Category: Front Page

The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) released a book collection on tangible and intangible heritage in the Lake Chad Basin, containing 40 articles by experts and specialists from various countries including Niger, Cameroon and Chad. The book collection is part of the publications of ICESCO’s Center for Heritage in the Islamic World.
The 833-page book collection consists of three volumes in French and English, namely, “Myths, Beliefs and preserving Traditional Knowledge in the Lake Chad Basin,” “Cultural Diversity, Economic Production, Cultural Heritage and Education in the Lake Chad Basin,” and “Archeological Remnants, Management of Museum Collections, and the Promotion of Cultural Heritage in the Lake Chad Basin.”

It is worth mentioning that ICESCO organized an international conference in September 2021 on Preserving Cultural Heritage in the Lake Chad Basin. The conference saw high-caliber participation including several African ministers of culture, representatives of specialized international and African organizations, experts and students from more than 30 universities and research centers. This major conference focused on the threats undermining heritage in the Basin.

Moreover, the ICESCO Center for Heritage in the Islamic World released in May 2022 the first issue of the Guidebook of the Islamic World Museums, under the title, “Museums of Africa.” The Guidebook gives an overview of museums in ICESCO Member States located in the Sub-Saharan region.

The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) is taking part in the 22nd Edition of the Arab Radio and Television Festival and the Future of Media Exhibition, hosted by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in Riyadh, on November 9-12, 2022.

The two events are organized by the Arab States Broadcasting Union, in cooperation with the Saudi Broadcasting AuthorityICESCO’s pavilion at the Future of Media Exhibition in Riyadh features a number of the Organization’s print and digital publications, which highlight its new vision and strategic orientations and cast light on its major programs and projects, especially in the field of digital production. The pavilion aims to enrich constructive content on the internet and social media platforms in order to contribute to consolidating the sense of pride in belonging to the Islamic identity and culture among young people.

The pavilion will be open to visitors wishing to take stock of ICESCO’s various electronic audiovisual publications, including educational and awareness-raising programs, and videos on figures who had remarkable contributions to the history of Islamic civilization.It is worth noting that the Arab Radio and Television Festival and the Future of Media Exhibition are bringing together member networks in the Arab States Broadcasting Union, a host of privately owned radio stations, Arabic-speaking international channels, and global companies active in the fields of production, technical equipment industry and audiovisual distribution.The festival aims to contribute to developing Arab television and radio production and monitor its innovative trends.

It will also feature several workshops and TV and radio contests.The Exhibition aims to promote exhibitors’ audiovisual productions and introduce the latest developments and innovations in the field of information technology. The exhibition celebrates many themes, notably the future of media, constructive Arab contents, and sports and celebrity media. It will also feature sessions on women’s participation and roles in the film industry throughout history.

The Center of Arabic for Non-Arabic Speakers at the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) held a meeting with the King Salman International Complex for the Arabic Language in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to explore cooperation mechanisms of holding the international conference, “Diplomatic Outlook on the Arabic Language,” as part of the celebration of World Arabic Language Day.

The meeting was held on Monday, November 7, 2022, via videoconference, in the presence of representatives from the Saudi Ministry of Culture and the Saudi National Commission for Education, Science and Culture. The Center of Arabic for Non-Arabic Speakers was represented by its Head, Dr. Majdi Hajj Ibrahim, and Dr. Anas Hussam Al-Nuaimi, Expert at the Center, while the King Salman International Complex for the Arabic Language was represented by the Head of the Sector of Language Planning and Policy, Dr. Mahmoud Al-Mahmoud, along with a host of experts from the Complex.

The two parties agreed to hold the conference at ICESCO Headquarters in Rabat, Kingdom of Morocco, in January 2023 and extend the invitation to several senior diplomats and experts in the field of teaching Arabic for diplomatic purposes. The two parties also agreed on the coordination and organization procedures, in addition to each party’s roles to ensure the success of the conference.

The Center for Civilization Dialogue and the Science and Technology Sector of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) organized an art exhibition on climate action, under the theme “Creativity through Multimedia,” in partnership with several regional and international institutions and bodies and with the presence of representatives of embassies, diplomatic missions, civil society organizations and artists.

The exhibition, which was held on Friday, November 5, 2022, in Rabat, Kingdom of Morocco, aimed at contributing to strengthening the role of art in support of sustainable development goals through the exchange of experiences and knowledge between different international artists with multiple disciplines, raising collective awareness of climate change, encouraging dialogue between different cultures from inside and outside the Islamic world and promoting arts and cultures of the countries of the Global South.

The art exhibition witnessed the holding of workshops and an exhibition of artistic paintings, which express what the world is witnessing in connection to the climate and environment crisis and their repercussions on the planet, by relying on digital multimedia and visual performing arts, which review the creative industries ranging from traditional cultures to Metaverse applications.

During the opening session, Ambassador Khaled Fathalrahman, Director of ICESCO Center for Civilizational Dialogue, stressed the importance of the three elements, represented by dialogue, art and the environment, as the basis for achieving progress and prosperity and building the societies we want, highlighting ICESCO’s vision and the action strategy of the Organization’s Center for Civilizational Dialogue, as an integrated and comprehensive approach to promoting the values ​​of dialogue and coexistence among civilizations.

For her part, Dr. Hoda Abdullah Al-Muqairhi, Expert at the Center for Civilizational Dialogue, highlighted the centrality of artistic dialogue, which would contribute to the development of new experiences and capabilities that contribute to strengthening integration and communication on climate change and raising awareness about the human responsibility in the field of the environment to build the future that we all want, achieve the goals of the United Nations Sustainable Development Agenda, mobilize the younger generation and future artists and promote their new digital artistic methods.

The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) is participating in the 27th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP 27) with a special pavilion in the Green Zone. The conference is hosted by the Arab Republic of Egypt in Sharm El Sheikh, from 6 to 18 November 2022, in the presence of kings, heads of state and government, ministers and delegations from 190 countries, in addition to international organizations, regional bodies, civil society institutions and environmental protection activists.

ICESCO’s participation in this major global event comes as part of the Organization’s vision and strategic orientation to support international efforts in the field of environmental preservation and to contribute to addressing the negative effects of climate change in its Member States.

ICESCO’s pavilion at COP 27 in Sharm El Sheikh will organize several activities, commencing on Wednesday, November 9, 2022, as it will feature the Organization’s key publications in the areas of heritage protection, environmental preservation and governance of environmental natural resources. Several ICESCO Sector Heads and Experts will also present scientific presentations on the risks of climate change and ICESCO’s key initiatives, programmes and projects to support its Member States.

The ICESCO pavilion will also witness the organization of a photographic exhibition, documenting the repercussions of climate change on the historical sites inscribed on ICESCO’s Islamic world Heritage Lists. Visitors to the pavilion will also be able to view a set of videos produced by the Organization in the field of environmental protection, and its initiatives, programmes and training sessions to raise awareness among young people about the importance of climate preservation and the repercussions of climate change on heritage sites.

ICESCO’s participation in COP27 also includes organizing several parallel events. On Friday, November 11, 2022, the Blue Zone will witness the signing of a memorandum of understanding between ICESCO, the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, UNESCO, the United Nations Development Program, the Industrial Modernization Center in the Arab Republic of Egypt to support the green transformation project and the use of solar energy in heritage sites and museums. On the same day, ICESCO, in partnership with the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, will launch an initiative to establish a fund to protect heritage sites and museums in Egypt and the Islamic world from the damage of climate change.

The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) participated in the International Conference on “Developmental Media and Communication in the Service of Development,” organized by the Center of Literary and Linguistic Studies and Media and Communication Sciences of the Faculty of Arts and Human Sciences of the University of Sidi Mohamed bin Abdullah of Fez, in cooperation with the International Academy for the Development of Media and Communication, and the Municipality of Ifrane, on November 4-5, 2022, in Ifrane, in the presence of a group of professors, academic researchers, media professionals and communication officials of several international organizations.

The conference discussed the key role of media in achieving development as well as the challenges and needs of developmental media in the Islamic world. It also witnessed presentations on the strategies and experiences of a number of countries and international organizations on communication to contribute to achieving sustainable development.

Mr. Sami El-Kamhawy, Director of Information and Institutional Communication Department, represented ICESCO at this conference. He presented a working paper on the major programmes and projects of ICESCO’s various sectors, departments and centers geared towards contributing to the achievement of sustainable development in the Member States and highlighted the role of Information Department to introduce the background and objectives of these programmes and projects, reach the widest public to achieve the desired results and provide statistics on reactions about these activities to be taken into account in planning and implementing future programmes and projects.

The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), in partnership with the Faculty of Letters and Humanities of Mohammed V University in Rabat, held a workshop to share the content of ICESCO’s “Guide on Mental Health and Psychosocial Support for Families, Communities and Educational Actors” announced by the Organization as part of its “The Societies We Want” initiative to support the efforts of Member States to face various crises.

The workshop, which was held on Friday 4 November 2022 at the Faculty of Arts and Humanities in Rabat and by videoconference, aimed at sharing experiences on the Guide and shining light on the general context and the conceptual, theoretical and methodological framework of its publication, as well as considering the possibility of expanding its targeted beneficiaries.

ICESCO was represented at this workshop by a delegation made up of Mrs. Ramata Almamy Mbaye, Head of the Human and Social Sciences Sector, Dr. Mohamed Zine El Abidine, Head of the Culture and Communication Sector, and Dr. Koumbou Bolly Barry, Head of the Education Sector, in addition to several experts.

At the beginning of the workshop, Mrs. Ramata Almamy Mbaye thanked all the partners who contributed to the preparation of the Guide and underlined the general context of its publication as part of ICESCO’s continuous efforts to address the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on the countries of the Islamic world and the Muslim communities. She reaffirmed that the initiative of “The Societies We Want” aims at building safe societies through the exchange of experiences between institutions, bodies and international organizations.

For his part, Dr. Zine El Abidine reviewed ICESCO’s orientations within the framework of its new vision and action strategy, which adopts openness to cooperate with academic institutions, civil society organizations and donors, aiming to support Member States’ development efforts and contributing to the development of social, health and educational welfare, among other things.

In the same vein, Dr. Jamal Eddine El Hani, dean of the Faculty of Letters and Humanities, welcomed the participants to the workshop and stressed the importance of this Guide that can assist families, educational managers and local communities to cope with various pressures.

In her speech, Ms. Naseem Awl, Deputy Representative of UNICEF in Morocco, welcomed the cooperation between ICESCO and UNICEF, stressing the importance of addressing mental health issues through a psychosocial approach and focusing on children and vulnerable groups.

Then, Dr. El Mostafa Rezrazi, on behalf of the team in charge of preparing the Guide, made a presentation on the aspects related to the conceptual, theoretical and methodological framework of the Guide and the general context of its publication, along with a summary of the guidelines and best practices concerning the protection of the child, the family, the school and the local communities in times of crisis.

At the end of the workshop, in which many National Commissions of ICESCO Member States took part, the floor was given to participants who raised questions and ideas that enriched the debate.

The Social and Human Sciences Sector of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) held a meeting with the Moroccan National Commission for Education, Science and Culture, the Ministry of National Education, Preschool and Sports, the Ministry of Youth, Culture and Communication in the Kingdom of Morocco, the Royal Moroccan Athletics Federation, and the Rabat-Sale-Kenitra region to finalize the “ICESCO Marathon for Social Cohesion and Resilience,” due to be held on November 27, 2022, in Rabat.

During the meeting, which was held at the headquarters of the Moroccan National Commission, and coordinated by Mr. Jamal Eddine El Aloua, Secretary-General of the Commission, Ms. Ramata Almamy Mbaye, Head of ICESCO’s Human and Social Sciences Sector, reviewed the Organization’s vision for sports as a powerful and effective tool for promoting the values ​​of coexistence, tolerance, dialogue, resilience, and sustainable development.

The marathon will take place in Rabat on the sidelines of the launch of the Youth for Peace Incubator, as part of the launch of the Leadership Training in Peace and Security (LTIPS) 2022, on November 24-26, 2022, in Tangier. Through this initiative, ICESCO and its partners affirm their commitment to pursue efforts to foster social cohesion and community resilience and contribute to enhancing mental health and well-being in the Member States through physical activities.

The participants in ICESCO International Forum on the Future of Teaching Strategies in the Light of Current Developments made several recommendations, including the call for promoting the use of scientific and technological developments in the educational process, building a new model for the school of the future, reducing the risks of the digital and knowledge gap, investing in teachers and meeting their needs, promoting the values ​​of citizenship and volunteering in school life and mobilizing sustainable resources to finance education.

The second and last day of the Forum, held via videoconference, featured three working sessions, which saw the participation of a number of experts and academics. The first session tackled the experiences of several schools, colleges and research centers in using modern teaching strategies through an approach that combines creativity, innovation and gender equality in education. The second session focused on the new trends in teaching strategies while the third session explored the future visions of modern teaching strategies.

During the closing session, Dr. Koumbou Polly Barry, Head of ICESCO’s Education Sector, thanked all the ministers and experts, who participated in the Forum and identified the new challenges facing the future of teaching strategies to ensure the integration of educational technologies in Member States’ educational systems.

She also highlighted the results and recommendations of the Forum, including the adoption of modern teaching methods within the cultural context of each educational system, the enhancement of teachers’ capabilities through the use of technological means and the integration of the values ​​of citizenship to ensure the right to equal education, calling for the need to adopt these recommendations to enhance the role of modern teaching strategies to develop the educational process.

It is worth mentioning that the first day of the Forum witnessed the participation of a group of ministers of education from many ICESCO Member States as well as experts and prominent international figures, who enriched discussions with their experiences, visions and ideas for developing teaching strategies in light of the current technological developments.