Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General (DG) of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), met with Dr. Ashraf Sobhy, Minister of Youth and Sports of the Arab Republic of Egypt, and together they explored cooperation prospects between the Organization and the Ministry in coordination with the Egyptian National Commission for Education, Science and Culture in areas related to youth and sports for sustainable development.
The meeting was held on Tuesday, April 12, 2022, at the Ministry’s headquarters in Cairo, and brought together ICESCO delegation accompanying the DG along with officials and heads of various sectors at the Egyptian Ministry of Youth and Sports. During the meeting, the two parties reaffirmed their keenness to build effective cooperation through the implementation of programmes with a tangible impact in areas of common interest. These include building youth capacity and empowering them to overcome future challenges and supporting entrepreneurship in the fields of innovation, artificial intelligence and new technologies.
The two parties then reviewed, respectively, the key thrusts of their action strategy as well as the major programmes they are implementing and the objectives thereof.
At the close of the meeting, the two parties agreed on sustaining communication and establishing a task team in charge of proposing programmes and activities that will be jointly implemented by ICESCO and the Ministry of Youth and Sports.
Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General (DG) of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), met with Maj. Gen. Khalid Abdel Aal, Governor of Cairo, Tuesday, April 12, 2022, at the headquarters of the Governorate in Cairo.
At the beginning of the meeting, Dr. AlMalik expressed his thanks to the Governorate of Cairo, represented by its Governor, for its cooperation to ensure the success of the inauguration of the celebration of Cairo as the Culture Capital in the Islamic World for 2022, which was organized, on April 10th, by the Egyptian Ministry of Culture in cooperation with ICESCO, a ceremony that reflected the long-standing civilization of the city of a thousand minarets. The DG noted that Cairo enjoys a glorious history, expressing his wishes for this year-long celebration to be an opportunity to highlight the rich civilizational heritage of Cairo to the younger generations across the Islamic world.
For his part, Cairo Governor thanked the Director-General for his visit to the Governorate headquarters and the selection of Cairo as Culture Capital in the Islamic World for 2022, stressing that all the Governorate’s bodies will exert due efforts to ensure the success of the celebration.
At the close of the meeting, the DG and the Cairo Governor exchanged the Organization and the Governorate’s shields.
Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General (DG) of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), and Dr. Ines Abdel-Dayem, Egyptian Minister of Culture, inaugurated the exhibition of Egypt’s Khedivial mosques. The event is organized by the General Authority for National Library and Archives in cooperation with the Ministry’s Cultural Production Affairs Sector as part of the year-long celebration of Cairo as the Culture Capital in the Islamic World, which kicked off on April 10, 2022.
The exhibition, which took place in the Adam Hanin Hall in El-Hanager Arts Center at the Cairo Opera House, showcases photographs and paintings of major historical Egyptian mosques picturing the most prominent architectural features distinguishing Khedivial Cairo by monitoring the development in the construction of mosques, minarets and all related arts in different eras.
ICESCO DG and the Egyptian Minister of Culture also attended the 10th of Ramadan celebration held by the Ministry’s Cultural Production Affairs Sector, headed by director Khaled Galal, on the evening of Monday, April 11, 2022, at El-Hanager Arts Center’s square in the Cairo Opera House, during which they paid tribute to a group of veterans on the occasion of the anniversary of the 10th of Ramadan victory.
They also honored the artists Mostafa Shaban, Nahed Roshdy, Bushra, Laila Ezz Elarab, the poet Amir Teima, the fashion designer Malak Zoulfikar, the director of photography Ayman Abu El Makarem, and the name of veteran actor Ahmed Halawa, with certificates of appreciation and commemorative medals for their participation in national artworks that have achieved a resounding success and contributed to the preservation of the Egyptian national identity.
The celebration concluded with a performance of various patriotic songs by the “Rouh al-Sharq” choir, which consists of students from Ain Shams University in Egypt.
The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), the Egyptian Ain Shams University, and the German Marburg University signed a trilateral memorandum of understanding (MoU) on cooperation in the field of safeguarding cultural and natural heritage in the Islamic world through the promotion of scientific and technological research in the fields of heritage preservation and management. The parties also agreed on preparing and implementing joint academic projects in this field, including a master’s program on the preservation and digitization of archival heritage; preparing and implementing courses and offering grants in the field of heritage; and building the capacities of heritage professionals.
The MoU was signed during the visit of Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, ICESCO Director-General (DG), and his accompanying delegation to the headquarters of Ain Shams University in Cairo, where they were received by its President, Dr. Mahmoud Al-Matini, at the University Presidency in the historic Al-Zaafaran Palace, in the presence of several vice-presidents and faculty deans.
At the beginning of the visit, the two parties held a meeting to explore cooperation prospects between ICESCO and Ain Shams University in many fields of common interest such as space sciences and its applications, academic chairs, and youth training in the field of heritage preservation and protection. During the meeting, Dr. AlMalik highlighted the main axes of ICESCO’s new vision and strategic orientations by 2025, while Dr. Al-Matini gave an overview of the University and talked about its key faculties, noting that more than 200,000 students are enrolled in the University, which has a teaching staff of 14,000 members. At the close of the meeting, both parties expressed their keenness to build fruitful cooperation.
Afterward, the signing ceremony of the MoU, as well as its annex to the MA program, was held, with the attendance of representatives from Universität Marburg and the participation of Dr. Albercht Fuess, President of the Center of Islamic Studies at the University, from Germany via videoconference.
In his address, the President of Ain Shams University reiterated his thanks to ICESCO DG for his visit to the University, commending the Organization’s new open-door policy and its constructive cooperation with universities in its Member States and beyond. Dr. Al-Matini noted that there are numerous areas of common interest between ICESCO and the University, especially about building young people’s capacities and training them to face the challenges of the future.
Dr. Mamdouh Al-Damati, Acting Dean of the Faculty of Archeology at Ain Shams University, gave a presentation on the MoU and cooperation in the fields of training, capacity-building and scholarships, explaining that the MA program includes two years of study, the first year at Ain Shams University and the second at Philipps-Universität Marburg. For his part, Dr. Albrecht Fuess expressed his delight to take part in this signing ceremony, noting that his University and Ain Shams University have completed 10 years of cooperation, with eight other German universities planning to join this cooperation.
Dr. Ayman Saleh, Vice President of Ain Shams University for Graduate Studies and Research, commended ICESCO’s efforts to cooperate with universities and research centers, and encourage investment in space sciences, explaining that the MA program will provide scholarships for researchers from inside and outside the Islamic world for the preservation and management of heritage.
In his address, Dr. AlMalik stressed that ICESCO’s vision accords great importance to heritage preservation. “The Organization has established the Center of Heritage in the Islamic World as an effective tool for implementing its strategy for safeguarding heritage and sustaining its development role for the benefit of all Member States’ peoples. ICESCO has also launched the academic programs for teaching and linking heritage with modern technologies with a view to training qualified staff capable of managing and safeguarding heritage”, underlined ICESCO DG.
At the close of his address, Dr. AlMalik reaffirmed ICESCO’s sustained keenness to cooperate with all international and academic parties operating in the fields of heritage and AI to optimize its use in all the components and patterns of heritage, calling for holding an international scientific conference on the use of AI applications and technologies and digitization in the fields of heritage.
After that, Dr. AlMalik and Dr. Al-Matini signed the MoU, and then ICESCO DG and his delegation visited the collection of heritage manuscripts at Ain Shams University and the restoration of the manuscript lab, where the officials explained the stages of the restoration process and highlighted the lab’s mechanism.
The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) and the Ministry of Culture of the Arab Republic of Egypt have officially launched the celebration of Cairo as Culture Capital in the Islamic World with a ceremony organized by the Ministry in concert with the Organization. The ceremony was held on the evening of Sunday, April 10, 2022, at the Roman Amphitheater on the northern wall of Fatimid Cairo, and saw the presence of high-level officials of the Egyptian government, ambassadors of Arab and foreign countries to Egypt, members of the Egyptian House of Representatives and Senate, public figures, writers, intellectuals, artists, along with a wide public.
The year-long celebration of Cairo as Culture Capital in the Islamic World, which was scheduled for 2020, but has been postponed to 2022 due to the COVID- 19 pandemic, is held as part of ICESCO’s Programme for Culture Capitals in the Islamic World. The celebration’s program consists of 149 different activities, ranging from training courses and workshops to competitions, exhibitions and artistic performances, in which all sectors of the Egyptian Ministry of Culture and various official cooperating parties will take part. The four-day inaugural program includes a vast array of activities, notably the opening of the “Cairo, Culture Capital in the Islamic World in Egyptian Archives” Exhibition organized by the General Authority for National Library and Archives, a book fair organized in cooperation between the General Authority for Books, the General Authority for Cultural Palaces and the National Center for Translation, a fine arts exhibition organized in cooperation between the Fine Arts Sector and the General Authority for Cultural Palaces, and an Arabic calligraphy exhibition organized by the Cultural Development Fund.
Before the start of the ceremony, Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, ICESCO Director-General (DG), Dr. Ines Abdel-Dayem, Egyptian Minister of Culture, and Major General Khaled Abdel Aal, Governor of Cairo, toured these exhibitions and listened to each presentation. They then answered the journalists’ questions during a press conference that saw the attendance of various Egyptian, Arab and foreign media outlets.
At the onset of the ceremony, ICESCO DG delivered an address in which he hailed the rich history of Cairo, the city of a thousand minarets, which was marked by the succession of several civilizations, and yet successfully preserved its prominence and heritage. He also reviewed Cairo’s most prominent luminaries and emblematic heritage sites, namely Al-Azhar Mosque, the Cairo Opera House and the House of Books.
Dr. AlMalik also praised the achievements that Cairo has undertaken within the framework of Egypt Vision 2030, the ambitious national strategy currently implemented under the auspices of President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, to fulfill the hopes of the Egyptian peoples who “mastered the art of living, catch sun rays, and bring hope to all.”
ICESCO DG conveyed his thanks to the Egyptian Ministry of Culture, represented by Minister Ines Abdel-Dayem, and the Egyptian National Commission, represented by its Chairman, Dr. Khaled Abdel Ghaffar, Egyptian Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, President of ICESCO’s General Conference. In conclusion of his address, Dr. AlMalik extended his gratitude to all those who contributed to the celebration of Cairo, Culture Capital of the Islamic World, and recited a poem that he composed on Egypt and Cairo.
The Egyptian Minister of Culture began her address by thanking ICESCO and its Director-General for selecting Cairo as the culture capital in the Islamic world, noting that the city stands as a monument to harmonious coexistence, which earned the status of beacon of culture, civilization and enlightenment throughout ages, enumerating Cairo’s abundant landmarks that make the city a distinguished haven for cultural diversity.
She added that the celebration is a fresh, post-pandemic start for Cairo in 2022 that will enable the city to showcase its culture and civilization to the entire world through several cultural and artistic activities that reflect Cairo’s civilizational and cultural richness, which bear witness to the city’s ancient history.
ICESCO DG then handed over the flag of Cairo, Culture Capital in the Islamic World to the Egyptian Minister of Culture. The Minister then presented ICESCO DG with the celebration’s shield and a copy of the commemorative stamp issued by the Egyptian Postal Authority on this occasion.
The ceremony featured the announcement of the launch of an exceptional session of the Turathi Photography Competition, organized by the National Organization for Urban Harmony (NOUH), in cooperation with ICESCO, for photographers in Egypt and the other ICESCO Member States to draw inspiration from the abundance of the Islamic architectural heritage. The ceremony also featured the screening of a documentary entitled “Cairo,” produced by the Cinema Palace, and the “Here is Cairo” Operetta produced by the General Authority for Cultural Palaces, and concluded with an art show by the Sufi chanting troupe “Al-Hadra.”
Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), met Ambassador Nabila Makram Abdel Shaheed, Minister of State for Immigration and Egyptians Abroad Affairs of the Arab Republic of Egypt, where they discussed prospects for cooperation between ICESCO and the Ministry in areas of common interest.
During the meeting, held on Sunday (April 10, 2022), at the Ministry’s headquarters in Cairo, Dr. Al-Malik reviewed ICESCO’s forward-looking vision and the mainlines of its strategic orientations by 2025, which adopts an open-door approach for cooperation with all parties to serve the Member States and Muslim communities around the world.
Besides, Dr. AlMalik pointed out that ICESCO devotes special attention to training and building the capacities of young people in leadership for peace and security to consolidate the values of coexistence and civilizational dialogue. “In a bid to promote the status of the Arabic language, ICESCO has established the Center of Arabic for Non-Arabic Speakers as well as several regional centers to contribute to the preservation of the identity of young people in the Islamic world and the children of Muslim immigrants, especially the second and third generations,” he added.
For her part, Ambassador Nabila Makram welcomed Dr. AlMalik and his delegation and reviewed the main axes and objectives of the presidential initiative “Speak Arabic” that the Ministry of Immigration launched under the kind patronage of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi to foil any attempts to destabilize the identity of Egyptians living abroad, strengthen their spirit of patriotism, and consolidate the values of peaceful coexistence, citizenship and acceptance of the other.
The Minister referred to her meeting with President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi, which touched upon the developments of the presidential initiative “Speak Arabic,” stressing that the President gave his instructions to expand the scope of the interactive educational programs aimed at linking Egyptian youth abroad to their homeland and urging them to learn Arabic and consolidate their Egyptian identity.
The meeting also discussed proposals for cooperation between ICESCO and the Ministry within the framework of the Celebration of Cairo, Culture Capital in the Islamic World. The proposals mainly focus on the mechanisms for disseminating the messages of the “Speak Arabic” initiative, emphasizing its importance and promoting its objectives, foremost of which is the preservation of identity.
Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), and Dr. Khaled Abdel Ghaffar, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research of the Arab Republic of Egypt, President of the Egyptian National Commission for Education, Science and Culture, President of ICESCO’s General Conference, explored the latest developments regarding cooperation between ICESCO and Egypt in the Organization’s areas of competence.
At the beginning of the meeting, held on Sunday, April 10, 2022, at the headquarters of the Ministry of Higher Education in Cairo, the Director-General reiterated his thanks to His Excellency President Abdel Fattah El Sisi for his kind patronage and attendance of the opening of the 14th Session of ICESCO’s General Conference. He also extended his thanks to the Egyptian Government, represented by Dr. Khaled Abdel Ghaffar, for Egypt’s hosting of ICESCO’s Executive Council and General Conference at the New Administrative Capital last December, commending the high level of organization and the warm hospitality the ICESCO Member States’ delegations received during their participation in these two major events, all factors that contributed to their success.
The meeting, which was attended by Dr. Ghada Abdel Bari, Secretary-General of the Egyptian National Commission for Education, Science and Culture, reviewed the outcomes of key programs and activities implemented in cooperation between ICESCO and the Egyptian competent authorities last year. The meeting also discussed the programs and activities to be implemented in cooperation between the two parties this year, particularly those implemented within the framework of the celebration of Cairo as Culture Capital in the Islamic World such as ICESCO’s Young Professionals Program.
Likewise, Dr. AlMalik and Dr. Abdel Ghaffar discussed the arrangements for setting up an education fund and supporting young talents in the Islamic world, as proposed by H.E. President Abdel Fattah El Sisi during his attendance at the opening of ICESCO’s General Conference and the Global Forum of Higher Education.
At the close of the meeting, the two parties reaffirmed their keenness to sustain their efforts to consolidate the special cooperation relations between ICESCO and the Arab Republic of Egypt in the Organization’s areas of competence. They also agreed that such cooperation can be developed through goal-oriented programs and activities, agreed upon based on the priorities and needs of each specialized Egyptian authority. Likewise, the two parties stressed the need to sustain expert meetings to layout and follow up on the implementation of these programs.
Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), called for investing in modern knowledge and technologies and for developing and training human capital to build advanced societies capable of meeting challenges. He also pointed out that ICESCO’s vision adopts openness to all international organizations, bodies and institutions specialized in space sciences to cooperate in solving future challenges and contribute to the achievement of sustainable development.
This was part of Dr. AlMalik’s speech at the Symposium, which was delivered on his behalf by Dr. Muhammad Sharif, advisor to ICESCO’s Science and Technology Sector, at the end of the 37th Space Symposium, held by the American Space Foundation between 4 and 7 April 2022, in Colorado, USA, with the participation of astronauts, high-level officials from space agencies from all over the world, as well as from the private sector operating in this field.
In his speech, Dr. AlMalik said that ICESCO is working to raise awareness of the importance of space science and technology and to build the youth’s capacities in the Islamic world, in cooperation with several academic, industrial and ministerial bodies in the Member States, to contribute to their training for the jobs of the tomorrow and to promote equal opportunities within societies.
At the end of his speech, Dr. AlMalik stressed that the ongoing technological boom requires the federation of efforts to invest and innovate in digitization and space sciences to benefit from their applications and the opportunities they offer across borders, cultures and traditions.
ICESCO’s participation in this session of the Symposium is part of its new vision and action strategy, which adopts cooperation with its Member States in promoting space sciences and investing in their applications, the aim being to anticipate future challenges, keep up with global scientific developments, promote peace and achieve sustainable development.
The delegation of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), participating in the World Space Forum in the State of Colorado, United States of America, held three separate meetings with officials from the Canadian Space Agency, the American Rocket Lab, and the European Space Agency, to explore prospects for cooperation in space science and its applications, and provide training opportunities in this vital field for young people in the Islamic world.
In the first meeting, ICESCO delegation, composed of Dr. Raheel Qamar, Head of Science and Technology Sector, Dr. Muhammad Sharif, Advisor at the Sector, and Dr. Abdul Rehman, met Ms. Lisa Campbell, President of the Canadian Space Agency. The two parties discussed a number of initiatives that can be jointly implemented in the field of training youth in the Islamic world, organizing student visits and developing programs in the field of space sciences.
During the meeting of ICESCO delegation with Mr. Lars Hoffmann, Vice-President of the American Rocket Lab, Global Launch Services, the two parties discussed ways to contribute to the development of artificial intelligence applications and entrepreneurship in ICESCO Member States through implementing programs and holding training sessions, workshops and seminars to promote scientific research, and help students acquire the necessary knowledge in order to find solutions to current challenges.
In the 3rd meeting, ICESCO delegation met Dr. Kai Uwe Schrogel, President of the International Institute of Space Law (IISL), Advisor at the European Space Agency for Political Affairs.
The meeting discussed the cooperation mechanisms in capitalizing on space sciences to contribute to achieving sustainable development goals in ICESCO Member States. Moreover, the Organization has been invited to participate in IISL’s Program for the Next Generation of Space Lawyers, which includes between 60 and 70 global teams presenting their research works before a group of international experts and specialists.
Each year on April 7, the world commemorates World Health Day to draw attention to various health issues affecting people all over the world. To that end, the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) joins the international community in celebrating this year’s theme “Our Planet, Our Health,” with a commitment to developing programs that focus on health equity involving modern technologies.
Indeed, ICESCO believes that the Covid-19 pandemic and the effects on the economy and social life have shown us that “no one is SAFE until everyone is SAFE.” In that regard, ICESCO is initiating programs for building health consortia, scientific networks, and groups of community outreach to assess the situations in various health sectors in all member countries.
Therefore, ICESCO calls for:
• More investments in primary healthcare and its training & entrepreneurship
• Joining efforts to protect and treat the whole global population with equity
• Building a strong health workforce to ensure services are available wherever and whenever needed
• The development and involvement of modern technologies and methods for better care for all
ICESCO also considers that the health of our communities is closely linked to climate change. Extreme heat due to rising temperatures and the associated likelihood of wildfires and floods can cause many health problems. These include the spread of infectious diseases, lack of safe water and food shortage, and mental health concerns. ICESCO is leading many programs on safe water, sanitation and climate management for the populations of its member states.
ICESCO also emphasizes the use of modern technologies and tools for the benefit of its member states in all areas of health concerns. To that end, ICESCO is supporting different programs to ensure the use of modern technologies in the fields of education and training and raising awareness.
