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Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General (DG) of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), met with Dr. Abdel-Wadoud Kharbouch, Director-General of the Moroccan National Agency for the Fight against Illiteracy, where they discussed ways to enhance cooperation between the Organization and the Agency, and share experiences with the authorities concerned with the fight against illiteracy in Muslim countries.

At the outset of the meeting, held on Thursday (June 22, 2023), at ICESCO Headquarters, in Rabat, Dr. AlMalik stressed the importance of eradicating all forms of illiteracy, which is no longer limited to the lack of reading and writing skills but has taken new forms with the global developments.

ICESCO DG also commended the efforts made by the Agency and the bilateral cooperation, recently demonstrated by the organization of the International Conference on Lifelong Learning, and the signing of a framework agreement to collaborate in the implementation of development projects in the field of literacy, and the consolidation of the concept of lifelong learning.

For his part, Dr. Khabrouch welcomed the cooperation between ANLCA and ICESCO and expressed his thanks to the Organization and its Director-General for this partnership.

Discussions also focused on proposals and ideas for innovative programs and projects in the field of literacy, which can be applied in Muslim countries, to address this phenomenon and broaden the concept to include technological, digital, functional literacy, etc.
Dr. Barry Koumbou, Head of ICESCO’s Education Sector, also attended the meeting.

Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General (DG) of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), and Mr. Muammar Al-Eryani, Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism of the Republic of Yemen, discussed ways to enhance the outstanding partnership between ICESCO and Yemen, especially in the fields of culture, heritage preservation and valorization, and building the capacities of workers in the field.

During the meeting, held on Thursday (June 22, 2023) at ICESCO Headquarters, in Rabat, in the presence of Ambassador Ezzeddin Al-Asbahi, Ambassador of Yemen to Morocco, and the delegation accompanying the Minister, Dr. AlMalik reviewed the Organization’s key projects and programs in its areas of competence in Yemen, especially in the field of supporting education and building the capacities of young people, including the project of girls catch-up education, in cooperation with Al-Khair Charity for Humanitarian Relief, funded by the King Salman Center for Relief and Humanitarian Aid.

ICESCO DG added that the Organization attaches great importance to supporting Yemen in the field of preserving and promoting heritage; it inscribed several Yemeni historical sites and cultural elements on ICESCO’s Islamic World Heritage List, highlighting the Organization’s willingness to provide support in line with the priorities and needs specified by the Yemeni competent authorities.

For his part, Mr. Al-Eryani commended the qualitative leap that ICESCO witnessed during the past three years, and its roles in serving its Member States, stressing Yemen’s willingness to develop fruitful cooperation with ICESCO and expand joint programs and projects.

The meeting discussed a number of proposals for cooperation programs and projects between ICESCO and the Yemeni Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism. The meeting saw the presence of Dr. Mohamed Zinelabidine, Head of ICESCO Culture and Communication Sector, and Ambassador Khaled Fathalrahman, Director of the Center for Civilizational Dialogue.

After the meeting, Dr. Al-Malik accompanied Mr. Al-Eryani and his delegation on a tour of the pavilions and sections of the International Exhibition and Museum of the Prophet’s Seerah and Islamic Civilization, which ICESCO currently hosts at its headquarters, in strategic partnership with the Muslim World League and the Mohammadia League of Scholars, documenting in detail the biography of our Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, through the latest display technologies.

The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) handed out a number of books and references representing an integrated library in the field of philosophy to the Philosophy Department of the Faculty of Arts and Humanities at Mohammed V University, in Rabat, within the framework of the Organization’s support to universities and higher education institutions in the Member States and its keenness to promote scientific research.

On this occasion, Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, ICESCO Director-General, received Dr. Jamal Eddine EL HANI, Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Humanities, and a delegation from the University. During this meeting, Dr. AlMalik reaffirmed that the Organization attaches great importance to supporting universities and higher education institutions in the Member States through partnership and cooperation with many universities inside and outside the Islamic world, and has established a set of academic chairs to promote scientific research in the fields of education, science and culture, and support excellence and innovation.

For his part, Dr. EL HANI commended ICESCO’s roles in supporting higher education institutions and thanked the Organization and its Director-General for the generous initiative to grant this library, which includes valuable books, to the Department of Philosophy at the Faculty of Arts and Humanities.

The meeting also brought together Dr. Abdelilah Benarafa, ICESCO Deputy Director-General, Mr. Najib Rhiati, Cultural Advisor to ICESCO Director-General, and Ambassador Khaled Fathalrahman, Director of the Center for Civilizational Dialogue, as well as Dr. Mohammed Doukkali, Head of the Philosophy Department, and Dr. Mohammed Massoudi, Professor at the Department of Philosophy.

Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), participated in the official opening ceremony of the 20th session of Morocco’s International Storytelling Festival, which is organized by the International Academy of Moroccan Storytelling for Intangible Cultural Heritage, in partnership with the Ministry of Youth, Culture and Communication of Morocco, under the high patronage of His Majesty King Mohammed VI of Morocco, under the theme “The Greatness of Our Mothers.”

During the opening ceremony of the festival, held on Tuesday evening (June 20, 2023), Dr. AlMalik handed to Dr. Najima Thay Thay Rhozali, President of the International Academy of Moroccan Storytelling for Intangible Cultural Heritage, the certificate of inscription of the International Festival “Morocco’s Storytelling” on ICESCO’s List of Islamic World Intangible Heritage, in the presence of several officials and prominent personalities in the fields of thought, art and literature.

Dr. Najima Thay Thay Rhozali emphasized that the theme of this session aims to highlight the importance and role of “storytelling” as a popular cultural heritage that mothers tell to their children to acquire listening skills, develop understanding and comprehension, and strengthen their capacities to face the hardships of life.

The session, which honors the Islamic Republic of Mauritania as the guest of honor, will witness a number of activities in different spaces in Rabat from 19 through 25 June 2023. The festival leverages the preservation of authentic Moroccan historical folk heritage, and an intellectual, cultural, artistic and heritage bridge linking the past to the present.

Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General (DG) of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), participated in the launch ceremony of the 100,000 entrepreneurs’ program in Morocco on Tuesday, 20 June 2023.

The event was organized by the Ministry of Economic Inclusion, Small Business, Employment and Skills in partnership with the National Agency for the Promotion of Employment and Skills.

The ceremony was chaired by Dr. Younes Sekkouri, Minister of Economic Inclusion, Small Business, Employment and Skills in Morocco, and saw the attendance of Mr. Abdellatif Miraoui, Minister of Higher Education, Scientific Research and Innovation and a host of officials in the field of entrepreneurship in the country. The program aims to support 100,000 entrepreneurs by 2026, including small contractors, self-contractors and units operating in the informal sector.

ICESCO DG affirmed the Organization’s support for entrepreneurship and innovation through various programs and initiatives in the Islamic world, notably the ICESCO project for training youth in creating and developing small projects in technology and innovation, and the program for developing a sense of innovation and entrepreneurship among women and youth, implemented in ten (10) African countries.

Dr. Salim Al-Malik, Director General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), attended the international symposium on “The Role of the Media in Supporting the Cultural Identity of Al-Quds Al-Sharif,” organized by the Ministry of Youth, Culture and Communication in the Kingdom of Morocco, in cooperation with Bayt Mal Al-Quds Agency, in conjunction with the meetings of the Arab Ministers of Information, which Morocco hosts from 19 to 21 June.

The symposium, which was held on Tuesday 20 June 2023, witnessed a high-level attendance that included ministers and officials from Arab ministries of information, heads of specialized Arab organizations and federations, as well as ambassadors and representatives of Arab diplomatic missions accredited in Rabat, and experts in the field of journalism and media from several Arab countries.

Dr. Al-Malik affirmed that his attendance at the symposium is part of ICESCO’s established orientations to support Al-Quds Al-Sharif and to promote and protect the civilizational identity of the city, noting that the Organization is striving to support Palestinian institutions in the fields of education, science and culture, and contribute to preserving and valuing the cultural heritage of the city, and preserving its identity.

The symposium tackled two themes, the first dealt with: “the question of Al-Quds Al-Sharif in the Arab and international media: contents and trends,” while the second theme dealt with the effective media treatment of the question of Al-Quds Al-Sharif in the Arab world, aimed at drawing attention to the risks of promoting misrepresentations, misleading notions and fallacious terms about Al-Quds Al-Sharif and the Palestinian cause.