Category: Front Page

The Third International Forum of the Teachers of Arabic for Non-Arabic Speakers in Southeast Asia, which is being held by the Building the Future Foundation in Indonesia, in partnership with the Center of Arabic for Non-Arabic Speakers of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), in cooperation with MS Asia Foundation for Educational Services and Human Development in Malaysia, kicked off on Monday (March 13, 2023), in Bakassi, Indonesia, in the presence of more than 100 teachers and specialized researchers representing 16 Asian and African countries.

The opening session included addresses delivered by Sheikh Aslam Mohsen Abdeen, Director of the Association of Indonesian Islamic Da’wah and Educational Bodies, Director of the Building the Future Foundation; Dr. Mutawakil Abdul Latif Al-Fadni, Director of MS Asia Training Foundation in Kuala Lumpur; and Dr. Yasser Muhammad Ali, Ambassador of the Republic of Sudan in Indonesia.

Dr. Majdi Haj Ibrahim, Head of Arabic Language Center for Non-Native Speakers, represents ICESCO in the four-day forum. In his speech, he reviewed ICESCO’s efforts and experiences in supporting national projects and international initiatives in the field of serving the Arabic language and its dissemination in Member and non-Member States, including the project to establish specialized national educational centers and poles, and the project to launch “Mishkat Al-Arabiya” platform for training in the field of Arabic for non-Arabic speakers.

The forum includes a range of programs and activities, including training sessions on the skills of teaching Arabic to non-Arabic speakers, panel discussions for curricula experts to discuss the challenges of designing curricula for teaching Arabic, and a symposium on the major efforts and successful experiences of institutions and individuals in teaching Arabic to non-Arabic speakers in Southeast Asia.

Today, Saturday, March 11, 2023, Dr. Salim M AlMalik, Director-General (DG) of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), visited the Grand Egyptian Museum in Giza, which is to be Inaugurated as the largest museum in the world for one single civilization.

Major General Atef Moftah, General Supervisor of the project of the Grand Egyptian Museum and the surrounding area, received ICESCO DG and explained the latest work developments in the museum and the surrounding area, noting that the project, which will be the largest covered open-air museum in the world for humanity, is built on a total land area of ​​more than half a million square meters and a total construction area exceeding 300 thousand square meters.

Following the tour of the Museum Project, ICESCO DG commended the great work in this huge project appropriate for the Egyptian civilization and its treasures of knowledge and invaluable human antiquities, which embodies human civilization over the centuries.

He pointed out that ICESCO cooperates with its Member States, as part of its vision and strategic orientations, to valorize and safeguard heritage that reflects the identity and culture of these countries, stressing that building the future requires us to understand our past and our civilization and be proud of the achievements of our ancestors.

The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) participated in the panel discussion on bridging the gap between science and society, which was held on the second day of the “Future of Education, Culture and Science Organizations” Conference. Themed “Together Towards Change in the 21st Century,” the event is organized by the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization (ALECSO) and the Saudi National Commission for Education, Culture and Science, with the participation of UNESCO and ICESCO, in Riyadh.

In his intervention during the session of March 9, 2023, Dr. Mohamed Zinelabidine, Head of ICESCO’s Culture and Communication Sector, gave a presentation that addressed three main axes. The first shed light on cultural policies in Member States and reviewed the reasons that could be preventing some countries from considering culture as a strategic sector of comprehensive and sustainable development, noting that ICESCO endeavors to devise effective solutions to this challenge.

The second axis explored ICESCO’s approach to setting culture as a stand-alone sustainable development goal (SDG) given its importance in shaping international economic, social, creative and digital policies. The third presented the Organization’s proposals for reinforcing the cultural dimension of development in comprehensive and sustainable national policies through scientific research and capacity-building programs in several Member States.

The ICESCO official concluded his intervention by reviewing different initiatives implemented by the Organization in this regard, notably the elaboration of statistical and quantitative studies on cultural indicators in the Member States and the development of a methodology for defining the domestic cultural product, as well as the mainstreaming of cultural rights and empowerment of countries where access to culture is constrained through education and training in arts, crafts, heritage and innovation.

Dr. Abdelilah Benarafa, Deputy Director-General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), received a delegation from the Spanish Foundation “Las Fuentes” and its affiliated European Islamic Heritage Institute (IPIE), led by Ms. Isabel Romero Arias, President of the Foundation, and discussed the prospects for cooperation between ICESCO and the Foundation in the promotion of modern technology, scientific research and halal industries, as well as the celebration of one of the Spanish cities with Islamic history, within the framework of ICESCO’s Culture Capitals in the Islamic World Programme.

During the meeting, held on Wednesday, March 8, 2023, at ICESCO’s Headquarters, in Rabat, advisors, programme managers and experts from Science and Technology Sector, Culture and Communication Sector and the FUIW reviewed ICESCO’s efforts for promoting the exchange of knowledge and expertise within and outside the Islamic world through the consolidation of the values of coexistence and civilizational dialogue among its different communities and the implementation of a series of initiatives, programmes and projects, including ICESCO’s Culture Capitals in the Islamic World Programme, which aims at building bridges of rapprochement and communication between cultures, and the Programme for the Promotion of Smart, Resilient and Sustainable Cities.

For their part, the Foundation’s delegation stressed the importance of establishing fruitful cooperation and international partnerships to contribute to the achievement of sustainable development and the qualification of youth and women in education, science and culture.

The Belgian capital Brussels hosted “The Sacred between Moral Values and Freedom of Expression in Europe” Forum, which was co-organized by the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) and the European Development and Research Academy (EDARA) on March 8, 2023. The forum was attended by the Belgian Minister of Welfare and a representative of the European Commission and saw the participation of various European parliamentary groups, a host of researchers in think tanks, and leaders of civil society organizations, as well as several educational experts and leaders of religious groups in Europe.

The forum was an opportunity to discuss means for addressing hostility against religious beliefs in Europe, particularly after the Quran burning incidents.

In his opening remarks, Ambassador Khalid Fathalrahman, Head of ICESCO’s Center for Civilizational Dialogue, explained that peace and fraternity are deeply enshrined in the Holy Quran which people must thoroughly understand before developing any attitudes towards it. He also reviewed ICESCO’s endeavors to promote civilizational dialogue, harmonious coexistence and peace in light of its vision and strategic orientations.

For his part, Dr. Brahim Laytouss, EDARA Director, discussed the motives behind the violation of the sacred in Europe and the means for the effective prevention thereof.

Mr. Mohamed Hedi Shili, Director of ICESCO’s Legal Affairs and International Standards Department, presented a paper reviewing the range of protections that sacred objects and sites receive under international law, emphasizing that the European legislation places limits on freedom of expression so as not to infringe on other rights.

At the close of the forum, a statement was released highlighting the importance of promoting interfaith dialogue, safeguarding religious beliefs, and countering any threats to social peace. A signing ceremony was also held for a partnership agreement between ICESCO and EDARA aimed at fostering civilizational dialogue.

The Culture and Communication Sector of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) held, in cooperation with the Comorian National Commission for Education, Science and Culture, a training session on new technologies in the field of theatre arts to support and promote Arab performing arts in the Comoros.

The session, which was held in Moroni, was supervised by Dr. Wahida Dridi, ICESCO’s external expert in performing arts, and was attended by Mr. Ali Sayed Ahmed, Secretary General of the National Commission, and Mrs. Wahida Hassan, Director General of the Ministry of Culture of Comoros.

During this session, a group of young people was trained in performing techniques through exercises of posture, pronunciation, breathing, elocution and highlighting psychological states such as sadness, joy, anger and indifference on stage.

The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) participates in the National Gathering of Women’s Clubs and Vocational Training Centers, organized by the Ministry of Youth, Culture and Communication in the Kingdom of Morocco, as part of celebrating International Women’s Day, with the participation of Mr. Mohammed Mehdi Bensaid, Minister of Youth, Culture and Communication, and representatives of several international organizations based in Morocco.

ICESCO was represented in this two-day gathering, which is inaugurated today Wednesday (8 March 2023), at the Moulay Rachid Complex in Bouznika, Morocco, by Mrs. Ramata Almamy Mbaye, head of the Human and Social Sciences Sector, who commended the great importance the Kingdom of Morocco attaches to supporting and empowering girls and women. She also appreciated the Kingdom’s experience in developing women’s leadership capacities.

She pointed out that ICESCO’s vision gives an important place to women, as an essential element in building the societies we want, and reviewed the most prominent initiatives and programs launched by the Organization to advance the status of women, and train them in entrepreneurship, future professions, and cultural industries.

ICESCO’s representative reaffirmed the Organization’s keenness to support its Member States in all initiatives aimed at empowering women and girls, aimed at building more equal and prosperous societies where security and peace prevail.

Dr. Abdelilah Benarafa, Deputy Director-General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), accompanied by Mr. Najib Ghiati, Cultural Adviser to the ICESCO Director-General, participated in the award ceremony of the 42nd Hassan II Manuscripts Prize, organized by the Moroccan Ministry of Youth, Culture and Communication, to introduce and promote the national cultural heritage of manuscripts.

Mr. Mohammed Mehdi Bensaid, Minister of Youth, Culture and Communication, presided over the award ceremony, held on Tuesday (March 7, 2023), in Rabat, in the presence of Dr. Ahmed Chaouki Binebine, Chairman of the Award Committee, Director of Khizana al-Hasaniyya at the Royal Palace, and Dr. Ahmed Abbadi, Secretary-General of the Mohammadia League of Scholars, Mr. Abdelkarim Bennani, President of Ribat al-Fath Association for Sustainable Development, Dr. Mohamed Salem Cherkaoui, Director of Bayt Mal Al-Quds Agency, Dr. Mohamed Al Farran, Director of the National Library of the Kingdom of Morocco, and other personalities representing several bodies and institutions.

The Prize aims to contribute to the collection of Moroccan manuscript heritage through its digitization and provide the National Library of the Kingdom of Morocco and the Archives of Morocco with copies thereof.

The 7th International Forum for Intangible Heritage in the Islamic World – Dr. Ahmed Morsi’s edition, themed: “Intangible Cultural Heritage in the Islamic World: Shared and Diverse,” kicked off on Wednesday, 8 March 2023, in Cairo. The forum is organized by the Supreme Council of Culture of the Egyptian Ministry of Culture, in partnership with the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) as part of the closing activities of Cairo’s celebration as Culture Capital in the Islamic World.

Dr. Osama El Nahas, Heritage Program Specialist at ICESCO’s Culture and Communication Sector, represented the Organization at the event. The opening ceremony saw the attendance of Dr. Hisham Azmi, Secretary-General of the Supreme Council, and Dr. Nahla Imam, Advisor to the Minister of Culture for Intangible Cultural Heritage Affairs, Rapporteur to the forum’s Scientific Committee.

In his address, Dr. El Nahas reviewed ICESCO’s efforts to assist Member States in preserving intangible heritage as an engine for sustainable development, noting that the Organization has dedicated a division to intangible heritage within its Islamic World Heritage Center and has designed a special form for the inscription thereof on ICESCO’s heritage lists.

He added that ICESCO held the first regional meeting on the inscription of African traditional games on the lists of intangible heritage in Nouakchott at the end of February 2023 to prepare the first joint intangible heritage file which includes (25) countries, namely Egypt, noting that the file will pave the way to future joint intangible heritage files.

The two-day forum, which takes place at the Supreme Council’s headquarters in Cairo, will bring together over eighty (80) researchers from thirteen (13) countries to discuss a range of issues related to intangible heritage, its digitization and the role of organizations in its preservation.

The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) participated in AllAfrica Women Agenda (AWA) Forum, organized by the “AllAfrica Global Media” group, under the theme “Food Sovereignty: Feeding Africa by Women,” as part of celebrating International Women’s Day, to deepen discussion about women’s contribution to improving living conditions in African societies.

Ms. Ramata Almamy Mbaye, Head of the Human and Social Sciences Sector, represented ICESCO in the two-day Forum, which started on Tuesday, March 7, 2023, in the Moroccan capital, Rabat. In her speech during the opening session, she stressed the need to achieve food security in the African continent, noting that the second goal of the Sustainable Development Goals, which is to achieve zero hunger, remains severely threatened, according to the World Food Program’s 2021 report.

ICESCO’s representative highlighted that the Organization is working, through programmes and initiatives in its Member States, to rehabilitate women and girls and train them for leadership. She also called for the need to give priority to the use of innovative and smart technologies to preserve the ecosystem and biodiversity, meet the population’s needs for agricultural products and achieve food security.

She concluded her address by emphasizing the importance of establishing research and institutional networks in the field of agriculture and developing local African knowledge to achieve food security, with a focus on involving women in the fields of science and environmental protection.