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The Education Sector of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), launched on Monday, May 29, 2023, a Training Session in the Lebanese capital, Beirut, in cooperation with the Lebanese National Commission for Education, Science and Culture, on improving the competencies of teachers in modern teaching strategies (Online education), for the benefit of teachers at the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, and relevant ministries and bodies in the Lebanese Republic.

The four-day Session aims at developing national capabilities in the field and providing the participating teachers with advanced expertise and skills on new trends related to online education strategies, as well as exchanging experiences and expertise among the participants.

Dr. Ahmed Al-Zanfali, Program Manager at Education Sector, representing ICESCO at the event, confirmed that the Session will work to achieve its objectives of improving teachers’ competencies in modern teaching strategies, especially the online education strategy to achieve the desired educational development.

For her part, Mrs. Hiba Nachabe, Secretary General of the Lebanese National Commission for Education, Science and Culture, commended ICESCO’s role in developing educational systems and the support it provides to its Member States.

The Training Session touches upon the elements and indicators of the lesson, differentiated learning and its elements and application, the characteristics of online education, a review of the experiences of the participants in the field, the key elements required for the success of online education and its applications, the importance of interacting with students, the steps for designing interactive and active educational materials and experiences using modern technologies, the new roles and skills required during the design of an online learning experience, applied practices on interactive presentations and gamification during online education and advanced skills in preparing interactive and interesting lessons.

On Thursday (May 25, 2023), the headquarters of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) witnessed the launch of the third International Congress: “Natural Resources and Sustainable Development: Health, Food and Cosmetic Applications,” held by the Federation of the Universities of the Islamic World, in partnership with the Faculty of Sciences of Mohammed V University, and Ibn Rushd Foundation for the Promotion of Scientific Research, Innovation and Sustainable Development, under the high patronage of His Majesty King Mohammed VI of Morocco, may Allah assist him.

The opening session of the Congress began with the recitation of clear verses from the Holy Quran, followed by the address of Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General of ICESCO, in which he emphasized that the tremendous changes that have taken place in human life require concerted efforts and unified visions to achieve the goals of sustainable development by valuing resources through accurate scientific research in the fields of nutrition and agriculture, which highlights the pivotal role of universities, research centers and laboratories.

He added that ICESCO, seeking to raise awareness of the importance of linking the results of scientific and technological research to sustainable development, pays special attention to the environment, artificial intelligence, future models for education, and the development of space science to formulate innovative solutions and open promising prospects for Muslim countries.

ICESCO Director-General concluded his address by renewing the Organization’s call for adopting the concept of fulfilled development, which aims in a comprehensive and forward-looking way to combine the goals of sustainable development and devise dissertations and means to confront emerging challenges.

For his part, the representative of the Moroccan Ministry of Energy Transition and Sustainable Development stressed that the ministry aspires to ensure a balance between economic growth and development to improve the living conditions of citizens, taking into account the preservation of natural resources, which provide us with many possibilities and stimulate innovation.

In his address, Dr. Farid El Bacha, President of Mohammed V University, praised the agreement between ICESCO and the University, pointing out that the University pays special attention to sustainable development through training and scientific research, and that the Kingdom of Morocco has become a role model at the international level.

Dr. Mohamed Reguragui, Dean of the Faculty of Sciences of Mohammed V University, said that researchers play a crucial role in carrying out research and studies that focus on the use of natural products in the field of pharmacy, medicine and cosmetics, reviewing the faculty’s initiatives in this field.

Dr. Hana Al-Manfaluti, Vice-President of Ibn Rushd Foundation for the Promotion of Scientific Research and Innovation, indicated that the use of natural resources is based on environmental diversity, which requires their rational exploitation to achieve sustainable development, noting that the conference program brings together elite researchers from all over the world.

After that, Dr. Kurt Hosttmann, Professor Emeritus at several universities in Switzerland and China, presented the inaugural symposium on the role of natural plants and herbs in preserving memory. The first-day agenda includes a session on Natural Bioactive Products: From Identification to Field Applications in Various Industries, and then a round table entitled: “Opportunities to Enhance the Implementation of the Nagoya Protocol in the Context of the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework.”

The training session held by the Center of Arabic for Non-Arabic Speakers of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) in Djibouti, in cooperation with the Ministry of Education and Vocational Training, and the National Commission for Education, Science and Culture on “Digital skills for teaching Arabic to non-Arabic speakers,” closed its proceedings.

The session, which kicked off last Monday in Djibouti, benefited over fifty (50) educators end academic professionals engaged in Arabic education from thirty (30) private and public educational institutions.

Supervised by Dr. Anas H. Saeed, Expert at the Center, the session is aimed at equipping educators with the necessary skills to utilize modern technologies, platforms and digital resources to enhance their in-class teaching performance and provide them with valuable academic expertise to develop Arabic education curricula within educational institutions.

A delegation of 13 Arab and African Culture Ministers and several senior officials from cultural institutions of more than 13 other countries visited the International Museum and Exhibition of the Prophet’s Seerah and Islamic Civilization, currently hosted at the headquarters of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) in Rabat.

Dr. Abdelilah Benarafa, ICESCO Deputy Director-General, accompanied by Mr. Najib Rhiati, Cultural Advisor to ICESCO Director-General, and several Heads of the Organization Departments, received the delegation participating in a high-level ministerial meeting in the Kingdom of Morocco on the occasion of the close of Rabat celebration as Capital of African Culture for 2022-2023, where he noted that the Museum and Exhibition, which are the first edition outside the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, are the outcome of a strategic partnership between ICESCO, the Muslim World League and the Mohammadia League of Scholars.

During the visit, the delegation listened to detailed presentations on the contents of the Exhibition’s various pavilions using modern display technologies, which narrate and document in detail the biography of our Prophet (PBUH).

Following the tour, the delegation members expressed their great admiration for the knowledge presented by the Exhibition of Prophet’s Seerah and Islamic Civilization using the latest display technologies. Mrs. Mabrouka Othman Toghi, Libyan Minister of Culture and Knowledge Development, expressed her gratitude to the Exhibition’s organizers for the encyclopedic information it provides which connects us with Prophet’s Seerah.

For his part, Mr. Hamat Bah, Minister of Tourism and Culture of The Gambia, noted that the Exhibition provides information about the Prophet’s biography in a simplified manner that addresses all age groups, while Ms. Peace Mutuuzo, Ugandan State Minister for Cultural Affairs, confirmed that the Exhibition takes the visitors back in time due to its modern technologies. Several other ministers and heads of delegations expressed their desire to return to visit the Exhibition and the Museum, because of the valuable contents and treasures it contains about the Prophet’s Seerah.

The Center for Arabic for Non-Arabic Speakers at the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) is holding a training workshop on teaching Arabic to non-Arabic speakers in the Republic of Guinea-Bissau, under the theme, “Teaching Arabic: Challenges and Solutions.” The Workshop is organized in cooperation with Guinea-Bissau’s National Commission for ICESCO.

More than thirty educational officials and teachers of the Arabic language from different regions of Guinea-Bissau took part in the four-day workshop, which kicked off on Tuesday, May 23, 2023. The Workshop will feature educational presentations and training segments, focusing on several themes, including, an overview of the challenges and difficulties facing teaching Arabic in the Republic of Guinea-Bissau, a review of major educational strategies in teaching language skills, and educational solutions to the various teaching problems facing teachers in class.

Dr. Yousef Ismaili, Expert at the Center for Arabic for Non-Arabic Speakers, represented ICESCO at the workshop, which aims to build participants’ capacities; hone their teaching skills by introducing them to the latest developments in educational linguistics, educational strategies and procedural steps in teaching various subjects to develop language skills; and provide them with mechanisms for skill assessment.

In celebration of the International Day for Biological Diversity, observed annually on May 22, the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) launched a program to produce 500,000 seedlings of seeds collected from gum arabic trees in the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, in partnership with the following: the Mauritanian National Commission for Education, Culture and Science, the Pan African Agency for the Great Green Wall Initiative, the Healthy Tomorrow Organization for the Development and Protection of the Environment in Mauritania, and several women’s incubators. The program is part of ICESCO’s celebration of Nouakchott culture capital in the Islamic world for 2023.

The launch of the first phase of the program, held on Monday (May 22, 2023), saw the mobilization and training of female incubator workers to produce seedlings of gum arabic trees, raising their awareness of the importance of protecting the environment, ensuring the afforestation of areas affected by desertification, promoting good governance in natural resources use, reclaiming degraded lands, and harnessing best agricultural practices in order to contribute to providing sustainable income and achieving development in several areas in the Trarza Region in Mauritania.

The seedlings are to be grown in a nursery at this first phase, before being transferred to their permanent planting lots on a 12-hectare field, in August 2023.

During the launch, Dr. Ismaila Diallo, Expert at ICESCO’s Science and Technology Sector, highlighted the objectives of the programme, notably contributing to combating desertification and enhancing the resilience of ecosystems to preserve biodiversity, which falls within the strategic priorities of the Organization to serve its Member States in general and Mauritania in particular, as it is considered one of the countries most affected by this phenomenon.

Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director General (DG) of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), and His Highness Dr. Fahad bin Al-Julanda Al Said, Vice-Chancellor of Sultan Qaboos University (SQU), held a meeting at the University’s headquarters in the Omani capital, Muscat, to examine strengthening cooperation between the Organization and the University in several areas of common interest. They also signed an agreement to establish an ICESCO Chair on Machine Learning for Remote Sensing and Geographic Information Systems at the University.

During the meeting, which took place on Tuesday, May 23, 2023, in the presence of Her Highness Dr. Mona bint Fahad bin Mahmoud Al Said, Assistant Vice-Chancellor for the University’s International Cooperation, and several University officials as well as ICESCO delegation, and Ms. Amna Al Balushi, Secretary General of the Omani National Commission For Education, Culture and Science, Dr. AlMalik reviewed ICESCO’s efforts to build youth and women capacities and support university students in the fields of innovation and modern technology to contribute to promoting scientific research and achieving sustainable development in the countries of the Islamic world, stressing the importance of exchanging knowledge and developing partnerships between organizations, universities, research centers, and Member States Commissions in various fields to address the current challenges and anticipate future requirements.

For his part, His Highness SQU Vice-Chancellor reviewed the history of the University, its strategic vision, and the pioneering role of its colleges in the fields of higher education and community service within the Sultanate of Oman, which made it assume an international position by enhancing the quality of its scientific research, qualifying its graduates and developing its strategic partnerships.

The meeting touched upon ways to enhance cooperation between ICESCO and SQU in many fields, mainly artificial intelligence, modern technologies, space sciences, remote sensing, and machine learning.

At the close of the meeting, ICESCO DG and His Highness SQU Vice-Chancellor signed an agreement to establish ICESCO Chair on Machine Learning for Remote Sensing and Geographic Information Systems at the University, which aims to promote an integrated system for research, training, exchange of information and verification of documentation in the fields of space exploration, remote sensing and the Internet of Things, and they exchanged shields between ICESCO and the University.

On May 21st of every year, the world celebrates the World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development, which is an opportunity to highlight the essential role of intercultural dialogue in upholding the values of coexistence and peace, capitalizing on the richness and diversity of the world’s cultures, and building a continuous dialogue to ensure the achievement of sustainable development.

On this occasion, the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) reaffirms its commitment to support all programs and initiatives aimed at promoting the various forms of cultural expressions, benefiting from the enormous potential of modern technology applications, promote understanding between people of different cultures, and contribute to achieving peace worldwide through dialogue and diplomacy.

In line with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, ICESCO, in coordination with its partners, endeavors to encourage sustainable cooperation in the fields of education, science, technology, culture, civilizational dialogue, youth capacity-building and women training to build bridges of dialogue between cultures inside and outside the Islamic world.

Aware of the importance of bridging the gap between cultures as a prerequisite for building peace and achieving stability and development, the Organization reaffirms its commitment to strengthening the efforts of its Member States to develop strategies, which are compatible with the best practices in this field, and contribute to embracing and protecting cultural distinction and introducing different cultural expressions in innovative ways, through the use of digital media and information and communication technology.

Furthermore, ICESCO stresses its willingness to cooperate with all countries, international organizations and civil society institutions to integrate the cultural dimension into the initiatives aimed at supporting the most vulnerable groups and coordinating joint action to promote the values of tolerance, coexistence and civilized dialogue to overcome economic and social challenges and achieve sustainable development.

The Culture and Communication Sector of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) participated in the meeting of the Open-ended Intergovernmental Group of Experts to discuss the possible establishment of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Platform for the Protection and Preservation of Cultural Heritage in the Islamic World. This two-day meeting kicked off on Tuesday 16 May 2023, at the headquarters of the General Secretariat of the OIC, in Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

The Sector of Culture and Communication was represented at this meeting by Dr. Mohamed Zinelabidine, Director of the Sector, and Dr. Nami Salihi, Supervisor of the Islamic World Heritage Centre. The meeting also brought together the delegations representing some OIC Member States and subsidiary centers.

During the meeting, ICESCO delegation made a presentation supported by data and figures on the efforts of ICESCO Centre for Heritage in the Islamic World in its various fields, including inventorying, restoration and enhancement, field training and the establishment of a portal and an observatory, in addition to the establishment of the Islamic World Heritage Committee, which has inscribed so far more than 430 historical sites and cultural items on ICESCO Islamic World Heritage List.

In this connection, ICESCO delegation reaffirmed that the Islamic World Heritage Centre aims at serving as a mechanism to meet all the relevant needs of Member States, stressing that the Centre is willing to host the OIC platform and provide it with a database containing the various forms of tangible and intangible heritage in the Islamic world.

The participating experts agreed to take concerted efforts to develop the said platform, ensure its effectiveness and avoid any overlapping.