Category: News update

The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) extends its sincere congratulations to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) on its 75th anniversary, and commends the pioneering roles UNESCO has fulfilled over these years in contributing to the establishment of peace and security, guaranteeing human rights, and enshrining the basic principles of freedom by promoting cooperation between all countries worldwide in the fields of education, science and culture.

Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, ICESCO Director-General, who participates today, November 12, 2021, in UNESCO’s celebration of its 75th anniversary, stressed ICESCO’s willingness to continue the existing cooperation between the two organizations, based on their agreement signed on November 19, 2019. The agreement has pushed cooperation between ICESCO and UNESCO into a new stage of joint action for the benefit of their Member States in capacity-building, development and technical assistance programs, particularly in the areas of education for girls and women, artificial intelligence, the Management of Social Transformations (MOST) Program, natural resources and water, and the preservation of cultural heritage in the Islamic world and Africa.

Today, UNESCO organizes a special ceremony on its 75th anniversary, in Paris, with the participation of many heads of state and government, and ministers via pre-recorded speeches, and in the presence of a group of international figures and artists, as well as other participants via videoconference.

The Education Sector of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) participated in the 85th session of the Educational Affairs Council of the Children of Palestine, held by the Sector of Palestine and Occupied Arab Territories at the headquarters of the General Secretariat of the League of Arab States, to explore the educational process and the needs of the Palestinian educational sector.

The session, held on Thursday, November 11, 2021, at the headquarters of the General Secretariat of the League of Arab States in Cairo, witnessed the adoption of the recommendations of both the 31st joint meeting between the Educational Affairs Council of the Children of Palestine and education officials of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) and the recommendations of the 104th session of the Committee of Educational Programs for Arab Students in the Occupied Arab Territories.

In his address at the session as ICESCO representative, Dr. Ahmed El-Zonfoli, Program Manager at ICESCO’s Education Sector, reviewed the Organization’s efforts to support education in Palestine during 2020 and 2021. He also highlighted the Organization’s most important projects, programs and educational activities in cooperation with the Palestinian National Commission for Education, Culture and Science during this period for the benefit of the State of Palestine, to develop and advance its educational institutions.

Dr. El-Zonfoli also mentioned the central position of the Palestinian education sector in ICESCO and the Organization’s commitment to continue its efforts in supporting Palestinian educational institutions. He also stressed the need to guarantee the right to education for all Palestinian people and the importance of the role that education plays in empowering people, shaping the future and achieving sustainable development.

The Social and Human Sciences Sector of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) and the Gabonese Ministry of Social Affairs and Women’s Rights held a meeting to discuss the mechanisms for developing cooperation in the areas of social development, building the capacities of girls and women, training young people on leadership and combating school drop-out among girls.

During the meeting, held on Thursday, 11 November 2021, via videoconference, Ms. Prisca Nlend Koho, Minister of Social Affairs and Women’s Rights, expressed her happiness with the close cooperation relations between Gabon and ICESCO. She also commended the outcomes of the official visit of Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, ICESCO Director-General (DG), to Gabon last October, and his meetings with senior Gabonese officials while stressing her country’s willingness to develop cooperation with the Organization in its fields of action.

Ms. Sally Mabrouk, Director of the Office of ICESCO DG, conveyed the greetings of the DG to the Minister, praising her efforts to develop social and human development and promote women’s rights in Gabon.

Ms. Ramata Almami Mbaye, Head of the Social and Human Sciences Sector, reviewed some of the Sector’s current programs and activities, which the two parties can cooperate in their implementation, particularly on the protection and capacity-building of girls and women, and promoting the culture of peace and citizenship.

At the close of the meeting, the two parties agreed to continue the implementation of various activities and programs, and hold periodic follow-up meetings.

The Education Sector of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) participated in the Global Forum on “Quality of Education and the Future of Sustainability: A Common Vision for a Better World”, held by UNESCO Regional Center of Quality and Excellence in Education Saudi Arabia, in cooperation with the Ministry of Education in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), to draw lessons and explore options for achieving quality and excellence in education in Arab countries, in accordance with sustainable development goals, with the participation of several experts, thinkers, representatives of organizations, ministries and specialized institutions from several local, regional and international bodies.

The forum, launched on Thursday, November 11, 2021, via videoconference, under the theme of Sustainability: Improving our Products, our Society and our Planet, within the framework of celebrating the International Quality Day. At the beginning of the Forum, Eng. Hussain bin Ibrahim Al Hammadi, Minister of Education in the UAE delivered the opening remark. The Forum sessions included a number of interventions from different speakers which focused on the quality of education, innovative solutions to support sustainable development and proactive options to ensure the quality of education and the continuation of sustainable growth, including the intervention of Dr. Nuno Crato, an expert and former Minister of Education and Science in Portugal and member of the Advisory Committee of UNESCO Regional Center of Quality and Excellence in Education.

During her participation in the Forum, Dr. Barry Koumbou, Director of ICESCO Education Sector, highlighted the conditions that must be met to ensure education quality. She included in the list the political will to build resilient societies of peace and coexistence, respect for human rights, implementation of constructive critical thinking, educating future generations on human values, investing in artificial intelligence in a way that does not contradict these values and involving all specialists in improving the educational process.

Dr. Koumbou also touched upon the urgent need to upgrade the capacities and competencies of educational staff and to adopt a decentralized approach in the management of educational affairs.

Dr. Youssef Abou Daka and Mr. Aziz Al-Hajir, program managers at ICESCO’s Education Sector, and Dr. Sang Bong Kim, an expert in the same sector, also participated in the forum.

The Committee of Scholarships at the Islamic World Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization  (ICESCO) held its annual meeting, which was chaired by Dr. Abdelilah Benarafa, Deputy Director-General (DG). The Committee consists of Dr. Ahmed Said Bah, Advisor to the DG for Partnerships and International Cooperation,  Supervisor of the General Secretariat of National Commissions and Conferences; Mr. Aziz El-Hajir, Program Director at the Sector of Education; Mr. Mohamed Chikhi, from the Federation of the Universities of the Islamic World (FUIW); Ms. Aziza Afkir, from the Secretariat of the Scholarships Committee; and Mr. Mehdi Sebbar, from the Secretariat of the Sector of Partnerships and International Cooperation.

The meeting reviewed the submitted scholarship applications for the academic year 2021-2022, which the Organization annually allocates for the benefit of students from Member States and Muslim communities. ICESCO received this year 125 applications from 18 countries, from which it selected 90 students to benefit from this year’s scholarships.   

The scholarships are divided into internal scholarships granted to students pursuing their studies in their countries and external ones for students following their studies abroad. The scholarships are granted in fields relevant to ICESCO’s areas of competence (education, science and culture),  which serve the Member States and Muslim communities’ development projects. The Organization takes into consideration the fair geographic distribution of these scholarships.

In a bid to promote girls education, ICESCO  endeavors to provide larger numbers of girls with opportunities to benefit from these scholarships, enabling them to pursue their higher education in areas falling under ICESCO’s realm of competence, especially in the fields of science and technology, given their key roles in addressing Member States’ needs.

The Education Sector of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) participated in the 31st joint meeting between the Educational Affairs Council of the Palestinian Children and education officials of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), held by the Sector of Palestine and Occupied Arab Territories at the headquarters of the General Secretariat to the League of Arab States in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, with the aim of exploring the educational process in the educational institutions of the Agency and discussing prospects for cooperation between the Educational Affairs Council and UNRWA in the field of education.

During the meeting, which started on November 9, 2021, Dr. Ahmed El-Zonfoli, Program Manager at ICESCO Education Sector, reviewed the Organization’s efforts to support education in Palestine and the various ICESCO educational projects, programs and activities for the benefit of the State of Palestine, noting that the Organization’s vision pays special attention to address all forms of deprivation of education for all children and youth and intensifies efforts and support for Palestinian educational institutions.

The meeting also touched upon ways to upgrade all components of the educational process in UNRWA educational institutions, including buildings, school equipment, textbooks, conditions of teachers and workers, vocational training, educational guidance and scholarships. It also discussed the need to unify efforts and cooperation to strengthen UNRWA’s educational special programs to overcome the challenges related to the development and advancement of Palestinian educational institutions, as well as the need to formulate a strategy to ensure the continuity of the Agency’s action in providing education to more than half a million Palestinians in the Arab lands.