Category: News update

The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) launched its new annual programme “Mishkat for Arabic Language” for professional development and continuous training in the Arabic language for the benefit of non-Arabic speakers, devised in cooperation with the Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation for Distinguished Academic Performance.

The programme, which runs for over nine months from October 2022 to June 2023, was launched on Monday, October 24, 2022, by the Organization, through a hybrid meeting in the Mishkat Hall at ICESCO Headquarters. The meeting brought together a host of ten (10) international experts selected to facilitate twenty (20) training sessions as part of the first-time programme that ICESCO provides for teachers of the Arabic language in ten countries of West and Central Africa, Southeast Asia and Central Asia.

In his address at the meeting, Mr. Adel Bouraoui, Advisor to ICESCO Director-General (DG) for External Centers and Academic Chairs on Arabic Language, stressed that the Mishkat Programme is part of the Organization’s vision which emphasizes the need to ensure quality, sustainability, innovation and alignment with the needs of Member States.

The Mishkat Hall hosted, on Tuesday, October 25, 2022, the first training session facilitated by the education expert Dr. Mohamed Ismaili Alaoui under the theme: “Skills of Teachers of the Arabic Language to Non-Arabic Speakers” in which five groups of Arabic language teachers from Chad, Nigeria, Benin, Guinea and Cameroon participated remotely, and a sixth group attended in-person. Also participating by videoconference and individually were trainees from other countries and regions. Other individual participants from different countries and regions also took part in the session both remotely and in person.
The session to be held on October 26, 2022, should bring together five groups of Arabic language teachers from Malaysia, Indonesia, Uzbekistan, Bashkortostan and Vietnam.

It is worth noting that the said programme is implemented in concert with ICESCO’s Regional Educational Centers, training poles and scientific chairs of Arabic language for non-Arabic speakers in various universities around the world.

The Human and Social Sciences Sector of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), held a workshop on the role of transformative education in building peace, strengthening resilience and preventing violence in schools, in cooperation with the Libyan National Commission for Education, Culture and Science, and the University of Derna in Libya.
The four-day workshop, whose proceedings kicked off on Monday, October 24, 2022, at the University of Derna, is aimed at introducing the audience to transformative education and enabling them to use its ability to transfer values, life skills and the principles of citizenship from school to the local environment and the real world, and identifying mechanisms for integrating issues related to peacebuilding, resilience and the prevention of violent extremism into cultural activities inside and outside schools.

The opening saw the presence of the Secretary-General of the Libyan National Commission, members of the Commission, and the Rector of the University of Derna. Dr. Hassan El-Hajjami, Expert at ICESCO’s Human and Social Sciences Sector, and members of the Sector’s team represented the Organization at the workshop via videoconference. In his intervention, Dr. El-Hajjami emphasized that ICESCO is committed, through its various initiatives, to enhancing efforts and coordinating joint action to mobilize energies and competencies to eliminate violence and instill peace and stability in societies.

He reviewed ICESCO’s major peacebuilding efforts, namely the establishment of the ICESCO Center for Civilizational Dialogue, the ICESCO Regional Center for Education on the Culture of Peace (CRECP) in Yamoussoukro, Côte d’Ivoire, the programme for the integration of ICESCO’s 360° peace approach in academia, and the Leadership Training in Peace and Security Programme (LTIPS).

The Sector of Partnerships and International Cooperation at the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) took part, Tuesday, October 25, 2022, at an international workshop on the best practices and lessons learned in the fields of building women’s capacities and gender equality. The workshop was held by the World Bank and the Saudi Institute for Public Administration, at the World Bank’s headquarters in Washington D.C., and via videoconference.

In her address at the workshop, Ms. Amira El-Fadil, Head of ICESCO’s Sector of Partnerships and International Cooperation, highlighted the international and regional policies and the public sector’s programs on gender equality in the workplace, stressing ICESCO’s commitment to sustain work with its international partners in the field of building women’s capacities through a series of training workshops.
The session discussed social gender indicators, data sources and implementation mechanisms of women capacity building activities. The workshop was attended by experts and representatives of several international and regional organizations, including the International Labor Organization (ILO), the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), UN Women, the European Institute for Gender Equality, the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, in addition to participants from a number of countries including Australia, Kazakhstan and the Kingdom of Morocco.

The workshop is part of the National Saudi Observatory Program for Gender Equality in the Workplace in the Public Sector, which aims to help the Saudi Institute for Public Administration develop a set of indicators to promote and measure the progress attained vis-à-vis the achievement of gender balance. The program also aims to support decision-makers and other users of statistical data in assessing the gender gap and identifying the challenges to women’s participation in the public sector as a workforce, in order to find effective solutions for more balanced workplaces.

The Center of Arabic for Non-Arabic Speakers at the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) took part in an international conference under the theme “Arabic Language, Beyond Legacy,” organized in commemoration of the United Nations Day by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) through its regional office in Rabat and the Moroccan National Commission for Education, Science and Culture, in partnership with the Sultan Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud Foundation in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Dr. Majdi Bin Haji Ibrahim, Head of the ICESCO Center of Arabic for Non-Arabic Speakers, Dr. Youssef Ismaili and Dr. Anas Hussam Al-Nuaimi, Experts at the Center, and Ms. Somia Djacta, Director of ICESCO Office at UNESCO, represented the Organization during the two-day event that is taking place at the headquarters of the Faculty of Letters and Human Sciences in Rabat.

In his address at the opening session, Dr. Majdi emphasized the role of Arabic in fostering understanding among peoples by promoting intercultural communication, building bridges between civilizations, cultivating amity, consolidating peace and security, and renouncing violence and extremism. “Serving the Arabic language is at the forefront of ICESCO’s priorities. The Organization works on reinforcing the Arabic language’s status as a symbol of the Islamic nation’s cultural identity, a reservoir for its immortal heritage, and a hallmark for its civilizational, intellectual and cultural distinctiveness,” noted the ICESCO official.

He also reviewed ICESCO’s contributions to the service of the Arabic language in its non-Arabic speaking Member States, and its efforts to disseminate the language and strengthen its presence in the Islamic world and the world at large, by offering relevant competent authorities, institutions and individuals, the needed educational and academic services and technical advice.

The Sector of Science and Technology at the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) took part in the jury meeting to review and select three winners from among 16 participating teams in the contest, ICESCO Program for training the youth on building and developing small projects in the fields of technology and innovation in the Federal Republic of Nigeria, implemented in cooperation with the New Space for Innovation Foundation and the “We’nnovation Hub.” ICESCO seeks to widen the scope of this program to include all its Member States.
The participating teams gave presentations on their projects in a meeting held face-to-face in Lagos, Nigeria and via videoconference. The jury consisted of Dr. Muhammad Sharif, Advisor at the Sector of Science and Technology, a working team from the Sector, and several experts and specialists in the fields of entrepreneurship and startup financing

At the end of the meeting, the names of the winning teams at the national level were announced. “Tetrecycle multi-services” team, won first place for its project on renewable fuel extracted from biomass found in agricultural waste, the “Vabbar” team won the second-place for its project on an online marketplace for the exchange of African and foreign currencies, while the “Erido Agro” team won the third place for its project on training young farmers on ways to sustainably increase the quality, quality and diversity of their crops.

This program had been launched in Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Pakistan and Uzbekistan, and seeks to reach ten countries by the end of 2022. It falls within ICESCO’s action plan and strategy to support more than 150 startups in the fields of science and technology in the Member States by the year 2025.

Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General (DG) of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), called for prioritizing gender equality in the sustainable development plans, eliminating the various forms of gender discrimination and establishing institutions, bodies and organizations to build the capacities of women and support them to assume leadership positions.

This statement was part of Dr. AlMalik’s address, delivered on Monday (October 24, 2022), at the plenary session of the three-day workshop on the best practices and international lessons on women’s rehabilitation and gender equality, held by the World Bank and the Saudi Institute of Public Administration, at the headquarters of the World Bank in Washington D.C., and via videoconference. The workshop aimed at sharing knowledge and expertise, and drawing lessons on women’s rehabilitation policies. It was the participation of high-level officials and experts.

At the outset of his address, Dr. AlMalik stressed the importance of the workshop, the theme of which intersects with ICESCO’s vision and action strategy, praising the efforts of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and its great commitment to enhancing the presence of women in leadership and decision-making positions, and commending the World Bank’s initiatives and role as a leading institution in breaking down barriers facing women development and advancement.

He also reviewed ICESCO’s programmes and initiatives on girls’ and women’s rehabilitation as a mechanism to enhance women’s presence in the fields of education, science and culture given that the progress and prosperity of societies largely depend on providing women and girls with adequate opportunities to fulfill their potential and contribute to international efforts geared towards achieving sustainable development.

Moreover, ICESCO DG stressed that the Organization has adopted the principle of gender balance in its various sectors and departments, proclaimed 2021 as the Year of Women, and built partnerships and cooperation with several international bodies and institutions to enhance the leading role of women in the Islamic world and beyond.

The Education Sector of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) held a meeting with the Kailash Satyarthi Children’s Foundation in the United States of America to strengthen their cooperation in the field of education and ensure the right to education for all.

During the meeting, held via videoconference with Mrs. Anjali Kochar, Executive Director of the Foundation, Dr. Koumbou Bolly Barry, Head of the Education Sector, stressed the importance of signing a Memorandum of Understanding between ICESCO and the Foundation on specific projects and activities of interest to the Organization’s Member States, mainly the holding by ICESCO of the International Conference of Nobel Laureates in 2023, to inspire the youth of the Islamic world to embrace creativity and innovation.

For her part, Mrs. Kochar welcomed the joint activities and programs to be implemented between the two sides after the signing of the said memorandum, especially in the areas of combating child labor, girls’ education, awareness programs targeting youth, religious, community and government leaders, as well as civil society and non-governmental organizations.

On the Global Media and Information Literacy Week, commemorated this year under the theme: “Nurturing trust – A Media and Information Literacy Imperative,” the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) calls for solidarity and joint action to make media and digital knowledge available in various fields, provide the needed resources to achieve this end, adhere to its principles, and develop new relevant initiatives, to contribute to achieving cultural sustainability, economic growth and social progress.

Given that media and information literacy is paramount to achieving trust, which is the binding element for social cohesion and social breakthroughs for the common good, ICESCO stresses the need to develop digital skills and enhance media knowledge in light of the widely spread misinformation and the technological revolution that the world is witnessing in the era of artificial intelligence, virtual reality, augmented reality and the metaverse. It is worth noting that the Organization has radically transformed its working mechanisms through the digitization of its departments and centers, and has called, along with other international organizations, for contribution to providing the necessary resources to support media and information literacy programmes in 2021.
Cognizant of the prominent role of education in spreading awareness of the importance of media literacy and building individual capacities to use modern technologies to access information and verify the factual accuracy of media news, ICESCO supports the efforts of its Member States in developing modern media literacy curricula that equip learners with the necessary skills to discern accurate information and critically evaluate media news, to enable them to benefit from purposeful digital content and avoid negative messages and misinformation.

ICESCO also contributes to promoting the creation of focused digital content, and introducing new generations to the luminaries of Islamic history, particularly in the fields of science, culture and thought, who left an indelible mark on human civilization, in addition to promoting the heritage sites and cultural goods inscribed on ICESCO’s Islamic World Heritage List.
In a bid to support international efforts in building youth capacities in the fields of media and information and developing their digital skills to improve their integration into the ever-morphing labour market, ICESCO launched a wide array of programmes, projects and training sessions. These include the Young Professionals Program 2022, the Leadership Training in Peace and Security (LTIPS), a programme for training youth in creating and developing small projects in the field of technology and innovation, in addition to a training and capacity-building programme for journalists and media professionals in the Organization’s Member States, which equip youth with the necessary knowledge to harness the potential of modern technology.

ICESCO reiterates its readiness to join hands with all international organizations, agencies, or entities to launch and implement initiatives and programmes that are geared towards promoting media and information literacy in its Member States, thus contribute to addressing future challenges, eliminating media and digital illiteracy, and achieving sustainable development goals.