Category: News update

The President of the Republic of Senegal, H.E. Mr. Macky Sall, at the Presidential Palace in Dakar, received Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, ISESCO Director General, who is in Senegal at the beginning of an official visit that also includes Niger and Guinea.

At the outset of the meeting, Dr. AlMalik congratulated the President of the Republic for the progress witnessed in Senegal in consistency with its regional role and significant position in the African continent. He also reviewed ISESCO’s new vision and priorities to meet Member States’ needs in the fields of education, science and culture and consolidate and support their efforts towards achieving sustainable development.

Moreover, ISESCO Director General evoked the Waqf Fund Project to secure sustainable resources for financing the Organization’s projects and programmes to ensure that Member States benefit to the fullest from them. Dr. AlMalik reiterated ISESCO’s support to Quranic schools in Senegal which receive a special attention from President Sall.

For his part, the President of the Republic lauded the efforts made by ISESCO Director General to develop the Organization and enhance its roles in supporting Member States, under its new vision.

He also expressed the willingness to support and bolster ties with ISESCO and facilitate its action in Senegal, in the joint cooperation areas of ISESCO and the Senegalese competent authorities. He also voiced Senegal’s intention to provide financial and technical support to the Waqf project, while commending the promising prospects of the Organization’s future action and projects.

The meeting was attended by Dr. Ahmed Said Bah, Director of External Relations and Cooperation, and Ms. Ramata Almamy Mbaye, Director of Social and Human Sciences.

Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director General of the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO), explored with Mr. Mamadou Talla, Minister of Education and Literacy of Senegal, President of the Senegalese National Commission, the areas of cooperation between the Organization and the Ministry in the field of education and training the educational staff.

During this meeting, held as part of the official visit of ISESCO Director General to Senegal, Dr. AlMalik reviewed the new vision of ISESCO, which makes of ISESCO a house of expertise for the Islamic world in its areas of action, empowers youth, women and children to exercise their educational, scientific, cultural, technological and environmental rights. In this context, ISESCO agreed to support the non-formal education in Senegal through providing expertise and technical advice, and training teachers and educational supervisors.

The two parties also agreed to form a joint commission of ISESCO and the Senegalese Ministry of Education and hold its meeting at ISESCO headquarters in Rabat so as to develop an executive cooperation plan and identify the follow-up and coordination mechanisms.

The meeting was attended from ISESCO by Dr. Ahmed Said Bah, Director of External Relations and Cooperation, and Ms. Rahmata Almamy Mbaye, Director of Human and Social Sciences.

As part of his official visit to the Republic of Senegal, Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director General of the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO), made a special visit to Dr. Ahmed Mukhtar Ambu, former director-general of UNESCO, at his housein Dakar, in recognition of his great services to the Islamic world during and after his mandate at UNESCO.

During this meeting, Dr. AlMalik reviewed the new vision and future action strategy of ISESCO, and asked Dr. Ambu to express his opinions and make proposals so as to support this vision. Dr. Ambu highly commended this vision given his experience at UNESCO, and made some proposals for ISESCO’s action in Africa.

The meeting was attended from ISESCO by Dr. Ahmed Said Bah, Director of External Relations and Cooperation, and Ms. Rahmata Almamy Mbaye, Director of Human and Social Sciences.

It is worth mentioning that Dr. Ambu had served in many positions in the sector of education in Senegal before he was appointed as Minister of Education and Culture in 1957. He then headed many ministries until 1970.  He was elected at UNESCO Executive Council in 1966, and was appointed as assistant director-general in 1970, and as UNESCO director-general in 1974. He was reelected for a second mandate in 1980 and remained in office until 1987.

The Director General of the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO), Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, took part in the closing ceremony of the 7^th edition of the International Festival of Cultural Diplomacy and Poetry, organized by the Moroccan Poetry Association (RMP), on Thursday 26 December 2019, at Bahnini Hall, the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports, Rabat.

The ceremony featured the awarding of the World Prize of the Ambassador of Cultural Diplomacy to the poet Mr. Khaled Fateh Al-Rahman to reward his poetic works and tireless action to bolster brotherly ties between the Sudan and Morocco throughout his mandate as Ambassador of the Republic of the Sudan to the Kingdom of Morocco.

The ceremony was opened with a welcoming address by Mr. Ahmed Taghi, President of RMP, who underscored the importance of cultural diplomacy and the role of the Association, as a cultural and artistic association, in promoting cultural diplomacy and celebrating poetry.

Then, Mr. Hussam El-Din Eltayeb, Chargé d’Affaires of the Sudanese Embassy in Rabat, delivered an address thanking the RMP for having honored Ambassador Khaled Fateh Al-Rahman to whom he wished him every success.

Dr. AlMalik also made an address lauding Ambassador Fateh Al-Rahman, read some verses which he composed on the occasion and presented the honor shield to the Ambassador. Mr. Hazim Al Khateb, Ambassador of Jordan to Morocco, also presented a certificate of appreciation to the Ambassador.

At the close of the ceremony, Ambassador Fateh Al-Rahman delivered an address thanking the audience and read out a poem in tribute to Morocco.

Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director General of the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO) concluded his first official visit to the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, which started on 22 December 2019 and included meetings with senior Mauritanian officials, attending the award ceremony of Chinguetti Prize 2019, and visiting Chinguett Modern University.

After being received by H.H. Mr. Mohamed Ould Cheikh Ghazouani, President of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, at the Presidential Palace in Nouakchott, Dr. AlMalik met the Prime Minister, Mr. Ismail Bedde Cheikh Sidiya, and together they stressed the importance of promoting coordination and consultation so as to implement ISESCO’s initiatives launched for the benefit of Mauritania, including ISESCO’s willingness to support Chinguetti Prize, schedule Nouakchott on the programme of the Capitals of Islamic Culture, contribute to the success of the celebration of the ancient towns in Mauritania, establish a training institute for imams, and launch Mahdara’s initiatives while reaffirming the importance and role of such initiatives in contributing to the development of Mauritania.

Besides, ISESCO Director General met the Mauritanian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Ismael Ould Cheikh Ahmed. This meeting explored ISESCO’s initiatives, agreed to look for strategic partnerships to support the development projects in Mauritania within ISESCO’s fields of action, and reaffirmed the importance of the cultural diplomacy and multilateral cooperation in achieving the joint objectives as part of ISESCO’s initiatives for the benefit of Mauritania.

Mr. Ismail Sidiya thanked Dr. AlMalik for these initiatives and expressed the willingness of the official and competent parties in Mauritania to support ISESCO in this regard.

ISESCO Director General also had meetings with Dr. Sidi Mohamed Ould Ghaber, the Minister of Culture, Handicrafts and Relations with the Parliament of Mauritania, and Mr. Dah Ould Sidi Ould Amar Taleb, Minister of Islamic Affairs and Traditional Education of Mauritania. The two meetings explored the development of cooperation between the Organization and Mauritania within ISESCO’s fields of action.

In addition, Dr. AlMalik made a visit to Chinguett Modern University, which receives ISESCO’s support and hosts one of its Academic Chairs. One of the University’s Amphitheatre will be named after ISESCO. Chinguett Modern University is a private university with four departments, namely Islamic Studies, Sharia and Law, Islamic Economics, and Arabic Language and Literature.

H.H. Mr. Mohamed Ould Cheikh Ghazouani, President of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, today at the Presidential Palace in Nouakchott, received Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director General of the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO), who is in a visit to Mauritania upon an invitation from Dr. Sidi Mohamed Ould Ghaber, Minister of Culture, Handicrafts and Relations with the Parliament of Mauritania, to attend the award ceremony of Chinguetti Prize 2019 as a guest of honor.

At the outset of the meeting, Dr. AlMalik thanked President of Mauritania for the warm welcome, commended Chinguetti Prize and its role in supporting and encouraging scholars and intellects to be creative, and reviewed ISESCO’s new vision, which pays special attention to the cultural heritage and scientific research as two foundations of development.

Besides, Dr. AlMalik highlighted a number of initiatives that ISESCO intends to launch in Mauritania, including the importance of Mahdara in the Islamic world as it constitutes a great and unique heritage of Mauritania.

The meeting also tackled ISESCO’s initiatives to proclaim Nouakchott as a Capital of Islamic Heritage given its rich heritage and history as well as its intellects and historians.

Dr. AlMalik stated that the four ancient towns in Mauritania have had their share of ISESCO’s attention through their preservation to be an exemplary model for Muslim countries. “Five Mauritanian heritage sites have been inscribed by the Islamic World Heritage Committee. We are hopeful that we will inscribe more tangible and intangible heritage”, he added.  

H.E. Mr. Mohamed Ould Cheikh Ghazouani also expressed his appreciation of ISESCO’s initiatives while reaffirming his country’s willingness to cooperate with the Organization in their implementation so as to embody the partnership of the two parties.

The meeting was attended by Dr. Sidi Mohamed Ould Ghaber, Minister of Culture, Handicrafts and Relations with the Parliament of Mauritania; as well as Dr. Ahmed Said Bah, Director of External Relations and Cooperation; and Mr. Adel Bouraoui, Supervisor of the Directorate of Education from ISESCO.