The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) participated in the 13th Session of the Theoretical and Applied International Conference held by the Central Spiritual Administration of the Muslims of Russia and the Russian Islamic University in Ufa, Bashkortostan, Russian Federation. The Conference is being held on 16-17 December 2021, in cooperation with the Pedagogical University of Bashkortostan, the Fund for Support of Islamic Culture, Science and Education, and the Presidential Council for Interaction with religious organizations of the Republic of Bashkortostan.
The Conference’s session is being held both face-to-face and via videoconference, under the theme: “Islam and Education: For the Development of Islamic Education in the Eurasian Region,” with the participation of a large number of officials, educational researchers, and Muslim and Christian leaderships from different regions of Russia and Central Asian countries.
Mr. Adel Bouraoui, Advisor to the Director-General for ICESCO’s External Centers and University Chairs in the Field of Arabic Language, represented ICESCO at the opening session and gave an address highlighting ICESCO’s new vision, which is based on the values of quality, openness, solidarity and innovation. He added that this vision values institutional work and urges Muslim communities to positively participate in building human civilization, play an active role in their societies, and contribute, along with other cultural and ethnic groups, to the growth and development of these societies.
Mr. Bouraoui also reviewed several of ICESCO’s new initiatives, such as establishing specialized centers and providing educational, cultural and scientific alternatives during the COVID-19 pandemic to help the Member States and Muslim institutions outside the Islamic world deal with the pandemic’s repercussions on educational, scientific and cultural activities.
During the Conference, the Central Spiritual Administration of the Muslims of Russia announced the establishment of the Eurasian Association for the Promotion of Islamic Education, which includes the Russian Federation, Uzbekistan, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Kazakhstan.
In celebration of the World Arabic Language Day, the National Coalition for Arabic Language in Morocco organizes the 4th Arabic Language Week 2021, in partnership with ICESCO Center of Arabic Language for Non-Arabic Speakers, the Moroccan Education Inspectors Training Center, ALECSO Arabization Coordination Bureau, and Ibn Sina Institute for Human Sciences in France.
The launch of the event held on Thursday, December 16, 2021, at the headquarters of the Arabization Coordination Bureau, featured an international symposium on “Digital transformation in teaching Arabic for non-Arabic speakers,” which saw the participation of Dr. Majdi Haji Ibrahim, Head of ICESCO Center, and Dr. Youssef Ismaili, Expert at the Center.
In the opening session, Dr. Majdi delivered a speech wherein he welcomed the participants in the symposium tackling the rapid digital transformation and its relationship with teaching and learning Arabic. The symposium aimed at intensifying and coordinating efforts to achieve practical results and make effective recommendations for developing curricula of teaching Arabic to non-Arabic speakers using modern technologies.
In the second working session, Dr. Majdi reviewed the experience of the Center in training teachers of Arabic for non-Arabic speakers and the Center’s salient initiatives and training workshops for the benefit of teachers of Arabic in the ICESCO Member States and beyond. “The Center seeks to develop Arabic education and update teaching strategies of Arabic for non-Arabic speakers, in line with the most appropriate educational approaches to the local learning environment, and capitalize on the technologies of teaching Arabic in non-Arab environments,” he stressed.
Dr. Youssef Ismaili moderated the third session on “Experiences and initiatives in teaching Arabic for non-Arabic speakers”, which brought together five participants representing institutions working in the field of teaching Arabic to non-Arabic speakers from different countries. They reviewed their experiences in teaching Arabic for people eager to learn it remotely during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) announced the winners of its Women’s Poetry Prize “Poem of the Year of Women 2021,” as part of the Year of Women Program, held under the high patronage of His Majesty King Mohammed VI of Morocco.
The first prize went to the poem “Hya Saydat al-Ard” (Greatest Woman on Earth), by Hajar Omar, from the Arab Republic of Egypt. The poem “Mir’at Vinus” (Mirror of Venus) by Sherihan Al-Tayeb Kalbash Daleel, from the Republic of the Sudan, and the poem “Ila Ikhdirari,” (Toward my self-fulfillment) by Laila Naji Ali al-Omari, from Yemen, received the second and third prizes respectively.
The contest, held by the ICESCO Center of Arabic for Non-Arabic Speakers, saw the participation of 333 women poets from more than 20 countries. The Center chose an international jury, in line with the criteria of technical quality, innovation and creativity, to examine the participants’ works and selected the poems meeting the conditions and criteria of the Prize. The Center also decided to publish the best 70 poems participating in the contest in a poetry collection entitled “Hina Asrajna Adayajir Shi’ran” (When their poetry turns darkness into light).
The Prize aims to promote women’s poetry in classical Arabic (fus’hâ) and revitalize its positive role in promoting cultural interaction and human communication. It also aims to enrich the Arab library and the poetic scene with a plethora of quality women’s poems, dealing with women, their concerns, hopes, and aspirations. The goal is also to consolidate the presence of creative women poets in the Arab literary spheres and allow them to compete and publicize their achievements and roles in promoting society through literature.
Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General (DG) of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), stressed that the Arabic language owes its prominent status in the international arena to its beauty and richness. “Artificial intelligence and digital transformation bear a tremendous technical potential for raising the status of Arabic and developing programs aimed at teaching and learning the language for Arabic and non-Arabic speakers,” emphasized ICESCO DG.
This statement is part of the scientific paper that Dr. AlMalik presented during the first international conference organized by the Quran Language Endowment at King Abdulaziz University in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, under the theme “Arabic Language and Digital Transformation”. The Conference proceedings kicked off, on Wednesday, December 15, 2021, in the presence and under the high patronage of His Royal Highness Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, Advisor to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, Governor of Makkah Al-Mukarramah Region, Honorary President of the Quran Language Endowment.
The opening of the two-day Conference, at the headquarters of Makkah Province, in Jeddah, was attended by eminent scientists, researchers and officials. In his scientific paper entitled “Towards an International Arabic Language in the Era of Digitization and Artificial Intelligence… ICESCO’s Vision and Initiatives,” ICESCO DG noted that Arabic is one of the most used languages on the internet, stressing that greater work, care and commitment need to be invested in planning, language policies development, scientific research, knowledge exchange, educational development, digital presence and publicizing.
Dr. AlMalik called for further cooperation and coordination among the ICESCO Member States to support the Arabic language and raise it to the highest levels, develop more viable Arabic applications, create more Arabic websites and enhance Arabic digital content. He highlighted the need to enhance the contribution of Arabic to the development of artificial intelligence, the incorporation of ethical principles into its applications, the promotion of translation to localize science and technology, and the digitization of Arabic to protect it and enhance its civilizational, scientific and creative contribution.
ICESCO DG reviewed the major initiatives implemented by ICESCO Center of Arabic for Non-Arabic Speakers since its inception, in February 2020, namely conferences, programmes, activities and competitions that involved all ICESCO Member States.
In appreciation of the efforts he exerted in the service of the Organization and the Arabic language, Dr. AlMalik received the Shield of the Quran Language Endowment during the opening ceremony. The Conference also paid tribute to the late Professor Dr. Muhammad Khader Arif, the prominent linguist, may Allah rest his soul in peace, for his literary, cultural and linguistic contributions.
The Education Sector and the Social and Human Sciences Sector of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) held a meeting with the Regional Office for North Africa of the Korean Global Care International (GCI) to explore prospects of cooperation between the two organizations in aiding marginalized groups to benefit from educational and health services.
During the meeting, held at ICESCO’s headquarters in Rabat yesterday, Monday, December 13, 2021, representatives from the Sectors of Education and Social and Human Sciences highlighted a number of ICESCO’s initiatives and activities aimed at providing medical and educational services for the benefit of Member States, while Dr. Seup Park, Director of the Regional Office in Rabat, reviewed GCI’s activities and projects, expressing his aspiration to strengthen cooperation with ICESCO in areas of common interest.
At the close of the meeting, the two parties discussed key mechanisms and ways for developing cooperation, stressing their eagerness to sign a partnership agreement to contribute to achieving sustainable development in the countries of the Islamic world.
The meeting brought together Dr. Youssef Abu Daqqa, Dr. Ahmed Al-Zanfali, Mr. Aziz Al-Hajir, Program Managers at ICESCO’s Education Sector and Dr. Sungbong Kim, Expert in the Sector. Also attending the meeting were Mr. Alioun Ndiaye, Program Manager at ICESCO’s Social and Human Sciences Sector, and Mr. Fazil Irwan and Ms. Safaa Zebakh, Experts at the Sector, in addition to GCI’s representative Mr. Boubaker Chlihi, Program Manager.
At the close of their meeting, in Cairo, on Thursday (December 9, 2021), the participants in the 14th Session of the General Conference of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) addressed a letter of thanks and gratitude to His Excellency President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, for his kind patronage of the conference, the Egyptian generous hospitality and the continuous support he provides to joint Islamic action to serve the issues of Islamic action and advance the Islamic world in all fields.
In their letter, the participants expressed their deep appreciation for President El-Sisi’s wise forward-looking vision outlined in the National Sustainable Development Strategy (Egypt Vision 2030), especially the pioneering efforts in the fields of education, science, technology, culture and communication by laying the foundations of quality in the relevant national systems, strengthening cooperation and partnerships with relevant international parties, and adopting proactive approaches to grant Egypt a leading position in building the future and enhance its roles in achieving integration and solidarity among Muslim countries.
At the close of this letter, which was read out by Dr. Salim M. Al-Malik, ICESCO Director-General, at the closing session of the Conference, the participants beseeched Allah Almighty to bestow further progress and prosperity upon Egypt and its people, under the wise leadership of President El-Sisi.
The General Conference of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), which was hosted by Egypt under the high patronage of President Abdel Fattah El Sisi, concluded its proceedings on Thursday, December 9, 2021, by adopting resolutions and composing the respective bureaus of the General Conference and the Executive council.
The working sessions of the closing day saw constructive discussions on the future of education and the importance of investing in space sciences. The sessions kicked off with statements by the heads of the participating delegations, who commended ICESCO’s efforts to address the needs of Member States in the fields of education, science and culture, highlighting its successful approach to promote coordination, cooperation, innovation and exchange of knowledge and expertise.
The second working session focused on educational challenges in a post-COVID-19 world, which featured a lecture by Mr. Kailash Satyarthi, Founder of Kailash Satyarthi Children’s Foundation and Nobel Prize Laureate, 2014, who expressed his delight for the special partnership between the Foundation and ICESCO in its capacity as a beacon of global outreach. The Nobel Prize Laureate reaffirmed the importance of exerting joint efforts to protect children, counter school dropout and protect children’s rights against all violations.
For her part, Ms. Kathryn Thornton, Chairwoman of the US Space Foundation, gave a lecture during the third working session dedicated to space sciences and highlighted the importance of this scientific discipline in promoting sustainable development.
The General Conference approved several key resolutions, including the Report of the Executive Council on its Activities between the 13th and 14th Sessions of the General Conference; ICESCO’s Report on its Activities between 2019-2021; and ICESCO’s Financial Reports for 2018-2020. The Conference also adopted ICESCO’s Report on Member States’ Contributions for 2018-2020 and Improvement of ICESCO’s Financial Sustainability; the Organization’s Vision; the Draft Strategic Orientations by 2025; the Draft Two-Year Action Plan and Budget for 2022-2023; the Draft ICESCO Chairs Regulations; the Draft Regulations of the Young Professionals Programme; the Draft Charter of the National Commissions for ICESCO; and the Implementation of ICESCO’s New Organizational Structure and Relevant Development Proposals.
The Conference approved the Proposed Amendments to the Observer Status Regulations, the Personnel and the Report on Developing ICESCO’s External Organs, and the General Principles and Guidelines Governing their Action. The Conference also approved the members of the Executive Council and decided to hold the 15th Session of the ICESCO General Conference in December 2025 at ICESCO headquarters in Rabat, Morocco In his closing remarks, Dr. Salim AlMalik, ICESCO Director-General (DG), expressed his thanks and gratitude to President El Sisi for his patronage of the 14th Session of the General Conference and to His Majesty King Mohamed VI of Morocco, may Allah preserve him, for his sustained support and high patronage of ICESCO’s programs and initiatives. The DG also expressed his thanks to the kings and heads of ICESCO Member States for their support for ICESCO.
The DG conveyed his thanks to Dr. Khaled Abdel Ghaffar, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, President of the Egyptian Commission for Education, Science and Culture, President of the 14th Session of ICESCO General Conference, as well as to the representatives of the international and regional organizations taking part in the Conference for their valuable input and constructive recommendations on issues pertaining to education, science, technology and culture.
The DG concluded his remarks by reaffirming ICESCO’s commitment to continue its development and improvement efforts to promote work quality to sustain its role as a leading international organization, guided by a strategic vision that takes into account the contents of the plans, documents, and recommendations adopted by the 14th Session of the Conference.
Dr. Abdel Ghaffar, President of ICESCO General Conference, announced the close of the Conference proceedings, expressing his thanks and appreciation to the delegations taking part in this session and congratulating them on the success made over these two days of intensive work, which reflected the unanimous agreement on ICESCO’s priorities in service of Member States.
The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) and the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology of Saudi Arabia signed a memorandum of understanding for cooperation in spreading technical awareness, enriching technical Arabic content, and exchanging expertise to promote policies pertinent to smart technologies, artificial intelligence, big data, and innovation policies.
Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General (DG) of ICESCO, and Engineer Haitham bin Abdulrahman Al-Ohali, Deputy Minister of Communications and Information Technology in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, signed the memorandum of understanding in Cairo during the 14th General Conference of ICESCO held on December 8-9, 2021, and hosted by the Arab Republic of Egypt under the patronage of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi.
The memorandum of understanding seeks to step up cooperation in exchanging expertise in the development of professionals’ leadership, practical and technical skills in the fields of artificial intelligence, smart technologies and innovation. It also aims to further cooperation in the preparation of joint research papers in these fields, promote the exchange of best practices for the advancement of scientific research and emerging technologies, contribute to supporting artificial intelligence projects, ICESCO Digital Home initiative and the Organization’s digital cultural project.
Other objectives of the memorandum include the commitment of the Ministry to provide ICESCO’s beneficiary Member States access to the “Attaa Digital” initiative and develop the relevant platform based on their public policies, jointly promote the initiative’s activities, transfer the necessary expertise and practices to the working team in each Member State, and share statistics relating to the initiative’s activities participants and beneficiaries. In this respect, ICESCO will make the necessary legal arrangements to launch the initiative, determine the official entity in charge of managing the platform and following up on its performance, help publicize the initiative and engage a legal expert from the Organization to provide advisory services to the entity responsible for implementing the initiative.
Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General (DG) of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), H.H. Sheikh Rashed bin Hamdan Al Maktoum, and Dr. Khaled Abdel Ghaffar, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, President of the Egyptian National Commission for Education, Science and Culture, presented awards to winners of the First and Second Editions of Hamdan-ICESCO Prize for Voluntary Development of Education Facilities in the Islamic World.
The award ceremony was held during the 14th Session of ICESCO General Conference, hosted by Egypt, under the patronage of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi. Launched by ICESCO and the Foundation to promote voluntary initiatives and charitable work in the field of education, the Prize is awarded biennially to three winners who each receive the Prize Shield and a monetary reward, which is to be used in supporting and developing the winning project or work.
The winners of the First Edition were as follow: “Fa’il Khir Project,” with support from tie Islamic Development Bank (IsDB); the Project of “Information Technology Faculty as Birzeit University and Other Projects in Palestine,” with support from Munib Rasheed Al-Masri Foundation; and the “Schools in the Emirati Jordanian Camp Project,” with support from the Emirati Red Crescent (ERC).
As for the Second Edition, the winners were as follows: “To brighten their Future Project for Developing Educational Institutions and Curricula,” with support from the International Charity Organization in Ajman, UAE; the “Educational Hubs Projects,” with support from Abdul Aziz, Mohammed, Abdullatif Aljabr Charity Organization in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; and the “Project of Teaching Arabic in a Bilingual Education System in Chad,” with support from the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (BADEA). The Second Edition saw the participation of 37 candidates from the Arab, Asian and African regions.
Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) and Coursera, Inc. signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to help learners across the countries of the Islamic World develop high-demand digital skills at scale. ICESCO and Coursera plan to launch the Future Pioneers Project, in January 2022, to provide selected access to world-class online learning and the Future Skills Learning Programme to upskill ICESCO’s leadership team.
Dr. Salim AlMalik, ICESCO Director-General (DG), and Jeff Maggioncalda, CEO at Coursera, signed the MoU on the sidelines of the 14th Session of the ICESCO General Conference held on December 8 and 9, 2021 in Cairo, Egypt under the patronage of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi.
“Working with Coursera will support youth and our staff in acquiring the contemporary skills they need to succeed in their future careers,” said Dr. AlMalik, noting that “this partnership will provide invaluable support as ICESCO enters a new pivotal period in its history, and serves as an international beacon in the fields of education, science, culture and communication.”
From his part, Jeff Maggioncalda, CEO at Coursera stated that “the accelerated adoption of online learning during the pandemic has created new opportunities to develop digital skills at unprecedented speed and scale.” He also added, “We are honored to partner with ICESCO to help youth across the Islamic states develop the skills and credentials needed to advance their education and careers in the new economy.”
The provisions of the MoU aim to further ICESCO’s mission to assist countries of the Islamic World by nurturing tomorrow’s decision-makers, sharing expertise, optimizing development policies, and building systems of innovation and knowledge. The ICESCO-Coursera initiative will equip learners from the countries of the Islamic world and ICESCO’s staff with the entrepreneurial, digital, and technological skills required to drive innovation and leadership across the Islamic world and unlock the next generation of talent. Through the Coursera for Campus platform, learners will have access to more than 5,000 high-quality online courses from over 250 leading university and industry partners worldwide. Course content will also be available in English, Arabic, and French, and the pilot will run until the end of March 2022.
