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The Center of Arabic for Non-Arabic Speakers at the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) took part in an international conference under the theme “Arabic Language, Beyond Legacy,” organized in commemoration of the United Nations Day by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) through its regional office in Rabat and the Moroccan National Commission for Education, Science and Culture, in partnership with the Sultan Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud Foundation in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Dr. Majdi Bin Haji Ibrahim, Head of the ICESCO Center of Arabic for Non-Arabic Speakers, Dr. Youssef Ismaili and Dr. Anas Hussam Al-Nuaimi, Experts at the Center, and Ms. Somia Djacta, Director of ICESCO Office at UNESCO, represented the Organization during the two-day event that is taking place at the headquarters of the Faculty of Letters and Human Sciences in Rabat.

In his address at the opening session, Dr. Majdi emphasized the role of Arabic in fostering understanding among peoples by promoting intercultural communication, building bridges between civilizations, cultivating amity, consolidating peace and security, and renouncing violence and extremism. “Serving the Arabic language is at the forefront of ICESCO’s priorities. The Organization works on reinforcing the Arabic language’s status as a symbol of the Islamic nation’s cultural identity, a reservoir for its immortal heritage, and a hallmark for its civilizational, intellectual and cultural distinctiveness,” noted the ICESCO official.

He also reviewed ICESCO’s contributions to the service of the Arabic language in its non-Arabic speaking Member States, and its efforts to disseminate the language and strengthen its presence in the Islamic world and the world at large, by offering relevant competent authorities, institutions and individuals, the needed educational and academic services and technical advice.

The Sector of Science and Technology at the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) took part in the jury meeting to review and select three winners from among 16 participating teams in the contest, ICESCO Program for training the youth on building and developing small projects in the fields of technology and innovation in the Federal Republic of Nigeria, implemented in cooperation with the New Space for Innovation Foundation and the “We’nnovation Hub.” ICESCO seeks to widen the scope of this program to include all its Member States.
The participating teams gave presentations on their projects in a meeting held face-to-face in Lagos, Nigeria and via videoconference. The jury consisted of Dr. Muhammad Sharif, Advisor at the Sector of Science and Technology, a working team from the Sector, and several experts and specialists in the fields of entrepreneurship and startup financing

At the end of the meeting, the names of the winning teams at the national level were announced. “Tetrecycle multi-services” team, won first place for its project on renewable fuel extracted from biomass found in agricultural waste, the “Vabbar” team won the second-place for its project on an online marketplace for the exchange of African and foreign currencies, while the “Erido Agro” team won the third place for its project on training young farmers on ways to sustainably increase the quality, quality and diversity of their crops.

This program had been launched in Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Pakistan and Uzbekistan, and seeks to reach ten countries by the end of 2022. It falls within ICESCO’s action plan and strategy to support more than 150 startups in the fields of science and technology in the Member States by the year 2025.

Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General (DG) of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), called for prioritizing gender equality in the sustainable development plans, eliminating the various forms of gender discrimination and establishing institutions, bodies and organizations to build the capacities of women and support them to assume leadership positions.

This statement was part of Dr. AlMalik’s address, delivered on Monday (October 24, 2022), at the plenary session of the three-day workshop on the best practices and international lessons on women’s rehabilitation and gender equality, held by the World Bank and the Saudi Institute of Public Administration, at the headquarters of the World Bank in Washington D.C., and via videoconference. The workshop aimed at sharing knowledge and expertise, and drawing lessons on women’s rehabilitation policies. It was the participation of high-level officials and experts.

At the outset of his address, Dr. AlMalik stressed the importance of the workshop, the theme of which intersects with ICESCO’s vision and action strategy, praising the efforts of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and its great commitment to enhancing the presence of women in leadership and decision-making positions, and commending the World Bank’s initiatives and role as a leading institution in breaking down barriers facing women development and advancement.

He also reviewed ICESCO’s programmes and initiatives on girls’ and women’s rehabilitation as a mechanism to enhance women’s presence in the fields of education, science and culture given that the progress and prosperity of societies largely depend on providing women and girls with adequate opportunities to fulfill their potential and contribute to international efforts geared towards achieving sustainable development.

Moreover, ICESCO DG stressed that the Organization has adopted the principle of gender balance in its various sectors and departments, proclaimed 2021 as the Year of Women, and built partnerships and cooperation with several international bodies and institutions to enhance the leading role of women in the Islamic world and beyond.

The Education Sector of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) held a meeting with the Kailash Satyarthi Children’s Foundation in the United States of America to strengthen their cooperation in the field of education and ensure the right to education for all.

During the meeting, held via videoconference with Mrs. Anjali Kochar, Executive Director of the Foundation, Dr. Koumbou Bolly Barry, Head of the Education Sector, stressed the importance of signing a Memorandum of Understanding between ICESCO and the Foundation on specific projects and activities of interest to the Organization’s Member States, mainly the holding by ICESCO of the International Conference of Nobel Laureates in 2023, to inspire the youth of the Islamic world to embrace creativity and innovation.

For her part, Mrs. Kochar welcomed the joint activities and programs to be implemented between the two sides after the signing of the said memorandum, especially in the areas of combating child labor, girls’ education, awareness programs targeting youth, religious, community and government leaders, as well as civil society and non-governmental organizations.

On the Global Media and Information Literacy Week, commemorated this year under the theme: “Nurturing trust – A Media and Information Literacy Imperative,” the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) calls for solidarity and joint action to make media and digital knowledge available in various fields, provide the needed resources to achieve this end, adhere to its principles, and develop new relevant initiatives, to contribute to achieving cultural sustainability, economic growth and social progress.

Given that media and information literacy is paramount to achieving trust, which is the binding element for social cohesion and social breakthroughs for the common good, ICESCO stresses the need to develop digital skills and enhance media knowledge in light of the widely spread misinformation and the technological revolution that the world is witnessing in the era of artificial intelligence, virtual reality, augmented reality and the metaverse. It is worth noting that the Organization has radically transformed its working mechanisms through the digitization of its departments and centers, and has called, along with other international organizations, for contribution to providing the necessary resources to support media and information literacy programmes in 2021.
Cognizant of the prominent role of education in spreading awareness of the importance of media literacy and building individual capacities to use modern technologies to access information and verify the factual accuracy of media news, ICESCO supports the efforts of its Member States in developing modern media literacy curricula that equip learners with the necessary skills to discern accurate information and critically evaluate media news, to enable them to benefit from purposeful digital content and avoid negative messages and misinformation.

ICESCO also contributes to promoting the creation of focused digital content, and introducing new generations to the luminaries of Islamic history, particularly in the fields of science, culture and thought, who left an indelible mark on human civilization, in addition to promoting the heritage sites and cultural goods inscribed on ICESCO’s Islamic World Heritage List.
In a bid to support international efforts in building youth capacities in the fields of media and information and developing their digital skills to improve their integration into the ever-morphing labour market, ICESCO launched a wide array of programmes, projects and training sessions. These include the Young Professionals Program 2022, the Leadership Training in Peace and Security (LTIPS), a programme for training youth in creating and developing small projects in the field of technology and innovation, in addition to a training and capacity-building programme for journalists and media professionals in the Organization’s Member States, which equip youth with the necessary knowledge to harness the potential of modern technology.

ICESCO reiterates its readiness to join hands with all international organizations, agencies, or entities to launch and implement initiatives and programmes that are geared towards promoting media and information literacy in its Member States, thus contribute to addressing future challenges, eliminating media and digital illiteracy, and achieving sustainable development goals.

The Conference Commended ICESCO’s Efforts in Training Journalists and Preparing Media Studies

The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) participated in the 12th Islamic Conference of the Ministers of Information of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), held on October 21-22, 2022, in Istanbul, Republic of Turkey, under the theme “Combating Disinformation and Islamophobia in the Post-Truth Era.”
The opening session witnessed the handover of the presidency of the Conference from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to the Republic of Turkey. In his address, Mr. Hissein Ibrahim Taha, OIC Secretary-General, warned against the danger of disinformation and distortion of facts, calling for coordination and cooperation between Muslim countries and Islamic organizations to modernize media discourse in line with current changes to face these challenges.

Dr. Majid bin Abdullah Al Qasabi, Minister of Media of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, reviewed the outcomes of the 11th Session of the Conference, headed by Saudi Arabia, while Dr. Fahrettin Altun, Head of Communications Directorate of the Republic of Turkey, indicated that disinformation is increasing due to the negative use of social media platforms.

Afterward, the Conference elected Turkey as chairperson, Saudi Arabia as rapporteur and Palestine, Somalia and Guinea-Bissau as members of its bureau during closed working sessions. It also adopted the Media Affairs Resolution, which called upon Muslim countries to cooperate and coordinate with regard to media affairs and support the Palestinian cause, as well as the Istanbul Declaration and the approval of the offer of the Republic of Azerbaijan to host its 13th session.

The media affairs resolution commended ICESCO’s efforts in training journalists and its study on media contents on Islam in the light of international law, calling on the General Secretariat of OIC to adopt it in joint Islamic media action.

Mr. Sami El-Kamhawy, Director of Information and Institutional Communication Department, represented ICESCO at this conference. He held meetings with several delegations of countries and the representatives of international organizations on ways to strengthen cooperation and reviewed the major initiatives, programmes and projects implemented by ICESCO, especially in the field of information, in light of its new vision and strategic orientations.

In celebration of the Arab Science Week, the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) held a panel discussion on the role of science diplomacy and civilizational dialogue in achieving sustainable development, with the participation of a number of distinguished scientific figures in the Arab world.

The organization and management of the seminar, which was held on Thursday, October 21, 2022, via videoconference, was supervised by Dr. Adel Smeda, expert at ICESCO Science and Technology Sector, and Dr. Huda Megeirhi, expert at ICESCO Center for Civilized Dialogue.In his speech, Dr. Smeda touched on the importance of science diplomacy in supporting scientific cooperation between universities and scientific research centers in the Islamic world, and its role in facing the challenges of climate change, epidemics, illegal immigration, and enhancing energy and cyber security, reviewing the ICESCO’s projects geared to support achieving sustainable development, and youth projects in modern technology and space sciences.For his part, Dr. Omar Halli, Advisor to ICESCO Director-General (DG) for the Federation of the Universities of the Islamic World (FUIW), gave a presentation on the impact of science on networking and introducing cultures to serve society and development.

He pointed out that scientific diplomacy is one of the types of parallel diplomacy that is given importance in conferences and symposiums stating that it brings closer different viewpoints and join efforts, calling upon the participants to make of science a catalyst for cooperation, development and knowledge.

Dr. Huda Megeirhi explained the role of civilized dialogue in promoting scientific diplomacy, as a means of negotiation, avoiding conflicts, promoting the values of coexistence, and building fruitful international partnerships.

The discussion panel ended up with a number of recommendations to support cooperation and partnership between research and scientific institutions in ICESCO Member States, build bridges of communication and dialogue between scientists, design programs to build the capacities of young scientists with the aim of facing common regional and global challenges.

It also recommended launching an award in scientific and civil diplomacy for projects serving science and development.

The Human and Social Sciences Sector of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) held a meeting with 50 candidates, who were selected to participate in the 2022 edition of the Leadership Training in Peace and Security (LTIPS), from 45 countries, to become official ambassadors of ICESCO for peace after graduation.

During the meeting, held on Wednesday (October 19, 2022) via videoconference, Ms. Ramata Almami Mbaye, Head of the Human and Social Sciences Sector, conveyed the message of congratulations by Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, ICESCO Director-General, to the candidates on their selection to participate in the programme.

Besides, Ms. Mbaye reviewed the strategic vision and programmes of the Sector and emphasized the importance of ICESCO’s LTIPS, which pays special attention to youth and women playing their role in building the societies we want, stressing the need to respect the rules of the programme in such a way as to fully discharge their mission and contribute to the promotion of peace and its values.

In the conclusion, Ms. Mbaye announced that the Kingdom of Morocco will host the Peace Incubator for Youth, which will be established this year as part of the Programme.

For his part, Mr. Alioune Ndiaye, Programmes Manager at the Human and Social Sciences Sector, reviewed the axes of ICESCO’s “360° Peace Approach,” and shared information on LTIPS in its new version.

Afterward, the young candidates presented themselves and reaffirmed their commitment to actively participate in the programme to promote peace within their communities.