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The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) expresses its support for the Safe Schools Declaration, which was presented by the State of Qatar, on Friday (9 September 2022), during a high-level meeting at UNESCO headquarters, on the occasion of the celebration of the third anniversary of the International Day to Protect Education from Attack, and calls upon its Member States to support this declaration and comply with the provisions of international law and treaties as well as the international humanitarian law on the protection of educational facilities in conflict areas.

ICESCO also appreciates the call for the preservation of educational facilities, preventing their use for military purposes in conflict areas, monitoring violations, ensuring that those responsible are held accountable, training teachers and educational staff in schools on how to deal with emergencies and contribute to protecting students, and set action plans to develop exceptional educational programmes in conflict areas.

As it expresses its support for this initiative, ICESCO reaffirms its consistency with its new vision and strategic orientations, which seek to guarantee the right to inclusive and equitable education for all, through cooperation with its Member States to develop educational systems and curricula, and benefit from the capabilities offered by modern technology in this regard. Through ambitious programmes and projects in the areas of illiteracy eradication, lifelong learning, confronting school dropouts, reducing educational losses, and developing students’ skills to keep pace with the global technological developments and the requirements of tomorrow’s professions.

The Science and Technology Sector of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) held a meeting with the institute of New Space Innovation and the SAFA Incubator, about ICESCO Programme to train young people on how to create and develop small projects in the field of technology and innovation in the Republic of Uzbekistan. The launch of this Programme will be completed in 10 Member States of the Organization by the end of 2022 as part of ICESCO’s strategy and action plan, which aims at supporting more than 150 start-ups in the field of innovation and technology in its Member States by 2025.

During the meeting, which was held on Friday, September 9, 2022, via videoconference, the participants explored several arrangements for the final round of the competition at the national level, mainly the criteria for selecting the jury and winners to assess the appropriateness of the presented projects to the needs of the Republic of Uzbekistan in the fields of economy, technology and entrepreneurship. The parties agreed that the final round of this Programme will be held on October 2, 2022.

This Programme was launched in the Republic of Azerbaijan, the Republic of Kyrgyzstan and the Republic of Kazakhstan. A special jury will select the three applying best teams from each country to participate in the final stage, which will be held at ICESCO Headquarters in Rabat, to present their pioneering project ideas to donor institutions and investors for the necessary funding for their implementation.

The Culture and Communication Sector of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) participated in the first regional Conference on Cultural Property Protection, which was held by the Jordanian Department of Antiquities and the American Research Center in Egypt, under the theme: “Site Management: Strategies and Practices,” under the patronage of HRH Princess Dana Firas, President of the Petra National Trust and President of the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS-Jordan).

The conference, which concluded its activities on Thursday, September 8, 2022, explored several issues related to cultural property protection, regional approaches to managing archaeological sites, and their ability to cope with crises, as well as expanding professional networks and regional cooperation to address the challenges facing cultural property.

Mr. Hmeidi Al-Fayez, Minister of Tourism and Antiquities of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, and several representatives of governments, NGOs, academics and officials from the Arab region attend the Conference opening session. Mr. Bilal Chebbi, an Expert in the Culture and Communication Sector, represented ICESCO at the Conference and delivered an address on the role of the Organization and ICESCO’s Heritage Center in the Islamic World in cultural property protection.

The conference closed its activities by issuing several recommendations, which lay down the common principles and strategies, as well as successful practices to meet the needs and address the challenges mainly in the areas of digital documentation, site management and sustaining successful strategies.

On September 8 of each year, the world celebrates International Literacy Day, an occasion to cast light on the alarming downward trend of literacy rate in the world and its impact on achieving sustainable development. This year’s celebration is held under the theme, “Transforming Literacy Learning Spaces,” a theme the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) supports, calling for radical and concrete change in the field of literacy to support its infrastructure and enrich its content, forms, curricula and methods through an integrated lifelong learning approach.

ICESCO also reaffirms that the desired future literacy model does not only offer basic reading and writing skills but capitalizes on the rapid changes in information and communication technology, includes life skills and nurtures important thinking skills. The model also focuses on digital, professional and rights-based skills, along with lifelong learning competencies and a sense of creativity and citizenship.

Moreover, in a bid to achieve a concrete step forward, ICESCO stresses the dire need to fight against illiteracy, focus on vulnerable and poor groups, especially girls and women, mobilize sufficient financial resources and increase investment in this field. The Organization also highlights the importance of providing more free and open-source educational resources and exerting more efforts towards decentralization and good governance practices in literacy programs.

As an international organization active in the field of education, ICESCO launched the Girls and Women Literacy Award for the benefit of civil society bodies and NGOs. The Organization dedicated three prizes for leading initiatives based on its working languages (Arabic, English, and French).

Given that Africa suffers from growing numbers of illiterates, ICESCO supports the initiative of establishing the African Institute for Lifelong Learning. This establishment will be a regional hub for building the capacities of stakeholders, institutions, and regional organizations active in the field of lifelong learning. It will also offer opportunities for exchanging successful experiences, spreading knowledge, and sharing expertise in the field of adult education.

The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) participated in the International Conference “The Middle East: Christians and Violence,” held by the Danube Institute in Budapest, with the participation of several experts, academics, and researchers from Morocco, Jordan, Iraq, Syria, Hungary, England and the United States of America.

Ambassador Khaled Fathalrahman, Head of the Center for Civilizational Dialogue, represented ICESCO at the Conference, which concluded its activities on Wednesday, September 7, 2022. He delivered an address at the opening session in which he reviewed ICESCO’s vision regarding the phenomenon of violence stating that it is a cross-border universal phenomenon that has multiple causes according to countries and regions. He also stressed the importance of perceiving Islam as a religion of peace and tolerance, highlighting the necessity of civilizational awareness and acceptance of the other.

He also reviewed ICESCO’s continuous efforts to consolidate the pillars of moderation and rejection of extremism in its action fields through the implementation of several programmes and projects, mainly international conferences, publications, and partnerships.

The Education Sector of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) held a meeting with Korea Institute for Child Care and Education to discuss prospects for cooperation in the fields of early childhood education and care.
Dr. Barry Koumbou, Head of the Education Sector, and a team of experts from the sector represented ICESCO in this virtual meeting, held on Wednesday (September 7, 2022), while Korea Institute for Child Care and Education was represented by Dr. Sanji Park, President of the Institute, and his work team.

During the meeting, Dr. Koumbou reviewed ICESCO’s programmes and projects in the field of education, stressing the need to provide comprehensive care and quality education for children at an early age to enhance future job opportunities and improve health conditions, noting that ICESCO supports its Member States in developing initiatives on early childhood education and care.
For his part, Dr. Sanji Park welcomed fruitful cooperation and partnership with ICESCO to promote experience and knowledge sharing among countries of the Islamic world.

At the close of the meeting, the two parties agreed to coordinate the signing of an agreement between ICESCO and the Institute, based on the implementation of joint programmes and initiatives, including studies and conferences in the field of early childhood education.

The Science and Technology Sector of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) held a meeting with the Cameroon National Commission for UNESCO and ICESCO, to discuss ways and mechanisms for implementing a program designed to enhance water, sanitation and hygiene services in several rural schools, and develop a plan for the implementation of some relevant projects in the Republic of Cameroon as part of the program that targets 1,000 rural schools in a number of countries in the Islamic world.

During the meeting, which was held today, Wednesday (September 7, 2022) via videoconference technology, Dr. Muhammad Sharif, advisor at ICESCO Science and Technology Sector, highlighted the organization’s efforts to contribute to building future generations through many programs in the fields of education, technology, and the environment. Dr. Foued El-Ayni, an expert in the same Sector, also reviewed the objectives and the major thrusts of the program, such as providing safe drinking water in rural schools, and raising awareness of best practices to maintain the health of students and teachers by organizing training sessions.

On his part, Mr. Abdelaziz Yaoba, Secretary-General of the Cameroon National Commission for UNESCO and ICESCO, thanked ICESCO for its interest in improving the educational conditions of students in rural areas through developing facilities, promoting hygienic culture and behavior, and improving educational opportunities for girls.

At the end of the meeting, the two sides agreed to define the terms of the program to include 30 rural schools.