Category: News update

Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General (DG) of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), called for a better understanding of young people’s psychological and social environment and the adoption of new approaches to meet their needs and aspirations, emphasizing their pivotal role in achieving development as they represent the largest proportion of the global population, which compounds society’s responsibility to advance their rights, develop their capacities to enable their effective engagement in real-life experiences and believe in their ambitions to shape the future.

This statement came in his address during the opening ceremony of the national meeting for youth center (Dar Chabab) directors, which was organized by the Ministry of Youth, Culture and Communication in the Kingdom of Morocco under the theme “Youth Centers: A Space for Development and Inclusion”, on Tuesday, November 15, 2022, at the Moulay Rachid Complex for Youth and Childhood in Bouznika. The meeting saw the presence of Mr. Mohamed Mehdi Bensaid, Moroccan Minister of Youth, Culture and Communication, Mr. Younes Sekkouri, Moroccan Minister of Economic Inclusion, Small Business, Employment and Skills, Mrs. Mbarka Bouaida, President of the Association of Regions of Morocco (ARM), Mr. Mohamed Dardouri, Wali, National Coordinator of the National Initiative for Human Development (INDH), Mrs. Patricia Llombart, Ambassador of the European Union to Morocco, and Mr. François Reybet-Degat, Representative of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Rabat, Morocco.

In his address, Dr. AlMalik highlighted that ICESCO attaches particular importance to youth who are increasingly employed in the Organization, noting that 23% of ICESCO’s employees are young people under the age of thirty (30), an exceptional percentage bearing a tremendous potential that the Organization leverages to implement its plans and programmes based on its young employees’ energies and practical proposals that keep pace with present-day requirements.

Dr Salim M. Al-Malik, Director(General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), met Mr. Sergio Mujica, Secretary-General of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), to explore cooperation in the field of quality standards and their widespread use in the Islamic world.

During this meeting, held on November 12, 2022, as part of the participation of the two officials in COP27 in Sharm El-Sheikh, Dr. AlMalik stressed that ICESCO is proud to have obtained ISO certification, in 2021, in accordance with the international standards (ISO 9001: 2015) related to quality management systems, adding that the Organization is looking forward to obtaining the certification of Information Security Management System (ISO 27001).

In addition to the possibility of signing an agreement between ICESCO and ISO, the meeting focused on the importance of promoting the adoption of quality standards by institutions in the ICESCO Member States, in coordination with their respective National Commissions for Education, Science and Culture, as ICESCO is keen to provide outstanding and innovative services to its Member States in these three fields.

At the end of the meeting, the two parties agreed to work together to develop the educational systems in the Islamic world by promoting quality education to ensure inclusive and quality education for all.

In the presence of Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), Dr. Mahmoud Al-Matini, President of Ain Shams University in Egypt, and Dr. Ghada Wali, Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations, Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and Director of the United Nations Office at Vienna (UNOV), a simulation with several young people was held at ICESCO’s pavilion at COP27 in Sharm el-Sheikh, to raise awareness of the importance of involving them in the efforts aimed at preserving and protecting heritage from the impact of climate change.

During the activity, which was held on Saturday, 12 November 2022, Dr. Al-Malik highlighted ICESCO, as a beacon of civilizational and scientific outreach, which aims to provide 3D imaging of heritage sites on its heritage lists in the Islamic world, using virtual reality technology, to enable youth in the Islamic world to explore Member States’ culture and history, enhancing pride in their cultural heritage.

For his part, Dr. Al-Matini stressed the need to develop young people’s skills through strengthening cooperation based on concrete initiatives and programs between a number of organizations, universities and international institutions, including ICESCO, to involve them in the efforts of preserving heritage, protecting the environment, and technological, technical and cultural innovation.

Dr. Ghada Wali, on her part, talked about the importance of equal opportunities between young men and women in the fields of education, science and culture, to help them achieve their ambitions and strengthen their creative abilities.

During the simulation activity, many young people participated in the discussion, shared their ideas and asked many questions about the dangers of climate change on heritage, which were answered by Dr. AlMalik, Dr. Al-Matini, Dr. Ghada Wali, ICESCO experts and professors from Ain Shams University.

The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), in partnership with the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, on Friday 11 November 2022, in Sharm El-Sheikh, launched an initiative to establish a fund for safeguarding heritage sites and museums in Egypt and the Islamic world from the effects of climate change.

The launch of this initiative saw the participation of high-level figures, including HRH Princess Dana Firas, UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for Cultural Heritage, President of the Petra National Trust (PNT) in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, Dr. Ayman Ashour, Egyptian Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Chairman of the Egyptian National Commission for Education Science and Culture, as well as Dr. Mostafa Waziri, Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, and Dr. Mohamed Bayoumi, Deputy Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Head of the Climate Change Team, in addition to a large number of COP 27 leaders from around the world.In his address, Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General of ICESCO, pointed out that climate change and its impacts have become one of the major challenges facing humanity, adding that the world is witnessing new phenomena related to climate change that threaten plans and policies and contradicts anticipations and aspirations.

Dr. AlMalik underscored that climate change has become a tangible threat to human heritage, stating that it has caused damage to about 33% of the world’s natural heritage and about 31 cultural heritage sites in 29 countries, a number which is expected to increase due to the acceleration of these changes.

The Director-General explained that ICESCO’s initiative, launched in cooperation with the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, reaffirms the Organization’s commitment and efforts with Member States in establishing effective partnerships to better anticipate the future, based on common visions and the spirit of sharing.For his part, Dr. Ayman Ashour stressed that this initiative represents a real translation of the recommendations into a tangible reality and that the related programmes will contribute to the protection of heritage sites against climate change damage. He added that this initiative reaffirms the commitment of Egypt in the fight against climate change in accordance with international standards given their great importance for humanity. He also commended ICESCO’s efforts in protecting the heritage of its Member States through the inscription of historical sites and heritage items on its Islamic World Heritage List.

Dr. Mostafa Waziri emphasized the role played by ancient Egypt in facing environmental challenges, most notably flood barriers and torrents. He called for a better understanding of the heritage and history of civilizations in order to learn from the experiences of ancient civilizations in adapting to unexpected climate change.

For his part, Dr. Mohamed Bayoumi stressed the need to protect heritage areas from the effects of climate and sea level rise, despite the high cost of their protection, the goal is to preserve the world’s heritage from disappearance.

It should be noted that the establishment of this Fund aims to study the impact of climate change on heritage sites and museums to provide the necessary funding for the development of plans for their protection, encourage ICESCO Member States to adopt green transition initiatives and use clean energy in heritage sites and museums, to preserve the heritage environment and face the challenges that heritage and actors in this field are facing because of climate change.