Category: Front Page

Dr. Abdelilah Benarfa, Deputy Director-General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), accompanied by Mr. Najib Rhiati, Cultural Advisor to ICESCO Director-General, took part in the award ceremony of the fourth edition of the National Award, “Lalla Al-Muta’awina” for the best ideas to develop a women’s cooperative project. The ceremony was organized by the Ministry of Tourism, Handicrafts and Social and Solidarity Economy, and the Cooperation Development Office of the Kingdom of Morocco, under the theme, “Towards leading women’s cooperatives.”

During the ceremony, held on Monday, March 20, 2023, 31 women’s cooperatives from different regions of Morocco received awards for their projects, which focused on a variety of fields including agriculture and fisheries, handicrafts, food and cosmetics, and sewing and embroidery.

ICESCO’s participation comes within the framework of the Organization’s interest in empowering women, improving their social and economic conditions, and encouraging them to develop income-generating projects.

Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), met with Dr. Rana Tanveer Hussain, Minister of Education and Vocational Training of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, and discussed ways to develop cooperation between ICESCO and Pakistan through several programs and projects in the field of education.

During the meeting, held on Monday (March 20, 2023), at the office of the Pakistani Minister in Islamabad, in the presence of a number of the Ministry’s officials, Dr. AlMalik reaffirmed ICESCO’s keenness to enhance the great cooperation with Pakistan for strengthening the educational process through new programmes, projects and activities, which are in line with the priorities and needs of the Pakistani Ministry of Education.
ICESCO Director-General explained that the Organization’s vision and strategic orientations are based on active communication with the competent parties in the Member States to identify their priorities and needs for designing appropriate programs and projects for each country.

For his part, Dr. Hussain commended ICESCO’s role in serving its Member States in the fields of education, science and culture, reviewing the major programmes and projects in which Pakistan needs to cooperate with ICESCO.

The meeting discussed the details of the programmes and projects proposed for partnership between the two parties in the field of education, most notably the ICESCO Programme for the Improvement of Water and Sanitation Services in several rural schools in Pakistan, ICESCO Digital Library, as well as the rehabilitation of some classrooms, especially in Islamabad.

At the end of the meeting, the ICESCO Director-General and the Minister of Education and Vocational Training of Pakistan exchanged honorary shields.

As part of its efforts to encourage its Member States in investing in the field of space science and its applications, keeping pace with the great boom in this field and contributing to building a prosperous future for the Islamic world, the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) signed a cooperation agreement with Pakistan’s Space & Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO), which is one of the leading institutions in the field of space science internationally, to support and strengthen the partnership in developing programs, projects and workshops in the fields of scientific research, modern technologies and space technology.

Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, ICESCO Director General (DG), and Major General Amer Nadeem, SUPARCO Chairman, signed the agreement on Monday, March 20, 2023, in Islamabad, Islamic Republic of Pakistan.

During the signing ceremony, Dr. AlMalik commended the importance of the agreement between ICESCO and SUPRACO, stressing that the Organization accords special importance to encouraging its Member States to invest in the field of space science and its applications, signing several agreements to exchange experiences and knowledge related to space science and organizing many training sessions for the youth of the Islamic world to design Model Satellite (Cansat).

For his part, Major General Amer Nadeem noted that this agreement is in line with the Agency’s mission, which consists of developing space science and technology, as well as youth’s capacities and their integration in the field, to contribute to achieving economic and social development in Pakistan.

The Agreement terms provide for cooperation between the two parties in supporting the skills development of professionals in the field of space science, building the capabilities of technicians through practical training sessions, holding training sessions for students, and promoting research, innovation and entrepreneurship in the field of science, and jointly organizing conferences, seminars and workshops.

SUPRACO was established in recognition of the importance of space science and technology applications for sustainable national development. Through its various departments, the Agency conducts research to develop the field of space science and technology and its applications for peaceful purposes and social and economic development by relying on its latest research and development technologies in the field of space science and its applications, as well as the design and manufacture of satellites.

Commemorated this year under the theme “Accelerating Change,” World Water Day is held annually on March 22nd as a reminder of the importance of safe drinking water access for all, as well as the need to support Sustainable Development Goal 6 (SDG 6) which aims to ensure universal access to water and sanitation.

On this occasion, the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) reaffirms its commitment to supporting programs and initiatives to ensure access to safe and clean water for all and establish good water governance. This is key to achieving sustainable development goals related to water quality and management, particularly as current statistics reveal that over 2 billion people around the world do not have access to safe drinking water, while 4.2 billion people lack sanitation services. This alarming situation underscores the paramount importance of establishing good water governance and strengthening sanitation infrastructure, especially since climate change is exacerbating both water scarcity and water-related hazards such as droughts in various countries.

In this perspective, ICESCO calls upon countries to consolidate their efforts with those of international and regional organizations, institutions, and research centers to take effective, coordinated action and implement policies, programs and projects based on modern technology, innovation, and renewable energy to address environmental challenges and water scarcity.

It is worth noting that ICESCO attaches particular importance to water issues and has launched various programs to help improve water resource management in its Member States, namely the Program for Water and Sanitation Services Improvement implemented in 1000 rural schools across different countries of the Islamic world.

On World Water Day, ICESCO reiterates its unwavering support to its Member States for investing in water management systems, sanitation and public hygiene services to achieve water security, ensure social and economic development and achieve food security in the Islamic world.

The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) participated in the first edition of Djéol Cultural Festival, organized by the Mauritanian Ministry of Culture, Youth, Sports and Relations with Parliament, in the historic city of Djéol, which is inscribed on the Islamic World Heritage List.

The festival, which concluded on Sunday (March 19, 2023), is part of the celebration of Nouakchott, Culture Capital in the Islamic World for 2023. It aimed to promote the cultural role of the city, preserve its heritage and valorize its developmental assets.

In his address during the launch ceremony of the festival, HE Mohammed Ould Ghazouani, President of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, expressed his pride in inscribing the ancient city of Djéol on the national heritage list and ICESCO’s Islamic World Heritage List, stressing his willingness to provide all kinds of support to preserve and to promote the cultural heritage of this city.

For their part, Mr. Mohamed Ould Soueidat, Minister of Culture, Youth, Sports and Relations with Parliament of Mauritania, and Mr. Omar Lee Abdoulay, Mayor of Joule, expressed their happiness with this festival and the initiatives and programs geared towards investing in the development of the city.

The festival witnessed art, heritage, music and poetry performances, as well as exhibitions of handicrafts and written and oral cultural heritage.

ICESCO was represented at the ceremony by Dr. Nami Salihi, Supervisor of the Islamic World Heritage Center at the Culture and Communication Sector.

A distinguished delegation of Supreme Court Presidents from Europe and Africa, university professors and experts visited, on March 17, 2023, the International Exhibition and Museum of the Prophet’s Seerah and Islamic Civilization, currently held at the headquarters of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) in Rabat.

The delegation comprised of 38 personalities from 23 countries who had participated in the International Seminar on the History of Supreme Courts, held on March 16-17, 2023, by Morocco’s Court of Cassation, in partnership with the Association of Supreme Courts of Cassation of French-speaking Countries (AHJUCAF).

These included Dr. M’hammed Abdenabaoui, First President of the Court of Cassation, Deputy President of the Supreme Council of Judiciary Power (CSPJ) in the Kingdom of Morocco, Dr. Victor Adossou, President of the Supreme Court of the Republic of Benin, AHJUCAF President, and Ms. Moutngui Esther Ekoue, President of the Organization for the Harmonization of Business Law in Africa (OHADA).

The delegation was received by Dr. Abdelilah Benarafa, Deputy Director-General of ICESCO, who highlighted that the exhibition, which is the first to be held outside the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, is the fruit of the strategic partnership between the Organization, the Muslim World League (MWL), and Morocco’s Mohammadia League of Scholars.

During their visit, the delegation toured the exhibition and museum and received detailed explanations of the content of the different pavilions and sections.

The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) participated in the 49th session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Member States of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), which was held in the Mauritanian capital, Nouakchott, under the theme: “Moderation: Key to Security and Stability,” in the presence of 40 foreign State Ministers.

Ms. Amira El-Fadil, Head of the Partnerships and International Cooperation Sector, and Dr. Ahmed Said Bah, Advisor to the ICESCO Director-General for Partnerships and International Cooperation, Supervisor of the Secretariat of National Commissions and Conferences, represented ICESCO at the Session, which concluded its activities on Friday, March 17, 2022.

The Session’s participants commended ICESCO’s successful programmes and projects implemented for the benefit of its Member States in the fields of education, science and culture, highlighting Organization’s openness and cooperation with international partners.

The Session touched upon several political, economic, cultural, social and humanitarian issues related to OIC and its member states, followed by a discussion on moderation, in addition to the adoption of a set of draft resolutions on several key issues.

The Sciences and Technologies Sector of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) took part in an international symposium on Smart City in Light of Digital Transformations of Territorial Domains, which was held by the Berkane region prefecture in the Kingdom of Morocco, in cooperation with several concerned institutions and authorities, and in the presence of many experts and international specialists in the field.

During the two-day symposium, which concluded its activities on Thursday, March 16, 2023, Dr. Adel Smeda, Expert in ICESCO Sciences and Technologies Sector, highlighted, via his videoconference participation, the key challenges resulting from demographic growth in cities, mainly: the exploitation of natural resources and environmental pollution, as well as the role of smart, flexible and sustainable cities and modern technologies in mitigating the consequences of climate change.

ICESCO’s representative delivered a presentation on ICESCO’s efforts in supporting its Member States in their pursuit of green and sustainable policies that put the preservation of the environment and natural resources at the heart of their priorities, through initiatives, projects and workshops on using modern technologies in addressing environmental protection challenges.

The “Mishkat” hall at the headquarters of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) hosted a training session on Arabic fluency and accuracy for non-Arabic speakers, which benefited 164 professionals in the field of teaching Arabic to non-Arabic speakers from Chad, Nigeria, Benin, Cameroon, Malaysia, Indonesia, Uzbekistan, Bashkortostan, Vietnam, Senegal and Morocco.

Dr. Samir Jaafar, an Educational Training Expert, moderated the two-day training session which concluded on March 16, 2023. The session cast light on the importance of fluency and accuracy in teaching Arabic and aimed to enable participants to differentiate between the two concepts. It also sought to help participants achieve complementarity between different language skills and to develop their students’ speaking and writing abilities both inside and outside the classroom.

It is worth noting that this training session is the seventh in the series of ICESCO’s International Program “Mishkat of Arabic for Continuing Educational Training and Professional Development for Teachers of Arabic to Non-Arabic Speakers,” which is part of the cooperation program between ICESCO and the Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation for Distinguished Academic Performance.

For the fourth successive year, the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) streams during the holy month of Ramadan, as part of its comprehensive initiative “ICESCO Digital Home,” the videos series “Ramadan Whiffs” and “Intellectual Sparks,” through the Organization’s platforms on social media.

In these clips, which have achieved tremendous success over the past three years, a host of prominent intellectual, cultural and religious figures from the countries of the Islamic world and beyond present their thoughts and views on the most important contemporary intellectual and religious issues.

Through this initiative, ICESCO aims to spread focused and meaningful messages that highlight the essential role played by both women and men in reforming society and entrenching enlightening cultural and religious values that are based on peace, tolerance and coexistence between communities.

The Organization also aims to raise the most important issues and discuss new ideas that enrich cultural life and contribute to renewing the fields of thought, culture, knowledge, literature and science; endeavors to promote the values of peace and the dissemination of knowledge; and enhance religious, cultural and intellectual communication between eminent personalities and the public to support spiritual and intellectual exchange.