Category: Front Page

On 31st October of every year, the world observes World Cities Day, which is celebrated this year under the theme “Better City, Better Life.” It is an opportunity to highlight the future challenges facing cities and urban areas and raise awareness of the need to capitalize on modern technologies and the importance of building partnerships and cooperation to achieve sustainable urban development and promote green cities.

The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) seizes this opportunity to call upon countries, governments, international organizations, bodies and civil society institutions to work jointly towards the preservation of the environment in cities and the promotion of development policies and programmes to support the rapid transformation towards smart, resilient and sustainable cities, and increase investments in this field in such a way as to contribute to ensuring a decent life and providing clean air and usable water for cities’ inhabitants by giving priority to financing the environmental sector.

As a contribution to achieving the eleventh Sustainable Development Goal related to sustainable cities and communities, ICESCO has developed, within the framework of its new vision and strategic orientations, an ambitious action plan for the Programme of Smart, Sustainable and Resilient Cities in the Islamic World to promote these concepts in the Member States, rationalize the use of natural resources and promote the utilization of renewable energies.

Being aware of the importance of developing and transforming cities into smart, flexible and sustainable ones, taking into account the construction of new cities according to the latest specifications to improve living conditions and preserve natural resources, the Organization reaffirms its commitment to strengthening the efforts of its Member States to develop strategies in line with the best practices and contribute to joint action to support the most vulnerable groups within cities by developing and implementing ambitious programmes and projects to help adopt this new concept.

The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) participated in the 2nd Edition of the Scientific Francophonie Meeting, which falls within the framework of the 2nd Edition of the World Scientific Francophonie Week, held by the Francophone University Agency (AUF), in cooperation with the Egyptian Ministry of Higher Education, in Cairo, on 25-28 October 2022. It brought together several ministers of higher education and scientific research as well as university rectors, researchers, specialists and a large number of students.

In his intervention during this meeting, Dr. Kais Hammami, Director of ICESCO Center of Strategic Foresight, addressed the topic of “Development of Foresight in Education,” to highlight the importance of strategic foresight in developing education in the Islamic world and beyond.

The meeting also touched on the topics of artificial intelligence through experience and knowledge sharing among the participants, highlighting the progress of AI and its contribution to the development of higher education, health sciences, science and technology, humanities, social sciences and management sciences, and proposing recommendations to AUF to enrich its project on International Academy of Scientific Francophonie.

The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) participated in the international workshop, co-organized by the World Bank and the Institute of Public Administration in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, on international best practices and lessons learned in the field of women’s empowerment and gender equality. On this occasion, Ms. Ramata Almamy Mbaye, Head of ICESCO’s Human and Social Sciences Sector reviewed the Organization’s efforts in this area.

During the session devoted to the review of women’s leadership development and the case study project, which took place on Wednesday, October 25, 2022, the ICESCO representative pointed out that women represent about half of the population in the Islamic world, hence the need to strengthen their capacities in order to contribute to the achievement of the expected development goals.

She also stressed that ICESCO is developing innovative multi-sectoral programs to fight poverty, socio-economic marginalization and discrimination, especially as it prioritizes youth and women in its vision and action strategy, and promotes the exchange of inspiring experiences among women and their skills to build the societies we want.

She added that the projects and initiatives that ICESCO launched during the pandemic of COVID-19, based on its forward-looking vision, aim at rethinking the future of the educational, cultural and social fields, as well as the status of the human being as a central element of all programs and policies.

In addition, Ms. Mbaye said in her speech that ICESCO suggests integrating several key issues in education systems, including peacebuilding and psychosocial support for vulnerable women. She also suggested integrating sport as a primary tool for contributing to the promotion of coexistence and the achievement of development as well as benefiting from women’s innovations in entrepreneurship to achieve progress and prosperity in our societies.

New Book: ICESCO’s Third Major Take-Off Confirms that its Future Rests Upon Solid Foundations and Innovative Thinking

A recently published book in the Kingdom of Morocco lauded the development and modernization that the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) has witnessed at the level of its management, programmes, action plans, mindset innovation, foresight, and openness. The book noted that this overhaul has enabled the Organization to cleverly handle regional and international changes, and efficiently meet the needs of its Member States, thus pushing it forward in an unprecedented manner, and placing it among the pioneering regional organizations.

In his book entitled: “A Third of a Century at the UNESCO of the Islamic World,” Professor Abdelkader El Idrissi, devoted an entire chapter to the ‘new ICESCO,’ which began with Dr. Salim M. AlMalik assuming the position of Director-General of the Organization, following his election during the Third Extraordinary Session of ICESCO’s General Conference. which was held in King Abdullah Economic City in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on May 9-10, 2019.
“Over the last three years, ICESCO modernized its management, programmes, action plans, major civilizational projects, mindset, innovation, and future planning. Broad horizons then opened up to the Organization, reinforcing its engagement with and integration into the international environment, and enhancing its interaction with human cultures. This enabled ICESCO to handle regional and international changes cleverly and wisely, and meet the needs of its Member States to enhance their capabilities in its areas of competence as part of a three-year action plan. This has pushed ICESCO forward, in an unprecedented manner, and has placed this prestigious and developed Organization among the pioneering, successful and distinguished regional organizations,” stated the author in the chapter entitled “Broad Horizons Opened up to the New ICESCO.”

The author pointed out that: “These tremendous efforts, which were exerted at the beginning of the third phase, have come to fruition with the help of Allah the Almighty and thanks to Dr. AlMalik, who turned his position of ICESCO Director-General into a conscious and wise intellectual leadership for joint Islamic action in the fields of education, science and culture that supports comprehensive sustainable development in all countries of the Islamic world.”

Professor El Idrissi explained that these efforts would not have been fruitful and effective in building and strengthening the capacities of Member States, had it not been for Dr. AlMalik’s finely honed skills in leading implementation and management operations, and his strong know-how in terms of planning, management, problem-solving, and creative thinking. These are the main thrusts of the new vision that he adopted as an approach for action, a basis for building, and a pillar for the practical and concrete strategy. These are the principles that inspired his early steps and are still guiding his work.

In his chapter on the ’new ICESCO,’ which is entitled “Objectives that Keep Pace with Changes,” the author delves into the phases of the overhaul that the Organization has witnessed, emphasizing that the six objectives outlined in ICESCO’s Charter, which was approved by the Executive Council at its fortieth session in Abu Dhabi during in January 2020, draw an accurate road map for the Organization and determine its functions. He also discussed the development of ICESCO’s procedures and measures, which represents a revamp in concepts, terms and visions, and reflects a renewed innovation and creativity in implementation, forward-looking leadership for teamwork, and a qualitative shift in the Organization’s programmes and projects.

The author noted that the Organization’s new name ‘ICESCO’ (Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) is in harmony with the new vision that this new take-off is based upon, stressing that this will further its engagement in broader regional and international environments, and will help it access wider human realms.
Under the title: “ICESCO Builds its Future,” Professor El Idrissi wrote: “It would not be an exaggeration to express my certainty that ICESCO’s medium- and long-term future is being built today under the leadership of the Director-General, Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, in light of the new vision that he established to advance and bring new momentum to the Organization, and orient it towards renewal, modernization, and development to keep pace with changes.”

“ICESCO’s major take-off, which occurred at the beginning of its third phase, best demonstrates that the future rests upon solid foundations and is built with creativity in the light of the new vision that this Organization has leveraged to elevate its status and position itself at the leading edge of educational, scientific, cultural, technological, communication and media development in the Islamic world, and become a distinguished house of expertise,” added Professor El Idrissi in his book.

Within the framework of the continued coordination between the two organizations, the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) and the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization (ALECSO) held a meeting to strengthen their partnership in the areas of common interest, serving their Member States and contributing to the achievement of sustainable development.

During this virtual meeting, the two parties reviewed the main lines of the activities of their sectors and departments as well as the initiatives and projects that could be implemented jointly in the fields of education, science, new technologies, scientific research, human and social sciences, and communication to achieve Sustainable Development Goals in the Islamic world.

Several officials from ICESCO and ALECSO participated in this meeting and agreed to select some common axes to be integrated into the activities of the action plans of both Organizations for 2023.

As part of the celebration of Yaounde as 2022’s Culture Capital in the Islamic World for the African region, the Culture and Communication Sector of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), launched a capacity-building training session for the benefit of sixteen (16) cultural heritage, in partnership with the Ministry of Arts and Culture of the Republic of Cameroon and the Cameroon National Commission for UNESCO.

The opening ceremony of the training session, which kicked off on Monday, October 24, 2022, at the headquarters of the Cameroon National Commission in Yaounde, began with a presentation on ICESCO’s activities in the field of the preservation, safeguarding and protection of tangible and intangible heritage, through the inscription of heritage sites and cultural elements on the ICESCO Islamic World Heritage List, and a review of the Organization’s strategic orientations in the African continent.

Dr. Mahamat Abba Ousman, Expert at ICESCO’s Culture and Communication Sector, and two local experts, are moderating the three-day session which brings together specialists and officials in the field of cultural heritage from several regions in Cameroon, and experts from the Ministry of Arts and Culture.
The session is geared towards strengthening the capacities of sixteen (16) heritage specialists in Cameroon, by developing their competencies in preparing eight files for the inscription of four heritage sites and four elements of intangible heritage, in accordance with the requirements for inscription on the ICESCO Islamic World Heritage List, establishing monitoring and follow-up mechanisms by the Cameroonian Ministry’s officials and ICESCO experts, and submitting the files to the 11th session of the Islamic World Heritage Committee to be held in 2023.

The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) and the Egyptian Ministry of Culture announced the candidates whose works have been selected to participate in “Turathy” photography competition exhibition, which is part of the celebration of Cairo as Culture Capital in the Islamic World for 2022 and aims to encourage photographers from the Islamic world to creatively document buildings and heritage areas in both Cairo and other cities in the ICESCO Member States.

The candidates, whose works were selected to participate in the exhibition by the specialized jury, met at the headquarters of the National Organization for Urban Harmony in Cairo.

The participating works are divided into two categories, the first one on the heritage of Cairo, addressed to photographers and interested persons from the Arab Republic of Egypt, and the second one on the heritage of the cities of the Islamic world, addressed to photographers from other Member States of ICESCO. The selected candidates are as follows:

• The first category on the architectural and urban heritage of Cairo: 97 candidates, with 120 works in total, were selected to participate in the exhibition;
• The second category on the architectural and urban heritage of the cities of the Islamic world: 67 candidates, 115 works in total, were selected to participate in the exhibition.
  The names of the candidates selected to participate in the exhibition, as well as their nationalities, can be found on the social media pages of ICESCO and the National Organization for Urban Harmony.

The names of the winners of the competition will be announced, the prizes will be awarded and the exhibition of the works participating in the competition will be opened concurrently with the closing ceremony of the celebration of Cairo, Culture Capital in the Islamic World for 2022, the date of which will be determined later.

The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) launched its new annual programme “Mishkat for Arabic Language” for professional development and continuous training in the Arabic language for the benefit of non-Arabic speakers, devised in cooperation with the Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation for Distinguished Academic Performance.

The programme, which runs for over nine months from October 2022 to June 2023, was launched on Monday, October 24, 2022, by the Organization, through a hybrid meeting in the Mishkat Hall at ICESCO Headquarters. The meeting brought together a host of ten (10) international experts selected to facilitate twenty (20) training sessions as part of the first-time programme that ICESCO provides for teachers of the Arabic language in ten countries of West and Central Africa, Southeast Asia and Central Asia.

In his address at the meeting, Mr. Adel Bouraoui, Advisor to ICESCO Director-General (DG) for External Centers and Academic Chairs on Arabic Language, stressed that the Mishkat Programme is part of the Organization’s vision which emphasizes the need to ensure quality, sustainability, innovation and alignment with the needs of Member States.

The Mishkat Hall hosted, on Tuesday, October 25, 2022, the first training session facilitated by the education expert Dr. Mohamed Ismaili Alaoui under the theme: “Skills of Teachers of the Arabic Language to Non-Arabic Speakers” in which five groups of Arabic language teachers from Chad, Nigeria, Benin, Guinea and Cameroon participated remotely, and a sixth group attended in-person. Also participating by videoconference and individually were trainees from other countries and regions. Other individual participants from different countries and regions also took part in the session both remotely and in person.
The session to be held on October 26, 2022, should bring together five groups of Arabic language teachers from Malaysia, Indonesia, Uzbekistan, Bashkortostan and Vietnam.

It is worth noting that the said programme is implemented in concert with ICESCO’s Regional Educational Centers, training poles and scientific chairs of Arabic language for non-Arabic speakers in various universities around the world.

The Human and Social Sciences Sector of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), held a workshop on the role of transformative education in building peace, strengthening resilience and preventing violence in schools, in cooperation with the Libyan National Commission for Education, Culture and Science, and the University of Derna in Libya.
The four-day workshop, whose proceedings kicked off on Monday, October 24, 2022, at the University of Derna, is aimed at introducing the audience to transformative education and enabling them to use its ability to transfer values, life skills and the principles of citizenship from school to the local environment and the real world, and identifying mechanisms for integrating issues related to peacebuilding, resilience and the prevention of violent extremism into cultural activities inside and outside schools.

The opening saw the presence of the Secretary-General of the Libyan National Commission, members of the Commission, and the Rector of the University of Derna. Dr. Hassan El-Hajjami, Expert at ICESCO’s Human and Social Sciences Sector, and members of the Sector’s team represented the Organization at the workshop via videoconference. In his intervention, Dr. El-Hajjami emphasized that ICESCO is committed, through its various initiatives, to enhancing efforts and coordinating joint action to mobilize energies and competencies to eliminate violence and instill peace and stability in societies.

He reviewed ICESCO’s major peacebuilding efforts, namely the establishment of the ICESCO Center for Civilizational Dialogue, the ICESCO Regional Center for Education on the Culture of Peace (CRECP) in Yamoussoukro, Côte d’Ivoire, the programme for the integration of ICESCO’s 360° peace approach in academia, and the Leadership Training in Peace and Security Programme (LTIPS).