Category: News update

Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), met with Mr. António Vitorino, Director-General of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), where they discussed ways to enhance cooperation in the fields of common interest and mobilize efforts to contribute to achieving sustainable development goals.

During the meeting, held on Tuesday (November 22, 2022), in Fez, Kingdom of Morocco, as part of their participation in the 9th Global Forum of the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations, Dr. AlMalik reviewed ICESCO’s efforts to support its Member States in the fields of education, science and culture, and its keenness to cooperate with all parties to implement innovative programmes and projects around the world.

He pointed out that ICESCO attaches great importance to its programmes and projects to support immigrants and their children, sponsor and build the capacities of youth and women, and provide them with training on leadership for peace and security in order to consolidate the values of coexistence and intercultural dialogue.

The two parties agreed to hold a series of expert meetings to renew the memorandum of understanding signed between the two organizations and develop joint programmes and initiatives aimed at promoting intercultural dialogue.

The meeting saw the participation of Dr. Abdelilah Benarafa, ICESCO Deputy Director-General, Ms. Amira El-Fadil, Head of ICESCO Partnerships and International Cooperation Sector, Ms. Rime Jirari, Head of Organizations and Bodies Department at ICESCO, as well as Mr. Hassan Mustafa Abdel-Moneim, Advisor to IOM Director-General for North Africa, the Middle East and the Gulf, and Ms. Laura Palatini, Head of IOM’s Mission in Morocco.

Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), and Mr. Sultanbai Raev, Secretary-General of the International Organization of Turkic Culture (TURKSOY), held a meeting and together discussed prospects of cooperation between the two organizations in the fields of promoting culture and civilizational dialogue and safeguarding heritage in the Islamic world.

During the meeting, held on Monday, November 22, 2022, in Fez, Kingdom of Morocco, as part of the two officials’ participation in the 9th Global Forum for the UN Alliance of Civilizations, Dr. AlMalik stated that ICESCO is working toward documenting and safeguarding tangible and intangible heritage in the Islamic world through inscribing heritage sites and cultural elements on the Islamic world heritage lists and organizing training sessions for experts in this field to train them on the process of preparing inscription files.

For his part, Mr. Raev commended ICESCO’s efforts in the field of safeguarding cultural heritage expressing his organization’s readiness to develop joint programs and activities with ICESCO, particularly regarding the Program of the Celebration of Culture Capitals in the Islamic World.

The two parties agreed to renew their cooperation agreement to provide for the implementation of several programs and projects and the organization of several conferences focusing on safeguarding heritage, highlighting the Islamic civilization, promoting cultural tourism, fostering dialogue among cultures and civilizations and countering violence and extremism.

The meeting was attended by a number of ICESCO officials, namely Dr. Abdelilah Benarafa, Deputy Director-General, Amb. Khalid Farhalrahman, Head of the Center of Civilizational Dialogue, Ms. Ramata Almamy Mbaye, head of the Sector of Social and Human Sciences, Ms. Amina Fadil, Head of the Sector of Partnerships and International Cooperatio

Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), stated that the Alliance of Civilizations is not a luxurious or elitist matter, but rather a human need that requires us to look courageously at the aspects of ills and gaps in order to address them. He considered that the warning signs of global conflict today are signs of civilizational tendencies more than evidence of conflicting economic interests and competition over natural resources, noting that civilizational alliance is an integrated system composed of the values of all people.

This came in his address at the 9th Global Forum of the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations, which kicked off on November 22, 2022, in the city of Fez, Kingdom of Morocco, under the theme: “Towards an Alliance of Peace: Living Together as One Humanity.” The Forum, which began with the royal message of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, King of the Kingdom of Morocco, saw the participation of high-caliber international officials, mainly Mr. Antonio Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, and Mr. Miguel Angel Moratinos, High Representative for the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations, Mr. Nasser Bourita, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Morocco, as well as several Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Culture, from different countries to promote dialogue and build bridges of peace between peoples.

In his address, ICESCO Director-General pointed out that the main challenge facing the Alliance of Civilizations today lies in the ability to address a human community open to understanding and alliance, highlighting that humanity is facing a historic human challenge, which requires paving the way for justice, fraternity and equality, and combating hunger, ignorance and disease.

He pointed out that it is necessary to pay attention to the development of the virtual world in terms of illegal trafficking of cultural property and the dissemination of hate speech, calling for action to harness this development in an ideal legal manner. He noted that youth are essential for the future civilizational alliance; if we succeed in giving them the keys to the future, we will succeed in ensuring the sustainability and renewal of the Alliance of Civilizations.

Dr. AlMalik called for raising future generations on the values of the Alliance of Civilizations and tolerance, and for including the meanings of civilizational communication and human fraternity in school curricula, stressing that ICESCO cherishes these values in its vision and action strategy, as it established the Center for Civilizational Dialogue, the Center for Strategic Foresight and incubators to stimulate youth creativity.

He concluded his address by inviting the participants in the Forum to visit the Exhibition and Museum of the Prophet’s Biography and Islamic Civilization at ICESCO Headquarters in Rabat.

ICESCO is participating in the activities and sessions of the Global Forum for the Alliance of Civilizations in Fez, with a high-level delegation headed by Dr. AlMalik, and including Dr. Abdelilah Benarafa, Deputy Director-General, and several Heads of Sectors and Directors of Departments and Centers of the Organization.

Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), called for consolidating museum culture and keeping pace with the technological revolution to counter its negative aspects and contribute to the enrichment of the civilizational dialogue given that museums and their treasures are a product and a legacy of civilizations, adding that museums are theaters open for all types of human creativity beyond the boundaries of time and space, and civil and social centers that help in solving crises.

This statement came in an address that Dr. AlMalik delivered, on Monday (November 21, 2022), in Fez, Kingdom of Morocco, during the Forum on “Peace Museums: Spaces for Discovery, Openness to the Other and Intercultural Dialogue,” which was organized before the launch of the 9th United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) Global Forum, in the presence of Mr. Miguel Angel Moratinos, High Representative of UNAOC, and a group of international figures and representatives of specialized institutions.

At the outset of his address, Dr. AlMalik highlighted that the museum is a reliable platform to share our civilizational experiences, an open theater for various types of human creativity, and civil and social center par excellence, bearing a cultural responsibility.

He raised four questions in his attempt to highlight the role of museums as one of the mechanisms of the Alliance of Civilizations. “The first question is related to the link between museum activity and the intellectual foundations that guarantee the sustainability of its productivity as thought, is a gleaming window for civilizational interaction. Thus, universities, research centers and cultural institutions should set common conceptual foundations of museum activity,” underscored Dr. AlMalik.

Afterward, Dr. AlMalik questioned the ability of museum productivity to overcome emergencies and crises as museums were at the forefront of the cultural institutions affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, highlighting the third question related to the ability of museums to keep up with the communication revolution and artificial intelligence applications to ensure its sustainability.

In the fourth question, ICESCO Director-General addressed the problem of countering the negative effects of technology on the mission of museums, stressing the need to develop the laws, legislations and charters on electronic theft and illicit trafficking in cultural property.

The UNAOC Global Forum will be held in Fez, on November 22-23, 2022, in the presence of the ministers of culture of several countries as well as high-level officials of regional and international organizations, and eminent international figures. ICESCO’s delegation, headed by its Director-General, includes the Deputy Director-General and a number of heads of sector and directors of department and center.

Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), received Dr. Ahmad Awad bin Mubarak, Minister of Foreign and Expatriates Affairs of the Republic of Yemen, and his accompanying delegation, during their visit to ICESCO headquarters in Rabat, on Monday, November 21, 2022.

At the beginning of the bilateral meeting, ICESCO Director-General reaffirmed the Organization’s keenness to provide all forms of support to Yemen in the fields of education, science, culture and communication. He added that ICESCO coordinates with the Yemeni National Commission for Education, Science and Culture, and cooperates with several donors and regional and international organizations and bodies to implement joint programs and projects in Yemen. The Director-General stated that the goal of such initiatives is to address the country’s needs and priorities, especially with regard to issues such as combatting school dropout among girls, safeguarding heritage, building youth’s capacities and supporting them to keep up with modern technology.

Afterward, the two officials held an expanded meeting, which was attended by Amb. Azzedine Asbahi, Ambassador of the Republic of Yemen to the Kingdom of Morocco, the Minister’s accompanying delegation and several ICESCO’s heads of sectors and departments. Dr. AlMalik stated that ICESCO’s support for Yemen is part of its vision and strategic orientations, which prioritize the youth, women and children to promote their roles in achieving sustainable development in their countries. The Director-General stressed that this interest stems from the Organization’s awareness of the key roles of these groups in ensuring societies’ prosperity and progress. He added that ICESCO also accords special attention to promoting civilizational heritage through training programs for the benefit of heritage professionals, aimed at preserving heritage sites and contributing to cultural and economic development.

ICESCO’s leadership also highlighted the Organization’s major programs and initiatives, launched in cooperation with the Yemeni parties, seizing the opportunity to propose a number of ongoing programs and projects that can be implemented in Yemen
For his part, the Yemeni Minister commended ICESCO’s role to support its Member States, reaffirming Yemen’s keenness to cooperate with the Organization and benefit from its extensive expertise in its areas of competence. Dr. Mubarak also invited ICESCO to dispatch a group of experts to Yemen to take stock of the major needs in order to design suitable programs and projects.

Following the meeting, the Director-General and the Yemeni Minister toured the various pavilions of the Exhibition and Museum of the Prophet’s Biography and Islamic Civilization at ICESCO Headquarters in Rabat. This major civilizational project is the fruit of a strategic partnership between ICESCO, the Muslim World League and the Mohammadia League of Scholars in the Kingdom of Morocco, and is the first of its kind outside the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The Exhibition and Museum seek to highlight the Prophet’s Seerah and the Islamic civilization and cast light on the lofty message of Islam and the noble virtues of the Prophet, peace be upon him. The Exhibition employs advanced technology to give visitors a real-life experience of the Seerah and historical events.

Minister of Culture of Azerbaijan awards ‘Shusha Medal’ to ICESCO Director-General

Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), and Dr. Anar Karimov, Minister of Culture, Chairman of Azerbaijan National Commission for Education, Science and Culture, held a meeting to explore the developments of the great partnership between ICESCO and Azerbaijan, and follow up on the implementation of joint programmes and projects in various fields and the future cooperation programmes and projects.

Afterwards, they held another meeting, on Sunday (20 November 2022), at ICESCO Headquarters, in Rabat, which saw the presence of the delegation accompanying the Minister of Culture, and Mr. Nazim Samadov, Azerbaijan’s Ambassador to Morocco, as well as Dr. Abdelilah Benarafa, Deputy Director-General of ICESCO, and several heads of sector and directors of department and centers of ICESCO.

At the beginning of the meeting, Dr. AlMalik and Dr. Karimov reaffirmed their keenness to strengthen the great partnership between ICESCO and Azerbaijan, which has reached new horizons since the visit of the ICESCO Director-General and his delegation to Azerbaijan, in January 2021, and their reception by His Excellency President Ilham Aliyev, President of the Republic Azerbaijan, in the presidential palace in Baku.

ICESCO Director-General expressed his pride in the outstanding projects and programmes launched in partnership between ICESCO and the Republic of Azerbaijan, commending Azerbaijan’s support for ICESCO’s initiatives and programmes, particularly in the fields of youth capacity-building in innovation and modern technologies, safeguarding heritage and promoting peace and intercultural dialogue.

The heads of sector and directors of department of ICESCO reviewed the salient programmes and initiatives that the Organization launched and implemented, in partnership with Azerbaijan, within the framework of its new vision and strategic orientations.

For his part, Dr. Karimov stressed the Republic of Azerbaijan’s willingness to support ICESCO, commending its roles and efforts geared towards upholding the values of unity and solidarity in the Islamic world, building peace, promoting the values of tolerance, coexistence and intercultural dialogue, and rejecting violence.

He pointed out that Azerbaijan submitted a request to ICESCO to proclaim Shusha as the Culture Capital of the Islamic World for 2024 given its rich heritage and historical value, and a celebration of its reconstruction. He also explained that the competent authorities nearly completed the procedural matters related to the opening of ICESCO’s regional office in Baku, which will be inaugurated at the beginning of next year.

At the close of the meeting, the Minister of Culture of Azerbaijan awarded the ‘Shusha Medal’ to ICESCO Director-General, stressing that this medal, which is awarded on the anniversary of the liberation of Shusha, is an appreciation for the efforts of Dr. AlMalik and ICESCO in supporting the Republic of Azerbaijan to preserve its cultural and civilizational heritage.

Afterward, Dr. AlMalik took Dr. Karimov and his delegation on a tour to the Exhibition of the International Fair and Museum of the Prophet’s Biography and Islamic Civilization, which is being held in partnership between ICESCO, the Muslim World League and Mohammadia League of Scholars, at ICESCO Headquarters, aimed at introducing the Prophet’s biography, the Islamic civilization, the noble morals of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, and the purposes of the lofty message of Islam.