The first session of a series of training sessions for professionals working in the field of girls’ education, kicked off in Yemen, as part of the activities of the Girl Dropouts School Reintegration in Yemen Project. The Project came to fruition following an agreement signed among the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSRelief), the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Yemen and the Benevolence Coalition for Humanitarian Relief (BCHR), which provides for offering training sessions for the benefit of 20 teachers and school counselors in Hadramout in order to address the school dropout phenomenon and work towards supporting girl dropouts and giving them a second chance at education.
The training session, which kicked off on Sunday (October 8, 2023) in the Yemeni city of Al-Mukalla, was attended by Mr. Abdulaziz Bawazir, Director of the KSRelief Coordination Unit in the Hadramout Governorate, and a number of Yemeni officials, who stressed the key role played by the Center, in cooperation and coordination with ICESCO, which oversees and follows up on the Project implementation, and with the BCHR, its local partner in the Republic of Yemen.
The two-day session is part of a series of training sessions aimed at building the capacities of 350 workers in the field of girls’ education in 7 governorates, namely: Hadramout, Marib, Ad-Dali’, Abyan, Socotra, Lahj and Hajjah. The sessions will be implemented in coordination with the Girl Education Sector at the Yemeni Ministry of Education, and the offices of the Ministry of Education in the governorates, in order to build the capacities of workers in the educational field, and provide them with the necessary training to ensure and promote the quality of girls’ education.
A training session on the mechanisms for integrating environmental and health concepts in school program and curricula kicked off today, Monday, October 9, 2023, in Yaoundé, Republic of Cameroon. The session is held by the Sector of Education at the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), in cooperation with the Cameroonian National Commission for UNESCO, and targets several school counselors and inspectors.
The four-day session aims to contribute to the development of national policies for the integration of environmental and health concepts in school programs and curricula, build officials’ technical and educational capacities in this field and capitalize on information and communication technology in teaching methods. It also aims to produce the necessary digital resources, share successful experiences and promote efforts in the field.
A number of Cameroonian officials spoke during the opening session, and commended the key role ICESCO assumes in promoting the educational process, and supporting its Member States, including Cameroon.
Also speaking at the opening session were Dr. Abdelaziz Yauba, Secretary General of the Cameroonian National Commission for UNESCO, and Dr. Youssef Abou Dakka, Program Director at ICESCO’s Education Center, who highlighted the significance of the session, expressing their wishes that it achieves its goals to activate the role of educational institutions in protecting the environment and health and anchoring sound environmental and health conduct among students.
The session focuses on the situation of environmental and health concepts in school programs and curricula, the prospects of their integration and ways to capitalize on ICT in teaching these concepts in Cameroon. It also focuses on highlighting the role of technology in promoting the quality of programs and curricula that integrate these concepts, the best educational practices in the field, e-training and learning and the importance of open-source educational material in fostering environmental and health education.
Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), and Dr. Reda Hegazy, Minister of Education and Technical Education of the Arab Republic of Egypt, discussed enhancing cooperation between ICESCO and the Ministry for building teachers’ capacities and developing their skills to capitalize on new technology developments intending to develop the educational process.
During the meeting, held on Sunday (October 8, 2023), at the Ministry’s headquarters, in the New Administrative Capital, in Egypt, the two parties reaffirmed their keenness to enhance cooperation and discussed the implementation phases and the opening of nominations for the training program of international certificates for young teachers, in light of the major international celebration “ICESCO Year of Youth,” held in cooperation with the Ministry of Education, Higher education and scientific research, under the patronage of His Excellency President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi.
Dr. Al-Malik stressed ICESCO’s keenness to continue fruitful cooperation with Egypt in the fields of education, science and culture, noting the key position of Egypt among the countries of the Islamic world, announcing that the implementation of this ambitious program to build teachers’ capacities will kick off in Egypt. For his part, Dr. Hegazy explained that the project basically aims at providing teachers with the necessary teaching and learning skills, adding that the program will include 15 training packages. During the meeting, the two parties agreed to provide grants to the top ten distinguished teachers, continue coordination to establish mechanisms for implementing the project and implement more cooperation projects.
The meeting also brought together Mr. Assayed Al-Absi, Assistant Secretary-General of the Egyptian National Commission for Education, Science and Culture, and Ms. Sally Mabrouk, Director of the Office of ICESCO Director-General, as well as several officials from the Egyptian Ministry of Education and Technical Education.
Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General of the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), concluded his visit to the Republic of Egypt by meeting Dr. Mohamed Ayman Ashour, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, President of the Egyptian National Commission, President of ICESCO General Conference, to discuss the latest developments in the special partnership between ICESCO and the Arab Republic of Egypt in areas of common interest.
At the beginning of the meeting, held on Sunday 8 October 2023, Dr. AlMalik extended his sincerest thanks and profound gratitude to the Arab Republic of Egypt for hosting ICESCO Youth Year, and to His Excellency Abdel Fattah El-Sisi for his generous patronage of this event, which will feature a myriad of programs and projects for the benefit of youth in the Islamic world.
Dr. AlMalik also expressed his great appreciation for Dr. Moustafa Madbouli, Egyptian Prime Minister, for his presence at the launch ceremony on behalf of His Excellency Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, and to Dr. Mohamed Ayman Ashour and his team for their remarkable efforts to ensure the success of the launch ceremony of the ICESCO Year of Youth.
For his part, Dr. Ashour stated that Egypt’s hosting of this major event is part of its new vision for building youth capacities and enabling them to assume their role in achieving sustainable development, noting that the Ministry seeks to support young talents and innovators. The meeting discussed the latest developments in the partnership between ICESCO and Egypt in the fields of education, science and culture and key programs and projects to be implemented during ICESCO Year of Youth.
The end of the meeting, the two parties agreed to sustain coordination and expert-level meetings to develop executive plans and follow-up on joint initiatives.
Dr. Abdelilah Benarfa, Deputy Director-General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), participated in the second edition of the Prophet’s Madih Festival, organized by the International Society of Arab Poets in Istanbul from 6-9 October 2023, under the theme “The Spring of the Universe Has Been Born ... We emulate his conduct.”
This edition of the festival witnessed a large turnout and participation of a number of prominent poets. The program of the festival featured evenings of poetry presentations and similar presentations for children and youth, and artistic performances of prophetic Madih. During this event, Dr. Abdelilah Benarfa, guest of honor of the festival, was honored.
On the second day of the festival, ICESCO Deputy Director-General delivered a Madih poem at the opening of the festival, and a lecture entitled “Prophetic Madih in the Great Diwan of Ibn al-Arabi.”
Under the patronage of His Excellency President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, the ICESCO Year of Youth was officially launched in a major international ceremony held in the new administrative capital of the Arab Republic of Egypt. The ceremony was attended by Dr. Mostafa Madbouly, Egyptian Prime Minister, on behalf of the President, and saw the participation of members of the Egyptian Government, senior officials, ministers, ambassadors and youth delegations from the Member States of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO).
The ceremony opened with the recitation of verses from the Holy Quran, during a mock conference simulating ICESCO’s General Conference, presented by young representatives of the Organization’s Member States, in the presence of the Egyptian Prime Minister; the Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, President of the Egyptian National Commission, President of ICESCO’s General Conference, Dr. Mohamed Ayman Ashour; and ICESCO Director-General, Dr. Salim M. AlMalik.
The mock conference featured discussions on the major challenges facing the Islamic world in the fields of education, science, culture, communication and humanities, which was an opportunity for the young participants to present recommendations on the subject. The activity also focused on the outputs of the ICESCO Innovation Hubs for the youth of the Islamic world and beyond, which were hosted by the Creativity and Innovation Center at Ain Shams University, and yielded a set of ideas and proposals with the aim of contributing to developing strategies to improve educational and social conditions and safeguard and promote heritage in the countries of the Islamic world.
Following the youth mock conference, Dr. Madbouly gave an address where he conveyed the greetings of His Excellency President El-Sisi to the participants, wishing success for the ICESCO Year of Youth initiative. He also highlighted the great interest that the Egyptian President pays to youth issues as well as to training them to be action takers, stressing their pivotal role in the development movements the country is witnessing.
Moreover, the Egyptian Prime Minister announced the launch of a number of initiatives, to be implemented as part of the ICESCO Year of Youth, in coordination between the Member States to adopt youth ideas. He stated that these initiatives include setting up a youth council in the Islamic world to serve as a platform for creating promising leaderships, creating opportunities for partnership between talented people and funding bodies, and providing presidential grants to support young talents in the Islamic world, in addition to launching a fund to support talented and innovative people, sponsoring and financing projects to build young people’s capacities, and organizing a number of competitions.
In his address at the ceremony, Dr. Al-Malik, expressed his thanks to the Arab Republic of Egypt for hosting the launch ceremony, and to His Excellency President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi for granting his patronage to the ICESCO Year of Youth, commending Egypt’s efforts to accord due attention to its youth and build their creative and innovative capacities.
The Director-General also expressed ICESCO’s pride to be named, “The Young Organization,” stating that the Organization spares no effort in creating programs to build the capacities of young people and holding conferences and seminars for them in the fields of tomorrow’s professions, artificial intelligence, space sciences, heritage preservation, among others.
In addition, Dr. Al-Malik explained that celebrating the Year of Youth stands witness to the Organization’s faith in the potential of youth, and its determination to design impactful projects and initiatives that support them and prepare them for the future. He added that the Islamic world counts on its youth to achieve progress, calling on the new generations to overcome differences and embrace growth and prosperity.
For his part, Dr. Mohamed Ayman Ashour, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, President of the Egyptian National Commission for Education, Science and Culture, President of ICESCO’s General Conference, highlighted Egypt’s achievements since assuming the presidency of the Organization’s General Conference. He reviewed the key principles of the scholarship initiative in Egyptian universities, which His Excellency President El- Sisi offered to students from countries of the Islamic world.
The Minister stressed the need to promote scientific research and invest in youth, as they represent the majority of the population of the Islamic world, stating that hosting of ICESCO’s Year of Youth reflects Egypt’s keenness to support young people as builders of the future, who will lead the way for their countries to join the ranks of developed nations in the coming years.
During the ceremony, a number of videos were screened which focused on a variety of topics, notably ICESCO’s vision on youth issues, Egypt’s efforts to build young capacities and the opportunities it provides to young people across the world to study in Egyptian universities, in addition to the work carried by young people at the Innovation Hubs workshops, which were held prior to the launch of the ICESCO Year of Youth.
The ceremony concluded with an art performance by a choir of young people from the Islamic world in Arabic, English and French, which reflected pride in youth and their ability to defy difficulties in order to build a bright and prosperous future for all.
The Education Sector of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) took part in a symposium on Education Professionalization, held by the Arab Bureau of Education for the Gulf States on World Teachers’ Day to discuss avenues of professionalizing educational positions and fostering quantitative-qualitative evolution of education. At the outset of the symposium, held on Thursday 5 October, 2023, in the presence of Dr. Mohamed Ould Amar, Director-General of the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization (ALECSO), Dr. Abdul Rahman Al-Asimi, Director General of the Arab Bureau of Education for the Gulf States (ABEGS), reaffirmed that “education professionalization” is a crucial step in the process of teachers’ training and provision of quality education, stressing the need to reconsider ways of building teachers’ capacities and skill set. The symposium saw the participation of Dr. Ahmed Al-Banyan, Head of Inclusive Education at ICESCO Education Sector, via videoconferencing, who stressed the significance of harnessing synergies between the education ministries concerned through developing common policies, objectives and programmes aimed at providing quality training and capacity building for teachers; thus, ensuring Continuing Professional Development (CPD). Dr. Ahmed Al-Banyan also highlighted ICESCO’s endeavour to build strategic partnerships between educational institutions in its Member States and donors to provide the desired expertise in future education strategies and professionalization, and facilitate experience-sharing between educational systems inside and outside the Islamic world.
The Center for Strategic Foresight at the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) took part in the Annual Meeting of Government Foresight Community 2023, held under the theme, “Transformative impact of geo-engineering and artificial intelligence.” The meeting was held on 3-4 October 2023, at the headquarters of the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in Paris, by the OECD Strategic Foresight Unit and brought together more than 100 participants from different parts of the world, including representatives of international institutions and organizations, experts and researchers from academic circles and think tanks, and people interested in the field of foresight.
During the working session on the potential and transformative impact of AI, Dr. Kais Hammami, Head of ICESCO’s Center for Strategic Foresight, gave a presentation titled, “Vacuum in Governance,” where he shared his views on the subject and put forth recommendations on public policies.
Moreover, Dr. Hammami highlighted ICESCO’s areas of competence and various activities and initiatives to promote foresight in the Islamic world and shed light on the Organization’s role in developing the field of AI, as well as its initiative to prepare the AI Charter in the Islamic World and its contributions to promote the use of modern technology in a manner that respects human principles and ethics.
The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) held a conference themed “Translation and Artificial Intelligence Technology: Translation from and into Arabic as example” on 4 October 2023, in cooperation with the Association of Court Certified Translators of Morocco (ATAJ) in the presence of an elite group of international experts, students and researchers in the field of translation to discuss avenues of fostering the aesthetic and creative dimensions of Arabic translations in digital and non-digital environments, capacity building of young translators, training professionals on machine translation in addition to exchanging experiences in creative translation to improve translation quality.
The opening session initiated with the recitation of verses from the Holy Quran, followed by the address of Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, ICESCO Director-General, which was delivered on his behalf by Dr. Abdelillah Benarafa, ICESCO Deputy Director-General, stressing the conference’s endeavours to outline the challenges of using AI tools to translate from and into Arabic amid ethical concerns about AI’s distortions of meaning.
He further expounded the role of translation in lying bridges of communication between diverse nations and cultures, reiterated the ever-growing need for translation, and highlighted ICESCO’s efforts in translating books and articles in various disciplines related to the Islamic world to convey its civilizational message worldwide.
Afterward, the first session kicked off with an intervention made by Diego Cresceri, CEO of Creative Words, on “Machine Translation and AI: Reality and Challenges”, in which he stressed the need to master AI tools and deal with its limitations. Following, Mohamed Ougamadan, Head of the UN Arabic Department in Geneva, argued that AI helps with quality checking and consistency of translations and comes in handy for languages with low resources and references.
Speaking next, Mr. Smail Ajbaili, Head of ICESCO Translation Centre, reviewed the history and advantages of machine translation in Arabic and attributed its drawbacks to the rich and polysemous nature of Arabic vocabulary. Mr. Abdel-Fattah Al-Hajmari, Director of the Arabization Coordination Bureau, affiliated with the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization, made an intervention entitled “Arabic and the much-needed Human Intelligence”. The subsequent intervention, delivered by Muwafaq Faeq Tawfiq, the first interpreter in Al Jazeera News, stressed that translation is not a mere word-for-word process but bears the intended meaning and context and abides by cultural nuances specific to each language.
The second session, led by experts from the Kingdom of Morocco, the Republic of Lebanon and Malaysia, witnessed rich interventions on the future of simultaneous translation amidst the technological evolution. The panelists were unanimous in their view that machine translation is evolving in terms of speed, quality and accessibility and that it will approach human-level accuracy but is less likely to fully replace translators.
This International Conference culminated with a workshop on machine translation, delivered by Mr. Diego Cresceri, CEO of Creative Words, for the benefit of students and researchers.
A Delegation from the Islamic World Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) met with Dr. Tawfiq bin Fawzan Al-Rabiah, the Minister of Hajj and Umrah of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, during his visit to the Kingdom of Morocco.
At the outset of the meeting, held on Wednesday 4 October 2023, in Rabat, Dr. Abdelilah Benarafa, ICESCO Deputy Director-General, conveyed to Dr. Al-Rabiah the greetings and regards from Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, ICESCO Director-General, who is currently on an official mission outside Morocco.
During the meeting, attended by Mr. Abdullah bin Saad Al-Ghariri, Ambassador of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques to the Kingdom of Morocco, Dr. Benarafa reviewed the key aspects of ICESCO’s strategic vision and orientations, its action mechanisms, achievements, programs, and initiatives. The Deputy Director-General also shed light on the successful International Exhibition and Museum of the Prophet’s Seerah and Islamic Civilization, currently hosted by the Organization’s headquarters, in partnership with the Muslim World League and the Mohammadia League of Scholars. A success manifested in attracting over three million visitors within the first nine months since its inauguration in November 2022.
The meeting discussed the proposal to integrate issues related to Hajj and its civilizational roles into educational curricula, as well as the ‘Read It to Understand It’ initiative, which aims to introduce the lofty values and noble message of the Holy Quran as well as the Islamic teachings. Moreover, the meeting touched upon the Organization’s contribution to the Hajj seminar, organized by the Ministry, along with several other proposals.
At the close of the meeting, the two parties discussed the practical steps for the signing of a cooperation agreement between ICESCO and the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah, outlining the key areas of partnership.
ICESCO delegation included Ambassador Khalid Fathalrahman, Director of the Center for Civilizational Dialogue, and Dr. Ahmed Said Bah, Advisor to the Director-General for International Partnerships and Cooperation, Supervisor of the Secretariat of National Commissions and Conferences.
