Category: News update

The Director-General (DG) of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, and the Ambassador of Azerbaijan to Morocco, Mr. Oktay Sudef Ogly Gurbanov, examined ways to develop sustainable cooperation between ICESCO and Azerbaijan.

On Tuesday, Dr. AlMalik thanked Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and its government for their unwavering support to ICESCO. He noted that Azerbaijan was one of the first countries to join the “Comprehensive Humanitarian Coalition” that supports the most vulnerable countries to COVID-19 impacts.

The DG reviewed ICESCO’s major initiatives to bolster the efforts to reduce its repercussions of the pandemic on education, science, and culture. The Organization, in cooperation with donors, assisted 24 countries. The financial and technological aid contributed to the continuity of schooling and enhanced the beneficiaries’ digital educational content.

The Organization also distributed medical equipment and COVID-19 protective kits to other 10 countries.  The Organization also granted financial assistance and training sessions to set up best-cost sanitizers production units.

The talks also centered on the ICESCO’s specialized centers in strategic foresight, artificial intelligence, Arabic courses for non-native speakers, cultural dialogue, and diversity.

 The Organization also created the Heritage Center to inscribe historical sites in Member States and their intangible heritage on the Islamic World Heritage List (IWHL). The center equally trains heritage professionals on inscription procedures and landmarks restoration and preservation.

The two parties touched on the DG’s postponed visit to Azerbaijan amid the pandemic. Dr. AlMalik will resume a rescheduled plan soon, he added.

The Azerbaijani Ambassador commended ICESCO’s initiatives during the outbreak, while reaffirming his country’s willingness to maintain excellent cooperation with the Organization, namely in the inscription of heritage.

The Director-General (DG) of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, received yesterday in Rabat, September 8, Mr. Mouhamadou Youssifou, Ambassador of Cameroon to Morocco. The discussions focused on cooperation between the Organization and Cameroon in education, science and technology, and culture.

Dr. AlMalik reviewed ICESCO’s rejuvenated strategy to reposition the organization as a base of reference for research and a facilitator for global outreach. The Organization adopted a new communication approach with authorities in Member States to identify country-specific needs, and design tailor-cut programs. ICESCO also prioritizes African Member States, specified the DG.

He added that ICESCO maintains inclusive partnerships with non-Member States, international organizations, and civil society institutions. The Organization recently developed a Charter for Observer States for active participation and expertise transfer with countries in the Islamic world.

 It also set up specialized centers for strategic foresight, artificial intelligence, heritage preservation, cultural dialogue and diversity, and Arabic courses for non-native speakers.

Dr. AlMalik mentioned ICESCO’s measures to curb the impact of COVID-19 on education, science, and culture. He particularly focused on remote schooling aid and hygiene kits.

Ambassador Youssifou reaffirmed his country’s willingness to cooperate with ICESCO to achieve joint objectives, including the eradication of poverty through education, countering extremist thought, and the empowerment of women and girls.

The Ambassador also lauded ICESCO’s achievements during the pandemic. He also commended the Organization’s interest in interfaith dialogue, noting that Cameroon has a strong background on the topic given the country’s diverse ethnic and religious community.

The Director-General (DG) of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, and Mr. Salissou Ada, Ambassador of Niger to Morocco, explored yesterday, September 7, cooperation opportunities between ICESCO and Niger.

 The parties utilized their excellent relations to collaborate in the upcoming period in education, science, and culture.

Dr. AlMalik thanked the President of Niger for his unflagging support to the Organization, highlighting the priority status of African countries within ICESCO’s projects. He also listed the Organization’s aid programs in the region during the COVID-19 pandemic.

ICESCO offered electronic devices for digital educational content creation, to ensure the continuity of schooling.  The Organization also granted financial assistance and training sessions to set up and best-cost sanitizers production units.

The DG reviewed the Organization’s major initiatives to curb the outbreak’s aftermath on education, science, and culture. He also mentioned high-caliber participation in the videoconferences and online forums.

Dr. AlMalik reviewed ICESCO’s recent achievements. The focus was on the specialized centers in strategic foresight, artificial intelligence, cultural dialogue and diversity, Arabic for non-native speakers, and heritage. The goal is to establish ICESCO as a reference organization for research and civilizational outreach.

The meeting centered on activities that Niger would have benefitted from prior to COVID-19. The activities included the medical, social, and educational caravans, the first ladies of ICESCO’s African Member States meeting, and the construction of ICESCO Arabic Language Center in Niger.

Ambassador Ada commended ICESCO’s leading role in portraying a positive image about Islam, as well as its consistent cultural and educational efforts.

He lauded Dr. AlMalik’s visit to Niger last May to meet President Mahamadou Issoufou and senior officials at the Presidential Palace in Niamey. May’s visit opened wider prospects for cooperation between ICESCO and Niger.

The Director-General (DG) of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, met today, September 7, at the Organization’s headquarters, Ms. Saffie Lowe Ceesay, Ambassador of Gambia to Morocco. The two officials explored cooperation opportunities between Gambia and the Organization in education, science, and culture.

Dr. AlMalik reviewed ICESCO’s strategic milestones over the last year along the broad lines of its new strategy. He cited regular communication with Member States to identify their priorities, and country-specific programs in cooperation with respective countries’ competent authorities. He also commented on the priority status of African countries.

The DG underlined ICESCO’s efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Organization offered technological devices to 24 countries to support the production of digital educational content to ensure the continuity of schooling. It also provided protective equipment, hygiene kits, and other assistance in kind to 10 more countries. The Organization granted financial and technical aid to set up best-cost sanitizers production units.

Dr. AlMalik pointed out that, since the beginning of the pandemic, the Organization launched multiple initiatives and programs to fight the pandemic and minimize its impact on education, science, and culture.

The initiatives include “ICESCO Digital Home,” “Societies We Want,” “Comprehensive Humanitarian Coalition,” and “Distance Culture.”

ICESCO also held several online conferences and forums with high-caliber participation from heads of state, ministers, and prominent world figures. These gatherings have significantly contributed to expertise-sharing and promoted dialogue on best practices for pandemic management.

The Gambian Ambassador lauded ICESCO’s outstanding work and valuable help to Member States during the outbreak. She highlighted her country’s commitment to develop cooperation with the Organization.

 Ambassador Ceesay particularly focused on interfaith dialogue cooperation, to which the Gambian Government attaches great importance to strengthen the country’s social fabric.

Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General (DG) of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), Mr. Fawad Chaudhry, Minister of Science and Technology of Pakistan, and Mr. Hamid Asghar Khan, Ambassador of Pakistan to Morocco explored on Tuesday, September 3, opportunities for a mutually constructive partnership between the Organization and the country.

The discussions were part of Dr. AlMalik’s meeting with Ambassador Khan to the Pakistani Embassy in Rabat, while Mr. Chaudhry attended via a videoconference.
Dr. AlMalik listed the major aspects of ICESCO’s new vision and strategy, including enhanced communication with Member States for country-specific programs. The strategy will cooperate with authorities in each country in the implementation process.

The open-door policy to non-Member States, international organizations, and donors is also central to the partnerships benefitting citizens of Member States and Muslim communities worldwide. ICESCO also allowed other countries to join ICESCO as Observer States.
ICESCO’s DG reaffirmed that during the COVID-19 pandemic the Organization launched many result-oriented initiatives, programs, and activities to counter the negative repercussions of the pandemic on education, science, and culture in Member States.

ICESCO offered technological equipment to 24 countries to sustain distance schooling and provided in-kind aid and preventive equipment to 10 other countries. The Organization also financially and technically assisted many countries to set up best-cost sanitizers production units.

Mr. Chaudhry was keen to maintain close cooperation between the Organization and the Pakistani Ministry of Science and Technology and Pakistani scientists through joint conferences, forums, and workshops. The Minister also invited ICESCO’s DG to visit Pakistan to meet senior officials.

The discussions tackled ICESCO’s Specialized Centers for strategic foresight, dialogue and cultural diversity, heritage, and Arabic language courses for non-native speakers. The officials also explored the Organization’s ministerial teleconferences and virtual forums during the pandemic, which had a strong Pakistani participation.

Ambassador Khan suggested cooperation in water resources management and other environment-related issues, considering water scarcity in Pakistan. The Ambassador also proposed dialogue and cultural diversity, cooperation, training and capacity-building, and students’ scholarships.

He also commended ICESCO’s organizational progress over the past year, as well as its heritage preservation efforts.

ICESCO’s Ambassador Khalid Fathalrahman, Director of the Department of Dialogue and Cultural Diversity, Dr. Kais Hammami, Director of the Center of Strategic Foresight, and Dr. Muhammad Sherrif, Advisor at the Sector of Science and Technology attended the meeting.

The Director-General (DG) of the Islamic Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, and the Ambassador of Jordan to Morocco, Mr. Hazem Al Khatib Al Tamimi, explored yesterday, August 31, cooperation opportunities between the Organization and Jordan in education, science, and culture.

Dr. AlMalik reviewed the Organization’s major developments following its recent outreach to Member States and inclusion of non-Member States, international organizations and civil society institutions. The updated vision targets the Islamic world’s citizens and Muslim communities around the globe.

ICESCO’s heads of sectors also attended the meeting at the Organization’s headquarters.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, ICESCO launched many initiatives, programs, and activities to address the adverse repercussions of the outbreak on education, science, and culture, ICESCO’s DG reaffirmed.

He highlighted that ICESCO offered technological equipment to 24 countries to ensure the continuity of distance schooling. The Organization also financed production units for best-cost sanitizers in several Member States.

Many countries, institutions, and international donors joined ICESCO’s “Comprehensive Humanitarian Coalition.” Jordan and its institutions are welcome to join the coalition, invited the DG.

ICESCO established several specialized centers, namely the Center of Arabic Language for non-Native Speakers, continued Dr. AlMalik. The Organization’s Center for Strategic Foresight is currently preparing four studies on the future of the Islamic world, the African continent, cultural action and AI challenges in the Islamic world, involving renowned international experts in each study.

He added that the Organization created the Heritage Center, which so far has inscribed 200 archaeological sites in the Member States on the Islamic World Heritage List (IWHL) and provided multiple training sessions for professionals in the field.

The Jordanian Ambassador lauded ICESCO’s “enormous” efforts during the pandemic. He confirmed Jordan’s willingness to expand cooperation with the Organization.

Ambassador Al Tamimi affirmed also that he closely followed the Organization’s major initiatives, programs, activities, and conferences. He commended ICESCO’s medical, social, and educational caravan, in cooperation with the Jordanian authorities in December 2019 in Al Joufa Region.

The Director-General (DG) of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, stated that the world is undergoing a significant scientific, technological, and research transformation where Information and communications technology (ICT), big data and artificial intelligence (AI) define its course. “Life has been rapidly evolving, and the future holds many challenges for which the COVID-19 pandemic sounds the alarm, which is seen as a sign of change,” he added.

The statement was part of his address during a videoconference, on August 29, to honor Yemeni graduates in Moroccan universities. The Yemeni Embassy in Morocco held the ceremony in cooperation with the Yemeni Ministry of Higher Education.

The event saw the participation of Dr. Driss Ouaouicha, Minister Delegate to the Minister of National Education, Vocational Training, Higher Education, and Scientific Research, in charge of Higher Education and Scientific Research in Morocco; Dr. Hussein Abdulrahman Basalamah, Minister of Higher Education in Yemen; Mr. Azzedine Al-Asbahi, Ambassador of Yemen to Morocco. Ambassador Mohamed Methqal, DG of the Moroccan Agency for International Cooperation, university presidents, and Yemeni researchers, who obtained their PhD from Moroccan universities in 2019-2020, attended the ceremony.

ICESCO’s DG called on the graduates to restore Yemen’s glory, outreach, dynamism, and influence in its Arab-Islamic region and the world stage. Dr. AlMalik raised the graduates’ need to keep pace with future changes and become technology makers, not consumers. He also highlighted that this is consistent with ICESCO’s new vision to keep abreast of present changes and foresee future challenges.

ICESCO established the Strategic Foresight Center and the AI Center to focus on forecast studies.

Dr. AlMalik advised the graduates to make the impossible possible and withstand challenges. He equally insisted that they individually define their own course of life, be proud of their nationality and Arab identity and religion, and strive to hone their skills.

“The future will not solely acknowledge degrees as future transformations increasingly require skills, talents, and creative competencies that adapt to change,” he emphasized.

Dr. AlMalik congratulated the graduates and thanked Morocco for its hospitality, then concluded the ceremony with two verses of poetry.