Category: News update

The Director-General (DG) of the Islamic World Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, received Mr. Oktay Sudef Oglu Gurbanov, Ambassador of Azerbaijan to Morocco, with whom he examined the progress of several cooperation projects between the Organization and Azerbaijan.

During the meeting, held on Monday at ICESCO headquarters in Rabat, the two parties discussed ICESCO’s proposal to name Susha the 2022 Islamic World Culture Capital for the Asian region. Dr. Al Malik explained that the Organization will take the necessary measures according to the ICESCO Program of Islamic World Culture Capitals.

The two parties also examined the travel arrangements for the ICESCO technical team visit, which includes international experts, to visit the heritage sites in Nagorno-Karabakh and assess the extent of damages they sustained. The technical team, who is ready to conduct the visit at a time convenient to both sides, will also work closely with the Azerbaijani side to draft a plan for the sites’ restoration or reconstruction.

The meeting touched upon arrangements to open a regional office for ICESCO in Azerbaijan as part of the celebration of Susha as Islamic World Culture Capital for 2022. The meeting also covered the prospects of strengthening cooperation between the two parties as well as Azerbaijan’s support for ICESCO’s initiatives and projects.

Dr. Abdelilah Benarfa, ICESCO Deputy DG; Dr. Mohamed Zine El Abidine, Head of the Culture and Communication Sector at the Organization; Ambassador Fateh Al-Rahman, Head of ICESCO Civilizational Dialogue Center and Dr. Ahmah Said Ould Bah, Advisor to ICESCO DG for Partnerships and International Cooperation, attended the meeting.

The ICESCO and the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, represented by the National Center for Environmental Compliance, held a coordination meeting to discuss the final arrangements for launching the 3^rd Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Award for Environmental Management (KSAAEM) 2021-2022 and the measures of holding the 9^th Conference of Environment Ministers in the Islamic World in Jeddah in 2022.

Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, ICESCO Director-General (DG), and Eng. Ali bin Saeed Al-Ghamdi, CEO of the National Center for Environmental Compliance co-chaired Monday, July 12, 2021, the meeting, held via videoconference. Several ICESCO heads of sectors and Center officials also attended the meeting.

During the meeting, the two parties discussed the implemented recommendations of the previous meeting held on February 10, 2021, on developing the Award. The parties also agreed to launch the 3^rd Edition during the month of July, which will feature three categories, namely: Successful Research Works, Achievements and Practices; Leading Practices and Activities of Public Benefit Associations and NGOs; and Environmentally Friendly and Green Cities.

The two parties agreed to add another category in the edition, to celebrate women’s leadership in environmental work, in line with ICESCO’s proclamation of 2021 as the Year of Women. In this category, three awards will be dedicated to women in the main areas of environmental management, namely: Women Award for Successful Research Works, Achievements and Practices; Women Award for Leading Practices and Activities of Public Benefit Associations and NGOs; and Women Award for Leadership in Private and Public Sectors.

The meeting discussed arrangements of joint action to prepare for holding the 9^th Conference of Environment Ministers in the Islamic World in Jeddah in 2022.

The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) has launched a new program entitled: “Women Pioneers Around the World,” as part of the activities of ICESCO Year of Women 2021 being carried under the theme “Women for the Future,” which was honored by the high patronage of His Majesty King Mohammed VI of Morocco.

The program hosts an elite of pioneering women in the Islamic world in various fields, including ministers, officials in international organizations, writers, media professionals, and women leaders. The women review in short videos (capsules) their experiences and views on the importance of the leading role that women should play in shaping the future and the importance of adopting plans and strategies to develop the skills of girls and women to enhance societies’ resilience in the face of crises.

The program aims to create a network of influential women to emphasize the importance of joint dialogue under the current conditions that the Covid 19 pandemic triggered off and to raise awareness about future challenges. The goal is to carry a radical transformation regarding the importance of involving women in embracing and adopting future tools and those of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

The videos will be broadcast on ICESCO channels, pages, and accounts on social media, starting Monday, July 12, 2021.

The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) took part in the 8^th Ministerial Conference of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on Women, which was opened by H.H. Mr. Abdelfattah El-Sisi, President of the Arab Republic of Egypt, today, Thursday 8 July 2021, at the new Administrative Capital. The Conference saw the participation of Dr. Youssef bin Ahmed Al-Othaimeen, OIC Secretary-General, and a host of ministers in charge of women affairs in the OIC Member States.

The Conference, which was held under the high patronage of President El-Sisi, under the theme “Preserving the Achievements of Gender Equality and Empowerment of Women in the Lights of the COVID-19 Pandemic and Beyond,” featured the launch of the Women’s Development Organization (WDO) at its permanent headquarters in Egypt. The WDO will be the first international organization, within the framework of the OIC, specialized in promoting and protecting women’s rights in all OIC Member States. Ms. Hélène Marie Laurence, Minister of Women, National Solidarity and Family in Burkina Faso, President of the 7^th Session of the Conference, handed over the presidency of the 8^th session of the Conference to Dr. Maya Morsy, President of the National Council for women in Egypt.

ICESCO was represented by a delegation including Ms. Sally Mabrook, Director of the Office of ICESCO Director-General, and Ms. Zineb Iraqi, Supervisor of ICESCO General Secretariat of National Commissions and Conferences. The ICESCO representatives gave an overview of ICESCO’s vision and strategy on supporting women and promoting their roles in achieving sustainable development. The representatives also highlighted key activities the Organization implemented in close cooperation with the ICESCO Member States and several strategic partners in the areas of education, culture and science, focusing on activities carried out as part of ICESCO’s proclamation of 2021 as the Year of Women, which was granted the high patronage of His Majesty King Mohamed VI of the Kingdom of Morocco.

The Conference issued a resolution highly commending ICESCO’s initiative to proclaim 2021 as the Year of Women and called on OIC organs and institutions to follow the steps and cooperate with ICESCO.

With the framework of the activities of the celebration of Doha as the Arab Region’s Capital of Islamic Culture for 2021, being held under the theme “Our Culture is Light,” which is part of the cultural capitals program of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), the Ministry of Culture and Sports in the State of Qatar announced the opening of registration for the Challenge and Innovation Forum (CIF) that Qatar Scientific Club will organize, on 9-11 November 2021, under the slogan “With The Mind, We Untie The Knots.”

The Forum will bring together young innovators and inventors from around the world. It includes several interactive scientific competitions and programs, which aim at promoting Qatar’s role in supporting science and innovation locally and internationally. The forum will constitute an opportunity for young innovators and inventors from different countries to exchange knowledge and expertise. It will contribute to attracting the attention of the international community to learn more about the latest developments in the fields of innovation and modern technologies.

The competition is based on the participation of all the registered innovators, who will showcase their individual inventions during an exhibition that will be held in the first two days of the event. CIF includes two major competitions (Invention Exhibition and Hackathon) over a whole week with international participation. Besides, there are individual and group competitions for young people to enhance their talents in the fields of invention, innovation and manufacturing.

Afterward, the innovators will be divided into groups to participate in the Hackathon to be held in the last two days of the forum, which will also include other activities, such as the exhibition of interactive intelligence devices, and workshops to attract and motivate young people to engage in science and innovation.

People desiring to participate in the Forum can register, during the period from 7 July to 30 August 2021, via the link below:

https://cif.qa

The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) has signed a joint Memorandum of Understanding with Hewlett-Packard (HP), Classera and Mirai for cooperation in implementing education programs in the countries of the Islamic world, aiming to build a new educational model that will support distance learning, contribute to the development of the digital transformation process in education and promote digital education.

The memorandum was signed by Ambassador Khaled Fathalrahman, Supervisor of the Partnerships and International Cooperation Sector at ICESCO, Mr. Salah Ouardi, Director General of HP Morocco, Mr. Mahmoud El-Gabry, Director of International Partnerships at Classera, and Ms. Christine Carlin Nasser Qudsi, Co-Director of Mirai.

The MoU aims to provide a set of teaching materials to develop skills in information culture and to provide systems for managing the learning process, information systems for students, a digital library, and virtual solutions. It also aims to develop digital teaching and learning, and strategies for mastering distance learning.

The provisions of the MoU include cooperation in achieving the common goals through several means such as exchanging of information and experiences between the different parties, sharing expertise in training, improving national educational data systems in the ICESCO Member States, as well as providing models for optimal experiences and establishing development centers for digital transformation in the Member States.

The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) participated in the Regional Workshop on Capacity Building of Teacher Policy Development in Africa that the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) held, on Wednesday  (7 July 2021), via videoconferencing, in cooperation with UNESCO International Institute for Capacity Building in Africa (IICBA) and the International Task Force on Teachers.

The workshop aimed to enhance the participants’ knowledge concerning the process of teachers policies development and ways to improve the relevant efforts, provide various useful resources and tools, create a platform for educational specialists in regional offices and other stakeholders to share the best practices and challenges when providing technical support for developing teacher national policies.

During this workshop, Dr. Barry Koumbou, Head of Education Sector at ICESCO, reviewed the experiences and efforts of ICESCO in supporting the African countries to develop their educational systems. She pointed out that education systems in Africa today face challenges of quality, governance, and financing.

Dr. Koumbou called for developing teacher policies in Africa in a gender-sensitive manner, stressing the importance of developing effective mechanisms for collecting information and statistics relevant to teachers, and providing the necessary funding for education while ensuring sound management and commitment to transparency and good governance. Besides, she called for taking care of refugees, women and people with disabilities without bias or discrimination.

Moreover, Dr. Koumbou stressed the need to build the capacity of teachers according to new ICTs methods, taking into account the African cultures, including history, art, poetry, literature, languages ​​and customs.