The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) congratulates the Kingdom of Morocco, on the great achievement of the Moroccan national football team, which reached the quarter-finals of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.
ICESCO commends the high spirit and heroic performance of the Atlas Lions in all their matches in the tournament, with sincere prayers that the Moroccan national team continues its brilliance in the upcoming matches to win the cup, Allah willing.
ICESCO also appreciates the good organization of the current World Cup by the State of Qatar, which has received world recognition, while preserving the Arab and Islamic identity and culture.
ICESCO reaffirms that sport is one of the soft powers that contribute to the consolidation of the values of peace and coexistence, and calls for investment in people’s connection with sports, especially football, to enrich the dialogue between various civilizations and cultures.
Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), called for integrating technology into teaching the Arabic language, allocating valuable prizes for translation and interpretation in the field of international organizations, qualifying diplomats linguistically, and investigating the causes not relying on Arabic in international organizations. He also called for establishing scientific chairs in international universities, motivating media professionals, encouraging social media pioneers, and setting up Arabic-speaking clubs, to show the potential of the Arabic language and its sustainable civilizational capabilities.
This statement came in his address on Tuesday, December 6, 2022, before the first two-day Conference of the King Salman Global Academy for the Arabic Language on Arabic Language for International Organizations,” held in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, with high-level participation of heads of international organizations, specialists and interested stakeholders, aimed at benefiting from various experiences to support Arabic and to explore its reality and the key challenges it faces.
ICESCO’s Director-General started his address by commending the organization of this Conference, under the generous patronage of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz, may God protect him, as an indication of the importance of the subject and its objectives as a field of knowledge, to which the Kingdom’s Vision 2030, and His Royal Highness Prince Mohammad bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, have accorded special attention.
Dr. AlMalik appreciated the efforts of the King Salman Global Academy for the Arabic Language, its initiatives and successes in many activities, highlighting the importance of the partnership that brings together the Academy and ICESCO in the field of promoting the Arabic language and the need to search for and rectify the defects and their source regarding the use of the Arabic language in the international organizations, as well as importance of building the relationship between Arabic and other languages on civilizational logic and not competitive confrontations, and developing a vision for translation that takes into account the creative nature of Arabic language and its richness.
ICESCO’s Director-General reaffirmed the Organization’s keenness and readiness to launch with King Salman Academy practical programmes and adopt promising initiatives to promote the international presence of the Arabic language. He concluded his address with verses from his poem “The Richness of Arabic.”
A campaign to raise awareness of the importance of tangible and intangible heritage was launched in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan in partnership between the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), the Jordanian National Commission for Education, Culture and Science and the general directorates of education in various Jordanian governorates.
The campaign, which kicked off in the city of Petra on Sunday, December 4, 2022, spans across multiple Jordanian governorates and is aimed at raising awareness among students and civil society members of the importance of preserving tangible and intangible heritage through a range of activities and training workshops on the importance of promoting heritage and means for its protection.
Dr. Osama Al Nahas, Expert at ICESCO’s Culture and Communication Sector, represented the Organization during the campaign’s launch, during which he delivered an address reviewing ICESCO’s efforts towards safeguarding heritage and raising awareness of its role in fostering national identity and achieving sustainable development goals. The Expert called for action to anchor the culture of heritage preservation and recognize its importance among all segments of society, particularly children and youth.
For her part, Mrs. Ibtisam Ayoub, Secretary-General of the Jordanian National Commission expressed her gratitude to ICESCO, praising the Organization’s efforts to raise awareness of the various threats to cultural heritage and its role in its preservation and valorization.
The campaign’s launch featured traditional musical performances and exhibitions of traditional handicrafts, popular Jordanian dishes, products and items, and paintings of famous Jordanian historic landmarks.
Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), met Dr. Fuad Hussein, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Iraq, at the Ministry’s headquarters, in Baghdad, on Sunday (December 4, 2022), following their participation in the 6th Forum of Ancient Civilizations, held in Baghdad, under the auspices of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
During this meeting, Dr. AlMalik appreciated the organization of this Forum in Iraq, which aims to enhance communication and experience sharing between different peoples and cultures, preserve world heritage, and pay attention to historical and cultural tourism given its importance in achieving sustainable development.
He also stressed that ICESCO, within the framework of its new vision and strategic orientations, adopts the approach of openness to all parties for establishing partnerships to serve its Member States and Muslim communities around the world, noting that ICESCO and Iraq have close and distinguished relations, which the Organization is keen to strengthen.
For his part, the Iraqi Foreign Affairs Minister commended ICESCO’s efforts and the proposals included in the Director General’s address before the Forum of Ancient Civilizations to confront illicit trafficking in cultural property and retrieve stolen ones, as well as his announcement of ICESCO’s intention to establish an academic chair in an Iraqi university in the field of ancient civilizations.
The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) held a workshop, on 1-3 December 2022, in Burkina Faso, on the challenges of preserving and protecting cultural heritage against terrorist threats, in cooperation with the Ministry of Communication, Culture, Arts and Tourism, the National Commission for UNESCO and ICESCO, and the General Administration of the National Museum of Burkina Faso.
The workshop aimed to enhance the capacities of 30 professionals in the field of preserving and protecting cultural heritage, identifying potential crises and threats to museums and cultural heritage, identifying means of protecting and preserving cultural heritage during armed conflicts and mastering various mechanisms for protecting cultural property.
During the opening of the workshop, Mr. Lombo Marius, on behalf of the Minister of Communication, Culture, Arts and Tourism, and Dr. Fatié Ouattara, Secretary-General of the National Commission for UNESCO and ICESCO, commended ICESCO’s initiatives aimed at strengthening efforts to curb illicit trafficking in cultural property and protect the cultural heritage of Muslim countries.
The workshop also cast light on the implementation of international agreements to protect cultural heritage during crises and armed conflicts and enabled professionals to exchange experiences in the field of protecting cultural property in times of insecurity.
The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) is participating in organizing the 4th Edition Arab Women Journalists Forum, which is being held by the Maghreb Arab Press Agency (MAP), in cooperation with the Federation of Arab News Agencies (FANA) and the UN Women, on December 5-6, 2022, in Rabat, in the presence of representatives of the organizing authorities and female journalists from most Arab countries.
During the opening session of the Forum, Mr. Sami El Kamhawy, Head of ICESCO Information and Institutional Communication Department, reaffirmed that ICESCO’s new vision and strategic orientations accord great priority to supporting women and building their capacities through a set of practical programmes and projects, noting that ICESCO proclaimed 2021 as the Year of Women, under the royal auspices of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may God assist him. 2021 saw the implementation of many activities in the Organization’s Member States.
ICESCO’s representative noted that the support of the Organization’s General Directorate for women was also translated into raising the percentage of women in leadership positions within ICESCO to reach 50% now, which is considered significant progress the Organization has made in achieving its goals.
In his speech, Mr. Rachid Tijani, Director of MAP’s Communication and Cooperation, stated that the Forum is being held in Rabat after three sessions hosted in Lebanon, Tunisia and Saudi Arabia, noting the importance of the Forum in discussing many issues, including the accessibility of Arab journalists to decision-making positions.
In her part, Ms. Leila Rhioui, representative of the UN Women in Morocco, reviewed the efforts of the international organization in combating violence against women. In his address to the Forum, Mr. Farid Ayar, FANA’s Secretary General, emphasized the Federation’s endeavor to support Arab women journalists.
After the opening session, the Forum sessions and workshops will discuss issues related to women’s work in journalism and media and ways to address challenges in achieving gender equality in this field.
ICESCO takes part in opening ceremony of 7th National Handicrafts Week in Marrakesh
The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) took part in the opening ceremony of the 7th National Handicrafts Festival in Marrakesh, which is organized by the Ministry of Tourism, Handicrafts, and Social and Solidarity Economy, under the high patronage of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may Allah preserve him. The Festival aims to promote the exchange of the best practices and experiences in the field of marketing handicrafts and traditional industries.
Mr. Najib Rhiati, Cultural Advisor to the Director-General, represented ICESCO in this event, which kicked off today, Monday, December 5, 2022. ICESCO’s participation reflects its interests and strategic orientations to safeguard handicrafts and traditional industries through several programs geared towards building young capacities and training them on mechanisms to handle endangered crafts. The participation also highlights ICESCO’s endeavors to pool efforts to promote income-generating projects, provide job opportunities, and foster the marketing of traditional products to contribute to the achievement of socio-economic development.
Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), called for renewing the historical and civilizational curricula in universities in line with scientific development and paying special attention to youth initiatives to help young people express the visions of future generation regarding their ancient civilizations and benefit from the developments in artificial intelligence to discover the treasures of those civilizations.
This statement was part of Dr. AlMalik’s address, delivered on Sunday (December 4, 2022), at the opening of the 6th Forum of Ancient Civilizations, held in Baghdad, under the auspices of the Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Forum brought together the representatives of Iraq, Egypt, Greece, China, Iran, Italy, Peru, Bolivia and Mexico, and witnessed the participation of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Iraq, Fuad Hussein, and the representatives of Arab and foreign international and diplomatic missions, most notably Mr. Miguel Ángel Moratinos, High Representative for the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC).
Dr. Al-Malik appreciated the organization of this Forum in Iraq while the world is going through conditions that threaten human civilizations and the survival of mankind, noting that Allah Almighty has honored mankind and brought him to Earth as he is the only creature qualified to preserve civilizational values, mainly ‘coexistence,’ which connects cultures, spreads the spirit of dialogue and prevents civilizational clashes.
He also pointed out that the world is awakening through concepts that enhance people’s understanding and solidarity to face the calls for hatred and racism, and the escalation of war economies, which are based on the high production and sale of weapons that interrupt human development, considering that such threats include crimes of theft and illicit trafficking of cultural property as well as the narrow interests policies that threaten the treasures of humanity through the depletion of natural resources.
ICESCO Director-General reaffirmed that the Organization is aware of the need to mobilize efforts to preserve the most valuable properties of humanity, explaining that ICESCO established the Center for Civilizational Dialogue to keep pace with the relevant aspirations and held a virtual conference that brought together the ministers of culture, tourism and antiquities, and discussed the most effective ways to reduce the risk of illicit trafficking in cultural property. “ICESCO also held an International Conference on the Civilizational Values in the Prophet’s Seerah, which saw the participation of world leaders, and concluded with the approval of the “Day of Mercy” as an international day. Besides, ICESCO signed an agreement with the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities during COP27 to support the use of clean energy in heritage sites, and established the fund for the preservation of heritage sites from climate change, calling on the international community to join its race of civilizational creativity,” added Dr. AlMalik.
Moreover, he declared ICESCO’s intention to establish a special academic chair in an Iraqi university to stimulate studies and research on ancient civilizations and meet the Organization’s plan for the inscription of heritage sites.
ICESCO Director-General concluded his address with poetic verses on Baghdad, the city of civilization and history.
Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General (DG) of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), and Dr. Ahmed Fakak, Minister of Culture, Tourism and Antiquities of the Republic of Iraq, explored means for enhancing cooperation between the Organization and the Ministry in the fields of culture and heritage preservation.
During the meeting, which was held on Sunday, December 4, 2022, at the Ministry’s headquarters in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, Dr. AlMalik emphasized that ICESCO attaches particular importance to preserving, protecting and valorizing the Islamic world’s heritage, explaining that the Organization is working on inscribing historical sites and cultural elements on its Islamic World Heritage Lists. He added that ICESCO holds a range of sessions and workshops aimed at training heritage professionals in its Member States on preserving and protecting cultural heritage and preparing nomination files for the inscription of cultural elements on heritage lists, noting that the two parties can cooperate to hold such events in the Republic of Iraq.
ICESCO DG lauded Iraq’s rich heritage which bears witness to the country’s ancient history, highlighting that this cultural wealth must be safeguarded and that the illicitly trafficked antiquities must be recovered.
The meeting touched upon proposals for programmes and projects that represent potential avenues of cooperation between ICESCO and Iraq, as well as a proposal to celebrate the city of Baghdad as the culture capital of the Islamic World in the years ahead.
For his part, the Iraqi Minister praised ICESCO’s distinguished roles in its areas of competence, stressing the Ministry’s keenness to foster cooperation with the Organization in its commendable programmes and projects.
Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), held a meeting at the headquarters of the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Iraq in Baghdad, with Dr. Falah Mahmood Al-Qaissi, Deputy Minister, with the presence of Dr. Alaa Abed Oudha Al-Wayly, Secretary-General of the Iraqi National Commission for Education, Science and Culture.
During the meeting, held on Sunday, December 4, 2022, the two parties reaffirmed their keenness to promote cooperation in the Organization’s areas of competence, within the framework of ICESCO’s new vision and action strategy, which adopts establishing communication with the Member States to take stock of their priorities and needs to design suitable programs and projects.
The meeting also discussed the activities of the Director-General’s official visit to Iraq, which include reviewing proposals for future cooperation between ICESCO and Iraq, especially about building young people’s capacities and increasing the participation of the Iraqi youth in ICESCO’s activities, contests and programs.
For his part, Dr. Al-Qaissi expressed his thanks to ICESCO and its Director-General, commending the Organization’s keenness to implement practical and innovative initiatives, programs and projects to support its Member States’ efforts to develop their education system, promote scientific research and innovation and safeguard heritage.
Dr. Anas Al-Nuaimi, Expert at the Center of Arabic for Non-Arabic Speakers, also attended the meeting.
