Category: News update

The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) took part in the 9th session of the Arab Forum for Scientific Research and Sustainable Development, held on January 30 -31, 2023 in Muscat. Themed “’Arab Female Researchers Act on Realizing Sustainable Development,” the forum was held in cooperation between the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization (ALECSO) and the Omani National Commission for Education and Culture, under the auspices of Dr. Rahma bint Ibrahim Al Mahrooqi, Minister of Higher Education, Scientific Research and Innovation.

The forum was aimed at casting light on the roles of Arab women researchers in achieving sustainable development and enhancing the contribution of institutions, universities and scientific research centers in development issues in the Arab region. The opening ceremony saw the participation of the high-caliber participation of Dr. Madeeha bint Ahmed al Shibaniyah, Minister of Education, Chairperson of the Omani National Commission for Education and Culture, and Ms. Amna bint Salim Al Balushi, Secretary-General of the Commission, along with 150 Arab women researchers in different scientific fields.

Ms. Sally Mabrouk, Director of the Director-General’s Cabinet at ICESCO, represented the Organization at the forum, during which she emphasized the importance of digital transformation and emerging technology in leading institutions, improving their performance and strengthening governance. She also underscored the importance of enhancing cybersecurity which is one of the five major global risks that have a direct impact on sustainable development.

The number of visitors to the International Exhibition and Museum of the Prophet’s Seerah and Islamic Civilization, currently held at the headquarters of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) in the Moroccan capital, Rabat, has exceeded half a million visitors in just two months since it opened to the public on November 28, 2022.

Under the high patronage of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may God assist him, the exhibition is witnessing an increasing interest, as its halls are crowded with visitors from all age groups from different Moroccan cities and residents and guests of the Kingdom. It has become a destination for those who are keen on knowing more details about the Seerah of the honorable Prophet, through the various pavilions and sections of the exhibition, which presents the biography using the latest modern display technologies narrating and documenting in detail the biography of our Messenger (PBUH), and virtually transporting the visitor back to the Prophet’s era.

ICESCO’s headquarters hosting the International Exhibition and Museum of the Prophet’s Seerah and Islamic Civilization is the fruit of the strategic partnership between ICESCO, the Muslim World League (MWL) and Morocco’s Mohammadia League of Scholars, It is the first of its kind outside the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, as part of its mission to show the civilizational aspects of the Prophet’s biography, the moderation of Islam, and the fight against extremist ideology, based on the Quran and the Prophet’s Sunnah (PBUH) and through using the latest technologies and artificial intelligence.

Many visitors expressed their great admiration for the exhibition, as it includes a detailed simulation of the life of the Prophet (PBUH), using the latest technologies and augmented reality, indicating that the visit is a virtual spiritual journey through time to discover the features of the biography in a simplified way.

The International Exhibition and Museum of the Prophet’s Seerah and Islamic Civilization at ICESCO headquarters is open to the general public for free, from 10 am to 5 pm, all days of the week, except for Monday.

The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) took part in the 17th Conference of the Parliamentary Union of Member States of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), held at the International Convention Center in Algiers, under the theme, “Islamic World: Challenges of Modernization and Development.” The Conference concluded its proceedings on Monday, January 30, 2023.

The session was marked by the adoption of Algiers Declaration and its Recommendations regarding conflict resolution among Islamic countries, and the approval of the requests to join the Union as Observers, submitted by the Non-Aligned Movement Parliamentary Network, the International Parliamentary Congress, and the Association of Secretaries General of Arab Parliaments.

The session was chaired by Dr. Brahim Boughali, President of the People’s s National Assembly, and saw the election of the Bureau Members, where Malaysia was selected as Vice-President for the Asian group and Côte d’Ivoire for the African one.

ICESCO was represented in the session by Ms. Amira Al-Fadil, Head of the Sector of Partnerships and International Cooperation and Mr. Nassim Mohand, Expert at the Sector of Culture and Communication. The two experts held a series of meetings with the representatives of several African parliaments to explore prospects of promoting cooperation between ICESCO and these countries in the fields of education, science and culture.

The two representatives also visited the headquarters of the Algerian National Commission for Education, Culture and Science where they highlighted ICESCO’s major programs and initiatives in its areas of competence and discussed ways to promote cooperation between ICESCO and competent parties in Algeria, in coordination with the country’s National Commission.

The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) launched its Health Consortium Initiative, which aims to promote cooperation between the Organization and its Member States in the implementation of programs and projects geared towards developing health systems through capitalizing on modern technology and innovation and building the capacities of health workers.

The Sector of Science and Technology announced the launch of this initiative during a meeting it held today, Monday, January 30, 2023, via videoconference, which saw the participation of a working team from the Sector and a host of experts in the fields of healthcare and humanitarian initiatives in several countries in the Islamic world and beyond.

In his remark during the meeting, Dr. Raheel Qamar, Head of the Science and Technology Sector, highlighted the key role that the Consortium will assume to help pool local and international cooperation efforts to upgrade the working mechanisms of health sectors in the ICESCO Member States and develop the governing systems of this sector through practical programs and projects and scientific research works that identify needs and challenges and provide the best solutions to addressing and overcoming them.

The ICESCO official also highlighted ICESCO’s efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic to help the Member States mitigate the negative impact of the pandemic by implementing a number of programs and projects to promote public and mental health.

The meeting participants discussed the goals of ICESCO’s Health Consortium Initiative and methods and mechanisms to achieve its goals, through cooperation and coordination with the Member States’ National Commissions for Education, Science and Culture, and continuous follow-up to the implementation of programs and activities.

A training session on designing development projects and building partnerships kicked off today, Monday, January 30, 2023, in N’Djamena, Republic of Chad. The session is held by ICESCO Regional Educational Center, in cooperation with the International Office for Partnerships and Studies, under the auspices of the Chadian Ministry of Culture and Entrepreneurship.

During the opening ceremony of this two-day event, Dr. Ali Mohammad Qamar, Director of ICESCO Regional Educational Center in Chad, stated that the session is part of the Organization’s efforts to support and keep up with Chad’s policies geared towards supporting and building capacities of young people, ensuring employment opportunities for them and encouraging them to follow entrepreneurial pursuits. The Director announced that the Center will organize other sessions for the center students in the Regions of N’Djamena and Abéché.

For his part, Dr. Hussain Azzou, representative of the International Office for Partnership and Studies, expressed his thanks to ICESCO Center in Chad for the efforts it exerts to train young people, noting that the Office oversaw the training of more than 1,000 young men and women in the field of entrepreneurship and will work on funding the 20 projects that the session’s beneficiaries will presents.

The training session benefitted 80 participants and aims to introduce them to the principles of designing, implementing and assessing development projects and building partnerships through entrepreneurship.

The Strategic Foresight Center of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) participated in the opening ceremony of the 2nd edition of the Model United Nations (UN) Program, which was held by the International Diplomats Organization in partnership with several academic institutions affiliated to Mohammed V University in Rabat, with the participation of 300 students to develop their skills in the fields of diplomacy and international relations, by simulating United Nations conferences and solving global issues through research, drafting decisions, persuasion and discussion.

Dr. Kais Hammami, Director of the Center of Strategic Foresight, represented ICESCO and delivered an overview of strategic foresight and best practices in the field and the need to employ foresight in order to address future challenges and crises.

The representative of ICESCO Strategic Foresight Center took the participants on a journey toward the future, by explaining the scenario-building process, as it is necessary for the field of diplomacy, strategy and international relations.

The floor was open for the participating students to ask questions, as they showed great interest in strategic foresight and put forward many ideas.

The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) concludes the first phase of its “Street Children Rehabilitation through Football” Programme in Malaysia, in partnership with the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Youth and Sports, the Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development, the Selangor International Islamic University College (KUIS), and ICESCO’s Educational Center in Malaysia. The programme is aimed at using sports to enhance the protection of children and offer them educational opportunities, promote inclusion and social cohesion, combat violence and provide safe spaces for street children between the ages of 7 and 17.

The programme’s closing ceremony featured a football game between two teams of participating children, upon which the best player and the best participant in the programme were selected. ICESCO seeks through this initiative to rehabilitate street children through sports, particularly football, as a contribution towards building a brighter future for them.

In her address during the launch ceremony, Ms. Lim Hui Ying, Malaysian Deputy Minister of Education, thanked ICESCO and commended its efforts to support its Member States. Dr. Muhammad Farid Rafi bin Abdullah, KUIS President, then announced the official launch of the programme with the participation of four teams of children.

The programme featured a range of sports activities for the benefit of the participants who benefited from training in ball control and dribbling techniques. The programme also featured a psychological counseling session aimed at enhancing self-confidence and self-esteem among the children and developing their leadership and communication skills, in addition to a discussion with Mr. Reuben Thayaparan Kathiriplay, the Malaysian national football team player, during which he shared his experiences and talked about the challenges he faced to become a professional player.

The participants visited the National Sports Council and the National Institute of Sports in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, where they were trained by specialized coaches, participated in friendly football matches and participated in talent selection tests.

The “Arabic Mishkat” Room at the headquarters of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) hosted a training session entitled “Developing reception skills: reading and listening,” which benefited more than 200 educators working in the field of teaching Arabic to non-Arabic speakers in 9 countries.

The session, which concluded on Thursday (26 January 2023), tackled three main themes: reading, its concept, difficulties and teaching methodology; the principles and objectives of teaching listening skills; and the practical strategies for developing listening skills.

The session was attended by a number of beneficiaries from Chad, Nigeria, Malaysia, Indonesia, Guinea, Uzbekistan, Benin, Cameroon and Bashkortostan. It was also followed remotely by several concerned and interested persons from Belgium, Egypt, Britain, France, Burkina Faso, Mauritius, Turkey, the United States of America, Morocco, Côte d’Ivoire, Brazil, Kazakhstan, Germany, Sudan, Brunei Darussalam, Croatia and Russia.

This session is the fifth in the series of ICESCO’s International Programme: “Arabic Mishkat for Continuous Educational Training and Professional Development for Arabic Language Teachers for non-Arabic Speakers,“ which is carried out as part of the cooperation programme between ICESCO and the Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation for Distinguished Academic Performance.