Category: News update

The Sector of Education at the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) took part, via videoconference, in the workshop on, “Academic Accreditation of Teacher Training Programs in the Arab Countries”. The Workshop was held on Thursday, February 9, 2023, by the UNESCO Regional Center for Quality and Excellence in Education in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, in cooperation with the Ministry of Education of the State of the United Arab Emirates.

Dr. Kombou Boly Barry, Head of ICESCO Education Sector, along with a number of experts at the Sector, represented ICESCO in the workshop, which aims to discuss the issue of teacher training and its relevant outcomes, recommendations and proposals to help decision makers devise and develop education policies tailored to their countries’ cases and build on their outcomes to develop teacher training policies and programs at education colleges. The workshop also aims to accredit these colleges’ curricula, based on the best and latest international experiences and practices and provide solutions to the challenges they face in order to develop their systems to keep up with the changes of the 21st century.

Likewise, the Workshop discussed the criteria and mechanisms of the academic accreditation of education colleges’ curricula in the Arab countries and highlighted the findings of the study conducted by the Center to examine international experiences through the adoption of indicators and criteria with the aim of promoting teacher training policies and supporting the efforts of education systems in the Arab world to achieve SGD4.

On February 11th of every year, the world celebrates the International Day of Women and Girls in Science. In 2023, the celebration highlights the role of women and girls in science in Sustainable Development Goals to contribute to building a more prosperous future for humanity through gender equality in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics, in which girls and women are still underrepresented.

The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) seizes this opportunity to renew its call for concerted efforts to enhance the participation of girls and women in science, highlight their contributions to the development of these fields throughout history, and stress the need to provide opportunities for women and girls to participate in developing science, technology, innovation and education, and combat gender discrimination, which prevents the participation of women and girls in several scientific disciplines all over the world.

The International Day of Women and Girls in Science is celebrated this year under the slogan: “Innovate. Demonstrate. Elevate. Advance. Sustain. (I.D.E.A.S.): Bringing Everyone Forward for Sustainable and Equitable Development.” ICESCO reaffirms that it attaches great importance to gender equality and women and girls capacity-building, especially in the fields of science and technology, through several initiatives and programs to enhance the integration of female experts and students in the field of innovation, scientific research, entrepreneurship, artificial intelligence, data science, and smart and sustainable cities. In addition, to hold an international conference on women and university leadership, in partnership with Princess Nourah Bint Abdul Rahman University, to support international efforts in the field of women’s leadership in higher education.

Seeking to further support its Member States’ efforts to integrate women and girls in science, focus on building women’s entrepreneurial capacities, provide girls and women with professional and social skills, and achieve a tangible quantum leap, ICESCO calls for:
• Building capacities and achieving equal opportunities for men and women in the fields of science;
• Intensifying the efforts of Member States, international organizations, universities and the private sector to invest in vocational education and training programs, promote gender equality in the workplace, and support women researchers and students;
• Emphasizing the important role of women and girls in science as a main focus for positive change towards achieving Sustainable Development Goals;
• Issuing research and studies to raise awareness of the seriousness of gender-based discrimination;
• Celebrating the achievements of women scholars of the Islamic world and their valuable contributions to societies.

The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) held a meeting with the International Labor Organization (ILO) to discuss ways for strengthening cooperation between the two organizations and implementing joint programs and activities in social and humanitarian fields to achieve sustainable development.

Ms. Amira EL Fadil, Head of the Partnerships and International Cooperation Sector, Dr. Raheel Qamar, Head of the Sciences and Technologies Sector, Ms. Ramata Almamy Mbaye, Head of the Social and Human Sciences Sector, and Mr. Mohamed Hedi Shili, Head of the Department of Legal Affairs and International Standards, represented ICESCO at the meeting, which was held on 8 February 2023, via videoconference, while Dr. Giovanni Di Cola, Advisor to the Deputy Director General for Field Operations and Partnerships, and Ms. Kirsten Maria Schapira-Felderhoff, Senior Multilateral Cooperation Specialist, represented ILO.

During the meeting, Mrs. Amira El-Fadil highlighted the importance of coordination and agreement on the terms of the proposed memorandum of understanding (MoU) between ICESCO and ILO, which will include issues of common concerns between the two organizations, mainly social justice, equality in the workplace, promoting decent jobs and tomorrow’s jobs, fighting child labor, protecting children, mental health at work, and preparing training sessions in the field of foresight.

For his part, Dr. Giovanni Di Cola reaffirmed the ILO’s eagerness to cooperate with ICESCO in addressing social issues, empowering women, promoting decent jobs, developing youth skills and guiding them toward tomorrow’s jobs.

In conclusion, the two parties agreed on the mechanisms of establishing work teams to formulate and implement the MoU, which will be signed between the two organizations, based on a clear action plan.

The Sciences and Technologies Sector of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) is holding a workshop on the 4th industrial revolution (Industry 4.0) in cooperation with the National Commission for UNESCO in the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, aimed at raising awareness on the importance of modern technology and AI in promoting economic policies and sustainable development in the ICESCO Member States.

During the opening session of the three-day workshop, which started on Tuesday, February 7, 2023, in person, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Dr. Adel Smaida, Expert at ICESCO Sciences and Technologies Sector, delivered an address, via videoconference, on the opportunities and challenges resulting from the 4th industrial revolution in education and higher education and capacity building of youth, noting that ICESCO supports several initiatives and programmes in the fields of scientific research, information technology and digital transformation in its Member States, mainly in programmes of smart, flexible and sustainable cities.

The participants in the workshop, including professors, university students, experts and specialists in the fields of industry, economy and science, will discuss the need to introduce ways and mechanisms of taking advantage of AI applications, big data, internet of things, blockchain, virtual reality, and other modern digital technologies to promote educational curricula and economic policies.

The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) stressed that achieving world peace is a shared responsibility that hinges on upholding the values of fraternity and mercy and entails serious joint human action and acceptance of religious, racial and cultural differences to build peaceful and prosperous societies, stating that the world is in dire need of mercy and love to recover from its crises.

This was in an ICESCO statement, read out by Amb. Khalid Farhalrahman, Head of the Center of Civilizational Dialogue, during a ceremony commemorating the International Day of Human Fraternity, held by the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations, in cooperation with the missions of the Arab Republic of Egypt and the United Arab Emirates to the UN, on Monday, February 6, 2033, via videoconference. The ceremony aims to highlight the need for international commitment to promote the values of intercultural and interfaith respect, dialogue and coexistence.

The ICESCO representative commended the Document on Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together, which was signed by His Eminence the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, Dr. Ahmad El-Tayyeb, and Pope Francis, Pope of the Vatican, in February 2019, in the UAE, as a universal declaration on the importance of spreading peace and fraternity among people.

He added that ICESCO places building peace at the core of its priorities through launching and implementing several practical initiatives, programs and projects aiming at anchoring the values of interfaith and intercultural coexistence, understanding and accord, and promoting societal cohesion. To attain such a goal, he explained, ICESCO focuses on mobilizing and building the capacities of women and young people as key elements in ensuring the success of its vision in this field.

Moreover, Amb. Farhalrahman stated that ICESCO opened the door for non-Member States to join the Organization as Observer States to foster more cooperation, encourage expertise exchange with the countries of the Islamic world. and support the development of the fields of education, science and culture in a manner that serves humanity and contributes to addressing the challenges of the future.

In reaction to ICESCO’s statement, Mr. Miguel Ángel Moratinos, UNAOC High Representative, talked about the sustained cooperation relations between ICESCO and the UNAOC. He also commended the fruitful cooperation ties between ICESCO and the Republic of Azerbaijan, following the remark of Azerbaijan’s Delegate to the UN, who highlighted the cooperation relations between his country and the Organization.

Mr. Mohamed Ould Soueidatt, Minister of Culture, Youth, Sports and Relations with Parliament, President of the Mauritanian National Commission for Education, Culture and Science, visited the International Exhibition and Museum of the Prophet’s Seerah and Islamic Civilization, on Tuesday, February 7, 2023, at the headquarters of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) in Rabat, as part of his visit to the Organization to discuss strengthening partnership between ICESCO and Mauritania.

Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, ICESCO Director-General, accompanied Mr. Soueidatt on a tour of the Exhibition and Museum galleries. He indicated that this exhibition is held as part of ICESCO’s efforts to highlight the civilizational aspects of the Prophet’s Seerah, reflect the true and moderate image of Islam to the world and fight extremist ideology.

He also explained that the initiative to host the first edition of the Exhibition and Museum of the Prophet’s Seerah and Islamic civilization outside the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is the fruit of a strategic partnership between the Organization, the Muslim World League (MWL), and Morocco’s Mohammadia League of Scholars.

The Mauritanian Minister of Culture received detailed presentations on the contents of the Exhibition’s different pavilions, which use modern display technologies including AI and Augmented Reality to take the visitor back to the time of the Prophet (pbuh).

Following the tour, Mr. Ssweidat expressed his delight to visit the Exhibition and the Museum, pointing out that it contributes to the dissemination of deep knowledge of the Prophet’s Seerah using the latest technologies. He also expressed his thanks to ICESCO, MWL and Morocco’s Mohammadia League of Scholars for organizing such an event.