Category: Front Page

The 7th International Forum for Intangible Heritage in the Islamic World – Dr. Ahmed Morsi’s edition, themed: “Intangible Cultural Heritage in the Islamic World: Shared and Diverse,” kicked off on Wednesday, 8 March 2023, in Cairo. The forum is organized by the Supreme Council of Culture of the Egyptian Ministry of Culture, in partnership with the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) as part of the closing activities of Cairo’s celebration as Culture Capital in the Islamic World.

Dr. Osama El Nahas, Heritage Program Specialist at ICESCO’s Culture and Communication Sector, represented the Organization at the event. The opening ceremony saw the attendance of Dr. Hisham Azmi, Secretary-General of the Supreme Council, and Dr. Nahla Imam, Advisor to the Minister of Culture for Intangible Cultural Heritage Affairs, Rapporteur to the forum’s Scientific Committee.

In his address, Dr. El Nahas reviewed ICESCO’s efforts to assist Member States in preserving intangible heritage as an engine for sustainable development, noting that the Organization has dedicated a division to intangible heritage within its Islamic World Heritage Center and has designed a special form for the inscription thereof on ICESCO’s heritage lists.

He added that ICESCO held the first regional meeting on the inscription of African traditional games on the lists of intangible heritage in Nouakchott at the end of February 2023 to prepare the first joint intangible heritage file which includes (25) countries, namely Egypt, noting that the file will pave the way to future joint intangible heritage files.

The two-day forum, which takes place at the Supreme Council’s headquarters in Cairo, will bring together over eighty (80) researchers from thirteen (13) countries to discuss a range of issues related to intangible heritage, its digitization and the role of organizations in its preservation.

The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) participated in AllAfrica Women Agenda (AWA) Forum, organized by the “AllAfrica Global Media” group, under the theme “Food Sovereignty: Feeding Africa by Women,” as part of celebrating International Women’s Day, to deepen discussion about women’s contribution to improving living conditions in African societies.

Ms. Ramata Almamy Mbaye, Head of the Human and Social Sciences Sector, represented ICESCO in the two-day Forum, which started on Tuesday, March 7, 2023, in the Moroccan capital, Rabat. In her speech during the opening session, she stressed the need to achieve food security in the African continent, noting that the second goal of the Sustainable Development Goals, which is to achieve zero hunger, remains severely threatened, according to the World Food Program’s 2021 report.

ICESCO’s representative highlighted that the Organization is working, through programmes and initiatives in its Member States, to rehabilitate women and girls and train them for leadership. She also called for the need to give priority to the use of innovative and smart technologies to preserve the ecosystem and biodiversity, meet the population’s needs for agricultural products and achieve food security.

She concluded her address by emphasizing the importance of establishing research and institutional networks in the field of agriculture and developing local African knowledge to achieve food security, with a focus on involving women in the fields of science and environmental protection.

The Center of Arabic for Non-Arabic Speakers at the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) held a workshop on developing teaching methods for the benefit of professionals working in the field of teaching Arabic to non-Arabic speakers. The Workshop was held in Conakry, the capital of the Republic of Guinea, in cooperation with the Guinean National Commission of ICESCO.

The workshop’s opening session, held on Monday, March 6, 2023, was attended by Mr. Guillaume Hawing, Minister of Pre-University Education and Literacy of the Republic of Guinea, Mr. Sy Savané, Advisor for Pedagogical Affairs at the Ministry, and Mr. Mohamed Ali Sow, ICESCO National Correspondent.

The four-day workshop aims to develop participants’ teaching competencies and build their capacities by capitalizing on the latest developments in applied linguistics, educational strategies, and procedural steps in developing and honing language skills.

The workshop, which is moderated by Dr. Youssef Ismaili, Expert at ICESCO Center of Arabic for Non-Arabic Speakers, benefitted a large number of education officials and teachers of the Arabic language in various Guinean educational institutions. The workshop will feature educational training presentations to introduce participants to the various educational strategies for teaching Arabic, highlight learning assessment tools, and cast light on ways to design integrated lesson plans to build teachers’ capacities and educational qualifications.

This workshop is part of ICESCO’s efforts to address the needs of its Member States, especially African countries speaking other languages, and train Arabic language teachers according to modern linguistic and communicative approaches.

The pavilion of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) in the Heritage Zone at the “Heart of Sharjah,” in the United Arab Emirates, is receiving large numbers of visitors to the 20th Session of Sharjah Heritage Days to participate in the pavilion’s various activities, which include seminars, meetings and contests for children.

The daily programme of ICESCO’s pavilion, which is overseen by the Organization’s Regional Office in Sharjah, includes a range of cultural and artistic activities for children, most notably the competition of the best-colored drawings of heritage sites in the Islamic world and Islamic popular storytelling by Mr. Abdel Nasser Al-Tamimi.

The pavilion includes a photographic exhibition, entitled “Heritage of the Islamic World: Outstanding Contributions to the Islamic Civilization,” which includes a set of videos produced by ICESCO on the Heritage Portal in the Islamic World on the Organization’s areas of action and its initiatives. programs, achievements and training sessions, particularly on the protection and preservation of heritage in Muslim countries.

Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, ICESCO Director-General, attended the launch of the 20th session of Sharjah Heritage Days, which was inaugurated by H.H. Sheikh Abdullah bin Salem Al Qasimi, Deputy Ruler of Sharjah, on Wednesday (March 1, 2023). The event continues until March 21, 2023, under the theme “Heritage and Creativity”, with the participation of 42 countries and 40 local parties.

A delegation from the University of Florence in Italy visited the International Exhibition and Museum 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. Kais Hammami, Head of ICESCO’s Strategic Foresight Center, received the delegation on Friday, 3 March 2023, which comprised of architecture professors at the University, along with Dr. Imane Bennani, Director of the Higher School of Architecture at the International University of Rabat (UIR) and a host of the school’s officials.

During the tour, the delegation members were briefed on the contents of the exhibition’s sections and pavilions which virtually immerse visitors into the era of the Prophet (PBUH). Dr. Hammami explained to the delegation that this initiative is the fruit of the strategic partnership between ICESCO, the Muslim World League (MWL) and Morocco’s Mohammadia League of Scholars.

Dr. Hammami also reviewed the Center’s programmes and activities, namely the training sessions it holds for the benefit of young people in the fields of foresight, decision-making, smart cities and the jobs of the future.

The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) took part in the Meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement Contact Group in response to COVID-19, held in Baku, Republic of Azerbaijan to prepare a plan for global recovery for the post-COVID world.

The Summit, which kicked off on Thursday, March 2, 2023, was marked by the presence of H.E. President Ilham Aliyev, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, and current President of the Movement. Among the participants were several heads of state and international organizations, ministers, ambassadors and senior officials from 70 countries.

Dr. Sidra Tariq Jamil, Expert at the Center for Civilizational Dialogue, represented ICESCO at the Summit. Dr. Jamil gave an address where she highlighted ICESCO’s efforts in the fields of education, culture, civilizational dialogue, science and technology, noting that the Organization’s endeavors are in line with the spirit of the Non-Aligned Movement and the post-pandemic global recovery efforts.

She added that the post-COVID world would immensely benefit from cooperation opportunities through dialogue and diplomacy, stressing the significance of civilizational dialogue in achieving peace and harmony, and promoting unity and cultural diversity.

At the close of her address, the ICESCO representative reaffirmed ICESCO’s keenness to build cooperation with different Member States’ parties in the Non-Aligned Movement, as part of a global solidarity framework that offers prospects for fruitful partnerships in areas of common interest.

A parliamentary delegation from the Moroccan House of Counsellors visited the International Museum and Exhibition of the Prophet’s Seerah and Islamic Civilization, which is currently organized at the headquarters of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), in Rabat.

Dr. Abdelilah Benarafa, Deputy Director-General of ICESCO, received the delegation, on Thursday (March 2, 2023), stressing that the Exhibition and Museum, 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.

The delegation included Mr. Khaled Al-Satti, Coordinator of the National Labor Union in the Council, Mr. Mustafa Dahmani, Coordinator of the Social Justice Group, and other members, who listened to detailed explanations about the pavilions and sections of the Exhibition and Museum, which adopt modern technologies to display the biography of our Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him.

After the tour, the delegation members commended ICESCO’s hosting of the Exhibition and Museum, pointing out that it presents Prophet’s biography in a simplified manner using the latest virtual and augmented reality technologies, which explain the large number of visitors from all age groups.

The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) and the Egyptian National Commission for Education, Science and Culture held a training session for the benefit of professionals in project management and feasibility studies of restoring antiquities, as well as restoration specialists at the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities.

The session, which was held in Cairo from February 26 to March 2, 2023, aimed at developing the beneficiaries’ skills in the field of strategies for restoration projects, the stages of their preparation following international standards, types of contracting and business standards, methodology for organizing projects and procedures and follow-up of business progress.

During the opening of the session, Dr. Mohamed Samir Hamza, Head of the Cultural Affairs and Missions Sector at the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, and supervisor of the Egyptian National Commission, explained that investing in heritage has become one of the key lucrative projects in the contemporary economy, adding that heritage is very important in complementing human identity.

For her part, Dr. Suha Bahjat, Advisor to the Minister of Tourism and Antiquities for Training Affairs, indicated that climate changes have greatly affected the antiquities, highlighting the need to invest in building the capacities of professionals in the sector.

Dr. Ahmed Ragab, Dean of the Faculty of Archeology at Cairo University, confirmed that the faculty is keen on transferring its international expertise in the field of antiquities restoration and maintenance and providing training and practical opportunities for professionals in the field.

Ms. Doha Mghabbar, from the ICESCO Center of Strategic Foresight, represented the Organization in the session and highlighted the importance of cultural heritage in the countries of the Islamic world, noting that ICESCO spares no effort in cooperating with its Member States to achieve sustainable development goals and build prosperous societies.

On the sidelines of the session, ICESCO’s representative held meetings with the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, Cairo University, the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization, and the Egyptian Committee of the International Council of Museums, where she explored cooperation prospects in the fields of training and foresight studies.

Mr. Mahmoud Siral-Khatim Al-Houri, Minister of Education, President of the Sudanese National Commission for Education, Science and Culture, visited the International Exhibition and Museum of the Prophet’s Seerah and Islamic Civilization, which is currently organized at the headquarters of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), in Rabat.

Dr. Abdelilah Benarafa, ICESCO Deputy Director-General, received Mr. Al-Houri, on Wednesday (March 1, 2023), indicating that the exhibition, which is the first edition outside the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, comes within the framework of the strategic partnership between the Organization, the Muslim World League and the Mohammadia League of Scholars, and keeps up with ICESCO’s vision and its strategic orientations geared towards highlighting the civilizational aspects in the Prophet’s biography and the moderation of Islam.

After the tour of the various pavilions and sections of the exhibition, the Sudanese minister commended this great exhibition, pointing out its success in linking visitors to the biography of the Prophet (PBUH) using the latest and augmented reality technologies.

The headquarters of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) hosted the official launch ceremony of the “Titrit” platform, which is aimed at the digital inclusion of 50,000 girls between the ages of 8-18 from all regions of the Kingdom of Morocco. Organized by eSTEM Morocco in cooperation with ICESCO, its Federation of the Universities of the Islamic World (FUIW) and HP on Wednesday, 1st March 2023, the ceremony marks the 10th anniversary of eSTEM Morocco.

In his opening remarks, Dr. Abdelilah Benarafa, Deputy Director-General of ICESCO, emphasized that the Organization is aware of the importance of encouraging girls and women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) and strives to promote their participation in these fields by offering them scholarships and holding workshops for the benefit of female and male school teachers and university professors.

The ICESCO official also noted that FUIW plays an instrumental role in preparing young women to access academic programmes in science, pursue a career in STEM and become successful business leaders.

Ms. Aawatif Hayar, Minister of Solidarity, Social Integration and Family, stressed that digital technology contributes to upgrading the educational process, reviewing the Ministry’s efforts and programmes to promote women’s participation in STEM.

Ms. Zaria Qadafi, representative of TechWomen, noted that this American initiative seeks to train and support the new generation of women leaders in STEM by holding various workshops facilitated by experts and specialists from the United States of America.

Mr. Salah Ouardi, North and West Africa and Islands District Manager at HP, highlighted the company’s commitment to contributing to the achievement of sustainable development goals (SDGs) relating to bridging the digital gender divide, adding that the “Titrit” platform comes within this perspective. For her part, Mrs. Nezha Larhrissi, President of eSTEM Morocco, shared her experience in establishing the organization to promote girls’ digital inclusion.

The first panel discussion, which was themed “From Silicon Valley to Morocco: Changing Perspective on Future Employment Opportunities for Women,” then started, followed by a second panel discussion which discussed the role of the “Titrit” platform and information technology in bridging the digital gender divide. At the close of the ceremony, participants took group photos.