Category: News update

The Director-General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, reaffirmed that education systems need to be rehabilitated so that they can face future challenges and be resilient to crises and emergencies through revamping infrastructure, updating training programmes and using modern technology.

In his address at the opening session of the Extraordinary Virtual Conference of Education Ministers of ICESCO Member States, which kicked off today under the theme “Education Systems in the face of Crises and Emergencies -Covid-19-“, Dr. AlMalik pointed out that the Conference is being held at a time where education systems are being hard hit by this pandemic leading to school disruption and closures of education facilities which had adverse effects on education.

ICESCO Director-General reaffirmed that the Conference constitutes an opportunity to share experiences and explore the most efficient ways to limit the negative impact of the pandemic, which, no matter how serious it may be, shows positive indicators worthy of considering. “Member States can draw on the successful experiences of some countries, particularly the adoption of ICT and AI applications to ensure successful continuity of the educational process toward the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), precisely Goal 4 which aims to “ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all, ” Dr. AlMalik added.

Moreover, Dr. AlMalik reaffirmed that ICESCO is fully and unconditionally prepared to put its expertise at the disposal of its Member States to find efficient solutions to the issue of school dropout, which stood at 30% in the pre-crisis levels. “This rate is likely to spike due to the disruption of the education process to levels threatening the quality of education, a challenge that needs to be handled based on a sound academic approach,” he stressed.

By the same token, ICESCO Director-General stressed the importance of the proactive vision to avoid potential complexities in school return under the pandemic, which need to be addressed through adequate measures and efficient solutions. In this regard, Dr. AlMalik noted that ICESCO has prepared a “guidebook for improving the preparedness of education systems to reopen education institutions,” drawing on international expertise. The guide was sent to education ministers for guidance.

In another vein, Dr. AlMalik called for serious steps to standardize and pay further attention to science and mathematics curricula in the Islamic world since mathematics and sciences play a decisive role on the global educational scene as benchmarks for the quality of education systems through international assessments and competitions.

At the close of his address, ICESCO Director-General listed a series of initiatives launched by ICESCO to support the efforts underway to fight the pandemic, specifically “ICESCO Prize for Fighting Against Coronavirus” to reward discoveries of a vaccine or treatment for the virus, “ICESCO Digital Home”, “Societies We Want”, along with the major initiative “Comprehensive Humanitarian Coalition” which aims to help the neediest affected Member States. In this regard, Dr. AlMalik reiterated his call to countries and donors to join the Coalition, which has been joined by many countries and leading international institutions.

The Extraordinary Virtual Conference of Education Ministers in the Member States of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), kicked off today via videoconferencing, under the theme “Education Systems in the Face of Crises and Emergencies (Covid-19)”, saw unprecedented participation in education conferences. It brought together participants from 43 countries, of whom 38 were represented by ministers of education, and 5 by deputy-ministers or under-secretaries, in addition to the participation of 10 heads and directors from 12 international organizations.

The opening session of the Conference, held by ICESCO, in cooperation with the Ministry of Education of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, President of the Conference, started at 12:00 PM (Makkah Al-Mukarramah time) with an address by Dr. Hamad Bin Mohammed Al-Shaikh, Minister of Education of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, President of the Conference, who welcomed the participants and lauded ICESCO’s Organization of this Conference, while reaffirming that the responsibilities shouldered by the ministries of education have doubled during Covid-19 pandemic.

In his address, Dr. Al Shaikh stated that “we have emerged from the trauma of this surprise and acquired expertise in dealing with the crisis. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has started providing distance education services years ago. The Kingdom has modernized this system that it now has 20 live channels of Ain educational channels. We have also provided access to educational content on various social media platforms and the channels of Saudi universities. Moreover, these systems will continue to operate even after the crisis to solve the problems of school dropout.”

Afterward, Dr. Yousef bin Ahmad Al-Othaimeen, Secretary-General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), gave an address wherein he highlighted that the OIC and its various organs have launched many initiatives as part of the fight against Covid-19, and reaffirmed that the OIC and its organs had paid great attention to neediest Member States.

Dr. Al-Othaimeen also underscored that the Member States are burdened with the responsibility to work collectively amid the lack of any treatment or vaccine for Covid-19 while stressing the need for preparedness to the post-Covid-19 period and ensuring the return of students to their schools.

In his presentation, Dr. Dandar Hajjar, President of the Islamic Development Bank Group (IsDB), said that investment in education and training had had the attention of the Bank since its establishment 45 years ago, explaining how the Bank has succeeded to finance 20 educational projects with a total value of US$ 5 million and provide around 17 thousands educational scholarships.

Moreover, Dr. Hajjar reaffirmed that “the Bank’s attention to investment in education stems from three major convictions: first, education is part of human rights; second, human-being is the focus of development; third, the willingness to achieve Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG 4.”

The floor was then given to Ms. Stefania Giannini, Assistant UNESCO Director-General for Education, who highlighted the dire need for resilience to this crisis, which uncovered large technical gaps between world countries. “Around 100 million students globally are deprived of their right to pursue their studies due to the lack of internet communication technologies. It reaffirms the importance of education in our schools,” she explained.

Furthermore, Ms. Giannini stated that Covid-19 crisis has accelerated the digital transformation and showcased the need for the establishment of an international coalition for education, which UNESCO called for last March; the world is now facing three major challenges related to this pandemic: ensuring all students’ right to education, strengthening student’s resilience, and the digital revolution. Ms. Giannini also praised the constructive cooperation between UNESCO and ICESCO.

At the close of the opening session, Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, ICESCO Director-General, made an address wherein he stressed the need to rehabilitate the educational systems in Muslim countries to be able to counter the future challenges and adapt to crises and emergencies through the development of infrastructure and training programmes, and use of modern technologies.

In addition, Dr. AlMalik reiterated that “the Organization’s full and unconditional willingness to provide the Member States with access to its expertise to find solutions to the problem of school dropout which stood at 30% in pre-crisis levels, but it is likely to increase due to the disruption of the educational process to reach levels threatening the quality of education. It requires us to address this challenge according to a sound scientific approach”.

The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) reaffirmed its support to the initiative calling for prayer for humanity, launched by the Higher Committee of Human Fraternity. The call invites all believers, regardless of their languages, races and beliefs to supplicate and pray to Allah, fast and do charitable work in all parts of the world. The initiative seeks to make tomorrow, Thursday 14 May 2020, a global day of prayer for humanity to implore Allah to lift the COVID-19 pandemic off the entire world; inspire scientists to discover an effective vaccine and cure to save the world from this disease; and save humanity from the health, economic, and human repercussions of this serious pandemic.

In two letters each addressed to His Eminence the Grand Imam of Al Azhar Al Sharif, Dr. Ahmad At-Tayyeb; and His Holiness Pope Francis, Head of the Catholic Church, ICESCO stated that it has launched a number of humanitarian initiative to curb the spread of the pandemic. These initiatives included, the Organization added, inviting ministries of religious affairs and competent religious bodies inside and outside its Member States to use minarets of mosques and other places of worship to raise people’s awareness and remind them of the intents of jurisprudent rules on the prevention against diseases and the importance of hygiene. ICESCO also invited these competent parties to use the minarets of places of worship to urge people to abide by safety measures, have a sense of responsibility, uphold the law, promote the values of solidarity and unity, and provide assistance to the sick in a way that promote spiritual peace and strengthen human relations.

Furthermore, ICESCO availed itself of this opportunity to commend the United Nations Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, and a number of international figures and religious, intellectual and media leaderships for supporting this call and confirming their participation, urging all to take part in the “Prayer for Humanity”.

Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), conveyed three messages to ambassadors and representatives of the international organizations accredited to the Kingdom of Morocco, at the 84th Diplomatic Forum, held via videoconferencing by the Diplomatic Institution in Rabat, on “The role of the international organizations in the management of Covid-19 crisis: ICESCO as a case study”.

In his response to the questions of the ambassadors participating in the Forum, Dr. AlMalik’s first message underlined that ICESCO is an open and specialized international organization which provides its services to Member States, cooperates with non- Member States, and serves the peoples of its Member States and humanity as a whole without discrimination based on race, gender or religion.

In his second message, ICESCO Director-General highlighted that the Organization has redrafted its Charter and Administrative and Financial Regulations and set a new status for the the Observer States at ICESCO, calling upon the ambassadors accredited to the Kingdom of Morocco from non-Member States to inform the competent parties in their countries to join ICESCO as Observer Members.

The third message called on donor countries and institutions, sovereign funds and the international cooperation agencies to join the Comprehensive Humanitarian Coalition, launched by ICESCO and whose executive projects and field programmes target poor and affected countries.

The Forum witnessed a considerable interaction from the ambassadors and representatives of the international organizations accredited to Rabat. On his part, Dr. AlMalik answered their questions on the nature of ICESCO’s action and efforts geared toward supporting Member States in countering the repercussions of Covid-19, as well as its achievements over the last year since Dr. AlMalik took office as Director-General on 09 May 2019. Furthermore, Dr. AlMalik stressed that ICESCO neither addresses the term “Islamophobia” nor participates in any discourses in this regard. “This is a strange term. Civilizations and cultures complement each other and are not rivals. We should rather focus on developing a better future for humanity instead of wasting our efforts and time in such pointless controversies,” he added.

“Education systems in the face of crises and emergencies (COVID-19)” is the theme of the Extraordinary Conference of Education Ministers of the Member States of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) which to be co-held virtually on Thursday 14 May 2020 by ICESCO and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, President of the current Conference’s session.

The opening session of the Conference, which will kick-off at 12:00 a.m. (Makkah Al-Mukarramah time), features addresses by Dr. Hamad bin Mohammed Al Al-Sheikh, Minister of Education of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, President of the Conference; Dr. Youssef Ahmed Al-Othaimeen, Secretary-General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC); Dr. Bandar Hajjar, President of the Islamic Development Bank Group (IsDB); Ms. Stefania Giannini, Assistant UNESCO Director-General for Education; and Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, ICESCO Director-General.

The first session will be dedicated to the topic “Role of artificial intelligence in developing education systems” to ensure safe continuity of the education process. Speaking at this session is Mr. Andreas Schleicher, Director of the Directorate of Education and Skills at OECD.

Then in the second session, several Ministers will review the experiences of their respective countries and the field challenges they have faced during the Coronavirus crisis. The aim is to share expertise, reaffirm the right to education, and explore ways to address dropout, which exacerbated due to school closure. The floor will be given to the ministries of education of Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Burkina Faso.

The third session will focus on Member States’ preparations to ensure school return in case this pandemic continues for a longer period, taking into account the warnings from the World Health Organization (WHO) against premature easing of lockdown restrictions and the guidance framework documents issued by international organizations regarding preparations for a safer school return. In this session, the floor will be given to the ministers from Palestine, Malaysia, Egypt, and Chad.

In the fourth session, the participants will discuss the “Comprehensive Humanitarian Coalition” launched by ICESCO to establish a global humanitarian approach to face crises and emergencies and help Islamic world countries face this pandemic. The ministers from Azerbaijan and Senegal will provide the essential information about the Coalition, its objectives, and achievements since its announcement by ICESCO.

At the close of the Conference, several of the attending ministers and heads of international organizations will speak during a dialogue session, adopt the Conference’s declaration, and deliver closing addresses at the closing session.

The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) prepared a report on the key achievements accomplished by ICESCO General Directorate in a year, since Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, ICESCO Director General, took office in 9 May 2019. The report was disseminated to the respective members of the General Conference and Executive Council, as well as the National Commissions of the Organization’s 54 Member States.

At the beginning of the report, the Director General gave a brief statement, “I was honored to assume the position of ICESCO Director General and earn the trust of the Member States during the Extraordinary Session of ICESCO General Conference, held in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, on 9 May 2019. This date marks the beginning of a new promising phase in the Organization’s history and reflects our commitment to consolidate its gains; adopt renewal, enhancement and innovation measures, and overhaul the Organization’s working culture”. The Director General added that the goal was to make ICESCO a beacon of global outreach within its realms of competence, able to overcome challenges and keep pace with regional and international changes. “The aim was also to promote multilateral cooperation and partnerships, decentralizing efforts to further reflect the ground realities of education, science, and culture at all levels.  It responds to the aspirations of the Islamic world for sustainable development and a prosperous future through developments of projects, programmes, and initiatives with concrete field impact on the targeted categories”, the Director General ascertained.  

“2019-2020: A Year of Achievements” first highlights aspects of the new ICESCO’s governance model, most notably the modification of the Organization’s name and logo, development of a new strategic vision, and devising a new organizational structure of the Organization. The report also mentions the creation of new centers and departments, the drafting of a new Charter, as well as compliant regulations consistent with the international policies applicable in similar institutions.  Furthermore, the digitization and utilization of the working methodologies and modern technology are, respectively, now being initiated to facilitate the implementation of projects and programmes, including the automation of administrative and communication systems with reputed external parties.

The report also features the adoption of new financial regulations that are on par with the new international financial and accounting standards.  More importantly, a payment scheme for the outstanding arrears of Member States to ICESCO’s budget by allocating significant portion of these financial obligations to implementing projects in Member States.  Also, additional funding sources for the Organization’s budget is now being sought from external sources with the setting up ICESCO Waqf Development Fund to ensure the stability of the Organization’s financial resources.
As for the development of partnership and cooperation, the report highlights the Organization’s achievements over a year that includes the establishment of the International Consultative Council; the reopening ICESCO Office at UNESCO in Paris; the signing new programme agreement with UNESCO; and the preparation of a draft charter for the National Commissions; and, the draft framework status for ICESCO’s Observer States aimed at promoting partnership with non-Member States, regional and international organizations.

The report also mentions the Organization’s environment-friendly conferences and forums that uphold foresight and social changes, including the Conference of Environment Ministers of the Islamic World, Conference of Culture Ministers, ICESCO Cultural Forum, and the Future Forum.

Finally, the report discusses key initiatives, programmes, and projects launched by the Organization amid the coronavirus outbreak, which aimed to support the efforts of ICESCO Member States to mitigate the crisis impact, and encourage scientific research and use of modern technology and AI applications in the Islamic world to fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), reaffirmed that there is impressive and significant progress in the causes of women in terms of their cultural advancement and developmental contributions. “Although illiteracy rate is still as high as 45%, especially in the rural and remote areas of our countries, the progress of women’s role in various fields and their efforts towards them deserves recognition. Even though the universalization of the right to education still faces many obstacles, this should not deter pushing for further efforts to promote women’s status. In this regard, ICESCO is committed to devoting the largest share in its plans and programmes to this matter,” ICESCO Director General highlighted.  

This remark was an excerpt from Dr.AlMalik’s address at the symposium held by the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization (ALECSO), via videoconferencing, on “The role of women in reshaping the Arab world’s cultural map in the post-Covid-19 period”, with the participation of Dr. Mohamed Ould Amar, ALECSO Director General; Dr. Jamila El Moussali, Moroccan Minister of Solidarity, Social Development, Equality and Family; Ms. Sameera Rajab, Minister and Advisor to the Bahraini Royal Court; and several experts and specialists in the cultural field.
In this vein, Dr. AlMalik stated that ICESCO’s new vision supports women both in terms of its staff members and its activities and programmes implemented in the Member States or at its headquarters. For instance, as part of its renewal process, the Organization has recruited women to serve in its various sectors. “There are women at the head of some major sectors such as Education, Human and Social Sciences, and the General Secretariat of Conferences and National Commissions. ICESCO also hired a good number of qualified and competent women, especially in the administrative and financial services, as well as other special posts in many technical and executive fields.

As for its activities, ICESCO seeks, through its new vision for the whole cultural and social activities in the Islamic world, to empower women through the establishment of the network of Muslim women scientists intended to embrace women’s scientific and intellectual contributions. Moreover, ICESCO has been particularly keen in its initiatives to focus on women’s entitlements, especially in the sector of education. In addition, the Organization pays special attention to women under its initiative, “The Societies We Want,” launched the last week,” ICESCO Director General added.

In closing, Dr. AlMalik called on women to seize the opportunity of Covid-19 crisis to prove that the time is ripe for “women empowerment” to become a thing of the past. “The role of women is necessary not only for satisfying the needs of society but also for its prosperity and for achieving the better society we want,” he further stressed.