibition and Museum of the Prophet’s Seerah and Islamic Civilization, currently housed at ICESCO headquarters, in partnership with the Muslim World League and Mohammadia League of Scholars, as a practical embodiment of these values through leading by example.
The Consultative Council for Cultural Development in the Islamic World, the secretariat of which is overseen by the Islamic World Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), convened its 18th meeting, on Saturday 23 September 2023, in Doha, which discussed the agenda, draft resolutions, and documents to be submitted to the 12th Conference of Ministers of Culture in the Islamic World, to be organized by ICESCO and hosted by Qatar through its Ministry of Culture, on 25-26 September 2023.
The meeting began with a speech by Dr. Mohamed Zinelabidine, head of the Culture and Communication Sector at ICESCO, during which he reviewed the Organization’s efforts to support cultural action, in line with its strategic vision, through implementing innovative programs and projects in its Member States, such as ICESCO’s International Laboratory “Culture for Rethinking the World” and ICESCO’s International Chairs Network for Thought, Heritage, Literature, and Arts.
Following this, the composition of the new Council Bureau for its upcoming term for the years 2024-2025 was approved. Qatar assumed the chairmanship from Tunisia, which will serve as the rapporteur, while Uzbekistan and Uganda were appointed as Vice-Chairs, representing the Asian and African regions, respectively.
In his speech after Qatar assumed the Council’s chairmanship, Dr. Ghanem Bin Mubarak Al-Ali, Assistant Undersecretary for Cultural Affairs at the Qatari Ministry of Culture, called on Member States to work together to make this meeting and the 12th Conference of Culture Ministers in the Islamic World a true starting point for joint cultural work. He emphasized that culture is a national safeguard and a strategic choice for our peoples to achieve sustainable development.
The opening session of the Council was followed by some working sessions, during which several executive reports and documents were discussed. These reports and documents will be presented during the 12th Session of Culture Ministers in the Islamic World, including the ICESCO achievements report in the cultural field, the report of the Heritage Committee in the Islamic World, the Cultural Policy Guidelines document, and indicators of sustainable development in a changing world, in addition to a report on the success of activities celebrating Doha as the Capital of Culture in the Islamic World.
The meeting also featured a review of documents related to the development of ICESCO’s Capitals of Culture in the Islamic World program, the fight against trafficking of cultural property, and the broad framework of the valorization of Living Human Treasures and traditional knowledge in the Islamic world program. The Council concluded its proceedings by adopting the final meeting report and the agenda for the 12th Conference of Culture Ministers in the Islamic World.
It is worth noting that the Consultative Council for Cultural Development in the Islamic World was established by a resolution of the Second Islamic Conference of Culture Ministers in 1988. The Council is responsible for implementing cultural strategies in the Islamic World, studying action plans, charters, and cultural projects presented by ICESCO, as well as adopting documents and reports to be presented at the meetings of culture ministers in the Islamic world and related major conferences.
The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) and the International Islamic University Malaysia jointly launched the ICESCO Chair for Sustainable Engineering, with a view to offer capacity-building for experts and researchers in the field of sustainable engineering, refining their skills, and enhancing scientific research and training systems. The Chair’s launch, which took place on Monday 18 September 2023, was attended by Dr. Muhammad Sharif, Advisor in the Science and Technology Sector at ICESCO, Dr. Tan Sri Dato’ Dzulkifli Abdul Razak, Rector of the International Islamic University Malaysia, Mr. Muhammad Yusuf bin Apdal, Deputy Minister of Higher Education in Malaysia, and several officials from international organizations and research centers. The launch of ICESCO’s Chair for Sustainable Engineering comes within the framework of the Organization’s participation in organizing the 9th Asia-Pacific Futures Network Conference, held by the International Youth Center in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on 18-19 September 2023, under the theme “Foresight Thinking in Practice: Bridging the Gap Between Academia, Industry, and Society Towards Sustainability and Well-Being.”
In his statement following the launch, Dr. Sharif highlighted the importance of establishing the ICESCO Chair for Sustainable Engineering, emphasizing that the partnership between the Organization and the University is a starting point for collaborative efforts aimed at attracting researchers, scientists, and students capable of advancing the field of engineering to contribute to sustainable development and promote scientific research and innovation in Malaysia and the Islamic World.
Dr. Abdul Razak, on his part, commended ICESCO’s efforts in support of scientific research, emphasizing the importance of the Organization’s programs in the fields of science and technology. He expressed his keenness to further develop the partnership between the Organization and the International Islamic University Malaysia.
According to the agreement’s provisions, the Chair aims to enhance collaboration with the Asia-Pacific Futures Network through organizing workshops, brainstorming sessions, conferences, and training courses, as well as conducting studies on ways and mechanisms to promote students’ engagement in fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, and integrating foresight and sustainability studies into policy development for capacity-building in the field of engineering.
The Education Sector of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) took part in “EdTech Korea Fair-Forum 2023: Innovative Education with EdTech,” hosted by the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy of the Republic of Korea, in partnership with several Korean institutions in the field of education, technology and artificial intelligence.
The Fair-Forum, which kicked off on September 20, and continues until September 23, 2023, in Seoul, is a knowledge platform for policymakers, experts and stakeholders in education to discuss the foundations of achieving inclusive education through artificial intelligence and exchange of modern experiences and best practices in digital learning.
The Fair-Forum saw the organisation of the Global Education and Innovation Summit (GEIS) on September 21st with the participation of more than 200 global education leaders worldwide.
Dr. Koumbou Boly Barry, Head of ICESCO’s Education Sector, shared the vision and activities of ICESCO and presented the Education Sector’s projects and initiatives on education technology such as Digital Lab for Girls in Niger, Children’s Library and eLearning Centre in addition to capacity building workshop for AI in ICESCO’s Member States.
The Fair-Forum was also attended by Dr. Ahmed Al-Banyan and Dr. Sungbong Kim, two experts from ICESCO Education Sector. ICESCO’s delegation met with Dr. Ju-ho Lee, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education of the Republic of Korea, to explore prospects for cooperation and initiate joint activities to extend Korea’s experiences to ICESCO Member States.
Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), held a meeting with Dr. Chakib Benmoussa, Morocco’s Minister of National Education, Preschool, and Sports, President of the Moroccan National Commission for Education, Sciences, and Culture, to discuss ways for ICESCO to contribute to the Kingdom’s efforts to aid those impacted by Al-Haouz earthquake, and help Morocco mitigate the negative impact of the disaster on students and educational facilities.
At the beginning of the meeting, held on Thursday 21 September 2023, at the Ministry’s headquarters in Rabat, Dr. Malik reiterated ICESCO’s solidarity with the Kingdom of Morocco in the face of this natural disaster. He also commended the clear-sighted leadership of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may Allah assist Him, and the efforts of the Moroccan authorities to address the damage sustained by citizens in earthquake-affected areas. Likewise, the Director-General praised the remarkable spirit of solidarity demonstrated by the Moroccan people across all sectors of society, who all rushed to help their fellow citizens by all means possible.
In addition, Dr. AlMAlik expressed the Organization’s readiness to mobilize its resources to provide all forms of support to the Ministry to ensure seamless continuity of the educational process for students in the affected areas, including cooperation to rebuild and rehabilitate some schools damaged by the earthquake. He added that ICESCO can also provide psychological and moral support to students in the earthquake-affected regions and arrange visits for them to the International Exhibition and Museum of the Seerah and Islamic Civilization, currently hosted at ICESCO’s headquarters in Rabat.
On his part, Dr. Benmoussa expressed his appreciation for ICESCO’s efforts and solidarity initiatives with the Kingdom of Morocco during the catastrophe, reaffirming his keenness to strengthen cooperation with the Organization in areas of mutual interest.
