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The International Scientific Conference on Modern Challenges in Theoretical and Experimental Chemistry, which was held by the Islamic World Education, Science and Culture Organization (ICESCO), in partnership with Baku State University in the Republic of Azerbaijan, concluded its proceedings on Friday, September 30, 2022. The event aimed at promoting scientific research in theoretical and experimental chemistry, encouraging young researchers to pursue a career in the field, and celebrating the contributions of the Azerbaijani scientist Rafiga Aliyeva to the fields of chemistry and the environment.

The two-day Conference witnessed the participation of high-caliber personalities, notably ministers, officials, scientists and specialists in science and technology. During the sessions, the participants discussed the contributions of the scientist Rafiga Aliyeva to chemistry and exchanged thoughts on some modern applied research in the fields of analytical and environmental chemistry, environmental protection and chemistry teaching methodology.

In his address, Dr. Muhammad Sharif, Advisor at ICESCO’s Science and Technology Sector, reviewed the Organization’s efforts in promoting scientific research, modern technology and artificial intelligence, and developing entrepreneurship in Member States through various initiatives, programmes and activities, namely ICESCO’s programme for training youth in creating and developing small-scale projects in the fields of technology and innovation.

On behalf of Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), Dr. Abdelilah Benarafa, Deputy Director-General, gave an address at UNESCO World Conference on Cultural Policies and Sustainable Development (MONDIACULT, 2022), held in Mexico City, on 28-30 September 2022, wherein he reaffirmed that the Organization strives to contribute to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals relevant to cultural heritage by encouraging the cultural and creative industries, and the digital cultural economy, and building a virtual and interactive labor market that is largely interconnected with a high added value.

During this Conference, which witnessed the participation of several ministers of cultural affairs, representatives of specialized international organizations and a group of distinguished cultural, literary and artistic figures, Dr. Benarafa indicated that ICESCO also endeavors to promote the “culture and development” agenda and highlight the links between culture and peoples’ aspirations to build and restore peace.

He also explained that ICESCO contributes to developing the concept of culture, in cooperation with authors and researchers through studies and research works aiming to further explore the renewed meanings of digital culture and cultural and creative industries in their relation to GDP, growth and performance indicators, gender issues and the status of artists and creators.

Moreover, Dr. Benarafa pointed out that ICESCO issued several documents in Arabic, French and English on cultural mediation and rights, the role of civil society in promoting dialogue and peace, and culture and the city, stressing that these documents resulted in the establishment of new institutions in many Member States.

In conclusion, he noted that ICESCO, in cooperation with many of its Member States, addresses many of the issues included in the agenda of MONDIACULT 2022, through its “International Think Tank: Culture for Rethinking the World” and “International Center of Holistic Policies for the Promotion of Cultural Reality,” adding that ICESCO aims to cooperate with UNESCO to enhance the status of culture and peace worldwide.

The Partnerships and International Cooperation Sector of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) and the American “Embrace Relief” Organization held a meeting to examine the prospects of cooperation in the fields of sustainable development, addressing social and health challenges, educational development and capacity building for women and children.

The Partnerships and International Cooperation Sector was represented in the meeting, which was held on Thursday, September 29, 2022, via videoconference, by Ms. Amira ElFadil, Head of the Sector, and her working team, while the “Embrace Relief” Organization was represented by Mr. Savas Metin, Head of Projects, and several members of his working team.

During the meeting, Ms. Amira ElFadil highlighted ICESCO’s new vision and strategic orientations, casting light on key programs and projects implemented by the Organization in its Member States. She also emphasized ICESCO’s eagerness to cooperate with the Organization to support its Member States in achieving Sustainable Development Goals, addressing social and health challenges, developing education, empowering women and children, and ensuring access to water supply and sanitation.

For his part, Mr. Metin made a presentation on his Organization’s areas of work and its programs on education, health care, water and sanitation, women’s rehabilitation, agriculture, refugees and displaced persons. He also indicated that Embrace Relief is active in 40 countries around the world, and has partnerships with the United Nations and the African Union bodies.

At the close of the meeting, both parties identified several areas of common interest and agreed to continue discussions and coordination to establish a fruitful partnership between the two organizations.

Dr. Mohamed Zinelabidine, Head of the Culture and Communication Sector of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), chaired the closing ministerial session of the World Conference on Cultural Policies and Sustainable Development (MONDIACULT 2022), organized by UNESCO with the participation of 115 ministers of culture and 70 international organizations and institutions representing the Member States. The session, held under the theme “Culture for Sustainable Development,” was attended by the respective Ministers of Culture of Egypt, the Czech Republic, Cyprus, Luxembourg, Indonesia, Sierra Leone and Namibia, as well as seven international organizations.

The statements of the participating ministers focused on ways to develop cultural policies in the Member States, notably indicators of cultural and creative industries whose annual revenues exceed 2.250 billion dollars, representing 13% of urban employment rates.

The participants stressed that culture is now a major economic locomotive for sustainable tourism, supported by 90% of the population of the world’s countries, due to the income it generates through art events, heritage industries and traditional skills.

While chairing the session, Dr. Zinelabidine commended the standing partnership between UNESCO and ICESCO, stating that both organizations are working to improve the indicators of the cultural and creative economy for integrated sustainable development. He also stressed that the creative industries are a vital sector that currently generates 29.5 million direct jobs for young people aged 15 to 29. He added that both organizations are working to render culture a lever of sustainable development for their respective Member States, including the allocation and support of the role of creative women.

Moreover, the head of the Culture and Communication Sector explained that the virtual creative industries have witnessed an increase of more than 34% in terms of demand for video subscriptions, which has led ICESCO to address cultural policy issues from a new perspective that takes into account the transformations caused by the “purple economy.” The latter is a fundamental alternative to the transforming economies, on par with the green economy, blue economy, digital economy, and solidarity and social economy. This significance stems from cultural development’s contributions to the unique construction of the concept of human wealth, both symbolically and financially, in the countries of the Islamic world.

Likewise, Dr. Zinelabidine stated that ICESCO’s recent establishment of the “Holistic Policy Center for the Promotion of Cultural Reality” and the “International Think Tank: Culture for Rethinking the World” attests to its steadfast commitment to addressing current cultural challenges, its interest in the transformations it is witnessing, and its determination to prioritize the aspect of creative development through contemporary qualitative and quantitative studies, research and scientific approaches.

As part of the celebration of Rabat as Culture Capital in the Islamic World for 2022, the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) is taking part in the second edition of the Dmana International Forum for Dhikr and Samaa, held under the slogan “The Spiritual Aesthetic Dimension and its Role in Serving the Unity of the Homeland and the Nation.” The event is organized by the Assafa Limadh Almustapha Association in Ouazzane, in partnership with the Ministry of Youth, Culture and Communication, the Province of Ouazzane, and the Agency for the Promotion and Development of the North.

Mr. Najib Riati, Cultural Advisor to ICESCO Director-General, represented the Organization during the three-day Forum, which kicked off on Thursday, September 29, 2022. In his address at the opening session, which took place at the Independence Square, he emphasized the importance of this spiritual and artistic Forum, and its role not only in promoting the civilizational and cultural wealth of the city but also in enriching cultural diversity, which represents one of the strategic objectives of the celebration of culture capitals in the Islamic world.

“Guided by its concern to document cultural heritage, ICESCO inscribed the technique and skill of the Ouazzani Djellaba on the Islamic World Heritage List,” added the ICESCO official.

Mr. Riati concluded his address with a poem entitled “The Crown of Praises” composed by Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, ICESCO Director-General, in praise of the city of Ouazzane and its ancient cultural and civilizational history.

The Social and Human Sciences Sector of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) held a meeting with the Projects Sector of the Islamic Cooperation Youth Forum, where they discussed cooperation developments between the two parties.

Mrs. Ramata Almami Mbaye, Head of Social and Human Sciences Sector, and her team represented ICESCO in this meeting, held via videoconference, on Friday (September 30, 2022), while the Islamic Cooperation Youth Forum was represented by Ms. Togba Sirin Sersi, Director of International Projects, along with experts from the Forum.

During the meeting, the Social and Human Sciences Sector stressed the importance the Organization attaches to building the capacities of youth and women, mental health issues, peacebuilding and the development of educational systems in the Islamic world, highlighting ICESCO’s major programmes and activities in these fields.

For her part, Ms. Togba Serene Searcy praised ICESCO’s support for the Forum and thanked ICESCO Director-General for the video message he delivered to the 1st World Youth Summit, organized in August 2022, which was largely appreciated by the participants.

The Islamic Cooperation Youth Forum reviewed its major activities and programmes and stressed its keenness to benefit from the expertise of ICESCO in the upcoming programmes, especially on culture, youth capacity-building and social cohesion.

At the close of the meeting, the two parties agreed to continue joint action to promote the status of youth in the Islamic world.

Dr. Abdelilah Benarafa, Deputy Director-General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), met with Mr. Georges Rebelo Pinto Chikoti, Secretary-General of the Organization of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS), Mr. Ibrahim Norbert Richard, Assistant Secretary-General, and their accompanying delegation, and together they discussed cooperation prospects between the two Organizations in areas of common interest, particularly in the cultural field.

At the outset of the meeting, which was held on Wednesday, September 28, 2022, in Mexico City on the sidelines of the UNESCO World Conference on Cultural Policies and Sustainable Development (MONDIACULT 2022) taking place in Mexico, in the presence of Dr. Mohamed Zinelabidine, Head of ICESCO’s Culture and Communication Sector, Dr. Benarafa reviewed ICESCO’s new vision and strategic orientations, and its key programmes and activities aimed at supporting the efforts of its Member States in advancing education, science and culture.

For his part, Mr. Georges Rebelo Pinto Chikoti, commended ICESCO’s pioneering role in developing culture in Member States, particularly through the preservation and valorization of cultural heritage, expressing his desire for OACPS to join ICESCO as an Observer State.
The OACPS consists of 78 Member States (48 countries from Sub-Saharan Africa, 16 from the Caribbean, and 15 from the Pacific Ocean).

On the sidelines of his participation in the UNESCO World Conference on Cultural Policies and Sustainable Development (MONDIACULT 2022) in Mexico, Dr. Abdelilah Benarafa, Deputy Director-General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), met with several officials in charge of cultural action participating in the Conference and availed himself of the opportunity to emphasize the Organization’s keenness to foster cooperation with all parties.

On the margins of the opening session, which was held on Wednesday, September 28, 2022, in Mexico City, Dr. Benarafa discussed with His Highness Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan Al Saud, Minister of Culture of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Chairman of the Saudi National Commission for Education, Science and Culture, who hailed the distinguished cooperation between ICESCO and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in the cultural field. For their part, ICESCO representatives stressed the Organization’s keenness to sustain this cooperation.

ICESCO Deputy DG also discussed with Ms. Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), regarding the cooperation between the two Organizations and the means to strengthen them to serve the Member States.

It is worth noting that the ICESCO delegation to MONDIACULT 2022 also comprises Dr. Mohamed Zinelabidine, Head of the Culture and Communication Sector.

The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) held a meeting with a committee of high-level officials from different ministries in the Gabonese Republic, to finalize joint programmes and initiatives aimed at fostering cooperation between ICESCO and Gabon.

The meeting, which was held on Monday, September 26, 2022, via videoconference, touched upon proposals for programmes and projects to be implemented jointly, particularly in the field of capacity-building for women, youth and vulnerable groups, civilizational dialogue, promoting peace, and encouraging scientific research through the establishment of ICESCO scientific chairs in Gabonese universities. Other cooperation avenues included ensuring quality education for all, preserving cultural heritage and valorizing local culture as a contribution toward achieving sustainable development goals and attaining the Organization’s strategic objectives.

The meeting brought together Ms. Ramata Almamy Mbaye, Head of ICESCO’s Social and Human Sciences Sector, Mr. Mohamed Hedi Shili, Head of the Legal Affairs and International Standards Department, Ms. Jihane El Assimi, from the Financial Affairs Department, Mr. Serge Kratha, Director of the Office of the Minister of Higher Education, Scientific Research, Technology Transfer and National Education in Gabon, and representatives of the Gabonese National Commission for Education, Science and Culture, the Ministry of Budget and Public Accounts, the Ministry of Sports, and the Ministry of Trade and Small and Medium Enterprises.