Category: Front Page

The training session on strategic foresight in the service of decision-making that the Center for Strategic Foresight of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) held, as part of the celebration of Nouakchott as the Culture Capital in the Islamic World for 2023, in cooperation with the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania and the German Konrad Adenauer Foundation, concluded its proceedings.

More than forty senior officials and advisors from a number of Mauritanian ministries and institutions benefited from the training session, which was held at the headquarters of the Modern University of Nouakchott in Mauritania, on March 12-13, 2023, to enhance their decision-making capacities and introduce them to strategic foresight tools and modern planning mechanisms.During the opening of the session, Dr. Kais Hammami, Director of ICESCO Center for Strategic Foresight, reviewed the Center’s objectives and programs, stressing the importance of promoting the culture of foresight to introduce the desired change.

The opening of the session saw the presence of Mr. Mohamed Ould Sidi Abdallah, Secretary General of the Mauritanian National Commission for Education, Culture and Science, Mr. Sidi Mohamed Ould Dadi, Acting Secretary-General of the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Ms. Hana Bounaama, Advisor in charge of international cooperation at the Ministry, Dr. Mohamed Ould Aawa, Secretary General of the Modern University of Nouakchott, Mr. Stephen Kruger, Representative of Konrad Adenauer Stiftung in the Kingdom of Morocco, and Ms. Rime Jalloul, from ICESCO Center for Strategic Foresight.

Afterward, ICESCO representatives held a meeting with the Mauritanian National Commission for Education, Culture and Science to discuss cooperation prospects in the fields of artificial intelligence, entrepreneurship and the jobs of tomorrow.

The training session on devising climate change mitigation and adaptation solutions for biodiversity conservation and community rehabilitation kicked off on Tuesday, 14 March 2023 in Indonesia.

The three-day session is held by the Science and Technology Sector of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), in partnership with the National Research and Innovation Agency, and Indonesia’s Man and Biosphere Society, and will benefit over 200 environmental protection professionals.

During the opening session of the event, which is held in person in the city of Semarang, Indonesia, and via videoconference, Dr. Foued El Ayni, Program Manager at the Sector, reviewed the ICESCO’s efforts to support the environmental policies of its Member States, stressing the importance of enhancing the capacities of professionals in strengthening mechanisms for coping with natural disasters and adapting to the negative effects of climate change.

The training session features an exhibition of local products for the benefit of youth and women to encourage projects geared towards adapting to climate change, and the planting of 200 trees in Mount Merbabu National Park in Indonesia.

The Third International Forum of the Teachers of Arabic for Non-Arabic Speakers in Southeast Asia, which is being held by the Building the Future Foundation in Indonesia, in partnership with the Center of Arabic for Non-Arabic Speakers of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), in cooperation with MS Asia Foundation for Educational Services and Human Development in Malaysia, kicked off on Monday (March 13, 2023), in Bakassi, Indonesia, in the presence of more than 100 teachers and specialized researchers representing 16 Asian and African countries.

The opening session included addresses delivered by Sheikh Aslam Mohsen Abdeen, Director of the Association of Indonesian Islamic Da’wah and Educational Bodies, Director of the Building the Future Foundation; Dr. Mutawakil Abdul Latif Al-Fadni, Director of MS Asia Training Foundation in Kuala Lumpur; and Dr. Yasser Muhammad Ali, Ambassador of the Republic of Sudan in Indonesia.

Dr. Majdi Haj Ibrahim, Head of Arabic Language Center for Non-Native Speakers, represents ICESCO in the four-day forum. In his speech, he reviewed ICESCO’s efforts and experiences in supporting national projects and international initiatives in the field of serving the Arabic language and its dissemination in Member and non-Member States, including the project to establish specialized national educational centers and poles, and the project to launch “Mishkat Al-Arabiya” platform for training in the field of Arabic for non-Arabic speakers.

The forum includes a range of programs and activities, including training sessions on the skills of teaching Arabic to non-Arabic speakers, panel discussions for curricula experts to discuss the challenges of designing curricula for teaching Arabic, and a symposium on the major efforts and successful experiences of institutions and individuals in teaching Arabic to non-Arabic speakers in Southeast Asia.

Today, Saturday, March 11, 2023, Dr. Salim M AlMalik, Director-General (DG) of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), visited the Grand Egyptian Museum in Giza, which is to be Inaugurated as the largest museum in the world for one single civilization.

Major General Atef Moftah, General Supervisor of the project of the Grand Egyptian Museum and the surrounding area, received ICESCO DG and explained the latest work developments in the museum and the surrounding area, noting that the project, which will be the largest covered open-air museum in the world for humanity, is built on a total land area of ​​more than half a million square meters and a total construction area exceeding 300 thousand square meters.

Following the tour of the Museum Project, ICESCO DG commended the great work in this huge project appropriate for the Egyptian civilization and its treasures of knowledge and invaluable human antiquities, which embodies human civilization over the centuries.

He pointed out that ICESCO cooperates with its Member States, as part of its vision and strategic orientations, to valorize and safeguard heritage that reflects the identity and culture of these countries, stressing that building the future requires us to understand our past and our civilization and be proud of the achievements of our ancestors.

The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) participated in the panel discussion on bridging the gap between science and society, which was held on the second day of the “Future of Education, Culture and Science Organizations” Conference. Themed “Together Towards Change in the 21st Century,” the event is organized by the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization (ALECSO) and the Saudi National Commission for Education, Culture and Science, with the participation of UNESCO and ICESCO, in Riyadh.

In his intervention during the session of March 9, 2023, Dr. Mohamed Zinelabidine, Head of ICESCO’s Culture and Communication Sector, gave a presentation that addressed three main axes. The first shed light on cultural policies in Member States and reviewed the reasons that could be preventing some countries from considering culture as a strategic sector of comprehensive and sustainable development, noting that ICESCO endeavors to devise effective solutions to this challenge.

The second axis explored ICESCO’s approach to setting culture as a stand-alone sustainable development goal (SDG) given its importance in shaping international economic, social, creative and digital policies. The third presented the Organization’s proposals for reinforcing the cultural dimension of development in comprehensive and sustainable national policies through scientific research and capacity-building programs in several Member States.

The ICESCO official concluded his intervention by reviewing different initiatives implemented by the Organization in this regard, notably the elaboration of statistical and quantitative studies on cultural indicators in the Member States and the development of a methodology for defining the domestic cultural product, as well as the mainstreaming of cultural rights and empowerment of countries where access to culture is constrained through education and training in arts, crafts, heritage and innovation.

Dr. Abdelilah Benarafa, Deputy Director-General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), received a delegation from the Spanish Foundation “Las Fuentes” and its affiliated European Islamic Heritage Institute (IPIE), led by Ms. Isabel Romero Arias, President of the Foundation, and discussed the prospects for cooperation between ICESCO and the Foundation in the promotion of modern technology, scientific research and halal industries, as well as the celebration of one of the Spanish cities with Islamic history, within the framework of ICESCO’s Culture Capitals in the Islamic World Programme.

During the meeting, held on Wednesday, March 8, 2023, at ICESCO’s Headquarters, in Rabat, advisors, programme managers and experts from Science and Technology Sector, Culture and Communication Sector and the FUIW reviewed ICESCO’s efforts for promoting the exchange of knowledge and expertise within and outside the Islamic world through the consolidation of the values of coexistence and civilizational dialogue among its different communities and the implementation of a series of initiatives, programmes and projects, including ICESCO’s Culture Capitals in the Islamic World Programme, which aims at building bridges of rapprochement and communication between cultures, and the Programme for the Promotion of Smart, Resilient and Sustainable Cities.

For their part, the Foundation’s delegation stressed the importance of establishing fruitful cooperation and international partnerships to contribute to the achievement of sustainable development and the qualification of youth and women in education, science and culture.

The Belgian capital Brussels hosted “The Sacred between Moral Values and Freedom of Expression in Europe” Forum, which was co-organized by the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) and the European Development and Research Academy (EDARA) on March 8, 2023. The forum was attended by the Belgian Minister of Welfare and a representative of the European Commission and saw the participation of various European parliamentary groups, a host of researchers in think tanks, and leaders of civil society organizations, as well as several educational experts and leaders of religious groups in Europe.

The forum was an opportunity to discuss means for addressing hostility against religious beliefs in Europe, particularly after the Quran burning incidents.

In his opening remarks, Ambassador Khalid Fathalrahman, Head of ICESCO’s Center for Civilizational Dialogue, explained that peace and fraternity are deeply enshrined in the Holy Quran which people must thoroughly understand before developing any attitudes towards it. He also reviewed ICESCO’s endeavors to promote civilizational dialogue, harmonious coexistence and peace in light of its vision and strategic orientations.

For his part, Dr. Brahim Laytouss, EDARA Director, discussed the motives behind the violation of the sacred in Europe and the means for the effective prevention thereof.

Mr. Mohamed Hedi Shili, Director of ICESCO’s Legal Affairs and International Standards Department, presented a paper reviewing the range of protections that sacred objects and sites receive under international law, emphasizing that the European legislation places limits on freedom of expression so as not to infringe on other rights.

At the close of the forum, a statement was released highlighting the importance of promoting interfaith dialogue, safeguarding religious beliefs, and countering any threats to social peace. A signing ceremony was also held for a partnership agreement between ICESCO and EDARA aimed at fostering civilizational dialogue.

The Culture and Communication Sector of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) held, in cooperation with the Comorian National Commission for Education, Science and Culture, a training session on new technologies in the field of theatre arts to support and promote Arab performing arts in the Comoros.

The session, which was held in Moroni, was supervised by Dr. Wahida Dridi, ICESCO’s external expert in performing arts, and was attended by Mr. Ali Sayed Ahmed, Secretary General of the National Commission, and Mrs. Wahida Hassan, Director General of the Ministry of Culture of Comoros.

During this session, a group of young people was trained in performing techniques through exercises of posture, pronunciation, breathing, elocution and highlighting psychological states such as sadness, joy, anger and indifference on stage.

The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) participates in the National Gathering of Women’s Clubs and Vocational Training Centers, organized by the Ministry of Youth, Culture and Communication in the Kingdom of Morocco, as part of celebrating International Women’s Day, with the participation of Mr. Mohammed Mehdi Bensaid, Minister of Youth, Culture and Communication, and representatives of several international organizations based in Morocco.

ICESCO was represented in this two-day gathering, which is inaugurated today Wednesday (8 March 2023), at the Moulay Rachid Complex in Bouznika, Morocco, by Mrs. Ramata Almamy Mbaye, head of the Human and Social Sciences Sector, who commended the great importance the Kingdom of Morocco attaches to supporting and empowering girls and women. She also appreciated the Kingdom’s experience in developing women’s leadership capacities.

She pointed out that ICESCO’s vision gives an important place to women, as an essential element in building the societies we want, and reviewed the most prominent initiatives and programs launched by the Organization to advance the status of women, and train them in entrepreneurship, future professions, and cultural industries.

ICESCO’s representative reaffirmed the Organization’s keenness to support its Member States in all initiatives aimed at empowering women and girls, aimed at building more equal and prosperous societies where security and peace prevail.

Dr. Abdelilah Benarafa, Deputy Director-General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), accompanied by Mr. Najib Ghiati, Cultural Adviser to the ICESCO Director-General, participated in the award ceremony of the 42nd Hassan II Manuscripts Prize, organized by the Moroccan Ministry of Youth, Culture and Communication, to introduce and promote the national cultural heritage of manuscripts.

Mr. Mohammed Mehdi Bensaid, Minister of Youth, Culture and Communication, presided over the award ceremony, held on Tuesday (March 7, 2023), in Rabat, in the presence of Dr. Ahmed Chaouki Binebine, Chairman of the Award Committee, Director of Khizana al-Hasaniyya at the Royal Palace, and Dr. Ahmed Abbadi, Secretary-General of the Mohammadia League of Scholars, Mr. Abdelkarim Bennani, President of Ribat al-Fath Association for Sustainable Development, Dr. Mohamed Salem Cherkaoui, Director of Bayt Mal Al-Quds Agency, Dr. Mohamed Al Farran, Director of the National Library of the Kingdom of Morocco, and other personalities representing several bodies and institutions.

The Prize aims to contribute to the collection of Moroccan manuscript heritage through its digitization and provide the National Library of the Kingdom of Morocco and the Archives of Morocco with copies thereof.