Category: Front Page

As part of its pavilion at the International Publishing and Book Fair in Rabat, the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), on Saturday (June 10, 2023), honored several talented people with disabilities, who overcame difficulties and had inspiring experiences in which they turned challenges into a motivation for success and creativity.

Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, ICESCO Director-General, was keen to participate in these activities, listen to those innovators, talk to them and present them with memorial shields and certificates of appreciation.
The activities included a meeting with Samia Hajeb, student at the Economics Department at Mohammed V University in Rabat, who shared her academic path and the difficulties she faced due to her disability, stressing that those people have great capacities that enable them to succeed in various fields of life. She thanked ICESCO for giving her the opportunity to share her experience and make the voice of the people with disabilities heard.

The pavilion also hosted a plastic arts workshop for the benefit of a group of children from Lalla Asmaa Foundation for Deaf Children and Youth, during which they drew a number of artistic paintings, showcasing their ability to express themselves in various artistic forms.

Afterward, ICESCO Director-General handed an honorary shield to Samia Hajeb in appreciation of her efforts and successes, and presented children with disabilities from Lalla Asmaa Foundation for Deaf Children and Youth with certificates of appreciation. He thanked the Foundation and the parents of the children, stressing that hosting those children is one of the best moments at ICESCO’s pavilion.

ICESCO’s pavilion started its activities with a presentation by Mr. Aziz Al-Hajir, Programs Manager at ICESCO Education Sector, on the Organization’s educational initiatives for eradicating women’s illiteracy and social and economic rehabilitation for women, followed by a presentation by Dr. Muhammad Aba Osman, Expert at ICESCO Culture and Communication Sector, on the major outputs of ICESCO International Conference on Preserving Cultural Heritage in the Lake Chad Basin.

The pavilion programme also included an intellectual dialogue with Dr. Ahmed Ismaili, on his book “Arabic Rhetoric and Western Rhetoric: Expression and Metaphors,” moderated by Dr. Mohamed Al-Jarti, Professor at Ibn Tufail University in Kenitra.

The following activity featured the presentation of the results of the opinion poll on “the best books for children,” which was implemented throughout the Book Fair days, within the framework of ICESCO’s Children Digital Library Project. The winners in the poll received tablets.

The pavilion concluded its activities with a workshop for children, moderated by Dr. Hassan El-Hajjami, Expert at ICESCO Human and Social Science Sector, which tackled the topic of “Bullying: Prevention and Awareness Activities.”

As part of the “Interviews for the Future” initiative, launched by the Strategic Foresight Center of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), the Organization hosted Mr. Andre Azoulay, Advisor to His Majesty King Mohammed VI, King of the Kingdom of Morocco, at its headquarters in Rabat on Friday, 9 June 2023. During the event, Mr. Azoulay delivered a lecture emphasizing the factors necessary for shaping the future and the importance of preserving identity and educating the younger generation on the values of coexistence and acceptance of diversity as sources of strength, drawing on Morocco’s experience in this context.

The event, which saw the presence of high-level officials, ambassadors and academics, began with welcoming remarks by Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, ICESCO Director-General (DG), where he expressed his gratitude to Mr. Azoulay for accepting ICESCO’s invitation to address this critical issue, which holds special significance in the Organization’s forward-looking vision and strategic orientations.

Dr. AlMalik explained that this intiative aims to develop ideas that will shape our collective future by adopting a forward-looking perspective and equipping today’s youth with the essential skills required to successfully meet future challenges.

In his concluding remarks, the ICESCO DG reaffirmed the Organization’s commitment to promoting a culture of lifelong learning, noting that the declaration of ICESCO’s Year of Youth represents a significant milestone in ICESCO’s transformative journey. He also highlighted the concept of “civilized diplomacy,” which represents a major area of interest for ICESCO as it underscores the mutual influence between strategy and civilization.

Dr. Kais Hammami, Head of ICESCO’s Strategic Foresight Center, provided an overview of Mr. Azoulay’s distinguished background, accomplishments and notable responsibilities. Mr. Azoulay then commenced his lecture by expressing his gratitude to ICESCO and its Director-General for providing him with the opportunity to share a set of ideas he has developed over his extensive career.

He underlined that we currently live in a time when nations are grappling with crises characterized by philosophical and moral decline, as well as personal and societal challenges, noting the diverse manifestations of extremism that have emerged. In this context, he pointed to the Kingdom of Morocco as a success story in the field of coexistence and cultural diversity, emphasizing the country’s flexibility and openness.

Furthermore, Mr. Azoulay stressed that pluralism and diversity are essential for achieving social modernity, highlighting Morocco’s commitment to promoting a dynamic approach that embraces all races, religions and civilizations.

Addressing civilized diplomacy, the Advisor to the emphasized the emergence of new concepts in recent years, which represent an evolution of traditional diplomacy, as a response to the world’s ongoing crises and tragedies, and underscored the importance of education in effectively addressing economic and social challenges.

Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), reaffirmed that Sultan Qaboos Award for Culture, Arts and Literature mirrors the great priority that the Sultanate of Oman attaches to culture and creators.

This came in his address, on Tuesday (6 June 2023), during the introductory meeting of the Sultan Qaboos Award for Culture, Arts and Literature, in its tenth edition, organized by the Embassy of the Sultanate of Oman in the Kingdom of Morocco, at ICESCO Headquarters, in Rabat, during which representatives of the Sultan Qaboos Higher Center for Culture and Science, supervisor of the award, made a presentation on the award.

At the outset of his address, Dr. AlMalik praised the attributes of the Sultanate of Oman and the Omanis, and the ongoing development in Oman to build the human capital people and the infrastructure, adding that the Sultanate of Oman is full of cultural scenes, which highlight that it is well-educated country.

He explained that ICESCO hosts this introductory meeting as part of the Organization’s cooperation with the Sultanate in the fields of culture, thought and creativity, and stands as an example of ICESCO’s cooperation with its Member States.

For his part, Dr. Said bin Mohammed al-Bar’ami, Ambassador of the Sultanate of Oman to the Kingdom of Morocco, expressed his thanks to ICESCO for hosting the meeting, stressing that the Sultanate attaches great importance to culture and intellectuals as they reflect its identity, rich culture and glorious history.

Afterward, a presentation was made on Sultan Qaboos Award for Culture, Arts and Literature, which was launched in 2011 and is supervised by Sultan Qaboos Higher Center for Culture and Science. It was first open for Omanis, then it included Arab nominees as well.

The tenth edition of the award is open to all Arabs in three categories: media and communication studies, film directing, and the novel. Each edition of the Award selects several disciplines falling under the fields of culture, arts and literature.