Category: News update

In commemoration of World Arabic Language Day, the Center of Arabic for Non-Arabic Speakers of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) took part in an international symposium on the Arabic language and identity and an international conference themed “The Reality of Teaching Arabic in Malaysian Universities – Expertise, Experience, Challenges, and Solutions.”

Dr. Majdi Bin Haji Ibrahim, Head of the Center of Arabic for Non-Arabic Speakers, represented the Center at the two international events. During the symposium, which was held by the Arid International Platform for Arabic-speaking scholars, experts, and researchers on Sunday, December 18, 2022, Dr. Haji Ibrahim reviewed ICESCO’s efforts towards promoting Arabic and its established strategies and mechanisms for strengthening attention to the language and its identity using international expertise and modern working methods.

During the conference, which was held by the International Institute for Muslim Unity at the International Islamic University Malaysia, on Monday, December 19, 2022, he noted the paramount importance of linguistic awareness among Arabic-speaking and non-Arabic speaking learners of the language, stressing the need to integrate the religious perspective into Arabic-teaching approaches and adopt effective means to develop existing teaching methods.

The two events brought together a host of specialized researchers from international organizations and institutions in Malaysia, Iraq, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Nigeria and Indonesia.

The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNPFA) held a meeting to explore cooperation developments between the Organization and the Fund and discuss future partnership programs and projects in the fields of humanitarian work, youth and women capacity building, building peace and issues of demographic dividend.

Ms. Amira Al-Fadil, Head of the Sector of Partnerships and International Cooperation; and Ms. Ramata Almamy Mbaye, Head of the Sector of Human and Social Sciences, represented ICESCO in the meeting, held on Saturday, December 17, 2022, at ICESCO Headquarters in Rabat. The UNPF was represented by Mr. Mabingue Ngom, Director of the UNPF Representation Office to the African Union.

During the meeting, Mr. Ngom commended the efforts exerted by ICESCO in the fields of building peace and promoting civilizational dialogue. At the end of the meeting, the two parties agreed to implement several joint projects to support the achievement of Africa Vision 2063 and the goals of sustainable development to build knowledge-based, peaceful and sustainable societies.

Following the meeting, the UNPF official made a visit to the Museum and Exhibition of the Prophet Seerah and Islamic Civilization, currently hosted by ICESCO at its headquarters. Mr. Ngom received a detailed presentation of the Exhibition’s various pavilions and sections.

The workshop on smart, sustainable and resilient cities, which is being held by ICESCO Science and Technology Sector, in cooperation with the Bandung Institute of Technology, the Smart City and Community Innovation Center and Bandung City Council, kicked off on Monday (December 19, 2022), in Bandung, Republic of Indonesia. The workshop aims at highlighting the best practices for the development of smart cities, developing strategies and finding solutions to the challenges facing cities, and building the capacities of 300 beneficiaries in the areas of environmental protection and smart cities.

During the opening of the four-day hybrid workshop, Dr. Foued El-Ayni, expert at Science and Technology Sector, reviewed the Organization’s efforts to promote the concept of smart cities in Muslim countries and its endeavor to develop opportunities for fruitful cooperation with scientific organizations and institutes, and research centers in the Member States, to benefit from modern technology applications in the fields of communication, space science and environmental protection.

The participants in the workshop, including international experts and specialists, and officials of several organizations and institutions working in the field of environmental protection and modern technology, highlighted ways to develop, plan and finance smart city strategies, ways to benefit from modern technologies in finding solutions for smart cities, and mechanisms for measuring and analyzing the performance of smart cities and their indicators. The beneficiaries of the workshop will learn how to plan the transformation of cities into smart cities.

The ICESCO Center of Arabic for Non-Arabic Speakers of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), in cooperation with the Arabic Speaking Union in Mauritius, organized a cultural celebration at the University of Mauritius in commemoration of World Arabic Language Day. The event featured various cultural activities for Arabic students of different levels.

The celebration’s opening ceremony, which was held on Saturday, December 17, 2022, saw the participation of Dr. Anwar Husnoo, Vice Prime Minister of Mauritius, Mr. Avinash Teeluck, Minister of Arts and Cultural Heritage, Mr. Zahid Nazurally, Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly, Dr. Ismael Rawoo, Parliamentary Private Secretary, and Mr. Ghulam Muhammad, President of the Arabic Speaking Union in the Republic of Mauritius.

In their addresses, the participants conveyed their gratitude to ICESCO for supporting the promotion of Arabic in Mauritius and called for closer cooperation between the Organization and relevant institutions, emphasizing the need to open up to Arabic education institutions in Arab countries. They also expressed the Mauritian government’s readiness to support projects that are aimed at strengthening the prominence of the Arabic language in the Republic.

In his address, Dr. Youssef Ismaili, Expert at the Center, reviewed ICESCO’s efforts in promoting the Arabic language, particularly in non-Arabic-speaking countries.
A range of cultural performances was then followed by the participating Arabic students, who were presented with certificates of appreciation and prizes.

The Center for Civilizational Dialogue of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) and the Ministry of Education of the Sultanate of Oman, represented by the Omani National Commission for Education, Culture and Science, held a regional forum on the promotion of the principles of constructive dialogue and values of tolerance among youth through social media. The event brought together several national institutions in Oman involved in anchoring the values of dialogue and tolerance.

In a video-recorded address for the opening ceremony of the forum, which concluded its proceedings on Monday, December 19, 2022, in the Omani capital, Muscat, Ambassador Khalid Fathalrahman, Head of the Center, stated that youth represent 60% of the Arab and Muslim countries populations and the most sought-after talent by different fields, adding that they have become major online content creators and social media innovators.

He noted that social media platforms should serve as instruments for dialogue and neutral means for communication between young people, emphasizing the need to use the Arabic language to enrich this communication.

It is worth noting that the two-day forum is oriented towards youth, parents and researchers and is aimed at raising awareness of the principles of constructive dialogue and the values of tolerance among youth. It also seeks to benefit from ICESCO’s relevant initiatives, most notably the Leadership Training in Peace and Security Program (LTIPS) which now has a community of eighty (80) alumni ambassadors for peace. ICESCO endeavors to expand this community to 500 young ambassadors by 2025.

Dr. Abdelilah Benarafa, Deputy Director General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), received Mr. Noordin M. Haji, President of the Public Prosecutor’s Office of the Republic of Kenya, his accompanying delegation and a delegation from the Public Prosecutor’s Office of the Kingdom of Morocco, to discuss the prospects of cooperation between ICESCO and Kenya in areas of common interest.

After the meeting, which took place on Friday, December 16, 2022, Dr. Benarafa, accompanied by Mrs. Amira El Fadil, Head of the Partnerships and International Cooperation Sector, accompanied the Kenyan delegation on a tour of the International Exhibition and Museum of the Prophet’s Biography and Islamic Civilization, which is currently held at ICESCO’s Headquarters in Rabat, where they were given detailed information on the various pavilions and sections of the Exhibition.

Mr. Haji expressed his appreciation for the visit, as well as for the Organization’s contributions in the civilizational field. He also commended ICESCO’s pioneering role in the development of the fields of education, science and culture.

With the participation of a group of experts, trainers and a large number of young people, the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) Leadership Training in Peace and Security Program (LTIPS) concluded a series of training sessions, which were held over two days for the benefit of the youth participating in the 2022 edition of the Program, which ICESCO launched to graduate 80 Young Ambassadors for Peace this year.

The sessions were launched on Tuesday, December 13, 2022, in person at ICESCO Headquarters and via videoconference, under the theme “Benefiting Peacebuilding Tools,” with a discussion session on the training program and experiences learned from participating in the launch of ICESCO’s LTIPS for Youth and Women, in Tangiers, November 24-26, 2022, during which ICESCO’s Peace Ambassadors, who belong to more than 45 countries and the observers stressed the importance of the organized training workshops and meetings.

During the discussion session, Dr. Tracy Hart, from the World Bank Group, gave an address on managing natural resources and protecting the environment as tools for building peace. After that, the floor was opened for the participants to raise questions and ideas to enrich the discussion.

During the second day of the Program’s activities, Mrs. Ramata Almamy Mbaye, Head of ICESCO’s Social and Human Sciences Sector, reviewed the Organization’s efforts in building peace and social cohesion through a comprehensive approach based on providing psychological, social and economic support to youth and women. For his part, M. Mabingue Ngom, Director of the Office of the United Nations Population Fund to the African Union, explained the importance of demographic shifts and their impact on mobilizing youth for peace, and Dr Vamik D. Volkan, from the University of Virginia, USA, presented a research paper on Peace of Mind and the Psychological Dimensions of Peacebuilding.

In conclusion, ICESCO’s ambassadors presented peace projects and implementation plans, highlighting the future stages of the Program, including ICESCO’s publishment of the Peace Book.