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Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General (DG) of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), met with Dr. Mohamed Mokhtar Gomaa, Minister of Awqaf of the Arab Republic of Egypt, and together they explored prospects for cooperation between ICESCO and the Ministry in areas of common interest.

During the meeting, held on Thursday, September 1, 2022, at the Ministry headquarters in Cairo, Dr. AlMalik highlighted the key elements in ICESCO’s vision and the programs and activities the Organization implements in its areas of competence. The Director-General stated that ICESCO focuses on encouraging the Member States to capitalize on the great potential of modern technology to develop their systems of education, scientific research and culture, noting that the Organization also accords great attention to promoting the presence of the Arabic language and supporting the efforts to increase the Arabic digital content on the internet.

Moreover, Dr. AlMalik stated that ICESCO is implementing several programs that aim at incorporating the values of peace and tolerance in educational curricula to reflect the true image of the culture and civilization of the Islamic world and encourage the youth to uphold dialogue and accept differences to enrich human civilization.

The Director-General also invited the Egyptian Minister to visit ICESCO Headquarters and give a lecture during the Exhibition and Museum of the Prophet’s Biography and Islamic Civilization, which will open on September 8.

For his part, Dr. Gomaa congratulated Dr. AlMalik on the signing of the MoU with the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research and the Saleh A. Kamel Humanitarian Foundation (SAKHF) on the Professional International Certification in Teaching in Egypt. He also reviewed the expertise of the Ministry in training preachers, stressing the importance of selecting trainees who must have a real desire to develop their skills and build their capacities.

The Minister also highlighted the expertise of the Ministry and its activities in promoting scientific research, and publishing, stating that Egyptian Waqfs generate large revenues that are then used in many social and humanitarian initiatives.
The two parties agreed to build cooperation between the two institutions, especially on preserving identity, increasing Arabic content online and publishing a number of the Ministry’s publications on ICESCO’s Digital Home.

At the close of the meeting, the DG presented the Minister with an ICESCO Shield, while Dr. Gomaa presented the Director-General and the ICESCO library with some of the Ministry’s publications.

AlMalik Calls for Supporting Young People to Create Digital Content to Enhance Status of Arabic in Cyberspace

Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General (DG) of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), stressed the importance of producing purposeful digital Arabic content, which raises awareness and stimulates moderation and openness given their significant impact on a large number of young people, pointing out to the need to encourage them to create digital content that enhances the status of Arabic in the cyberspace and disseminate Arab culture to save it from extinction.

This statement was part of the address that Dr. AlMalik gave at the closing ceremony of the three-day Attaa Digital Hackathon in the Arab Republic of Egypt, on Wednesday evening (August 31, 2022), held in partnership between ICESCO, the Saudi Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, the Egyptian Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, and the Information Technology Industry Development Agency (ITIDA) and RiseUp Summit. Thousands of content makers competed to win one of the Hackathon’s three prizes.

Dr. AlMalik also highlighted the key role of young influencers in shaping media and socio-economic trends, which necessitates paying further attention to the purposeful digital content, explaining that holding this Hackathon in Egypt is a milestone to enrich the Arabic digital content with various cultures, sciences and arts.

“It is necessary to promote and enhance the status of Arabic online given its rich vocabulary. In this regard, ICESCO seeks to achieve this objective through its new modernization approach and vision to increase the outreach of Arabic,” he added.

ICESCO DG concluded his address by thanking the government of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and the Saudi Crown Prince, which strives to give new impetus to the digital Arabic content through activities such as Atta Digital Initiative based on the ambitious 2030 Vision.

In the award ceremony, the prize money amounting to 100,000 Egyptian pounds was shared among the three best teams. The hackathon organizers then exchanged memorial shields.

Atta Digital Hackathon in Egypt aimed to spread the culture of creativity, innovation and teamwork to enhance Arabic educational technical content by motivating Egyptian young people to share their ideas and compete to provide relevant solutions and proposals. Such an objective is in line with the strategy of ICESCO, which seeks to promote the use of modern technologies for the development of education, science and culture.

Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General (DG) of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), met with His Eminence Dr. Ahmed At-Tayeb, Grand Imam of al-Azhar al-Sharif, and together they explored the prospects of cooperation between ICESCO and Al-Azhar in areas of common interest.

During the meeting, held on Wednesday, August 31, 2022, at the headquarters of Mashiakhet Al Azhar in Cairo, the two parties reaffirmed their keenness to build a fruitful partnership between the two institutions and sign a cooperation agreement on the implementation of joint programs and projects, especially with regard to promoting the international presence of the Arabic language and preserving and publicizing the Islamic identity culture and civilization to address its growing challenges.

The two parties also discussed the major challenges facing the youth in the Islamic world and the need to join efforts to support them and build their capacities to keep up with the jobs of the future.

Moreover, the two officials discussed cooperation between ICESCO and Al-Azhar to provide several scholarships for the students of the Islamic world to study at Al-Azhar, especially in scientific specialties. Likewise, the two parties reviewed prospects of cooperation in enriching the Arabic online digital content, as part of the Attaa Digital Initiative, launched in partnership between the Organization and the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

At the close of the meeting, the Director-General invited the Grand Imam to visit the Headquarters of ICESCO and give a lecture during his first visit to the Kingdom of Morocco. His Eminence Dr. At-Tayyib thanked the Director-General for the invitation and promised to visit in the future.

Dr. AlMalik then presented the Grand Imam with an ICESCO Shield, while Dr. At-Tayyib presented Dr. AlMalik with a copy of Mukhtarat min Dhakirat Al-Azhar Al-Sharif.

Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General (DG) of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), and Dr. Amr Talaat, Minister of Communications and Information Technology of the Arab Republic of Egypt, explored ways to develop cooperation between ICESCO and the Ministry in the field of promoting Arabic digital content and supporting youth in innovation and entrepreneurship with modern technology.

During the meeting, which was held on Tuesday, August 30, 2022, at the headquarters of the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology in the Smart Village, 6th October City, Dr. AlMalik reviewed the key part of ICESCO’s strategic orientations and its new vision, which encourages the countries of the Islamic world to invest in modern technology and artificial intelligence to develop the fields of education, science and culture, noting that ICESCO implements several pioneering programmes and projects in this field.

He pointed out that the Organization has witnessed a process of modernization and development in its various sectors and departments and it has become dependent on digitization and technology, and that ICESCO adopts an open-door policy to all, and cooperates with international organizations and bodies, civil society institutions and universities, to contribute to the development of the fields of education, science and culture. It has also signed several agreements with major institutions in the fields of artificial intelligence and space science.

Dr. AlMalik added that ICESCO accords high priority to supporting youth and building their capacities, especially in the fields of technology and innovation, and it holds training sessions for their benefit to acquire the skills for future professions.

He noted that ICESCO is ready to cooperate with the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology in several programs, after the success of the cooperation in the Digital Hackathon initiative in Egypt, which provided an opportunity for digital content makers to create Arab educational content in the field of technology through holding workshops and training sessions.

For his part, Dr. Amr Talaat commended ICESCO’s role in its fields of competence and its modern and upgraded vision, noting that the ministry is working to include technology in the field of heritage and its desire to digitize it.

He expressed his eagerness to cooperate with ICESCO in areas of common interest, especially sponsoring innovators, supporting entrepreneurs in the field of information technology and enhancing the presence of the Arabic language in digital content.

Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General (DG) of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), reaffirmed that young people are essential partners in development, calling for having confidence in their capabilities, responding to their aspirations at all levels, and promoting education and training to build a productive economy.

This statement was part of the video speech that Dr. AlMalik addressed to the 1st World Youth Summit, held on 27-30 August 2022, in Kazan, capital of the Russian Republic of Tatarstan, with the participation of His Excellency Rustam Mnikhanov, President of the Republic of Tatarstan, Chairman of the Strategic Vision Group ‘Russia – Islamic World’; and Mr. Taha Ayhan, President of the Islamic Cooperation Youth Forum, in addition to 300 participants from 67 countries.

In his address, Dr. AlMalik stressed that ICESCO is a youth Organization, which has increased the number of its young staff and launched the Young Professionals Programme for 2022 and the Leadership Training in Peace and Security Programme, as part of its new modernization vision.
“The Organization seeks to build capacities and improve the performance quality of research centers in the Islamic world through workshops for young people on measurement devices, reverse engineering, space technology and entrepreneurship in the field of technology and innovation,” stated ICESCO DG.

Dr. AlMalik stated that the Organization is implementing a number of programmes and activities to connect young people to artificial intelligence and publicize the professions of tomorrow to enshrine the concept of smart career choices among young people.
In conclusion, Dr. AlMalik pointed out that ICESCO pays special attention to university education through the establishment of new academic chairs on youth issues in some universities, in addition to the provision of scholarships for young people from the Islamic world.

During their participation in the Summit, Dr. Sidra Tariq Jamil, Expert at ICESCO Center for Civilization Dialogue, and Ms. Fahemida Faiza, Programmes Manager at ICESCO Human and Social Sciences Sector, gave presentations wherein they reviewed the key aspects of the Organization’s vision and action strategy in the field of youth rehabilitation and leadership skills, as well as the initiatives and programmes launched in this context.

The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research of the Arab Republic of Egypt, and Saleh Kamel Humanitarian Foundation signed a memorandum of understanding for the implementation of the International Professional Teaching Certificates Project for the benefit of 2000 male and female teachers in several Egyptian governorates.

The MoU was signed, at a major ceremony, in Cairo, on Tuesday (30 August 2022), by Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, ICESCO Director General (DG); Dr. Mohamed Ayman Ashour, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, President of the Egyptian National Commission for Education, Science and Culture; and Mr. Abdullah Saleh Kamel, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Saleh Kamel Humanitarian Foundation.

In his address during the signing ceremony, Dr. AlMalik reaffirmed that the project will provide teachers with the professional conditions to fulfill their tasks, pointing out that professional certificates aim at advancing training programmes and preserving the rights of teachers, who devote their lives to the honorable profession of teaching, facing various challenges to see their students at the summit of success.

Besides, he explained that this full-fledged project is based on a participatory vision, which consists of specialization, experience and capabilities, noting that ICESCO’s supervisory role in this project stems from the Organization’s interest in education as one of its top priorities.

In concluding his address, ICESCO DG expressed his thanks to King Saud University for supporting the project academically, the Egyptian Ministry of Higher Education for promoting the project locally, and Saleh Kamel Humanitarian Foundation for funding this ambitious project, hoping to see it replicated in the near future in many Muslim countries.

In his address, Dr. Muhammad Ayman Ashour welcomed the representatives of international organizations and university presidents, stressing that this project comes in the context of the unprecedented impact of the current global challenges in light of technological advancements and the radical change in education, which requires well-qualified staff to deal with these transformations.

He also expressed his pride in choosing the Arab Republic of Egypt to launch the project, which will be replicated in many Muslim countries, concluding his address by thanking Saleh Kamel Humanitarian Foundation, King Saud University and ICESCO.

For his part, Mr. Abdullah Saleh Kamel indicated that the funding provided for the project is in line with the Foundation’s vision and interest in sustainable endowment projects, and aims at maximizing the impact of educational outputs given the role of teachers as the cornerstone of the educational process. “We also seek to enhance the contribution of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to global humanitarian action, which is an integral part of the Kingdom’s ambitious 2030 Vision,” he added.

The MoU provides for the implementation of the project over a three-year period in Egypt while ensuring coordination with the competent parties in the Arab Republic of Egypt to prepare periodic progress reports, assess the performance of beneficiary teachers, and measure the impact of qualification in the educational field.

The Professional teaching Certificates Project aims to build a comprehensive system to develop teachers’ skills and provide them with the necessary competencies in their various specialties and fields to achieve the objectives of educational curricula. Among the key outputs of the project is to allow 100.000 teachers from the ICESCO Member States to obtain the International Teaching Certificates (PCT), within the framework of the Organization’s vision aimed at supporting the modernization of its educational process.

ICESCO and SAKHF Explore Prospects of Social and Humanitarian Cooperation

Cairo: 31/8/2022

Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General (DG) of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), met with Mr. Abdulah Saleh Kamel, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Saleh A. Kamel Humanitarian Foundation (SAKHF), and together they explored prospects of cooperation between ICESCO and the Foundation in the implementation of several projects on humanitarian aids and building the capacities of women and young people.

At the beginning of the meeting, held on Tuesday 30 August 2022, following the signing ceremony of an MoU on the implementation of the project of the Professional International Certification in Teaching in Egypt, Dr. AlMalik and Mr. Abdullah Saleh Kamel expressed their delight at the launch of this project, hoping that this project would be the start of greater cooperation between the two institutions.

In this connection, Dr. AlMalik reaffirmed that the Organization aims at developing innovative projects and programs that address the needs of the Member States in the humanitarian fields, especially for people with special needs, children, and building the capacities of women and young people. The Director-General also highlighted the outcomes of the Project of the Fight against COVID-19 through Supporting Innovation and Developing Entrepreneurial Capacities among Women and Young People, which was implemented in 10 African countries and succeeded in supporting large numbers of women and girls. The DG added that ICESCO also organized several medical, educational and scientific caravans to help fight school dropouts, stressing that ICESCO prioritizes the projects of teaching and spreading the Arabic language.

For his part, Mr. Kamel expressed the Foundation’s readiness to cooperate with ICESCO in areas of common interest in service of the Islamic world, noting that the Foundation has conducted a detailed study on the needs of some countries in order to implement a number of projects.

The Chairman then gave an overview of the Future Geniuses Initiative that the Foundation is implementing in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to support young people in the fields of technology.

At the close of the meeting, the two parties agreed to review future projects and programs, to be implemented in cooperation between ICESCO and SAKHF in the upcoming period.

Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General (DG) of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), and Dr. Mohamad Ayman Ashour, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research of the Arab Republic of Egypt, held a meeting to discuss the latest developments in cooperation between ICESCO and Egypt in the fields of education, science and culture.

At the outset of the meeting, held on Tuesday, August 30, 2022, at the headquarters of the Ministry of Higher Education in Cairo, Dr. AlMalik congratulated Dr. Ashour on assuming the position of Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, the presidency of the Egyptian National Commission for Education, Science and Culture and the presidency of the ICESCO’s General Conference till 2025, hoping he will succeed in all the tasks entrusted to him.

Both parties reviewed the key programmes and activities that are currently being implemented in Egypt, in partnership between ICESCO and the competent authorities, as well as the most important programmes to be launched, mainly the project for the international professional teaching certificates for the benefit of 2000 teachers in several Egyptian governorates, in association with Saleh Kamel Humanitarian Foundation. The Memorandum of Understanding of this Project will be signed in Cairo today.

During the meeting, the two parties agreed to cooperate in the implementation of three important initiatives, the first is related to organizing a meeting in Egypt between ICESCO’s Member States National Commissions for Education, Science and Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Foundation, to discuss developing beneficial cooperation between the countries of the Islamic world in the field of knowledge.

The second initiative is related to coordinating the launch of the Fund for Education and Supporting Talents in the Islamic World, which was proposed by His Excellency President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, during his opening of the 14th session of ICESCO’s General Conference, which was hosted by Egypt in December.

The third initiative is related to the implementation of President El-Sisi’s initiative to donate 100 scholarships to young people from the Islamic world in Egyptian universities, in coordination with ICESCO.

The meeting also touched upon cooperation in establishing several ICESCO scientific chairs in several Egyptian universities to support scientific research. The Egyptian Minister of Higher Education commended the development and modernization that ICESCO has witnessed since Dr. AlMalik assumed its general directorate.

At the close of the meeting, Dr. AlMalik and Dr. Ashour reiterated the continuation of the distinguished cooperation and partnership between ICESCO and Egypt, and the investment of this partnership to further enhance cooperation among the Islamic world in education, science and culture.

Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General (DG) of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), met Dr. Nevine Al-Kilani, Minister of Culture of the Arab Republic of Egypt, to explore and develop cooperation between ICESCO and Egypt in the field of culture.

At the outset of the meeting, held on Tuesday (August 30, 2022), at the Ministry headquarters in Cairo, Dr. AlMalik congratulated Dr. Nevine Al-Kilani for her new position as the Egyptian Minister of Culture, wishing her every success.

Afterward, Dr. AlMalik reviewed the salient programmes and activities of ICESCO in its areas of competence, highlighting the attention the Organization accords to cultural heritage, as part of its new vision and strategic orientations, to contribute to its promotion through the potential of relevant modern technologies.

The meeting, which saw the presence of the members of the ICESCO delegation and some officials from the Ministry, tackled the activities, which have been implemented so far, as part of the Celebration of Cairo as Culture Capital in the Islamic World for 2022. The two parties agreed to continue these activities and ensure coordination to organize a major closing ceremony of the celebration, in March 2023.

For her part, Dr. Al-Kilani commended the roles of ICESCO, stressing the Ministry’s willingness to continue the outstanding cooperation and partnership with the Organization.

At the close of the meeting, ICESCO DG presented the Minister with the ICESCO shield while the latter presented ICESCO DG with the shield of the Ministry of Culture.