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    New prospects of cooperation between ICESCO and Uzbekistan in the celebration of Bukhara as Capital of Islamic Culture

    **ICESCO Director-General: there is a need to pay attention to the sector of culture to preserve the mental health and social relations

    Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), called upon countries to pay strong attention to the sector of culture, which has been strongly affected during Covid-19 crisis due to the closure of 95% of heritage sites and cultural institutions all around the globe.

    This was an excerpt from Dr. AlMalik’s address at the opening session of the International Scientific Conference, held today via videoconferencing by the Center of Islamic Civilization in Uzbekistan, in partnership with ICESCO, under the theme “Role and contributions of Bukhara to the Islamic civilization,” as part of the Celebration of Bukhara as the Asian region’s Capital of Islamic Culture for 2020.

    In the same vein, Dr. AlMalik stated that there is now a need to pay attention to the sector of culture, given its impact on mental health and social balances and relations. “As part of ICESCO’s new vision, considering the new future challenges facing us during and after crises, ICESCO prepared the Strategic Digital and Cultural Project, the outline of which will be announced during the Virtual Extraordinary Conference of Culture Ministers of ICESCO Member States, due to be held on 17 June 2020,” he added.

    Furthermore, ICESCO Director-General praised the city of Bukhara, which is one of the major centers of Islamic civilization thanks to the contributions of its people over centuries since the arrival of Islam to this region as early as 46 A.H., while stressing ICESCO’s willingness to cooperate with Uzbekistan, which has, in addition to Bukhara, several major Islamic cities with glorious history such as Tashkent and Samarkand, and collaborates with its competent authorities, amid the current exceptional circumstances, on many items, including:
    •​Establishment of ICESCO Regional Center of Manuscripts at Imam Al-Bukhari International Research Centre (IBIRC), in coordination and cooperation with the Ministry of Culture and the Center of Islamic Civilization in Uzbekistan;
    •​Establishment of Imam Al-Bukhari Chair for University Studies at Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University, in Fes, Kingdom of Morocco, under ICESCO’s auspices;
    •​Inscribing 50 heritage sites and natural and industrial heritage elements in Bukhara and Uzbekistan on the Islamic World Heritage List;
    •​Preparation of standard files of some serial heritage sites and aspects in the countries concerned, including Uzbekistan and the Transoxiana, to be inscribed on the Islamic World Heritage List (Hajj route, caravan route);
    •​Publishing a book on the scholars of Bukhara in particular and Uzbekistan in general, and their civilizational contributions (in Arabic, Russian and Uzbek);
    •​Awarding ICESCO Prize for the best cultural project in Bukhara;
    In closing, Dr. AlMalik thanked the competent authorities in the Republic of Uzbekistan for meeting the challenge of organizing the activities scheduled as part of Bukhara as the Capital of Islamic Culture despite the current exceptional circumstances. He also called upon concerned institutions in other Capitals of Islamic Culture to launch innovative initiatives to celebrate these capitals and overcome challenges.

    The ICESCO Director-General wishes every success to the celebration of Bukhara as the Asian region’s Capital of Islamic Culture for 2020 as it serves sustainable development, well-being, and progress in Uzbekistan, and all the Islamic countries.

    ICESCO Director-General receives German Ambassador in Rabat

    The Director General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, received today Dr. Götz Schmidt-Bremme, Ambassador of Germany to the Kingdom of Morocco at ICESCO headquarters in Rabat. Together they explored ways to promote cooperation between ICESCO and the Federal Republic of Germany in the educational, scientific and cultural fields.

    During the meeting, which was also attended by Mr. Steffen Krüger, Representative of Kaunrad Adenauer Stiftung Foundation Morocco, Dr. AlMalik briefed the German Ambassador of the Organization’s new vision which advocates openness and cooperation with all parties in the service of Member States and Muslim communities around the globe. He also reviewed the initiatives, programmes and activities implemented by ICESCO during COVID-19 pandemic to curb its adverse effects and support Member States to overcome them.

    Likewise, ICESCO Director-General pointed out that ICESCO had redrafted its Charter and administrative and financial regulations and established a charter for ICESCO Observer States. In this vein, he invited Germany to join the Organization as an observer and contribute to the “Comprehensive Humanitarian Coalition” with executive projects and field programmes to assist the poorest and most affected countries by the pandemic.

    For his part, Dr. Schmidt-Bremme voiced his country’s commitment to cooperate with ICESCO within the realm of its competence and in light of its new vision and action strategy, while commending the initiatives and actions of ICESCO during COVID-19 pandemic. He also considered this meeting as a starting point for constructive cooperation between the two parties.

    At the close of the meeting, Dr. AlMalik thanked Mr. Krüger for the support extended by Kaunrad Adenauer Stiftung Foundation to ICESCO this year, namely the sponsoring of many of the Organization’s foresight conferences and studies, the membership of the Foundation to the Comprehensive Humanitarian Coalition and the involvement of ICESCO as a key partner in its action strategy for the coming years.

    The meeting was attended from ICESCO by Dr. Ahmed Said Bah, Director of the Sector of External Relations and Cooperation; and Dr. Kaïs Hammami, Director of the Center of Strategic Foresight.

    Symposium at ICESCO calls for preparing a strategic plan for the protection of the Palestinian heritage

    The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), in cooperation with the Palestinian Ministry of Culture, held a virtual symposium to explore “the promotion of cultural institutions’ action and the preservation of cultural heritage in Palestine during and after Covid-19”, with the participation of several experts and specialists of cultural heritage and the management of cultural institutions to develop the plans and strategies likely to ensure the sustainable access to the right to culture during and after this health crisis.

    The symposium, held yesterday via videoconferencing, was watched mainly through the live streaming on ICESCO page on Facebook. The seminar made several recommendations that praised the role of government cultural institutions in sustaining cultural resilience and preserving and publicizing the Palestinian identity despite its difficult situation before and during Covid-19.

    This event also called for incorporating the protection of Al-Quds’ heritage within the partnership to be signed with the World Heritage Center and the Islamic World Heritage Center, recently established by ICESCO, to join and coordinate the relevant efforts; and preparing a new strategic plan along with its implementation mechanisms to protect the Palestinian heritage, particularly the heritage of Al-Quds and the Al-Aqsa Mosque.

    Besides, the participants urged the staff working in the Palestinian cultural field to capitalize on modern technologies and social media to ensure the sustainability of cultural action and benefit all the social groups.

    Moreover, they underscored the key role of ICESCO in preserving Al-Quds’ heritage, hailed the decision of establishing a special unit for Al-Quds’ heritage within the Islamic World Heritage Center, and called upon the Organization to schedule more activities to support institutions and protect the cultural heritage in Palestine in general, and in Al-Quds Al-Sharif in particular, through the Palestinian National Commission for Education, Culture and Science.

    ICESCO launches series of lectures, “e-Learning in the time of COVID-19”

    In a bid to sustain its support for the efforts to fight the Coronavirus pandemic and mitigate its impact on the fields of education, science and culture, the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) launched a series of educational lecture entitled “e-Learning in the Time of COVID-19” as part of the comprehensive initiative “ICESCO Digital Home”, on the link: https://www.icesco.org/التعليم-عن-بعد/

    This series of lectures consists of videos by experts in pedagogy and educational technology, university professors, educational professionals, researchers and academicians from different countries. The lectures will tackle the effective use of ICTs to contribute to the continuity of the teaching process and ensure its quality.

    Through these videos, which will be an addition to the contents of ICESCO Digital Home in the field of education, lecturers will address a number of topics including e-learning in the educational system; technology for teaching adults and literacy; technology in original education; and digital citizenship and cybersecurity. These lectures will target educational policy makers; educational officials; high-level professionals, teachers, and educators from the civil society; and students’ parents.

    This series of lectures aim to open wider horizons for prospective thinking on the future of education; anchor the “learning anywhere anytime” approach; contribute to the production of advanced technological resources and mediums for teaching and research; and urge Member States investing technology in the field of education.

    Convened by ICESCO, IWHC holds an extraordinary meeting

    Convened by the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), the Islamic World Heritage Committee (IWHC) held its 2nd Extraordinary Meeting via videoconferencing, to examine ways to protect and conserve heritage in the Islamic world, and train workers in this field amid the spread of Covid-19. The crisis has affected several vital sectors, most notably the cultural institutions, which have been closed to the public, particularly heritage sites and tourism destinations.

    At the outset, the Committee considered the items placed on the agenda and hailed the initiative of holding its meeting via videoconferencing. It also called for adopting this mechanism whenever necessary and incorporating it in the Internal Regulations of IWHC and considered the challenges relevant to the management of heritage sites and museums during and after Covid-19 crisis as well as matters pertaining to the intangible heritage and the implementation of the relevant resolutions of the Conference of Culture Ministers in the Islamic World.

    Besides, the Committee welcomed the establishment of the Islamic World Heritage Center and adopted its Organizational Chart while taking into account the remarks of its members and reaffirmed its commitment to support the Center’s activities, programmes and projects.

    The Committee also recommended the adoption of the amended nomination form for the inscription of intangible heritage on the Islamic World Heritage List. It will take into account the remarks of its members, called upon the Secretariat of the Committee, to circulate the form to all Member States to prepare the files of the intangible heritage elements nominated for inscription on the Islamic World Heritage List.

    Moreover, the Committee praised ICESCO’s swift adoption of the management of cultural activities through its website during Covid-19 crisis and the provision of distance training videos in the fields of tangible and intangible heritage. It also included the management of heritage sites and museums; and called for sustaining and promoting these efforts through the preparation of the strategic digital cultural project for heritage documentation and the establishment of the heritage platform in the Islamic world and virtual museums, as well as taking the necessary technical measures to design a digital portal for inscribing the heritage sites on the Islamic World Heritage List.

    The Committee also called upon the Islamic World Heritage Center to prepare a guide on how to protect from destruction and sabotage heritage sites amid crises, disasters, and armed conflicts. Also, to complement this effort by establishing cooperation with UNESCO World Heritage Center through coordination with the ICESCO Member States representatives in the UNESCO World Heritage Committee. This move will serve the objectives of the IWHC and support the action of the regional and international organizations, bodies, and centers operating in the field of preserving heritage and monuments.

    In addition, the Committee called upon the Secretariat of the Islamic World Heritage List to launch an awareness-raising campaign on ICESCO website and social media for the benefit of local communities, particularly youth, to highlight the importance of heritage in promoting the cultural and civilizational identity of nations and peoples, and the socio-economic development.

    on the International Museum Day: ICESCO calls for expanding the use of modern technology and AI applications in museums

    On 18 May of each year, the world celebrates International Museum Day, which was proclaimed by the International Council of Museums (ICOM). This Day is an occasion for museum professionals to communicate with the general public to raise awareness of the importance of museums and their role in social development and cultural exchange among peoples. While more than 55,000 museums in about 150 countries took part in celebrating last year’s International Museum Day, the Day is however celebrated this year at a time when almost all museums around the world are closed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, in compliance with the strict lockdown measures. These measures imposed the cancellation or postponement of mass cultural activities and caused an unprecedented decline of cultural tourism based on visits and organized trips to heritage sites and museums.

    Amid the current extraordinary circumstances, ICESCO reiterates its call for making culture accessible to all without exception or discrimination and bringing it closer to people in different parts of the world. Today, this call gains renewed momentum and offers further opportunities for its realization provided that we draw on the latest positive developments, particularly the innovative distance working and production mechanisms and digital and virtual alternatives for face-to-face cultural activities. Accordingly, ICESCO took prompt action to adopt this approach and ensure its application from the early days of the lockdown and social distancing enforcement. It was one of the first international organizations to launch, under its “Digital Home,” several digital initiatives including its comprehensive cultural initiative, “Distance Culture” aimed to contribute to addressing the growing “cultural loss” in various countries since March. ICESCO was also one of the first organizations to hold e-training sessions and broadcast introductory and training videos in the field of heritage on its online platforms. Most notable of this is introductory capsules on training museum professionals on museum management and security, which the Organization makes to all nations inside and outside the Islamic world.

    In furtherance to the interest ICESCO gives to museums, the Organization has created a Division of Museums and Movable Heritage within its recently completed Islamic World Heritage Center. This Division is tasked with providing technical support to museums in the Islamic world; contributing to training museum professionals; building national capacities in the field of museum and museum collections management; and expanding their scope of benefit to cover all fields of sustainable development (cultural, educational, social and economic fields). In this context, the Organization proclaimed the week starting from 25 September as an annual Week of Heritage in the Islamic World, during which a variety of activities and conferences are held to review and exchange expertise on museum management in the Islamic world, exhibition tools and use of modern technology in museums.

    In light of the continuing lockdown measures, many museums took the initiative to launch digital platforms to allow the public to admire some of their collections virtually. In this regard, ICESCO commended these initiatives and called for consolidating them through using modern technology and AI applications. This step would lay down all possible future scenarios for museum management, collections, and human resources and drafting future strategies for the future of museum and heritage action post-crisis.

    In line with the noble intents of its “Comprehensive Humanitarian Coalition,” recently launched to firmly establish a global humanitarian approach to address crises and emergencies, ICESCO reiterates its call to culture ministries inside and outside Member States, international organizations’ museum authorities, and major national and international museums to upgrade museum facilities and allow access to museum collections through digital platforms. The objective is to raise awareness of the importance of museums and their key role in developing societies, building human understanding, harmony, and spreading peace across the world.

    Dr. AlMalik at UNA-OIC Forum: Islamophobia is an intrusive term whose use should be reconsidered

    The Director-General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, called on news agencies in the Islamic world for closer cooperation and partnership with similar agencies and media institutions in the world to develop awareness and push for joint efforts in handling Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

    The remarks came in his address at the first web forum of the Union of OIC News Agencies (UNA-OIC) held today to explore the role of news agencies in backing anti-COVID-19 efforts. The forum was organized under the patronage of Dr. Majid bin Abdullah Al Qasabi, Acting Minister of Media of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Chairman of the UNA-OIC Executive Council, with the participation of Dr. Ahmed Yousef Al-Othaimeen, Secretary-General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC); Dr. Bandar Hajjar, President of the Islamic Development Bank Group (IsDB); Dr. Zayed Sultan Abdullah, UNA-OIC Deputy Director-General; and presidents and managers of the Islamic world news agencies.

    Dr. AlMalik demanded that the concepts and terms used by news agencies in their discourses and materials in the Islamic world be thoughtfully and seriously reconsidered.  Most notable terminology, “Islamophobia,” which he qualified as “intrusive,” should be scrutinized in terms of meanings, scope, and impact on entrenching on values of tolerance and understanding.

    In another vein, ICESCO Director-General listed the initiatives launched by the Organization to support anti-COVID-19 efforts and help the Member States overcome its adverse effects on education, science, and culture. In this respect, he cited the digital information, and video clips ICESCO has broadcasted on its website and social networks pages for raising awareness of the threat of a pandemic. These materials provide ample explanation on how to protect against the virus in three languages: English, French, and Arabic, including few local African languages.

    ICESCO Director-General: international cooperation key in addressing Coronavirus pandemic

    The Director-General of the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, highlighted the importance of strengthening international cooperation in handling the damaging repercussions of Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.  

    This is the substance of his address delivered at the opening session of the Global Web Forum organized by ASAN Network, under the patronage of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, on the theme “Governments Agile Response to COVID-19.”  Dr. AlMalik further stressed that government responses should be all-inclusive in this critical moment, emphasizing equity and fairness, especially in health, financial and educational spectrums. Moreover, he urged the government to give priority to the most vulnerable communities in the development of policies as the crisis exposed the gap between regional and social categories.

    “Government responses to the pandemic should focus on genuine dialogue and inter-disciplinary cooperation while drawing inspirations from the successful experiences of some governments in addressing emergencies. Despite growing tensions, governments should not lose sight of the fact that interinstitutional and external cooperation proves indispensable in the fight against any crises.  Joint efforts and sharing of best practices between international partners can help overcome the grinding standstill of economic activities and the debilitating effect of social restrictions, Dr. AlMalik added.

    ICESCO Director-General alerted the Member States to recognize the importance of culture and education as the future of humanity hinges on the preservation and protection of these fundamental societal spheres.

    Then, Dr. AlMalik highlighted activities, programmes, and initiatives launched by ICESCO to support the efforts to help cushion the adverse effects of Coronavirus pandemic, particularly:
    • ICESCO Prize for Fighting Coronavirus with a value of 200,000 US$ to reward anyone who discovers an efficient treatment or vaccine against the virus.
    • Launch of the Comprehensive Humanitarian Forum to help the most affected developing countries and promote innovation and scientific research.
    • “ICESCO Digital Home” which is a platform providing technological, educational, social, cultural, and awareness content for all age groups.
    • Provision of technical and financial support for the production of sanitizers and disinfectants in several African countries.
    • Provision of smart equipment and materials to 30 Member States to ensure the continuity of the educational process during school shutdown.
    • “Societies We Want,” an initiative that seeks to disseminate knowledge and implement creative programmes for building healthy, safe, prosperous, and inclusive societies.

    At the close of his address, ICESCO Director-General suggested that ICESCO launch “ICESCO-ASAN Award for the Management of Public Services in the Islamic World” to promote good governance, build capacities and provide good services in managing all the sectors related to education, sciences, culture, and social development.

    Launched by ASAN Network, the Global Web Forum is an initiative of the State Agency for Public Service and Social Innovations under the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan. It aims to discuss public service activities and ways to access them in times of epidemics and the role of innovations and smart solutions during and after COVID-19.

    Details of the Final Declaration of the Extraordinary Virtual Conference of Education Ministers in the Islamic World

    The Extraordinary Virtual Conference of Education Ministers of ICESCO Member States, held under the theme “Education Systems in the Face of Crises and Emergencies (Covid-19)”, closed its proceedings today with a unified declaration.  Participants from 43 countries reiterated their commitment to work until their countries attain SDG 4 by 2030 which aims to “ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all”.

    In the declaration read out by Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, ICESCO Director-General, at the closing session of the Conference, the ministers of education in the Islamic world and heads of participating regional and international organizations extended their thanks and appreciation to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, for the initiative to hold and preside the Conference and provide the necessary technical support. They also thanked ICESCO and its Director-General for convening the Conference during these difficult circumstances due to the outbreak of Covid-19 pandemic, which resulted in the closure of public educational facilities.

    The conference participants also reiterated their support to the vision of ICESCO, which is based on the assurance of the right to education as a fundamental human right and the preservation of human dignity, social justice, and equality between learners. In the same vein, the participants lauded the efforts exerted by the Member States to ensure the sustainability of education amid Covid-19 pandemic. They also called on ICESCO to prepare a comprehensive study on the mechanisms and measures implemented by the Member States to curb the fallout of the pandemic on the education sector and the future prevention mechanisms for crises and emergencies.

    The declaration underlined Member States’ commitment to employ their expertise, financial, and human means to support each other and intensify consultation, coordination, and communication to allow every child to enjoy the right to education in the Islamic world, particularly during crises and emergencies.

    Moreover, the participants hailed the new guidebook prepared by ICESCO to regulate the procedures and measures to be followed to ensure a safe school return in case this pandemic goes on or a new wave of the virus should emerge as the regular school reopens. They also welcomed the report on the role of artificial intelligence (AI) and its applications in developing education systems and entrenching the values of quality, equity, equality, and inclusion in situations of emergencies and crises. Along this line, they affirmed their commitment to harnessing necessary financial and technical means to reap its maximum benefit from the advantages provided by these smart applications in education.

    The participants expressed their willingness to provide access to educational resources and open-source data to all learners’ categories.  They would further adapt national legislation toward the establishment of public digital education facilities and incorporation of virtual education in the legal systems in the Islamic world to complement to in-classroom education systems.

    Afterward, the participants have undertaken prompt measures and launch successful practical initiatives to address the high school dropout in the Islamic world, which exacerbated due to Covid-19 pandemic outbreak, compromising education quality and principles of equity, inclusiveness, and equality. Likewise, they reaffirmed the need to keep up with advances in education systems and their technical and human needs and work toward capacity-building through developing training policies and rehabilitation programmes, preparing guidebooks, and organizing training sessions for all the elements of the education family.

    The declaration also reiterated its call to the Member States for more commitment to prepare strategies, action plans, and budgets related to education following approaches based on gender equality.  It strongly rejects all forms of discrimination against women and provides equal education opportunities to all categories without exception and standardize mathematics and sciences in Islamic world countries. The participants then entrusted ICESCO to give proposals on those mentioned above, in cooperation with specialized international organizations, to be submitted to the competent authorities in the Member States before their adoption at the upcoming session of the Conference of Education Ministers.

    Next, the participants reaffirmed their support to the “Comprehensive Humanitarian Coalition” launched by ICESCO to curb the repercussions of Covid-19 on the Member States.  They urged countries, governmental and non-governmental organizations, donors, and the private sector to ensure the success of the Coalition by supporting its activities and initiatives. They also stressed their commitment to ensure the sustainability of the resources of the Organization by paying their contributions to its budget regularly and strive to provide off-budget resources.  It would allow ICESCO to fully discharge its roles assigned to it under its founding Charter, and the resolutions and decisions of the General Conference, Executive Council and specialized ministerial conferences.
    At the close of the Conference, Dr. AlMalik delivered an address wherein he thanked the Ministers and the participants and reiterated the Organization’s commitment to invest more efforts to sustain the right to education.

    Partnership Agreement between ICESCO and Hamdan bin Rashid Foundation signed

    Announcement of the 2nd Edition of Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum-ICESCO Prize

    The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) and Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation for Distinguished Academic Performance signed a framework agreement for a strategic partnership on the establishment of “Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum Fund for Supporting ICESCO,” on the sidelines of the Extraordinary Virtual Conference of Education Ministers of ICESCO Member States, held today via videoconferencing.

    The Agreement was signed by Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, ICESCO Director-General, and H.E. Eng. Hussain Ibrahim Al Hammadi, Minister of Education of the State of the United Arab Emirates, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation for Distinguished Academic Performance. The two parties thanked each other and welcomed this partnership.

    The Agreement aims to develop the foundation and framework to jumpstart cooperation and partnership for the joint strategic goals in the field of education. ICESCO and Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation agreed to cooperate, support, and promote the quality of education in the Islamic world. Current and future projects and initiatives are detailed in the Agreement, including the institutional requirements of its cooperation.

    The Agreement also included the establishment of a general fund named “Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum Fund for Supporting ICESCO” through which the two parties will develop the projects.  Furthermore, the Agreement provides for the two parties to share general ideas, documents, and information, and develop concrete initiatives to serve both interests.
    Moreover, on the sidelines of the Conference, the two parties announced the 2nd Edition of Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum-ICESCO Prize for Voluntary Development of Education Facilities in the Islamic World on the fight against Covid-19.

    It is worth mentioning that Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum-ICESCO Prize for Voluntary Development of Education Facilities in the Islamic World was launched in 2017 with the support of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, in cooperation with ICESCO. It aims to encourage and pay tribute to voluntary initiatives and charitable works in the field of education, particularly to develop the education facilities in the Islamic world.

    The Prize is awarded to three winners every two years from leading figures or institutions that contribute to the development of the education system in the Islamic world, with each receiving a shield and  US$100.000 to be used in charitable work.