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The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) and Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum for Distinguished Academic Performance are pleased to announce the three winners of the Third Edition of ICESCO-Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum for Voluntary Development of Education Facilities in the Islamic World, who have submitted outstanding educational projects in the Islamic world.

The Prize was launched by the Organization and the Foundation to encourage outstanding, sustainable and integrated educational projects, and pay tribute to figures and institutions in charge of voluntary and charity initiatives in the field of education. The Prize is awarded biennially to three winners, who each get the Prize shield and a monetary reward, which is to be used to support and develop the winning project or educational work in general.

This edition saw the participation of 40 nominees who submitted educational projects that aim at promoting education performance, upgrading educational services, and improving the necessary infrastructure. The three winners were: the King Faisal Foundation in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; the Royal Humanitarian Foundation in the Kingdom of Bahrain; and the Family Educational Services Foundation in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.

The winners have submitted model and leading projects and quality field achievements that included the establishment of universities, educational complexes and centers and the creation of technical and professional training programs inside their respective countries as well as in the Arab, Asian and African regions.

The Prize will be awarded to the winners shortly, in coordination between ICESCO and the Foundation. The first and second editions of the Prize were awarded during the 14th Session of the ICESCO General Conference, held in Cairo, in December 2021.

ICESCO and Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation also announced the call for nomination for the 4th Edition of the Prize, following the criteria to be shared on the website: www.ha.ae

In celebration of the World Arabic Language Day, ICESCO Educational Center in Malaysia organized the “International Arabic Celebration of Islamic Cultural Heritage”, on Monday, December 26, 2022, in Kuala Lumpur. ICESCO Center of Arabic for Non-Arabic Speakers also participated in a poetry evening in Rabat, organized by the Central Office of the Moroccan League for the Defense of Human Rights, in partnership with the House of Poetry in Morocco and the Moroccan Association for the Protection of Arabic Language.

During the opening session of ICESCO Educational Center celebration, which was launched in Kuala Lumpur on Monday, December 26, 2022, in partnership between the Center and the International Islamic University Malaysia, and in cooperation with a number of Malaysian universities, Dr. Yaqoub bin Hassan, Head of ICESCO Educational Center in Malaysia, delivered an address whrein he indicated that the Organization attaches great importance to Arabic language at various levels.

In the plenary session of the Eighth World Conference on Arabic Language and Literature, Dr. Majdi Hajji Ibrahim, Head of ICESCO Center of Arabic for Non-Arabic Speakers, gave a videoconference intervention on “Teaching Arabic from a Religious Perspective.”

The celebration program, which continues until January 3, 2023, includes various activities, most notably the Eighth International Conference on Arabic Language and Literature, a symposium on the universality of the Arabic language, a forum on Arabic language skills, challenges and solutions, and an open dialogue on the future of Arab debate and the role of universities.

ICESCO Center of Arabic Language for Non-Arabic Speakers also participated in a “poetry evening in observance of the World Arabic Language Day “, which was organized on Friday, December 23, 2022, in Rabat, in the presence of a high-level professors of literature and language, and with the participation of a number of poets.

ICESCO Center of Arabic Language was represented at the poetry evening by Dr. Anas Hussam Al-Nuaimi, expert at the Center, who recited a poem about the beauty of the city of Rabat, its heritage, and its cohesion with the capitals of the Islamic world.

The second session of the International Symposium on Space Sciences and the training workshop on designing a model satellite (Cansat), which is being held by the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), in partnership with the Ministry of Higher Education, Scientific Research and Innovation in the Republic of Burkina Faso, and hosted by the University of Norbert Zongo, kicked off in the capital, Ouagadougou, under the theme “Building the Global Workforce for the Future”, for the benefit of university students from various African countries, and in the presence of a high-caliber group of international officials and experts in the field of space science.

The opening session of the international symposium, which began its activities, on Tuesday, December 27, 2022, and will continue for three days, saw the participation of Dr. Issa Abdou Moumoula, President of Norbert Zongo University, where he gave an address in which he emphasized that the event is the result of a joint effort that represents the desire of the partners to develop space science and technology in Burkina Faso, valorizing ICESCO’s efforts to encourage its Member States to invest in modern sciences.

For his part, Dr. Frederic Ouattara, Former Minister of Higher Education, Research and Innovation of Burkina Faso, commended ICESCO’s efforts to develop space science, and its contribution to making his country one of the leading African countries in this field, while Dr. Muhammad Sharif, Advisor in ICESCO’s Science and Technology Sector, reviewed the Organization’s initiatives to support youth capabilities in the field of science and technology, pointing to the urgent need to understand and discover space science and employ its applications in order to contribute to the prosperity of societies.

In her recorded speech, Mrs. Shelli Brunswick, Chief Operating Officer at the American Space Foundation, reviewed the Foundation’s initiatives in the field of space sciences, expressing her gratitude for the great cooperation between the Foundation and ICESCO.

After that, the practical workshop started through forming groups to introduce students to “Cansat” and the applications used in designing this educational model satellite, and to learn about the importance of employing space science and its applications to build a workforce that contributes to building a better future for all humanity.

The Science and Technology Sector of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) held two separate meetings, the first with the Indonesian Commission for Man and the Biosphere, and the second with the UNESCO Office in Jakarta: Regional Office for Science for Asia and the Pacific, to discuss prospects for closer cooperation in the field of environmental protection and the establishment of natural reserves.

During the first meeting, which was held on December 23, 2022, in Bokor, Indonesia, the parties explored prospects for cooperation between ICESCO and the Indonesian Commission for Man and the Biosphere, with the aim of promoting the preservation of the environment and natural resources in the countries of the Islamic world, by benefiting from Indonesia’s successful experiences in preserving nature and the establishment of natural reserves, as well as capacity building in this field.

Dr. Foued El Ayni, Expert in the Science and Technology Sector, represented ICESCO at the meeting and gave an address on the Organization’s programmes and initiatives related to preserving the environment, adapting to climate changes and promoting green transformation, while Dr. Yohanes Purwanto, Chairman of the Indonesian Commission for Man and the Biosphere, and his accompanying delegation, emphasized their keenness to cooperate with ICESCO, especially in the field of capacity building in the environmental field.

During Dr. El Ayni’s second meeting with Mr. Fukuhara Ryuichi, Technical Advisor for Natural Sciences at the UNESCO Regional Office in Jakarta, the parties discussed cooperation in implementing activities in areas of common interest, especially those related to preserving biodiversity and ecosystems, and promoting environmental culture.

The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) is pleased to announce the winners of its poetry prize, “Culture Capital in the Eyes of Poets,” which it launched as part of its Programme for Culture Capitals in the Islamic World, within the framework of its celebration of Rabat and Cairo as Culture Capitals in the Islamic World for 2022. Three poems were selected for each city, out of the total of 150 poems submitted.

The Organization had formed an international jury to process and evaluate all the submitted poems, following artistic quality, uniqueness and creativity criteria. The jury selected six poems that best fulfilled these criteria, three for the category of “Rabat, Capital of Lights,” while the other three were selected as part of the second category, “Cairo, City of the Thousand Minarets.” The winners will receive certificates of appreciation and monetary rewards, standing at USD 2,000, USD 1,500, and USD 1,000 respectively for the winner, runner-up, and second runner-up of each category.

In the category of, “Rabat, Capital of Lights,” the jury selected the poem, “A Harp of Lights,” by Poet Muhammad Majid Al-Khattab from Syria, as the winner; “Because You Are the Light,” by Poet Hassan Boufares from Morocco, as runner up, and “A Musical Tour in Rabat,” by Poet Mohammed Al-Habib Mohammed Hamed Younes from the Sudan, as the second runner up.

As for the category, “Cairo, City of a Thousand Minarets,” the jury selected the poem, “In the Presence of Cairo the Glorious,” by Poet Ahmad Abdou Ali Al-Jahmi from Yemen, as the winner; “Cairo,” by Poet Wafiq Jawdah Al-Sayed from Egypt, as runner up; and “Cairo, the Heart Charmer,” by Poet Mohamed Abdelkader Fadili from Algeria, as second runner-up.

The Prize, which was overseen by ICESCO Center for the Arabic Language for Non-Arabic Speakers, aims to promote the cultural, civilizational and historical heritage of both Rabat and Cairo; foster opportunities for cultural and knowledge exchange and openness to other civilizations; and encourage poetic creativity in describing Arab cities, written in Arabic.

The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) signed two memoranda of understanding for humanitarian cooperation respectively with Embrace Relief, which works in the fields of health care, education and potable water programs, and Zenith International Health Foundation, which is active in the field of health care and training professionals. The two agreements aim at implementing a number of joint programs and projects.

The two memoranda were signed at ICESCO Headquarters, in Rabat, by Ms. Amira El-Fadil, Head of ICESCO Partnerships and International Cooperation Sector, Mr. Osman Dulgeroglu, CEO of Embrace Relief, and Ms. Mary Akangbe, President of Zenith International Health Foundation.

In her statement during the signing ceremony, Ms. Amira El-Fadil stressed that the programs and projects that will be implemented aim to support ICESCO Member States to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, especially in the areas of health care, education, rehabilitation of women and potable water.

For his part, Mr. Dolgiroglu indicated that the memorandum of understanding between the two organizations aims to implement projects, starting from next year, with an annual budget amounting to $600,000 in a number of ICESCO Member States.

For her part, Ms. Akangbe reaffirmed that the memorandum aims to enhance awareness about social issues and health care through workshops over the next five years in a number of ICESCO Member States.

The signing ceremony also brought together Dr. Koumbou Barry, Head of the Education Sector, Ms. Ramata Almamy Mbaye, Head of the Social and Human Sciences Sector, Mr. Mohamed Hedi Shili, Director of the Legal Affairs and International Standards Department, and Dr. Youssef Mohamed, expert at the Partnership and International Cooperation Sector.