The Science and Technology Sector of the Organization of the Islamic World for Education, Science and Culture (ICESCO) participated in the launching ceremony of the initiative of planting one million trees, in commemoration of the 9th anniversary of the passing of the South African leader Nelson Mandela, which was organized by Nelson Mandela Foundation in Johannesburg, to raise awareness of his valuable contributions to the consolidation of the values of equality, coexistence and peace, and strengthen efforts to achieving environmental justice and combating the repercussions of climate change.
Dr. Muhammad Sharif, advisor at the Science and Technology Sector, represented ICESCO in this ceremony, held on Monday (December 5, 2022), where he highlighted the importance of international cooperation to build peaceful societies based on equal opportunities in benefiting from natural resources, reviewing the efforts of the organization in this regard through several initiatives and programmes, most notably ICESCO Programme for Training Youth in Leadership for Peace and Security and ICESCO Program for Improving Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Services in 1,000 Rural Schools in the Muslim countries.
Participants in the ceremony praised the initiative to plant one million trees, highlighting the need to encourage green initiatives that would contribute to preserving the environment and limiting the repercussions of climate change.
Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), met Dr. Fuad Hussein, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Iraq, at the Ministry’s headquarters, in Baghdad, on Sunday (December 4, 2022), following their participation in the 6th Forum of Ancient Civilizations, held in Baghdad, under the auspices of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
During this meeting, Dr. AlMalik appreciated the organization of this Forum in Iraq, which aims to enhance communication and experience sharing between different peoples and cultures, preserve world heritage, and pay attention to historical and cultural tourism given its importance in achieving sustainable development.
He also stressed that ICESCO, within the framework of its new vision and strategic orientations, adopts the approach of openness to all parties for establishing partnerships to serve its Member States and Muslim communities around the world, noting that ICESCO and Iraq have close and distinguished relations, which the Organization is keen to strengthen.
For his part, the Iraqi Foreign Affairs Minister commended ICESCO’s efforts and the proposals included in the Director General’s address before the Forum of Ancient Civilizations to confront illicit trafficking in cultural property and retrieve stolen ones, as well as his announcement of ICESCO’s intention to establish an academic chair in an Iraqi university in the field of ancient civilizations.
The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) held a workshop, on 1-3 December 2022, in Burkina Faso, on the challenges of preserving and protecting cultural heritage against terrorist threats, in cooperation with the Ministry of Communication, Culture, Arts and Tourism, the National Commission for UNESCO and ICESCO, and the General Administration of the National Museum of Burkina Faso.
The workshop aimed to enhance the capacities of 30 professionals in the field of preserving and protecting cultural heritage, identifying potential crises and threats to museums and cultural heritage, identifying means of protecting and preserving cultural heritage during armed conflicts and mastering various mechanisms for protecting cultural property.
During the opening of the workshop, Mr. Lombo Marius, on behalf of the Minister of Communication, Culture, Arts and Tourism, and Dr. Fatié Ouattara, Secretary-General of the National Commission for UNESCO and ICESCO, commended ICESCO’s initiatives aimed at strengthening efforts to curb illicit trafficking in cultural property and protect the cultural heritage of Muslim countries.
The workshop also cast light on the implementation of international agreements to protect cultural heritage during crises and armed conflicts and enabled professionals to exchange experiences in the field of protecting cultural property in times of insecurity.
The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) is participating in organizing the 4th Edition Arab Women Journalists Forum, which is being held by the Maghreb Arab Press Agency (MAP), in cooperation with the Federation of Arab News Agencies (FANA) and the UN Women, on December 5-6, 2022, in Rabat, in the presence of representatives of the organizing authorities and female journalists from most Arab countries.
During the opening session of the Forum, Mr. Sami El Kamhawy, Head of ICESCO Information and Institutional Communication Department, reaffirmed that ICESCO’s new vision and strategic orientations accord great priority to supporting women and building their capacities through a set of practical programmes and projects, noting that ICESCO proclaimed 2021 as the Year of Women, under the royal auspices of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may God assist him. 2021 saw the implementation of many activities in the Organization’s Member States.
ICESCO’s representative noted that the support of the Organization’s General Directorate for women was also translated into raising the percentage of women in leadership positions within ICESCO to reach 50% now, which is considered significant progress the Organization has made in achieving its goals.
In his speech, Mr. Rachid Tijani, Director of MAP’s Communication and Cooperation, stated that the Forum is being held in Rabat after three sessions hosted in Lebanon, Tunisia and Saudi Arabia, noting the importance of the Forum in discussing many issues, including the accessibility of Arab journalists to decision-making positions.
In her part, Ms. Leila Rhioui, representative of the UN Women in Morocco, reviewed the efforts of the international organization in combating violence against women. In his address to the Forum, Mr. Farid Ayar, FANA’s Secretary General, emphasized the Federation’s endeavor to support Arab women journalists.
After the opening session, the Forum sessions and workshops will discuss issues related to women’s work in journalism and media and ways to address challenges in achieving gender equality in this field.
ICESCO takes part in opening ceremony of 7th National Handicrafts Week in Marrakesh
The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) took part in the opening ceremony of the 7th National Handicrafts Festival in Marrakesh, which is organized by the Ministry of Tourism, Handicrafts, and Social and Solidarity Economy, under the high patronage of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may Allah preserve him. The Festival aims to promote the exchange of the best practices and experiences in the field of marketing handicrafts and traditional industries.
Mr. Najib Rhiati, Cultural Advisor to the Director-General, represented ICESCO in this event, which kicked off today, Monday, December 5, 2022. ICESCO’s participation reflects its interests and strategic orientations to safeguard handicrafts and traditional industries through several programs geared towards building young capacities and training them on mechanisms to handle endangered crafts. The participation also highlights ICESCO’s endeavors to pool efforts to promote income-generating projects, provide job opportunities, and foster the marketing of traditional products to contribute to the achievement of socio-economic development.
Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), called for renewing the historical and civilizational curricula in universities in line with scientific development and paying special attention to youth initiatives to help young people express the visions of future generation regarding their ancient civilizations and benefit from the developments in artificial intelligence to discover the treasures of those civilizations.
This statement was part of Dr. AlMalik’s address, delivered on Sunday (December 4, 2022), at the opening of the 6th Forum of Ancient Civilizations, held in Baghdad, under the auspices of the Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Forum brought together the representatives of Iraq, Egypt, Greece, China, Iran, Italy, Peru, Bolivia and Mexico, and witnessed the participation of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Iraq, Fuad Hussein, and the representatives of Arab and foreign international and diplomatic missions, most notably Mr. Miguel Ángel Moratinos, High Representative for the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC).
Dr. Al-Malik appreciated the organization of this Forum in Iraq while the world is going through conditions that threaten human civilizations and the survival of mankind, noting that Allah Almighty has honored mankind and brought him to Earth as he is the only creature qualified to preserve civilizational values, mainly ‘coexistence,’ which connects cultures, spreads the spirit of dialogue and prevents civilizational clashes.
He also pointed out that the world is awakening through concepts that enhance people’s understanding and solidarity to face the calls for hatred and racism, and the escalation of war economies, which are based on the high production and sale of weapons that interrupt human development, considering that such threats include crimes of theft and illicit trafficking of cultural property as well as the narrow interests policies that threaten the treasures of humanity through the depletion of natural resources.
ICESCO Director-General reaffirmed that the Organization is aware of the need to mobilize efforts to preserve the most valuable properties of humanity, explaining that ICESCO established the Center for Civilizational Dialogue to keep pace with the relevant aspirations and held a virtual conference that brought together the ministers of culture, tourism and antiquities, and discussed the most effective ways to reduce the risk of illicit trafficking in cultural property. “ICESCO also held an International Conference on the Civilizational Values in the Prophet’s Seerah, which saw the participation of world leaders, and concluded with the approval of the “Day of Mercy” as an international day. Besides, ICESCO signed an agreement with the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities during COP27 to support the use of clean energy in heritage sites, and established the fund for the preservation of heritage sites from climate change, calling on the international community to join its race of civilizational creativity,” added Dr. AlMalik.
Moreover, he declared ICESCO’s intention to establish a special academic chair in an Iraqi university to stimulate studies and research on ancient civilizations and meet the Organization’s plan for the inscription of heritage sites.
ICESCO Director-General concluded his address with poetic verses on Baghdad, the city of civilization and history.
Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General (DG) of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), and Dr. Ahmed Fakak, Minister of Culture, Tourism and Antiquities of the Republic of Iraq, explored means for enhancing cooperation between the Organization and the Ministry in the fields of culture and heritage preservation.
During the meeting, which was held on Sunday, December 4, 2022, at the Ministry’s headquarters in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, Dr. AlMalik emphasized that ICESCO attaches particular importance to preserving, protecting and valorizing the Islamic world’s heritage, explaining that the Organization is working on inscribing historical sites and cultural elements on its Islamic World Heritage Lists. He added that ICESCO holds a range of sessions and workshops aimed at training heritage professionals in its Member States on preserving and protecting cultural heritage and preparing nomination files for the inscription of cultural elements on heritage lists, noting that the two parties can cooperate to hold such events in the Republic of Iraq.
ICESCO DG lauded Iraq’s rich heritage which bears witness to the country’s ancient history, highlighting that this cultural wealth must be safeguarded and that the illicitly trafficked antiquities must be recovered.
The meeting touched upon proposals for programmes and projects that represent potential avenues of cooperation between ICESCO and Iraq, as well as a proposal to celebrate the city of Baghdad as the culture capital of the Islamic World in the years ahead.
For his part, the Iraqi Minister praised ICESCO’s distinguished roles in its areas of competence, stressing the Ministry’s keenness to foster cooperation with the Organization in its commendable programmes and projects.
Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), held a meeting at the headquarters of the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Iraq in Baghdad, with Dr. Falah Mahmood Al-Qaissi, Deputy Minister, with the presence of Dr. Alaa Abed Oudha Al-Wayly, Secretary-General of the Iraqi National Commission for Education, Science and Culture.
During the meeting, held on Sunday, December 4, 2022, the two parties reaffirmed their keenness to promote cooperation in the Organization’s areas of competence, within the framework of ICESCO’s new vision and action strategy, which adopts establishing communication with the Member States to take stock of their priorities and needs to design suitable programs and projects.
The meeting also discussed the activities of the Director-General’s official visit to Iraq, which include reviewing proposals for future cooperation between ICESCO and Iraq, especially about building young people’s capacities and increasing the participation of the Iraqi youth in ICESCO’s activities, contests and programs.
For his part, Dr. Al-Qaissi expressed his thanks to ICESCO and its Director-General, commending the Organization’s keenness to implement practical and innovative initiatives, programs and projects to support its Member States’ efforts to develop their education system, promote scientific research and innovation and safeguard heritage.
Dr. Anas Al-Nuaimi, Expert at the Center of Arabic for Non-Arabic Speakers, also attended the meeting.
His Excellency the President of the Republic of Iraq, Dr. Abdul Latif Jamal Rashid, received Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), on December 4, 2022, at the Presidential Palace in the capital, Baghdad, as part of ICESCO’s Director-General official visit to Iraq.
Dr. AlMalik started the meeting by expressing his gratitude and appreciation to His Excellency the Iraqi President and the government and people of Iraq for their warm hospitality and invitation to attend the 6th edition of the Ancient Civilizations Forum, hosted by Baghdad under the auspices of the Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs, stressing ICESCO’s eagerness to develop distinguished relations with Iraq in fields of education, science and culture.
He reviewed the main components of ICESCO’s new vision and strategic orientations, as well as the priority the Organization accords, in its ambitious programmes and projects, to build the capacities of youth and women and training them in leadership for peace and security, consolidating the values of coexistence and civilizational dialogue, supporting and training youth in the fields of technology, innovation and artificial intelligence, encouraging Member States to invest in Space science, valorizing and preserving the heritage of the countries of the Islamic world and inscribing historical sites and cultural elements on ICESCO’s Tangible and Intangible Heritage Lists.
ICESCO’s Director-General briefed the President of the Republic of Iraq on the most recent publications of the organization, and the key programmes and projects that it is currently implementing for the benefit of its Member States including Iraq.
For his part, the President of the Republic of Iraq appreciated ICESCO’s efforts, stressing his keenness to sustain cooperation between the Iraqi competent authorities and the Organization in its fields of competence, especially in training Iraqi officials. The Iraqi president requested to have copies of all ICESCO’s publications.
At the close of the meeting, ICESCO Director-General presented the Organization’s shield to His Excellency the President of the Republic of Iraq.
The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) won the Ibn Khaldun Award for Excellence in Global Social Transformation for 2022 from the International Islamic University in Malaysia (IIUM), in a grand ceremony held on December 3, 2022, at the University’s campus in the capital Kuala Lumpur, under the patronage and in the presence of Her Majesty Tunku Hajah Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah, Queen of Malaysia.
ICESCO received this prestigious Award, given to non-profit organizations working in the service of human societies, in recognition of its contributions to the educational, scientific and cultural development of societies in the Islamic world, as well as its role in consolidating the values of coexistence, peace and civilizational dialogue.
Mrs. Amira El-Fadil, Head of ICESCO’s Partnerships and International Cooperation Sector, received the Award from Her Majesty the Queen of Malaysia on behalf of Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General of ICESCO. The Organization’s delegation also included Dr. Majdi Haji Ibrahim, Head of ICESCO Center of Arabic for Non-Arabic Speakers.
In her speech at the Award ceremony, Mrs. El-Fadil expressed the Organization’s pride in winning this Award, noting that ICESCO has always implemented several programmes and activities for the benefit of Muslim communities around the world. She also commended ICESCO’s close relationship with Malaysia in general, and with the IIUM in particular for their joint cooperation in various educational activities.
ICESCO has won several prestigious awards during 2022, the most recent of which was the King Salman International Complex Arabic Language Award for Institutions for the same year, in the category of language awareness and creating language community initiatives, at a grand ceremony held in November in Riyadh.
