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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.

The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) extends its heartfelt congratulations to the Kingdom of Morocco, its King, government, and people, on the occasion of the unanimous adoption by the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) of the joint bid filed by Morocco, Spain, and Portugal to organize the 2030 FIFA World Cup.

ICESCO applauds the significant efforts exerted by His Majesty King Mohammed VI – may God assist him – as well as the Moroccan Government members and relevant institutions, in promoting sports, particularly football, as a means to achieve sustainable development. ICESCO views Morocco’s participation in hosting this global event as an opportunity to reinforce the values of coexistence and peace, and to showcase the outstanding aspects of the culture and civilization of the Islamic nations to the world.

ICESCO reaffirms its willingness to provide all forms of support and assistance to Morocco in achieving the desired success in organizing the 2030 World Cup, and in promoting the unique cultural and historical heritage of the Kingdom.

The workshop on Open Educational and Digital Resources in the Era of Digital Transformation, organized by Cheikh Ahmadou Bamba University, in partnership with the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) and its affiliated Federation of the Universities of the Islamic World (FUIW), to discuss avenues of capacity building in open educational and digital resources.

The opening session of the two-day workshop, which kicked off on 2 October 2023, saw the attendance of Mr. Moussa Bocar Thiam, Minister of Communication, Telecommunications and Digital Economy of the Republic of Senegal, Dr. Serigne Mame Mor Mbacke, President of Cheikh Ahmadou Bamba University, and Dr. Omar Halli, Advisor to the Director-General for FUIW, in addition to a host of professors and experts in the education field.

In his speech, the Senegalese Minister of Communication, Telecommunications and Digital Economy reiterated the importance of keeping abreast of the latest developments in the pedagogical and scientific fields while preserving acquired knowledge and cultural assets and pointed out that digitalization guarantees equal access to knowledge and provides good education for all.

For his part, the President of Cheikh Ahmadou Bamba University lauded ICESCO and FUIW’s efforts to support open educational resources and grant university students access to MOOCs.

The two-day training was also marked by the organization of workshops, led by experts from the Kingdom of Morocco, the Republic of Benin and the Kingdom of Spain, on open education, the right of authors, open licenses and science, open educational resources, open pedagogical practices and personal open educational resources projects.

The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) is holding in Muscat, the capital of the Sultanate of Oman, a workshop on “Education Labs for Sustainable Development,” in conjunction with the Omani National Commission for Education, Science and Culture. The workshop is geared towards training several instructors, curricula developers and researchers to foster knowledge, skills and behavioural values for sustainable development.

The opening session of the three-day workshop, which kicked off on 3 October 2023, saw the attendance of Ms. Amna Al Balushi, Secretary-General of the Omani National Commission for Education, Culture & Science who lauded ICESCO’s role in improving educational systems.
In a recorded speech, Ahmed El-Zonfoli, Program Manager at ICESCO Education Sector, reiterated the importance of this outreach workshop in the advancement of education for sustainable development in the Islamic world.

The workshops revolve around the contributions of education to achieving Sustainable Development Goals, the unwavering commitment of the Sultanate of Oman and the vital roles of instructors, school environment, local communities and youth in education for sustainable development, in addition to instilling SDGs values in policies and curricula.

Under the patronage and in the presence of His Excellency President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, President of the Arab Republic of Egypt, the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), in cooperation with the Egyptian Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, will hold a major international celebration to launch “ICESCO Year of Youth” on Saturday, 7 October 2023, in the New Administrative Capital, in the presence of ministers from countries of the Islamic world, ambassadors, heads of international bodies and organizations, presidents of Egyptian national, public, private and technological universities, public figures, businessmen, youth, academics, scholars, experts and researchers in various scientific, educational and cultural disciplines from Egypt and the countries of the Islamic world.

Dr. Ayman Ashour, Egyptian Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, explained that the celebration includes several important topics, including ICESCO’s vision in the field of building the capacities of youth of the Islamic world, the efforts of the Egyptian government in caring for and empowering youth during the era of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, and the role of the Ministry of Higher Education in supporting creators and innovators, pointing out the honoring of a group of creative, talented and innovative young people in the Islamic world.

For his part, Dr. Salim Al-Malik, ICESCO Director-General, indicated that the Organization is implementing many ambitious programs and projects geared towards building the capacities of young people, in coordination with the National Commissions for Education, Science and Culture in Member States. This is part of the Organization’s vision and strategic orientations which place strengthening and preserving the national identity of young people at the top of its priorities, seek to motivate them to innovate in the fields of modern technology, artificial intelligence applications and the metaverse, and benefit from their strengths. ICESCO’s vision also seeks to develop young people’s skills to keep pace with the requirements of tomorrow’s professions and urges universities in the Islamic world to develop their curricula to train young people capable of keeping pace with the rapid global transformations.

ICESCO DG further stated that ICESCO’s programs and projects during the Year of Youth will focus on young people and direct them to develop their capacities and raise their awareness to play their key role in preserving the environment and protecting the planet from the risks of climate change.

It is worth noting that ICESCO, with 54 Member States, was established in 1982 and is headquartered in Rabat, Kingdom of Morocco. It aims to achieve interconnection, integration and strategic coordination among the countries of the Islamic world in its areas of competence, as well as strengthening the capacities of educational systems and improving their indicators in Member States, in addition to stimulating the comprehensive cultural development of the peoples of the Islamic world. The organization’s headquarters are located in the Moroccan city of Rabat.

On October 5 of every year, the international community celebrates the World Teachers’ Day. This year’s celebration is held under the theme, “The teachers we need for the education we want: The global imperative to reverse the teacher shortage”, and aims to shed light on the challenges facing teachers and propose future visions for improving their performance to ensure the quality of education and improve its systems. 

The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) avails itself of this opportunity to reaffirm the key roles of teachers as the backbone of the educational system, stressing the need to rehabilitate the teaching profession, exert serious efforts to increase its appeal and prioritize teachers in all endeavors aiming at transforming education in the manner we want.

In addition, ICESCO stresses that the true path to transforming education is primarily founded on competent teachers who are able to nurture learners’ faculties. The Organization acknowledges that this path faces a myriad of challenges, notably the unprecedented teacher shortage at the global level, as a result of the fading appeal of teaching as profession among young people, the lack of adequate training, and teachers’ declining working conditions, increasing burdens and worsening situations.

Against this backdrop, ICESCO calls for working towards training the necessary numbers of competent teachers who are passionate about the profession, providing the necessary incentives to motivate them, recognizing and appreciating their efforts, and supporting them with the aim to improve educational systems across the globe, as per the outputs of the Transforming Education Summit.

A large delegation from the Islamic World Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) is participating in the 74^th International Astronautical Congress, which kicked off on Monday 2 October 2023 in Baku.  The Congress, which is organized by the International Astronautical Federation, in partnership with the Azerbaijani Space Agency “Azercosmos,” was inaugurated by His Excellency Mr. Ilham Aliyev, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, in the presence of high-level representatives of governments and space agencies, investors, and various parties interested in space applications. It aims to discuss space science and its applications, as well as to provide a platform for exchanging views on modern technologies and challenges for the future of the space science industry.

Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, ICESCO Director-General, is leading the Organization’s delegation, comprising several heads of departments, sectors, experts, and employees from ICESCO. Additionally, ICESCO organized the participation of more than 500 young men and women from the Organization’s Member States and arranged for the transportation of 200 of them by charter flight from the Moroccan capital, Rabat, to Baku to attend the Congress, providing them with the opportunity to attend the Congress as part of its celebration of the Year of Youth and in line with its strategic vision to enhance programs supporting youth capacities in the fields of science, innovation, and preparation for future careers. Participants will have the chance to explore the latest developments in space applications and probe into the mysteries of the universe.

They will also have the opportunity to explore Azerbaijani culture as part of ICESCO’s contribution to promoting cultural diversity and civilizational dialogue among its Member States.

The 74^th session of the Congress, themed “Global Challenges and Opportunities: Give Space a Chance,” includes ICESCO’s initiative dubbed “ICESCO Youth Conversations,” held at ADA University in Azerbaijan. These conversations consist of sessions for the Islamic world Youth to engage in discussions and dialogues on various topics related to their lives in the educational, scientific, and cultural fields. The Initiative reflects ICESCO’s commitment to supporting youth as the agents of positive change in their societies.

The Congress has gathered over 5,000 participants from various parts of the world and more than 30 specialized space companies. Moreover, about 150 bodies attended the exhibition held as part of the Congress’ activities to provide the latest information and developments in the field of space and its applications, whether in academic and research settings or the professional and industrial fields, while also offering opportunities for all participants to communicate and network.

The Congress program includes plenary sessions in which high-level speakers provide insights into the prominent trends and emerging ideas in space science and modern technology research. The lectures will engage experts in discussions aimed at addressing questions about the latest developments in the field of space and its applications.