Category: Front Page

The Science and Technology Sector of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) participated in the International Conference on Transforming Education in the Age of Artificial Intelligence, held on 14 July 2023, by Mohammed V University at its premises in Rabat, in cooperation with the Tamkine Foundation and the Moroccan School of Engineering Sciences, to examine the opportunities of artificial intelligence and the challenges it faces in the educational process.

In his address to the Conference, Dr. Adel Smeda, expert in the Sector, reviewed the challenges of artificial intelligence applications and their role in promoting education in the countries of the Islamic world, the importance of digital technology in facilitating teaching and the educational integration of pupils and students.

Conference participants, including university teachers, experts and specialists in education, modern technology and artificial intelligence, explored the means and mechanisms for adapting education and higher education to technological developments to benefit from their applications.

They also discussed the need to raise awareness of the opportunities and challenges involved in integrating artificial intelligence applications into the educational process and to promote innovation among children and young people.

Dr. Abdelilah Benarafa, Deputy Director-General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), took part in the first edition of the “Dawayer” Cultural Festival, held in Cairo from 6 to 15 July 2023. The Festival saw the participation of over 25 Arab and Egyptian publishing houses, and the organization of a large number of cultural activities, including writing workshops, colloquia, open meetings and book presentations, in the presence of a large number of Egyptian and Arab intellectuals.

The Festival, organized in cooperation between the “Diwan” and “Tanmia” publishing houses, aimed to foster direct communication between various stakeholders and cultural circles and boost efforts to foster interest in reading and culture, in addition to broadening the fields of knowledge and highlighting the value of culture in raising public awareness and encouraging creativity at different levels and among different age and social groups.

During the specialized discussion panel, held on Friday evening (14 July 2023), Dr. Abdelilah Benarafa reviewed the stages of his verification and editing of Ibn al-Arabi’s “Al-Diwan Al-Kabir,” published in four large volumes. The session was moderated by the Sufi scholar Mustafa Nassr.

The event also included an exhibition of original books, in addition to a parallel exhibition of second-hand books which included over three thousand works in various fields, and several practical workshops were held on creative writing, scriptwriting, mini-series writing, and more.

On July 11, 2023, in Dakar, Republic of Senegal, a national seminar was held by the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) to discuss literacy policies and programs for women’s empowerment. The Seminar is being held in cooperation with the Senegalese National Commission for UNESCO and ICESCO, under the patronage of Mr. Cheikh Oumar Anne, President of the National Commission, Minister of National Education of the Republic of Senegal.

The four-day seminar saw the participation of several decision-makers at the level of the ministries in charge of education and women’s issues, non-governmental organizations, as well as women’s organizations and experts specialized in the fields of literacy and non-formal education.

The seminar aims to assess literacy and non-formal education policies and programs targeting women in Senegal, highlight best practices and innovations, and identify current challenges facing these policies and programs. It also seeks to propose recommendations and identify future prospects for women’s literacy programs in Senegal.

In his opening address, Mr. Aliou Ly, Secretary General of the Senegalese National Commission, commended ICESCO’s leading roles and sustained support to the Republic of Senegal through a number of programmes and projects falling within its areas of competence.

Representing ICESCO, Dr. Koumbou Barry, Head of the Education Sector, along with some sector experts, took part, via videoconference, in the opening session of the Seminar. The Head of the Sector delivered the Organization’s address, which stressed the importance of combating illiteracy and promoting women’s socio-economic empowerment to enable them to assume their roles and contribute to comprehensive sustainable development.

The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) invites scholars, researchers, professors of universities, institutes, research centers and graduate students to participate in the First Session of the International Conference on Scholars of the Islamic World, held under the theme, “Al-Farabi’s Contributions throughout Human History,” to be organized by ICESCO in partnership with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan, represented by the Embassy of Kazakhstan in Rabat. The Organization calls for the submission of research papers on Al-Farabi’s intellectual contributions, which will be evaluated by a special jury to award monetary prizes to three winners, amounting to USD 5,000, USD 3,000, and USD 2,000, respectively.

The participating research papers should discuss a topic that falls within one of the themes of the Conference, namely: Al-Farabi’s influence on human philosophy, Al-Farabi’s theories in the field of science philosophy and political philosophy, Al-Farabi’s music philosophy and aesthetics, and renewal in Al-Farabi studies today.

Interested parties should submit their abstracts to culture@icesco.org or rabat@mfa.kz. The following criteria must be respected:
• The abstract should not exceed 500 words;
• Research papers should be written and submitted in one of ICESCO’s working languages (Arabic—English – French);
• The deadline for submitting research abstracts is set for August 20, 2023;
• The deadline for submitting full research is set for October 1, 2023.

Following the evaluation of the abstracts, the shortlisted research papers will be announced on September 1, 2023. The winners will be announced during the Conference, “Al-Farabi’s Contributions Throughout Human History” (11-12 October 2023, ICESCO Headquarters), which will also feature the award ceremony. A collection of the winning research papers and academic presentations featured in the Conference will also be published.

The Conference and Award aim to promote Al-Farabi’s contributions at the global level, highlight his role in bringing East and West together, and raise awareness of the role of the Islamic world in shaping the cultural character of the world throughout history.

In cooperation with the University of Benghazi and the Libyan National Commission for Education, Culture and Science, the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) is holding in Benghazi, Libya, a workshop on new trends in educational planning. The Workshop kicked off on Monday, July 10, 2023, under the patronage of Dr. Moussa Mohamed Magariaf, President of University of Benghazi, Minister of Education.

This four-day workshop saw the participation of several education planning experts, officials in charge of planning divisions at the Ministries of Education, Higher Education, Scientific Research, and Vocational and Technical Education, and several representatives of the relevant bodies in the State of Libya. The workshop aims to build the participants’ capacities and provide them with advanced skills in the field of educational planning. It also aims to shed light on modern educational planning methodologies, processes, methods and techniques, and promote a culture of educational planning to contribute to the development of educational systems.

Dr. Ahmed El Zonfoli, Director of Programs at the Education Sector, took part in the opening of the workshop and highlighted its significance as it effectively contributes to the desired educational development, expressing his wishes for its success in achieving its objectives to develop experts’ capacities in educational planning.

The workshop addresses the stages, measures, methods and mechanisms of application of educational planning, as well as new trends relevant to its methods and procedures, and ways to capitalize on them to improve the development of education systems and ensure their quality. It also seeks to promote the use of strategic planning in education and highlight the criteria for ensuring the success of the education planning process, especially in times of crisis.

The headquarters of the National Research Center in Cairo hosted, on Monday, July 10, 2023, a training session on, “Green Hydrogen: Future of Renewable Energy.” The session was held by the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), in partnership with the Egyptian National Commission for Education, Science and Culture, and cooperation with the Commission on Science and Technology for Sustainable Development in the South (COMSATS) and the Regional Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency.

Representing ICESCO in the opening session of this three-day activity, Dr. Foued El Ayni, Director of Programs at the Science and Technology Sector, stressed the importance of addressing the challenges of climate change through the use of renewable and sustainable energy, including green hydrogen. He also highlighted the Organization’s efforts in the field of environmental protection, notably ICESCO’s Green Transformation and Climate Action Promotion Program, which aims to contribute to the achievement of sustainable development and the promotion of innovation in the countries of the Islamic world.

The training session aims to bring together experts, specialists and researchers in the field of industry and renewable energies, to explore the possibilities and opportunities offered by green hydrogen production technologies, its storage and transportation means, and ways to benefit from its applications.

The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) and the International Water Bank (IWB) held a meeting to discuss prospects for cooperation between the Organization and the Bank in promoting water security and quality in the countries of the Islamic world by mobilizing the necessary resources to implement joint initiatives, programs and projects aimed at developing infrastructure and innovative technology in the field of water and sanitation and drilling wells in fragile areas.

ICESCO was represented at the meeting, held on Friday, July 7, 2023, at the Organization’s headquarters in Rabat, by Mr. Anar Karimov, Head of the International Partnerships and Cooperation Sector, Mr. Mohamed Hedi Shili, Head of the Legal Affairs and International Standards Department, along with several experts from ICESCO’s Sectors of Science, Technology and Human and Social Sciences. The Bank was represented by Mr. Rashad Shawa, Founder and Chairman of the Bank, and Dr. Shaddad Atili, Secretary-General of the Bank’s Board of Directors.

During the meeting, Mr. Karimov highlighted ICESCO’s vision and strategic orientations in the field of water, stressing that the Organization accords great importance to water issues, as it works to design and implement programs and projects that serve the sustainable development goals and contribute to addressing the Member States’ needs. The ICESCO official mentioned a number of relevant programs, notably the Program to Improve Water and Sanitation Services in 1000 Rural Schools in the Islamic World, expressing his keenness to build fruitful cooperation relations with the International Water Bank.

For his part, Mr. Rashad Shawa shed light on the Bank’s strategy and efforts in the field of water and the importance it accords to mobilization as an effective mechanism to solve water-related crises through a comprehensive approach, stressing the keenness of the Bank to cooperate with ICESCO to contribute to achieving the SDG 6 (Ensure access to water and sanitation for all).

The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) is pleased to announce the launch of the first edition of its Bio-Waste Food Award, which aims to support entrepreneurs and startups in developing innovative technologies to extract protein, fat and carbohydrates from wasted food.

The Award seeks to encourage the youth and women in the Islamic world to develop innovative solutions to optimize benefits from wasted food by developing innovative solutions to contribute to achieving food security, and support specialists and entrepreneurs in the green economy to develop innovative technologies in the field of food security. The Award will be awarded to three winners who will receive 30,000 US dollars, 15,000 US dollars, and 5,000 US dollars, respectively.

The jury will select five participating projects in the first stage of the evaluation process. The five project owners will then be invited to pitch them in person to the jury in order to evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed technology and select three winners who presented the most innovative and environmentally friendly projects that contribute to the development and job creation.
Persons interested in participating in this contest must fill in the award form available on ICESCO’s website via the following link: https://forms.office.com/r/fpyredi2dX, and send their nomination files, no later than August 31, 2023, to the e-mail: sciences@icesco.org. the nomination file should include:

• Contest application letter;
• CV of the participant, or of all members of the project team, in case of startups;
• A summary of the project (five pages maximum), explaining the idea and the technique of extracting the components of food bars;
• Physical samples of the finished products after the pre-selection phase are to be sent to the address to be determined later.

The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) condemns in the strongest terms the barbaric conduct of burning a copy of the Holy Quran in the Swedish capital, Stockholm, in a heinous act that offends the feelings of Muslims around the world amid their celebration of Eid al-Adha.

ICESCO reaffirms that the repetition of this outrageous act by hard line extremist expresses civilizational defeat and rejection of tolerance that fosters cultural and religious diversity, and leads to stirring animosity and the revival of hate speech whenever it abates.

ICESCO stresses that underestimation of the values and principles governing the lives of nations and peoples is the most dangerous weapon of destruction likely to jeopardize the international community’s security and development. In view of this obvious truth, the Organization points to the need to be alert to the seriousness of this hideous recurrence, which is leading the world towards aggravating the conflicts that the humankind is suffering from worldwide.

Recalling that the repetition of this type of abhorrent offence will not undermine the value of the Holy Quran, whose believers are increasing day after day in both the East and the West, ICESCO warns that by tolerating such abominable acts, the authorities – wherever they are – are only leading humanity further away from the civilizational path of ethical values, culture and the customs of peoples.

The Organization also reaffirms that it stands ready to cooperate with peace-loving world powers to uphold the values of peace and the foundations of moderation, and to promote the culture of enlightenment in such a way as to fight such reckless tendencies.