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    Ministerial representation and large audience at opening of ICESCO Forum Future

    Posted on by MOHAMED.AQEIL

    The opening session of the Future Forum, which kicked off on Monday at the headquarters of ICESCO in Rabat, brought together a large number of officials, members of the diplomatic corps accredited to the Kingdom of Morocco, most prominent experts of strategic foresight and artificial intelligence, and students.

    The session was opened by Dr. Kais Hammami, Director of the Centre of Strategic Foresight at ICESCO. He welcomed the forum’s guests, representing an elite of experts in strategic foresight, working at major international organizations, in prestigious universities, and in government institutions, stressing the importance of the issues to be discussed at the forum over two days.

    Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, ICESCO Director General, emphasized that the Organization has taken upon itself, as part of its new vision, to make future building one of its main pillars, noting that the Organization seeks to entrench the thought of strategic foresight in youth groups, through holding training workshops or providing schools and training grants in coordination with centers of strategic foresight.

    Moreover, Dr. AlMalik revealed that ICESCO has started preparing for an important conference to be held in June, that will be devoted to the theme of “Tomorrow’s Professions”, warning that “if we fail to anticipate the future now, we will chain ourselves in the dungeons of the past and dash our hopes for joining the ranks of developed countries.”

    In his address, Mr. Said Amzazi, Minister of National Education, Vocational Training, Higher Education and Research of the Kingdom of Morocco, took the floor and congratulated ICESCO Director General on the comprehensive reform taking place in the Organization, and on the Organization’s new vision adopted by the 40th session ISESCO Executive Council, held by Abu Dhabi, UAE, on 29 and 30January 2020. He also reaffirmed the continued support of the Kingdom of Morocco to the Organization to fully discharge its role and achieve the peoples Islamic world ambitions in the fields of education, science and culture, and support it in its new start to become a beacon of global outreach in its fields of competence.

    He added that in a world dominated by globalization and economic and social changes, it is imperative for all of us to look forward, pointing out that Morocco experienced profound structural transformations that called for the promotion of foresight studies. In this regard, Dr. Amzazi added that the government has formulated a vision to develop the system of education and scientific training in Morocco through a comprehensive set of initiatives, such as establishing new schools, and promoting justice and equal opportunities.

    Then, Dr. Hatem ben Salem, Minister of Education and Acting Minister of Higher Education and Research of the Republic of Tunisia, delivered an address in which he indicated that the world has experienced in recent decades positive and negative changes, such as the digital revolution, the increasing advocacy for human rights, the disappearance of dozens of conventional professions, and the emergence of new ones. Facing all these massive challenges, Dr. ben Salim stated, our societies have no other choice but to take advantage of these changes in technology and sciences.

    He added that benefiting from these changes requires accurate knowledge of the needs and the goals of our societies, and the adoption of foresight approach that meets these needs, noting that artificial intelligence has become one of the most important goals (SDGs) that help us to achieve and create opportunities for the strategic approach, and enable us to achieve the Sustainable Development, and contribute to combating diseases and fight illiteracy.

    Steffen Krueger, the representative of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation in the Kingdom of Morocco, praised the continued cooperation between ICESCO and the Foundation, and stressed the importance of the Forum’s theme, especially that foresight allows access to future scenarios to be able to deal with them in the most appropriate way.

    He underscored the urgent need for developing societies, especially in Africa, to adopt strategic anticipation as an essential tool in shaping their future policies, calling on the audience to listen to the guests and enrich the discussion for maximum benefit from the Forum.

    AlMalik: if we fail to anticipate the future, we will be chained in the dungeons of the past

    Posted on by MOHAMED.AQEIL

    The Director General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, stated that the Organization has taken upon itself, as part of its new vision, to make of future building one of its pillars. To this end, Dr. AlMalik added, it established the Center for Strategic Foresight to develop its action mechanisms, upgrade its executive plans, provide the necessary expertise and support to competent authorities in the Islamic world and step up their performance to keep pace with future challenges.

    In his address at the opening session of ICESCO Future Forum which kicked off at ICESCO headquarters today, ICESCO Director General highlighted that the Organization committed itself to entrenching foresight thought in the youth through holding training sessions and providing school or training grants, in coordination with international foresight centers.

    Moreover, Dr. AlMalik revealed that ICESCO initiated preparations for a very important conference in June on the theme “Tomorrow’s Professions”, while pointing out that foresight is a novel field ICESCO intends, as part of its new vision, to further explore and an industry of strategic thought whose findings will contribute to building a brighter future for the Islamic world.

    “If we fail to anticipate the future now, we will chain ourselves in the dungeons of the past and dash our hopes for joining the ranks of developed countries. These countries owe their progress to the findings of anticipatory studies of present and future changes in all the fields of development”, Dr. AlMalik warned. He added that these countries used these findings to develop their strategies based on sound forward-looking thought away from random predictions that are not scientifically founded.

    In another vein, ICESCO Director General said foresight is the best way to preserve and consolidate human gains, as specialized studies have proved that in order for peoples to progress and civilization to flourish they need to consider and reflect on their future based on a scientific approach, through the analysis of data and past and present gains to predict their medium and long-term prospects.

    “Foresight does not at all mean waiting for change to happen in order to interact with its consequences. It rather entails monitoring and interacting effectively and proactively to effect the desired change. Looking back on the experiences of leading nations in today’s world, we realize that their civilizational resurgence was made possible thanks to their solid foundations of foresight thought, which proved to be the most efficient way to address future challenges and measure their compatibility or incompatibility with the available capacities”. He added that such thought allows for investing and adapting the said capacities with the current situation, or monitoring them to prevent any negative impact on the future of individuals and societies.

    In this vein, ICESCO Director General provided examples of the results of this strategic foresight approach achieved at world level, namely the practical proposals to address the challenge of climate change risks and curb global warming. These include reducing CO2 emissions to around 45% by 2030 and to “net zero” by 2050; and monitoring the rise of sea level. He added that the same approach to the challenges posed by digital transition and smart technologies in the economic and business fields in preparation for the fourth industrial revolution reaffirms that 64% of global corporations are aware that their employees lack the necessary skills for digital transition but only 16% of these companies have action plans to address the issue.

    At the close of his address, ICESCO Director General expressed his thanks and appreciation to all the attending officials and experts and to Konrad Adenauer Foundation for their support in the preparation for the first edition of the conference.

    Future Forum kicks off at ICESCO headquarters in Rabat

    Posted on by MOHAMED.AQEIL

    Moments ago, the headquarters of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) saw the opening of ICESCO Future Forum, which is organized by ICESCO, in cooperation with Konrad Adenauer Stiftung Foundation. The Forum brought together more than 30 renowned experts in strategic foresight and artificial intelligence (AI) from all over the world.

    The opening session includes the respective addresses of Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, ICESCO Director General; Mr. Steffen Krüger, Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung Foundation Representative in Morocco; Dr. Hatem Ben Salem, Minister of Education and Acting Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research of the Republic of Tunisia; and Mr. Said Amzazi, Minister of National Education, Vocational Training, Higher Education and Scientific Research of the Kingdom of Morocco.

    The opening of the Forum saw wide participation including high-level experts, diplomats, media professionals and  students. After the opening session, the two-day Forum will include the following four sessions: “Foresight by 2040”; “Future Literacy”; “Positionning Artificial Intelligence in its right perspective”; and “The Future of Sciences”.

    As for the second day, six strategic workshops will handle the theme “Horizon 2040”, namely “Education: Major trends”; “Culture: Need for intercultural dialogue; Sciences: Future challenges”; “Artificial Intelligence: Towards ethical technology in service of societies”; “Human and social sciences: Development and Foresight”; and “Future literacy laboratory”.

    Four sessions and six specialized workshops at ICESCO Future Forum

    Posted on by MOHAMED.AQEIL

    The headquarters of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), today morning, saw the opening of ICESCO Future Forum, which is organized by ICESCO, in cooperation with Konrad Adenauer Stiftung Foundation. The Forum brings together more than 30 renowned experts in strategic foresight and artificial intelligence (AI) from all over the world.

    The opening session of the two-day Forum featured the respective addresses of Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, ICESCO Director General; Mr. Steffen Krüger, Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung Foundation Representative in Morocco; Dr. Hatem Ben Salem, Minister of Education and Acting Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research of the Republic of Tunisia; and Mr. Amzazi Said, Minister of National Education, Vocational Training, Higher Education and Scientific Research of the Kingdom of Morocco.

    The programme of the first day includes four sessions, namely “Foresight by 2040”; “Future Literacy”; “Positionning Artificial Intelligence in its right perspective”; and “The Future of Sciences”.

    As for the second day, six strategic workshops will handle the theme “Horizon 2040”, namely “Education: Major trends”; “Culture: Need for intercultural dialogue; Sciences: Future challenges”; “Artificial Intelligence: Towards ethical technology in service of societies”; “Human and social sciences: Development and Foresight”; and “Future literacy laboratory”.

    The organization of this Forum comes as part of the ICESCO’s new vision of foreseeing the future and handling the changes and challenges facing the Islamic world. The aim is to turn the Forum into a platform for debate and exchange of views with the interested stakeholders and foresight experts to explore regional and international foresight capacities and define possible futuristic visions.

    The choice of AI and its applications as the  theme of discussion at the Forum is motivated by the fact that it is the tangible aspect of the digital evolution that reshapes and influences international relations, namely the changes affecting the approach to sustainable development. In this reagard, AI experts will gave presentations in order to put into perspective artificial intelligence and its ability to advance societies and discuss its possibilities and potentials. Moreover, the Forum’s programme features a gallery of virtual pictures and digital drawings and an exhibition of physical models reflecting the sector-related challenges of the future.

    ICESCO-Russia: new start for cooperation

    Posted on by MOHAMED.AQEIL

    The Director General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, along with several officials from the Organization, met with Dr. Ramazan Abdulatipov, Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to OIC, and his accompanying delegation to explore cooperation prospects between ICESCO and Russia, ICESCO Observer Member, in the fields of education, science and culture.

    At the outset of the meeting held at ICESCO headquarters in Rabat, Dr. AlMalik welcomed the visiting delegation to which he reaffirmed that the Organization’s new vision promotes openness to and cooperation with all world’s countries in the Organization’s fields of competence for the benefit of Member States and Muslim communities in Non-Member States. He added that the vision seeks to ensure that Observer States play a larger role in the action of the Organization, which ushered in a new stage toward the attainment of this objective; and transmit the true image of the Islamic civilization and culture that promote world peace, hence its new modified name “Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization”.

    By the same token, ICESCO Director General stated that cooperation with the Russian Federation, as an ICESCO Observer Member, is of paramount importance, thanks to the outstanding relations between Russia and the Islamic world and Russia’s progress in the areas of higher education, scientific research and new technologies and long-standing culture which tremendously contributed to human civilization. In this regard, Dr. AlMalik pointed out that ICESCO is ready to inscribe some Islamic historic sites in Russia on the Islamic World Heritage List (IWHL) which now includes 140 sites from 23 countries.

    For his part, Dr. Abdulatipov lauded the new vision and its openness and the progress being made by the Organization, while expressing his delight at the meeting and the steps to be taken to coordinate the development of cooperation between Russia and ICESCO in its fields of competence and foster relations with Islamic world countries.

     In addition, Dr. Abdulatipov underlined that cooperation between Russia and ICESCO can cover higher education, modern technologies and strategic foresight given the large number of Russian scientific centers operating in the field of sustainable development and cultural fields, while reaffirming his commitment to give shape to this cooperation.

    Several ICESCO officials then took the floor to stress the commitment of many sectors to cooperate with the Russian Federation and reach out to Russian technical experts to hold future meetings to agree on best modalities of cooperation. Mr. Valerian Shuvaev, Ambassador Plenipothentiary and Extraordinary of the Russian Federation to the Kingdom of Morocco, reaffirmed that the Embassy will follow up the work with ICESCO to coordinate cooperation.

    The meeting was attended from the Russian side by Mr.Vassili Tchetchine, Advisor to the Russian Embassy to Morocco, Director of the Russian Cultural Center in Rabat, and Ms. Alina Danilova, Third Secretary at the Embassy.

    In attndance from ICESCO were Dr. Ahmed Said Bah, Director of Extrenal Relations and Cooperation; Mr. Najib Rhiati, Director of Culture; Dr. Kais Hammami, Director of the Center of Strategic Foresight; Dr. Mohamed Hedi Shili, Chief of the Department of Legal Affairs; Ambassador Khalid Fathalrahman, Head of the Division of Dialogue and Cultural Diversity; Ms. Zineb Iraqi, Supervisor of the Center of Planning, Statistics and Assessment; Mr. Samy El Kamhawy, Supervisor of the Center of Communication; and Ms. Rime Jirari, Programme Specialist at the Directorate of External Rlations and Cooperation.

    ICESCO Director General meets with Morocco Foreign Minister

    Posted on by MOHAMED.AQEIL

    Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), met with Mr. Nasser Bourita, Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates of the Kingdom of Morocco, today, at the headquarters of the Moroccan Foreign Ministry to explore cooperation relations between the Organization and the Kingdom in the fields of education, science and culture.

    During this meeting, Dr. AlMalik expressed his thanks to the Kingdom of Morocco, represented in His Majesty King Mohammed VI and the Moroccan Government, for their sustained support for ICESCO. He also reviewed with Mr. Bourita the key themes of ICESCO’s new vision, which was adopted, along with its relevant decisions, by the 40th session of ICESCO Executive Council, held in Abu Dhabi, UAE, on 29-30 January 2020.

    In addition, the Director General  underlined that the Organization is witnessing a fresh start to become a beacon of outreach for Muslim countries, through promoting more communication with Member States to implement the programmes and activities needed in these countries, thus contributing to their respective plans to achieve sustainable  development; and opening up to non-Member States and cooperating with them in service of Muslim communities.

    For his part, the Moroccan Foreign Minister reaffirmed the keenness of the Moroccan Government to support ICESCO, guided by the instructions of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, in meeting the expectations of the peoples of the Islamic world; and becoming, through its new vision, a beacon of global outreach in the fields of education, science and culture.

    Initiative from ICESCO: 10 African cerebral palsy doctors to be trained and qualified annually

    Posted on by MOHAMED.AQEIL

    Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO); Mr. Abdellah Al Ghariri, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to the Kingdom of Morocco; and Mr. Mustapha Mansouri, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Morocco to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, paid a visit to the Rabat-based National Center for Rehabilitation and Neurosciences (CNRNS) of the Hassan II Foundation for Prevention and Fight against Nervous System Diseases to learn about the Center’s services.

    During this visit, Dr. Abdesslam El Khamlichi, President of the Foundation, provided ample explanations about the Center and all the sorts of treatment it provides to patients, including surgeries and radiographic procedures. He also pointed out that the Center does not only offer treatment but also carries out studies and research works on nervous system diseases and provides training to African doctors to be eligible for higher specialized degrees in neurosurgery.

    To consolidate these efforts, Dr. AlMalik announced that ICESCO would allocate 10 scholarships annually for the training and qualification of doctors from African Member States at CNRNS in this vital specialty to be able to serve their countries after the end of their training. Dr. El Khamlichi hailed the initiative and reaffirmed his appreciation for ICESCO’s considerable role in its fields of competence.

    Dr. AlMalik and Dr. El Khamlichi agreed to sign an agreement between ICESCO and CNRNS to manage these scholarships and define their eligibility criteria, in coordination with the Center and the Organization.

    It is worth noting that the National Center for Rehabilitation and Neurosciences (CNRNS) was established by Hassan II Foundation for Prevention and Fight against Nervous System Diseases, in cooperation with the Moroccan Health Ministry, and Ibn Sina University Hospital Center. Opened in 2010, the Center was designed to respond to the urgent need for kinesiotherapy and physical therapy for patients with nervous system diseases at their advanced stages. It is also the expression of the will of some international institutions such as the World Federation of Neurological Surgeons (WFNS) and the World Health Organization (WHO) to turn Morocco into a “model center for the training of African neurological surgeons”.

    ICESCO-Indonesia: cooperation prospects explored

    Posted on by MOHAMED.AQEIL

    The Director General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, yesterday at ICESCO headquarters in Rabat, received Mr. Harsul Azwar, Ambassador of Indonesia to Morocco, and together they explored cooperation prospects between ICESCO and Indonesia in the next stage.

    During the meeting, the parties explored ways to foster relations through programmes and initiatives mutually agreed by the Indonesian ministries of education, culture and science and ICESCO, as part of the new start of the Organization and its new vision, which came into effect after its adoption by the 40th Executive Council (Abu Dhabi, UAE, 29-30 January 2020).

    Dr. AlMalik reaffirmed ICESCO’s appreciation to Indonesia, as it is one of the important Member States and commended its progress and transition toward the future, its outstanding contribution to technological developments and its ancient monuments and landmarks attesting to the glorious Islamic civilization.

    Moreover, ICESCO Director General expressed his thanks to the Indonesian Government for its willingness to pay the remainder of its arrears to ICESCO’s budget and commitment to regularly pay its contributions.

    Talks during the meeting also touched on details of a future visit by the Director General to Indonesia to explore the frameworks of future cooperation with senior officials.

    The meeting was also attended by Mr. Hanung Nugraha, Counsellor for Political and Economic Affairs at the Indonesian Embassy; Mr. Mahmudin, Counsellor for Social and Cultural Affairs; Mr. Najib Rhiati, Director of Culture; Dr. Ahmed Said Bah, Director of External Relations and Cooperation; Mr. Mohamed Ghemari, Director of the Secretariat of the General Conference, Executive Council and Specialized Ministerial Conferences; Dr. Kais Hammami, Director of the Center of Strategic Foresight; and Dr. Mohamed Hedi Shili, Legal Advisor to ICESCO Director General.

    ICESCO Director General receives Palestinian Minister of Culture

    Posted on by MOHAMED.AQEIL

    Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), today at his office, received Mr Atef Abu Saif, Palestinian Minister of Culture. Together they explored ways of promoting cooperation between the Organization and the State of Palestine in ICESCO’s areas of competence during the upcoming stage.

    During this meeting, the two parties discussed the support programmes ICESCO may provide to the State of Palestine in the fields of education, science  and culture within the framework of its new vision that will step up communication with its Member States and identify the needs of each country in terms of programmes in line with their national sustainable development plans.

    Talks also highlighted the importance of documenting the heritage landmarks in the city of Al-Quds Al-Sharif and inscribing them on the Islamic World Heritage List with the aim of preserving its identity. During the meeting, efforts made by ICESCO for the restoration of the historical sites in the city were reviewed.

    The two parties also examined the activities to be implemented as part of the closing ceremony of Al-Quds Culture Capital of the Islamic World for 2019, and the latest preparations for organizing Al-Quds Cultural Weeks in ICESCO Member States. They both reaffirmed their keenness to maintain fruitful cooperation between the Organization and the State of Palestine in the future.

    The meeting was attended by Mr. Jamal Choubaki, Palestinian Ambassador to Morocco, Mr. Maher Abu Rida, Assistant Under-Secretary at the Palestinian Ministry of Culture and Mr. Najib Rhiati, Director of Culture at ICESCO.

    “Future Forum” to forsee world 2040

    Posted on by MOHAMED.AQEIL

    On 17 February 2020, at the headquarters of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), “Future Forum” will kick off with the participation of 27 renowned experts in strategic foresight and artificial intelligence (AI) from all over the world.

    The Forum will be held by ICESCO in cooperation with the office of the German Konrad Adenauer Foundation in the Kingdom of Morocco, as part of the Organization’s new vision of foreseeing the future and handling the changes and challenges facing the Islamic world. The aim is to turn the Forum into a platform for debate and exchange of views with the interested stakeholders and foresight experts to explore regional and international foresight capacities and define possible futuristic visions.

    Through a forward-looking approach, this session will be a journey into the future, and an opportunity for foresight experts to give presentations in their fields of expertise on the main trends and the challenges facing the world by 2040.

    The latest AI applications and their uses will form one of the most important themes to be discussed by the Forum as the world is witnessing many ecological, political, social and digital changes affecting all the sectors of development of human societies. This calls for the study and understanding of all these developments, revision of their trends, and foresight of the repercussions and their challenges, in such a way as to ensure a safer transition to sustainable development. The Islamic world, whose 54 states are members of ICESCO, is not spared from these changes since it occupies a strategic position at the crosroads of civilizations, cultures and economies.

    The choice of AI and its applications to be a theme of discussion at the Forum is motivated by the fact that it is the tangible aspect of the digital evolution that reshapes and influences international relations, namely the changes affecting the approach to sustainable development. In this reagard, AI experts will gave presentations in order to put into perspective artificial intelligence and its ability to advance societies and discuss its possibilities and potentials.

    Thematic workshops will be included in the Forum and will serve as a tool of strategic foresight aiming at creating a common and participatory platform for key players in development to analyze and ultimately predict the future of the discussed themes (education, culture, sciences, AI, robotics) by 2040. Moreover, the Forum’s programme features a gallery of virtual pictures and digital drawings and an exhibition of physical models reflecting the sector-related challenges of the future.

    ICESCO welcomes specialists, university and higher institute students and the interested public to attend the Forum and benefit from its various activities on 17-18 February 2020.