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The pavilion of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) at the International Book and Publishing Fair in Rabat held a dialogue session on Saturday, June 11, 2022, to introduce ICESCO’s Cultural Capitals Program in the Islamic world and the reasons for declaring Rabat as Culture Capital in the Islamic world for 2022, under the high patronage of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may Allah assist him, with the participation of Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, ICESCO Director-General, Mr. Mohamed Mehdi Bensaid, Minister of Youth, Culture and Communication in the Kingdom of Morocco, and Dr. Abdelilah Benarfa, ICESCO Deputy Director-General.

During the session, which was moderated by Mr. Najib Riati, Cultural Adviser to ICESCO Director-General, Dr. AlMalik stated that the selection of Rabat as Culture Capital in the Islamic world for 2022 is due to its literary and cultural richness and historical monuments, as it has all the components that ICESCO is looking for in Culture Capitals Program.

He pointed out that ICESCO’s Cultural Capitals Program has recently witnessed transformation and renewal since its establishment. It has become more focused on including the fields of tourism and education, and the involvement of many stakeholders to promote cultural and scientific fields.

He added that ICESCO Headquarters will witness the opening of the International Exhibition and Museum of the Biography of the Prophet and Islamic Civilization on July 25, 2022, which will be held within the framework of the celebration of Rabat as the Culture Capital in the Islamic world 2022, in partnership between ICESCO, the Muslim World League, and the Mohammadia League of Scholars in Morocco. The exhibition includes modern display technologies to narrate and document in detail the biography of our Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him. The first exhibition outside the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will be in the Kingdom of Morocco, which indicates the distinguished relations between the two countries.

For his part, Mr. Mohamed Mehdi Bensaid highlighted the cultural radiance of Rabat and its global civilization dimension, noting that the Chellah archaeological site has hosted multiple civilizations over history.

He stressed that during this year, various cultural, artistic and musical activities will be organized with the participation of various stakeholders and that celebrating Rabat as Culture Capital in the Islamic world will contribute to strengthening the cultural industry, reviewing the Ministry’s programs, activities and initiatives to be implemented within the framework of this celebration.

Dr. Abdelilah Benarfa highlighted the cultural dimension of the city of Rabat, and that its declaration as Culture Capital in the Islamic world for 2022 restores its cultural importance, pointing out that ICESCO’s Cultural Capitals Program is one of the mechanisms for valorizing, documenting and safeguarding heritage as it builds the memory that links us to the past and the future.

At the close of the session, the floor was given to the attendees to ask Dr. AlMalik, Mr. Mehdi Bensaid and Dr. Benarfa, questions about ICESCO’s Cultural Capitals Program in the Islamic world.

Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General (DG) of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), stressed the importance of civil society institutions as they provide societal experience to help government developmental programs become more equitable and just, and seize training opportunities to develop the workforce of society, in addition to their ability to positively contributing to the development of strategic and periodic plans as they include various societal forces.

This statement was part of the address that Dr. AlMalik delivered, on Thursday (June 9, 2022), in Tétouan, at the launch of the Celebration of “Tétouan, Capital of Moroccan Civil Society for 2022,” under the high patronage of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may Allah assist him, held by the International Civil Society Organization for the Values of Citizenship, Development and Dialogue, in cooperation with Tétouan Asmir Association for Cultural, Socio-economic and Sports Development, in the presence of a group of ministers and officials of the Moroccan government, representatives of regional and international organizations, and civil society figures.

ICESCO DG explained that the civil society’s potential stems from a real extrapolation of the societal needs, commending the selection of Tétouan as the Capital of Moroccan Civil Society for 2022 similarly to the Celebration of Rabat as Culture Capital in the Islamic World for 2022, both under the high patronage of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may Allah assist him.

He also praised the features of Tétouan, including its ancient wall, whose full construction took over three hundred years, and its seven historical gates. Tétouan is the memory of Andalusia. It deserved the compliment saying “This is Tétouan… this is its generosity to the civilization of all time.”

Dr. AlMalik concluded his address by reciting the poem he dedicated to Tétouan, under the title: “Princess of Doves.”
The International Civil Society Organization for the Values of Citizenship, Development and Dialogue in the Kingdom of Morocco launched the “Capital of Moroccan Civil Society” Initiative in 2018 to celebrate the leading Moroccan cities in civil society action.

The programme of Tétouan, Capital of Moroccan Civil Society for 2022, includes several activities throughout the whole year, particularly symposia on the intellectual and tangible heritage of Tétouan, an exhibition of civil society works and honoring civil society actors and bodies, as well as media professionals, icons of thought, art and innovation, and distinguished and creative youth of Tétouan. It also features artistic and musical performances that highlight the city’s distinguished creativity.

Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General (DG) of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), stressed that the Organization accords great attention to African heritage through the programs and initiatives it launches and implements, notably the annual proclamation of an African city to be the Culture Capital in the Islamic World, which this year celebrates Yaoundé in Cameroon as the Culture Capital, a suitable occasion to cast light on the African tangible and intangible cultural heritage.

Dr. AlMalik made this statement today, Thursday, June 9, 2022, in an address he gave during his participation in the International Colloquium on “Archives in Africa: Reality and Prospects”, held in observance of the International Archives Day. The Archives of Morocco organized the Colloquium in partnership with the National School of Charters in Paris and the School of Information Science in Rabat.

In his address, Dr. AlMalik thanked Dr. Jamaâ Bida, Director of the Archives of Morocco, for extending the invitation to attend this event, held as part of the celebration of Rabat as the Culture Capital in the Islamic World for 2022. He noted that the general public thinks that archives only give glimpses into the past, while in reality, archives focus on documenting the past and building the future, commending the efforts of the Archives of Morocco to preserve documents and safeguard the historical and civilizational memory of nations and peoples.
Dr. AlMalik stated that in addition to its key role in fostering understanding of the past in various fields, archival documents are a solid tool for anticipating the future and setting out strategies and plans to achieve development.

At the close of his address, the DG stated that the organization of this academic event reaffirms the significance and role of archives in raising awareness of the importance of the beginning of ideas and phenomena. “This only highlights the need to find effective ways to preserve archival heritage through exchanging experiences and expertise and capitalizing on digitization and AI applications to preserve documents and address this age’s civilizational changes,” the DG noted.

Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General (DG) of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), received Mrs. Suzi Carla Barbosa, Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation and Communities of the Republic of Guinea-Bissau, and together they explored avenues for enhancing cooperation between ICESCO and Guinea-Bissau in the Organization’s areas of competence.
During the meeting, held on Thursday, June 9, 2022, at ICESCO Headquarters in Rabat, in the presence of Mrs. Filomena Mendes Mascarehas Tipote, Ambassador of Guinea-Bissau to Morocco, Dr. AlMalik reviewed ICESCO’s vision and action strategy, which rests upon greater communication and coordination with National Commissions and competent authorities in the Member States to identify their needs and priorities and devise programmes and activities accordingly.

He also reviewed the key programmes that are currently implemented by ICESCO, mainly those geared towards building the capacities of youth and women, promoting technology entrepreneurship, teaching Arabic to non-Arabic speakers, harnessing the potential of space science and artificial intelligence and their applications for the advancement of education, science and culture, and anchoring harmonious coexistence, peace and civilizational dialogue.

For her part, the Minister of Foreign Affairs commended ICESCO’s support for the efforts of Member States in its areas of competence, emphasizing her country’s keenness to cooperate with the Organization as an important partner in the promotion of peace and security, and the achievement of social development and quality education.

She added that cooperation between the Organization and the Republic is critical to the implementation of programmes that will engage youth and women, the two most prevalent categories in Guinea-Bissau, in the development of their country.
The meeting saw the attendance of Dr. Barry Koumbou, Head of ICESCO’s Education Sector, Mrs. Ramata Almamy Mbaye, Head of the Social and Human Sciences Sector, Ms. Amira Fadel, Head of the Partnerships and International Cooperation Sector, and Mrs. Sally Mabrouk, Director of ICESCO DG’s Cabinet.

At the close of the visit, Dr. AlMalik took Mrs. Barbosa on a tour of ICESCO’s Contemporary Art Gallery, during which she expressed admiration for the exhibited artworks.

On Wednesday (June 8, 2022), the Headquarters of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) witnessed the opening of the Second International Conference on Countering Violent Extremism, under the theme “Collective Intelligence in Facing Terrorism and Building CVE/PVE Strategies,” being held by the Moroccan Observatory on Extremism and violence, in partnership with ICESCO, The General Delegation for Prison Administration and Reintegration (DGAPR) of Morocco, Mohammadia League of Scholars, and the Policy Center for the New South, with the participation of several experts, researchers and representatives of international and regional organizations and institutions, and centers of thought and strategy.

The three-day conference began with the recitation of verses from the Holy Qur’an, then Ambassador Khaled Fathalrahman, Director of ICESCO Center for Civilizational Dialogue, presented the work of the sessions.

During the opening ceremony, Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, ICESCO Director-General, gave an address wherein he stressed that the collective intelligence in combating terrorism and violent extremism is not only a means that inquires, anticipates, expands and absorbs, but also an end that underlines the importance of the inspiring human partnership, which is a desired civilizational demand.

“The goals of collective intelligence are imposed by the urgent need to build common policies and mechanisms among the various stakeholders. In this regard, ICESCO draws on a very clear vision that turns its fields of competence into vital platforms to develop ideas and solid plans for confronting the currents of extremism through awareness-raising. As part of this vision, the Center for Civilization Dialogue published the Encyclopedia of Deconstructing the Discourse of Extremism, in partnership with the Muslim World League and the Muhammadiyah League of Scholars.

For his part, Mr. El Mostafa Rezrazi, President of the Moroccan Observatory on Extremism and Violence, tackled the rationale behind the theme of the conference. “There are still imbalances in international cooperation in the field of combating terrorism, which we are trying to overcome with social intelligence,” he stressed.

In a video speech, Mr. Waixeung Chen, Acting Executive Director of the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Executive Directorate, underscored that terrorist groups are spreading in a large number of conflict areas and that the COVID-19 pandemic has increased the scale of social problems that lead to violence, calling for continued collective efforts to face violence.

Mr. Abdelouahed Jamali El Idrissi, Coordinator of Mohammed VI Foundation for the Reintegration of Prisoners, noted the importance of rehabilitating perpetrators of violent and terrorist crimes, reviewing the institution’s reintegration programmes for inmates within society, and building mutual trust.

Mr. Haboub Cherkaoui, Director of the Bureau of Legal Investigations of the Kingdom of Morocco, stated that resolutely confronting terrorism requires the adoption of a comprehensive vision, social intelligence and optimal formulas to unify visions, proposals and solutions to eradicate extremism.

Mr. Abderahim Hanine, Presidency of Public Prosecution, pointed out that terrorist groups have developed their mechanisms through the Internet given its openness to a wide audience.

Mr. Mohammed Loulichki, Former UN Ambassador and Researcher at the Policy Center for the New South, underlined that eliminating the phenomenon of terrorism is a major challenge for the international community, which is making great efforts in this field.

Mr. Carlos Monteiro Reis, Head of the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism and Training (UNOCT) in Africa, stressed that through its support for the Office, Morocco is contributing to the UN orientations and training countries to obtain knowledge and address the various dimensions of the phenomenon of terrorism.

Mr. Mohammed Belekbir, Head of the Center for Research and Studies on Values at Mohammadia League of Scholars, stated that violent extremism is manufactured as people are not born extremists, stressing that this behavior is incited by extremist groups and it is possible to manufacture the opposite of extremism.

The first session then began on the topic “Extremism and Religious Discourses: Narratives of Extremism and Counter-Narratives.”

Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General (DG) of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), stressed the importance of promoting and developing investment given its instrumental role in generating employment opportunities, noting that innovation and creativity are paramount to keep pace with the skills of the future and sustain the growth of businesses and institutions.

This statement came in his address during the regional conference on “The Future of Labor and the Role of Entrepreneurship and MSMES in a Post-Covid-19 world,” organized by the Moroccan Ministry of Economic Inclusion, Small Business, Employment and Skills. The event is held in Rabat, capital of the Kingdom of Morocco, and via videoconference, on June 7-8, 2022, in partnership with the African Development Bank Group (AfDB), and several international institutions.

During the session on the future of employment after the pandemic, ICESCO DG reviewed the Organization’s initiatives geared toward enhancing employment in the fields of education, science and culture, emphasizing that ICESCO’s new vision supports the efforts of Member States to remain in sync with the changing global landscape by upgrading educational systems, strengthening infrastructure, promoting green, sustainable economy, and investing in future professions.

Dr. AlMalik also reviewed ICESCO’s efforts towards boosting employment, mainly through supporting innovation and entrepreneurship among women and girls during the pandemic and turning the repercussions into income-generating opportunities for them by encouraging the local production of sanitary and protective equipment. He also referred to ICESCO’s programme for training youth in creating and developing small projects in the field of technology and innovation, and the leadership incubators aimed at equipping the Islamic world’s youth with the requisite skills in education, science and culture.