Category: Front Page

On Saturday, 21 January 2023, a delegation of Palestinian personalities 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.The delegation comprised of a number of Palestinian personalities, namely Sheikh Ekrima Sabri, Head of the Supreme Islamic Authority in Jerusalem, Preacher of Al-Aqsa Mosque, and Bishop Suhail Dawani, former Bishop of the Anglican Church.

The delegation members were invited to the celebrations of the silver jubilee of Bayt Mal Al-Quds Al-Sharif Agency in Morocco.

The delegation was received by Ms. Amira Al Fadel, Head of ICESCO’s Partnerships and International Cooperation Sector, Dr. Nidal Abu Zuhri, Director of the Administrative Affairs Department, Dr. Najib Rhiati, cultural advisor to ICESCO DG, and Dr. Salim Al Habsi, Programme Manager at the General Secretariat of National Commissions and Conferences.

During the visit, the delegation was briefed on the contents of the pavilions and sections of the exhibition, which is the fruit of the strategic partnership between ICESCO, the Muslim World League (MWL) and Morocco’s Mohammadia League of Scholars.

It was emphasized that the exhibition seeks to highlight the civilizational aspects of the Prophet’s biography and details of his life using modern technology and artificial intelligence techniques.

Upon the tour, the head of the Supreme Islamic Authority in Jerusalem, Preacher of Al-Aqsa Mosque, commended ICESCO’s initiative to host this distinguished edifice, stressing its success in promoting the biography of our Prophet (PBUH).

The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) held a meeting with the American Organization “Embrace Relief,” and together discussed mechanisms for the implementation of joint programmes and projects as part of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) they concluded to cooperate in healthcare, education and safe drinking water programmes.

During the meeting, which was held via videoconference, the two parties emphasized the importance of joint action to assist vulnerable groups and reviewed the major programmes, projects and activities that their respective organizations are currently implementing in the areas of health promotion, provision of safe drinking water, poverty alleviation, women empowerment and peace-building.

The meeting touched upon the proposed mechanisms for implementing the programmes and projects provided for by the MoU and the relevant implementation procedures. It is worth noting that the Memorandum provides for the implementation of joint projects worth $600,000 annually in several ICESCO member states.

Ms. Ramata Almamy Mbaye, Head of the Social and Human Sciences Sector, the Sector’s team, and Dr. Yusuf Muhammad, Expert at the Partnerships and International Cooperation Sector, represented ICESCO at the meeting.

Dr. Nizar bin Saleh Abdel Hafeez, Saudi Cultural Attaché in Rabat, and his accompanying delegation and Saudi students in the Kingdom of Morocco, and a delegation from the National Center for Scientific and Technical Research in Morocco visited the International Exhibition and Museum of the Prophet’s Seerah and Islamic Civilization, on Thursday, January 19, 2023, currently hosted at the headquarters of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) in Rabat.

Dr. Abdelilah Benarafa, ICESCO Deputy Director General, received the two delegations, in the presence of several heads of the Organization’s Sectors. He stated that the exhibition comes as part of ICESCO’s mission to introduce the civilizational aspects of the Prophet’s Seerah, the moderation of our true religion and the fight against extremist ideology, through relying on the latest technology and artificial intelligence.

The two delegations were introduced to the elements displayed in the exhibition’s pavilions and sections and the modern display technologies which narrate and document in detail the biography of our Messenger (PBUH) and virtually transport the visitor back to the Prophet’s era.

After the tour, the Saudi Cultural Attaché in Rabat commended ICESCO’s initiative to host this exhibition, pointing out that it is an opportunity to learn about many aspects of the Prophet’s biography in an encyclopedic and simplified manner.

The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), the National e-Learning Center (NELC) in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and the Saudi National Commission for Education, Science and Culture held a meeting to explore the prospects of cooperation and review the arrangements for signing a memorandum of understanding between ICESCO and the Center in the field of e-learning.

During the meeting, held today, Thursday, January 19, 2023, via videoconference, the NELC representatives stressed their keenness to exchange knowledge, share the Center’s experience with ICESCO Member States and encourage cooperation to share the best practices with educational institutions and officials, through holding e-learning training and capacity building sessions, both in-person in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and via videoconference.

The representatives also conveyed the Center’s readiness to grant professional certificates to teachers and specialized trainers, strengthen distance education criteria, promote pedagogical skills, design, technical support and leadership, and facilitate access to the Center’s electronic platforms in order to achieve cooperation objectives.

ICESCO was represented at the meeting by Ms. Amira ElFadil, Head of the Partnerships and International Cooperation Sector, Dr. Salim Al Habsi, Program Director at the General Secretariat of National Commissions and Conferences, Mr. Aziz El Hajir, Program Director at the Education Sector, Mr. Omer Hamid, Expert at the Partnerships and International Cooperation Sector, and Ms. Asmae Mahdaoui, from the Department of Legal Affairs and International Standards. The NELC was represented by Mr. Najm Alhemsi, Deputy Director General of Partnerships and Investment, Mr. Badr Alghamdi, Director of Partnerships Implementation, and Ms. Sara Albabtain, Senior Strategic Partnerships Expert, while Mr. Meshari Bin Kadasa represented the Saudi National Commission for Education, Science and Culture.

The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), the UAE National Commission for Education, Culture and Science and the representatives of 21 African Member States held a meeting to discuss the preparation of the inscription file of African traditional games on the list of intangible cultural heritage of ICESCO and the UNESCO World Heritage List.

The Culture and Communication Sector represented ICESCO in this virtual meeting, held on Tuesday (January 17, 2023), during which Dr. Mohamed Zinelabidine, Head of the Sector, thanked the UAE National Commission for its support and the representatives of African countries for their commitment to promote the intangible cultural heritage and strengthen the cultural bonds of the African continent.

The representatives of the African countries stressed the importance of this file, which will contribute to highlighting the common cultural aspects of African countries and ensuring the preservation and promotion of their intangible heritage.
At the close of the meeting, the parties agreed to hold other expert meetings to complete the preparation of the inscription file of African traditional games on ICESCO’s intangible cultural heritage lists.

The meeting comes within the framework of the memorandum of understanding signed by ICESCO and the UAE National Commission for Education, Culture and Science, in November 2022, under which the UAE will provide support for the Organization’s programs to promote the heritage of ICESCO’s African Member States.

The Education Sector of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) held a training workshop in the Republic of The Gambia to enhance basic skills for using information and communication technologies and education through the use of a digital platform, for the benefit of 50 teachers from 20 primary and secondary education institutions, in cooperation with the National Commission for UNESCO and the Science and Technology Education Department of The Gambia’s Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education.

The workshop, held on January 11-18, 2023, in Banjul, aims to enhance the capacities of teachers, enrich curricula and strengthen pedagogical skills by integrating information and communication technologies in teaching and learning via the digital platform. It provided the opportunity for participants to enhance their capacities in the field of distance education and the digitization of education systems and modern curricula. The beneficiaries received certificates of participation at the end of the training.

The workshop is part of ICESCO’s vision to contribute to the fourth sustainable development goal, which aims at ensuring quality, equitable and inclusive education for all, through enhancing expertise and developing teachers’ skills and educational knowledge, encouraging investment in using ICTs in education, and adopting innovative curricula and advanced learning and teaching methods.

The Education Sector of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) is holding a Workshop on building the capacities of workers in preparing curriculum at the National Center for Curriculum and Educational Research in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, in cooperation with the Sudanese National Commission for Education, Science and Culture to contribute to the integration of global citizenship values in school curricula.

Several professionals in the field of preparing curricula, mentors and inspectors will benefit from the four-day workshop, which aims at enhancing their capacities in integrating the concept of global citizenship into the curricula, providing them with the necessary skills to identify the mechanisms for achieving this goal and preparing a vision for integration mechanisms, as well as consolidating the concept of moderation in the educational curricula, encouraging communication between stakeholders and specialists in this field and exchanging expertise and experiences.

The opening of the Workshop saw the participation of Mr. Mahmoud Siral-Khatim Al-Houri, Minister of Education and President of the Sudanese National Commission for Education, Science and Culture, Ms. Wafaa Sayed Ahmed, Secretary-General of the Commission, Dr. Abdul-Khaleq Fadl Rahma, President of the Open University of Sudan, and Dr. Moawiya Sir Qashi, Director of the National Center for Curriculum and Educational Research, and Dr. Aiman Badri, from the UNESCO Office in Khartoum, where they all commended ICESCO’s important role in promoting the educational process and the support it provides to its Member States.

Dr. Youssef Abu Daqqa, Program Manager at ICESCO Education Sector represented the Sector in the Workshop. He stressed the importance of holding the Workshop, hoping that it would achieve its goals in highlighting the utmost importance of integrating citizenship values into the educational system and strengthening its roles in developing a culture of peace and contributing to sustainable development.

The Workshop’s sessions deal with the situation of citizenship values in educational curricula in the Republic of Sudan, means of diagnosing learners’ value systems, mechanisms for integrating citizenship values into school curricula, as well as investing in media and communication technology to enhance them and ways to integrate the values of dialogue, peace and human rights into school curricula.