Category: News update

Dr. Abdelilah Benarafa, Deputy Director-General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), gave His Eminence Sheikh Nauryzbai Haji Taganuly, Grand Mufti of the Republic of Kazakhstan, and his accompanying delegation, a tour of the International Exhibition and Museum of the Prophet’s Biography and Islamic Civilization, which is currently held at the Organization’s headquarters in Rabat, where they were briefed on the exhibition’s pavilions and sections.

Following the visit, which took place on Monday, December 12, 2022, a meeting was held in the presence of a host of ICESCO’s sector heads and department directors to discuss means for enhancing cooperation between the Organization and Kazakhstan in areas of common interest.

During the meeting, Dr. Benarafa commended the partnership between ICESCO and Kazakhstan, emphasizing that the visit of the Organization’s Director-General to Kazakhstan in September 2022 has opened broader avenues for cooperation between the two parties. The ICESCO official added that the Organization is keen to cooperate with the countries of the Islamic world in promoting and safeguarding their abundant scientific, civilizational and cultural heritage.

For his part, the Grand Mufti expressed his delight at visiting ICESCO Headquarters and the International Exhibition and Museum of the Prophet’s Biography and Islamic Civilization, praising the Organization’s contributions to the scientific and cultural fields and stressing the need to harness modern technology to enrich the spiritual life of the Islamic world’s youth.

For her part, Ms. Amira El Fadil, Head of ICESCO’s Partnerships and International Cooperation Sector, highlighted the importance of strengthening educational policies, noting that the Organization accords particular importance to building the capacities of youth and women in the Islamic World.

At the close of the meeting, Dr. Benarafa presented the Grand Mufti with a set of ICESCO publications.

The Education Sector of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), launched on Monday, December 12, 2022, the National Symposium: “Basic Principles for Teacher Training in Religious Education: Competence – Performance – Quality” in the Libyan capital, Tripoli, which is being held in cooperation with the National Libyan Commission for Education, Culture and Science, for the benefit of staff working in religious education.

The Symposium, which will last for three days, aims to highlight the religious role in refining students’ and teachers’ minds scientifically, ethically and socially, the need to develop curricula for religious education to improve its quality, capacity building of educational staff to raise their competencies and performance, as well as the development of the role of religious education institutions to restore their scientific, cultural and societal role and their effective participation in reforming and advancing society.

During the opening of the Symposium, several Libyan officials commended ICESCO’s efforts to enhance the educational process and to support its Member States, including the State of Libya. Mr. Faraj AlSuwais, Secretary-General of the Libyan National Commission for Education, Culture and Science, stressed the importance of holding the Symposium, hoping that it will achieve its goals of developing the roles of religious education institutions to promoting a culture of peace and contribute to achieving sustainable development and advancing society.

The Symposium touched upon curricula for developing religious education, raising the quality and competence of its staff, mechanisms for investing information and communication technologies and employing them in teaching religious education, as well as the role of religious education institutions in developing a culture of peace in societies and the participants’ experiences and methods in teaching religious subjects.

The Sector of Science and Technology at the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) took part in the World Science Forum 2022, held by the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Technology of the Republic of South Africa, in partnership with the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, under the theme, “Science for Social Justice”. The Forum was attended by the President of the Republic of South Africa, Dr. Cyril Ramaphosa, in addition to several ministers, officials working in international organizations and institutions, and experts in the field of science and innovation.

Dr. Raheel Qamar, Head of the Sector of Science and Technology, and Dr. Muhammad Sharif, Advisor at the Sector, represented ICESCO in the Forum held on December 6-9, 2022, in Cape Town, where they took part in the discussion panels on the contributions of science in building the societies we want. The two officials also highlighted ICESCO’s efforts to encourage initiatives and activities that promote scientific research, modern technology, innovation and building youth’s capacities.

On the sidelines of the Forum, the two ICESCO representatives held bilateral meetings with a number of officials to explore prospects of cooperation in the fields of science and technology. These included meetings with HRH Princess Sumaya bint Al-Hassan, President of the Royal Science Society of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, Member of the Steering Committee of the World Science Forum; Dr. Amon Murwira, Minister of Higher and Tertiary Education of the Republic of Zimbabwe; Dr. Peggy Oti-Boateng, Executive Director, African Academy of Sciences; and Mr. Rodney Swigelaar, Director of Africa Regional Office of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).

The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) congratulates His Majesty King Mohammed VI, King of Morocco, the Moroccan people, the Arab world and the African continent, for Morocco’s unprecedented achievement as the first Arab and African team to reach the World Cup semi-finals.

ICESCO hails the spectacular performance and high spirits of the Atlas Lions who shone in all matches and represented the Arab and African football in this global tournament which was successfully organized by the State of Qatar.

On this historic occasion, ICESCO renews its call to invest in sports, particularly football, as a soft-power tool that promotes coexistence and peace among all peoples of the world and emphasizes the need to harness such international sports events to foster civilizational dialogue and tolerance.

Dr. Abdelilah Benarafa, Deputy Director-General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), received Dr. Said M’hamad Ed-Dbib, Libya’s Permanent Delegate to ICESCO, and Mr. Mohamed al-Taeb, Advisor at the Libyan delegation to the Organization.

The meeting, which was held on Thursday, December 8, 2022, brought together Dr. Ahmed Said Bah, Advisor to the ICESCO Director-General for Partnerships and International Cooperation, Supervisor of the Secretariat of National Commissions and Conference, Dr. Omar Halli, Advisor to ICESCO Director-General for the Federation of the Universities of the Islamic World (FUIW), and Dr. Adel Smeda, Expert at ICESCO’s Science and Technology Sector. The meeting emphasized the need to support higher education and scientific research and promote FUIW’s role to facilitate communication with Libyan universities and encourage networking with the Federation’s Member Universities.

The meeting witnessed the submission of the general report of ICESCO’s First International Conference on the Use of Emerging Technologies in Arabic Language Teaching and Practice, which was held by the Open University of Libya under ICESCO’s supervision on October 29-30, 2022, in Tripoli, under the theme “Creative Ideas – Constructive Vision – Proposals.” The said report includes the recommendations that were approved during the conference.

Dr. Abdelilah Benarafa, Deputy Director General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), received Dr. Amadou Nchouwat, supervisor of ICESCO Chair for Cultural Diversity, Peace and International Cooperation at the University of Yaoundé in the Republic of Cameroon.

The meeting, which was attended by Dr. Omar Halli, Advisor to ICESCO Director-General for the Federation of the Universities of the Islamic World (FUIW), explored ways and mechanisms to promote ICESCO’s chair by supporting researchers in the fields of cultural diversity, peace and international cooperation, especially in terms of developing academic training in master’s and doctoral courses and encouraging student exchange for the benefit of researchers and publishing their scientific papers.

At the close of the meeting, the participants reaffirmed the need to develop research related to tangible and intangible heritage.

The workshop aimed at building the capacity of professionals in the field of inventorying intangible heritage and raising public awareness on the importance of cultural heritage held in Gharyan, Libya by the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), in cooperation with the Libyan Ministry of Education and National Commission for Education and Culture and Science, concluded its proceedings.

The event, which took place on December 5-6, 2022, under the theme: “Our Intangible Heritage: Risks and Challenges,” was geared towards introducing Libyan society to its abundant heritage, and promoting the country’s cultural richness. It also sought to highlight the legal and institutional frameworks regulating intangible heritage, methods of its documentation and inventorying, the risks and challenges it is facing, and the means for ensuring the viability of Libya’s intangible cultural heritage.

The workshop’s opening session, which was held at the headquarters of the University of Gharyan, saw the attendance of Dr. Musa Al-Maqrif, Libyan Minister of Education, Mr. Abdallah Al-Sousi, Secretary-General of the Libyan National Commission, Dr. Mohammed Ebrahim Ghoma, President of the University of Gharyan, and Dr. Mohamed Zinelabidine, Head of ICESCO’s Culture and Communication Sector, who attended the session via videoconference.

During the opening session, Mr. Bilel Chebbi, Expert at ICESCO’s Culture and Communication Sector, delivered an online presentation on the role of the Islamic World Heritage Center in valorizing intangible cultural heritage and building the capacities of heritage professionals in the Member States, and the importance of inscribing cultural sites and goods on the Islamic World Heritage List.