The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) participated in the Transforming Education Summit (TES+4), organized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) at its headquarters in Paris, on Friday, 10 July 2026. The Summit, themed “System Transformation and Resilience for SDG 4,” brought together a distinguished group of ministers, officials, representatives of international and regional organizations, and education decision-makers.

Speaking during the high-level panel discussion titled “Persisting Gaps and the Way Forward,” Dr. Ahmed Albanyan, Head of the Education Sector at ICESCO, called for accelerating the transition from international commitments to tangible impact in education. He noted that the next phase requires building education systems capable of preparing learners to address climate change challenges and strengthening their ability to contribute to sustainable development.

Dr. Albanyan presented ICESCO’s vision of the key challenges facing efforts to accelerate the development of climate-ready education systems, drawing on the Organization’s regional expertise and its monitoring of progress in Member States.

Additionally, Dr. Albanyan emphasized that the four years following the TES have seen notable progress in positioning climate education within policy priorities, strengthening international cooperation, and launching national initiatives to support education transformation. He noted that the main challenge is no longer securing political commitments, but translating them into concrete educational practices.

Subsequently, Dr. Albanyan reviewed the Greening Education Partnership (GEP) Dashboard for Member States, developed jointly by ICESCO and UNESCO. He highlighted key findings of ICESCO’s regional report titled “Beyond the Transforming Education Summit: From Commitments to Action,” which monitors progress made by Member States in implementing their commitments and identifies areas of advancement, particularly in digital transformation, governance and financing, equity and inclusion, and teachers’ professional development.

In closing, Dr. Albanyan called for focusing on integrating climate education within national education systems, strengthening monitoring and evaluation mechanisms, and enhancing the exchange of data and expertise.

The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) participated in the second edition of the International Solidarity Culinary Arts Festival, held on Saturday, 16 May 2026, at the National Library of the Kingdom of Morocco in Rabat, with the participation of diplomatic missions and international organizations.

The opening of the festival was attended by Ms. Naima Ben Yahia, Minister of Solidarity, Social Inclusion and Family; Mr. Abdelilah Bouzidi, President of the Agdal-Riad District Council; and Ms. Oniel Obolo, President of the Diplomatic Club in Morocco, along with a number of ambassadors and representatives of foreign missions.

ICESCO’s participation in this edition reflected the cultural richness and diversity that characterize the countries of the Islamic world and highlighted the importance of using culinary arts as a means of cultural exchange and support for social action. This year’s participation also featured a dedicated children’s area with a variety of awareness-raising and educational activities, traditional games, and the screening of the animated film “Show Me Your Smile,” produced by ICESCO as part of its program to combat bullying in schools. Children were given an explanation of the phenomenon and received motivational gifts.

The festival, the proceeds of which were allocated to support a project of the Girls’ Schooling Committee, was organized within the framework of promoting the values of solidarity and rapprochement among peoples through the use of culinary arts as a means to enhance cultural exchange and support social and humanitarian initiatives.

The training program “Utilizing of AI Tools in News Writing and Quality Content Creation”, organized by the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), in partnership with the KUNA Media Development Center, kicked off on Sunday, February 1st, 2026, with the participation of 16 media professionals and content creators from eight Member States of the Organization.

The training program, sponsored by Kuwait Airways and Bukhamseen Holding Group – Crowne Plaza, aims to raise awareness of ways to employ artificial intelligence tools in news writing and digital content creation, foster ethics in the use of artificial intelligence in media and meaningful content creation, and develop participants’ skills in big data analysis through a series of lectures, panel discussions, and practical training sessions.

The five-day training program began with a lecture on the basics of artificial intelligence technology and its applications, presented by Mr. Abdulrahman Al-Khamis, director and expert in creative artificial intelligence, in which he reviewed the opportunities and challenges of mainstreaming the use of artificial intelligence in various professional fields.

At the end of the first day, Dr. Barakat Al Wegyan, Director of Communication Department at ICESCO’s Media and Communication Sector, stressed the need to hone young people’s skills to keep pace with rapid technological developments, given their pivotal role in renewing media work.

For his part, Mr. Thamer Al-Furaih, Head of the Kuna Media Development Center, pointed out the importance of developing cooperation between international organizations, institutions, and training centers to build a promising generation of media professionals in the Islamic world.

As part of the program’s activities, participants met with officials from the General Department of International Media of the Kuwaiti Ministry of Information. They reviewed the Ministry’s efforts to strengthen cooperation with countries from the Islamic world and mechanisms for communicating with media professionals and experts.

This is the second training program organized by ICESCO’s Media and Communication Sector for media professionals, content creators, and content creators in the Islamic world as part of the Sector’s strategic plan to enhance the capacities of media professionals to keep pace with media and technological developments.

The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) participated in the 8th International Arabic Language Conference entitled “Teaching and Learning Arabic: Looking Towards the Future: Requirements, Opportunities, and Challenges,” organized by the Arabic Language Educational Sharjah Centre for Gulf States (ALECGS), under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, and in cooperation with the UAE Ministry of Education.

The conference, held on 28-29 January 2026 at the Center’s headquarters in Sharjah University City, saw the participation of 118 researchers and experts from 24 countries and representatives of five international organizations, with 85 research papers and studies presented, and 20 outstanding practices were presented during 33 scientific sessions, which discussed issues, studies, best practices, and scientific and practical experiences related to the reality of teaching Arabic.

ICESCO was represented at the conference by Dr. Majdi Haji Ibrahim, Head of ICESCO’s Center of Arabic Language for Non-Native Speakers and Mr. Salem Omar Salem, Director of the Organization’s Regional Office in Sharjah. Dr. Majdi presented a scientific paper reviewing ICESCO’s key achievements and contributions in the field of Arabic language teaching and learning in line with its new forward-looking vision, leveraging all possible technological applications, methods, and techniques to disseminate Arabic across the world.

At the close of the symposium, Dr. Issa Al-Hammadi, Director of ALECGS, presented a shield of honor to Mr. Salem Omar Salem and Dr. Majdi Haj Ibrahim.

As part of the ICESCO Forum “Culture for Rethinking the World,” the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) launched a new series of dialogue sessions entitled “World Artists, Guests of ICESCO,” with the aim of harnessing artistic creativity in efforts to promote intercultural dialogue by hosting contemporary artistic figures who contribute to enriching cultural debate and affirming the status of art as a universal language for peace and coexistence.

Dr. Mohammed Zine El Abidine, Head of the Culture Sector at ICESCO, opened the first discussion session, held on Thursday, January 29, 2026, with a speech highlighting that this series is part of the forum’s vision to make culture a space for action and reflection, stressing that artists are not merely creators, but partners in producing meaning, transferring experiences, and promoting rapprochement between peoples.

After that, the discussion session kicked off, featuring two prominent figures from the international art scene via video conferencing, Amadi Lagha, a world-renowned opera singer, and Manuel Delgado, a Spanish flamenco guitarist and composer, who presented their experiences and artistic careers in an interactive discussion with participants.

During his presentation, Amadi Lagha reviewed his academic and artistic career, which took shape in Tunisia, France, and Italy, emphasizing the need to renew approaches to music education in order to give emerging artists greater freedom and scope for innovation.

For his part, Manuel Delgado highlighted his career, rooted in Andalusian heritage, which he shaped through his education in several European cities, considering that fidelity to artistic identity is not incompatible with openness and emphasizing that music has a unique ability to bridge cultures.

The session was moderated by Mr. Frédéric Jambu, expert in cultural diplomacy at ICESCO, who presented the general framework of the new concept and its objectives, highlighting the strategic role of art in renewing contemporary cultural dialogue and promoting understanding between peoples.

Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), received a replica of a rare manuscript of the Holy Quran penned by Abu al-Hasan Ali ibn Hilal ibn Abdulaziz, widely known as Ibn al-Bawwab, from Ms. Ratiba Sefrioui, a retired university professor, in recognition of ICESCO’s pioneering roles in preserving and promoting manuscript heritage in the Islamic world.

During the meeting, held on Wednesday, 24 December 2025, at the Organization’s headquarters in Rabat, Dr. AlMalik commended this initiative, describing it as a commendable step towards the protection of manuscripts of the Islamic world. He affirmed that such initiatives, which encourage the dissemination of knowledge, strengthen ICESCO’s efforts to preserve cultural elements from disappearance and deterioration, and to introduce the heritage of Muslim societies and their cultural, scientific, and civilizational contributions.

For her part, Ms. Sefrioui provided a detailed explanation of the components of the manuscript, which came into her possession from her late brother, Mr. Abdelhay Sefrioui. The manuscript includes an introductory booklet and a translated version of the meanings of some Quran surahs into French. Mrs. Sefrioui praised ICESCO’s role in promoting the civilization of the Islamic world and in raising awareness of the importance of preserving Arab and Islamic identity among future generations.

The meeting was attended by Dr. Abdelilah Benarafa, Deputy ICESCO Director-General, and Mr. Amine Debbi.

Ibn al-Bawwab is one of the most prominent calligraphers of the third and fourth Hijri centuries. He developed the principles of the Naskh script and established aesthetic proportions governing the components of each letter. He also wrote 64 copies of the Quran, the most famous of which is the only surviving manuscript among the Qurans he penned. It was written in Baghdad in 391 AH and is preserved at the Chester Beatty Library in Dublin, Ireland, from which the replica donated to the Organization was produced.

The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) took part in the conference “Artificial Intelligence and the characteristics of the Arabic Language,” organized by the Doha Historical Dictionary of the Arabic Language in cooperation with the Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies. The event aimed at exploring the complex relationship between the characteristics of Arabic and AI language models, contributing to the development of an integrated Arab knowledge system in AI related to language.

ICESCO was represented at the two-day conference, which concluded on Tuesday, December 23, 2025, by Dr. Majdi Hajj Ibrahim, Head of the Arabic Language Center for Non-Arabic Speakers. He delivered a presentation titled “Teaching Arabic and Artificial Intelligence in Light of Educational Policies,” in which he proposed several recommendations for improving educational and linguistic policies linked to curricula.

Dr. Hajj also outlined the requirements for integrating AI into Arabic language teaching, including establishing a digital infrastructure, offering necessary equipment, expanding awareness and training programs through seminars and workshops, and the allocation of research grants to support studies related to AI and modern technologies.