Category: News update

Violence against women and girls impedes building prosperous, developed societies where peace and knowledge prevail. Women and girls are still vulnerable due to armed conflicts, forced displacement, natural disasters, and discrimination in education. Convinced of the role of women in establishing balance in society and preserving its identity, values ​​and mental health, the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) calls for strengthening societal, national and international mechanisms for the protection, education and empowerment of women and girls, as well as the development of their leadership skills.

On the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women (November 25), ICESCO warns that despite international efforts to combat this type of violence, the figures revealed by UN Women are alarming as they indicate that globally, an estimated 736 million women—almost one in three—have been subjected to domestic and/or other violence at least once in their lifetime and that the social, economic and psychological reverberations of the Covid-19 pandemic increased the vulnerability of girls and women.

To address violence against women and girls and achieve substantive progress in their empowerment and protection of their rights, ICESCO calls for concerted international efforts to protect women and safeguard their rights, counter the negative impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on them, especially that they have confronted the pandemic on the front lines, and enhance their participation as decision-makers and contributors to sustainable development, to overcome challenges in the educational, health, scientific, social and cultural fields.

ICESCO reiterates that, within the framework of its new vision and action strategy, it attaches great importance to safeguarding women’s rights and proclaimed 2021 as the “Year of Women” to contribute to raising their standing and enhancing their role in building a more prosperous future, by acting to end all forms of inequality and injustice that women face, building more sustainable peace, and providing more comprehensive psychological, social and economic support systems.
ICESCO also reaffirms that it will pursue its efforts to foster cooperation with the Member States and international organizations, bodies and institutions to eliminate all forms of violence against girls and women, reinforce their roles as peacemakers, and enhance their participation in achieving sustainable development.

The Science and Technology Sector of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) is organizing a regional training workshop on Halal Standards, Certification of Conformity and Marketing, in the Tunisian capital, in partnership with the Tunisian National Commission for Education, Science and Culture and in cooperation with Tunisia’s National Agronomic Institute, for the benefit of youth, women, and entrepreneurs in the field of food industries, agriculture, and halal industry.

At the outset of the two-day workshop, held on Monday, November 22, 2021, Dr. Ismaila Diallo, expert in ICESCO’s Science and Technology Sector, reviewed the enormous economic potential of the halal industry, which responds to the needs of Muslim and non-Muslim consumers around the world, highlighting the role of this industry in supporting female and young entrepreneurs in the Islamic world. He equally reviewed ICESCO’s efforts to strengthen youth capacities and rehabilitate women in the field of economy and trade in the Member States through launching and implementing several initiatives, activities, and workshops.

The training workshop saw the participation of many officials from different backgrounds, including representatives from the Ministry of Agriculture, Water Resources and Fisheries in the Tunisian Republic, experts and specialists in the field of food industries, agriculture, and halal industry, and many university professors. They explored the most prominent ways and mechanisms for developing the halal industry, and its importance in achieving sustainable development in the countries of the Islamic world.

The Social and Human Sciences Sector of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) participated in the first International Youth Forum organized by the Moroccan Body for Royalist Sahrawi Youth, on 19-21 November 2021, in Laayoune, Morocco, under the theme ‘Youth and Civil Society Contribution to the Achievement of Sustainable Development Goals for the Promotion of Peace and Stability in Africa’.

In his intervention during the session on Youth, Citizenship and Peace, Mr. Alioune Ndiaye, Program Manager at ICESCO Social and Human Sciences Sector, noted that the Organization’s new vision and action strategy attach great importance to young people, emphasizing their instrumental role in achieving peace, security and prosperity. He also highlighted the achievements of ICESCO’s Leadership Training in Peace and Security Program (LTIPS), which benefited 30 young peace ambassadors in its 2021 edition.

For his part, Dr. Nami Salihi, Expert at ICESCO Culture and Communication Sector, stressed the need for preserving the intangible cultural heritage while explaining the concepts of environmental management, traditional techniques and technical know-how, and underlining their role in sustainable development through the optimal use of natural resources.

Ms. Aziza Laghzal, ICESCO Peace Ambassador and member of 2021 LTIPS’s cohort from Morocco, shared her experience in the program, highlighting how the training sessions enabled her to improve her leadership skills in the fields of peace, security and social cohesion.

The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) organizes a training workshop on developing the skills of the teachers of Arabic for non-Arabic speakers, in Libreville, Gabonese Republic, in cooperation with Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation for Distinguished Academic Performance, the Gabonese Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, and the Gabonese National Commission for Education, Science and Culture.

The workshop, which kicked off on Monday, November 22, 2021, is part of ICESCO’s plan for 2021 and comes in response to the priorities and needs of Member States. It is also within the framework of the Organization’s new vision and efforts to develop and update the strategies of teaching Arabic for non-Arabic speakers in the Member States. The measure is based on the most effective and appropriate educational approaches to the local learning environment and benefits from the technological means in teaching Arabic in non-Arab cultural environments.

The four-day workshop aims to develop the participants’ competencies and teaching skills by discovering the latest developments in educational linguistics and the educational strategies and procedural steps in teaching various subjects to develop the four basic language skills (listening – speaking – reading – writing), and learning the evaluation mechanisms and how to prepare auxiliary and complementary educational materials in teaching various language subjects.

Twenty-five educational officials and Arabic language teachers from different regions of Gabon participate in the workshop, which will include educational interventions and presentations on five axes: introducing the challenges and difficulties in teaching Arabic in Gabon, reviewing the major educational strategies in teaching language skills, diversifying the strategies of teaching language skills according to educational levels, highlighting the tools for evaluating learning levels in Arabic for non-Arabic speakers, and how to prepare remedial lessons to enhance skills development strategies.

Dr. Youssef Ismaili, Expert at ICESCO Center of Arabic for Non-Arabic Speakers, moderates the workshop and supervises its organizational aspects with the help of Gabonese experts.

The Social and Human Sciences Sector of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) participated in a seminar on the situation of street children organized by the Statistical, Economic and Social Research and Training Centre for Islamic Countries (SESRIC) within the framework of the activities held by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) during Expo 2020 Dubai. The seminar seeks to cast light on the main factors underpinning the phenomenon of street children and associated risks.

In her intervention during the seminar held on Saturday, November 20, 2021, on Universal Children’s Day, Ms. Ramata Almami Mbaye, Head of the Social and Human Sciences Sector at ICESCO, noted that the Organization’s new vision and action strategy are aimed at launching comprehensive programmes that attach particular importance to children, women and young people, and that are geared towards supporting them in fields of health, education, art, sports, peacebuilding and entrepreneurship.

Ms. Ramata Almami Mbaye also invited relevant stakeholders to join hands with ICESCO to promote common awareness and highlight, foster, and give importance to human values to ensure the protection, education and empowerment of women, children and young people, with particular attention to marginalized and vulnerable groups.

The seminar was attended by Mr. Fadi Farasin, Assistant Director-General (DG) of SESRIC, who delivered an address on behalf of Mr. Nebil Dabur, SESRIC DG, in which he reviewed the Centre’s efforts in promoting child protection.

The Training Session on the Preparation of Nomination Files for the Inscription of Cultural Elements on Heritage Lists kicked off at the National Museum in Libreville, the Republic of Gabon. The four-day event is organized by the Sector of Culture and Communication at the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) and aims to introduce Gabonese culture and heritage officials to the areas of work of ICESCO Heritage Center in the Islamic World and highlight the procedures of inscription of heritage sites and cultural elements on ICESCO’S Islamic World Heritage List and develop a framework of nomination files’ follow-up and support.

During the opening session, held today, Tuesday, November 16, 2021, Mr. Adrian Djembe, Director of Cultural Heritage at the Gabonese Ministry of Culture and Arts,  hailed the great progress in cooperation relations between ICESCO and Gabon in the fields of culture, heritage and arts.

For his part, Dr. Mohamed Aba Osman, Expert at ICESCO Sector of Culture and Communication, highlighted ICESCO’s efforts and its Heritage Center to promote cultural heritage, reaffirming ICESCO’s support for Member States’ efforts to safeguard and promote heritage sites and landmarks and inscribe them on Islamic World Heritage Lists.

The training session saw the participation of 13 officials from the Gabonese Ministry of Culture and Arts in addition to several researchers, specialists, and students. The closing session will be marked by the preparation of the nomination files of two heritage sites and three intangible heritage elements, according to the nomination criteria of the inscription on ICESCO’s Islamic World Heritage Lists.

The Center of Strategic Foresight of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), in partnership with the German Konrad Adenauer Foundation concluded today, Wednesday, 17 November 2021, in Tunis, the activities of the two-day Regional Forum on “Entrepreneurship and Women Empowerment,” aimed at supporting women’s entrepreneurship,  rehabilitating young and women entrepreneurs and exploring the relevant challenges in the countries of the Islamic world.

During the Forum, held face-to-face and via videoconference, Dr. Kais Hammami, Director of ICESCO Center of Strategic Foresight, stressed the need to enhance the role of women in the economic field by supporting entrepreneurship opportunities, launching initiatives, and holding workshops and seminars to explore foresight ways and mechanisms and overcome the challenges that women face, to facilitate their access to the labor market. He also stressed the importance of exchanging experiences inside and outside the Islamic world in contributing to achieving comprehensive and sustainable development.

During the sessions of the first day of the Forum, the participants, including entrepreneurs, experts and specialists, discussed the role of universities and non-governmental organizations in promoting women’s rehabilitation and entrepreneurship and digital entrepreneurship, as well as the main challenges facing women’s entrepreneurship.

The four workshops of the second day, which benefited sixty students and women, focused on exchanging the best practices in the field of entrepreneurship in the region and rethinking the roles and positions of the competent authorities in the field. The workshops also touched upon the prospects of women’s entrepreneurship by 2030, as well as ways to strengthen entrepreneurship in the Middle East. Moreover, a round table was held to discuss the concepts of “anticipation, foresight, and research.”