The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) announces the launch of the ICESCO Prize for girls and women’s literacy, for the benefit of civil society organizations and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) for 2022, which aims to encourage pioneering initiatives and best practices in the areas of literacy and non-formal education directed towards out -of-school groups or girls and women’s dropouts.
The Prize came as part of ICESCO’s vision, which accords special importance to encouraging good experiences in the fields of literacy and informal education for girls and women and building distinct capacities of Member States in preparing policies, strategies and plans in this field, as illiteracy among girls and women is one of the major challenges facing the countries of the Islamic world, which negatively affects their development path.
Prizes are awarded to the best three initiatives, in ICESCO working languages , namely Arabic, English and French. Each Prize amounts to three thousand US dollars, in addition to ten tablets and certificates of appreciation that ICESCO will award to the three winners during one of the major conferences at the Organization’s headquarters in Rabat.
Civil society organizations and NGOs wishing to participate must fill out the nomination form no later than October 31, 2022, via the following link: https://survey.icesco.org/index.php/823482?lang=en
ICESCO will form a committee of experts to select the winning files.
For more information, please contact the Prize’s e-mail: eduprizes@icesco.org
The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) and the Federation of the Universities of the Islamic World announce the opening of the call for nominations for the My Thesis in 1000 Words Prize. The Prize is open to final-year Ph.D. students and researchers who have finished writing their theses but have not yet done their theses defense.
The Prize aims to encourage students to hone their communication skills and sharpen their ability to present their doctoral theses in less than 1000 words.
Students interested in applying must fill in the personal information form via the link: https://tinyurl.com/yrmwuzx7, and attach a short video (file size should not exceed 10 MB) in which they creatively present their doctoral thesis in less than 1000 words, including the presentation script in Word format. The videos can be made in one of ICESCO’s working languages, Arabic, English or French. Applicants should also avoid using any supporting customs, musical instruments or laboratory equipment.
The participating presentations must be delivered in appropriate language, focused, and adapted to a non-expert audience. They must also thoroughly explain the research background and the significance of the research questions and explicitly highlight the research conclusions and findings.
After the close of applications on September 30, 2022, a jury of specialized experts and academics will evaluate the entries and select ten (10) nominees for the finale, who will be invited to ICESCO Headquarters in Rabat to deliver in person their presentations during a special ceremony, in the presence of researchers/professors, university presidents, deans, and directors of university institutions.
The winners will be announced on November 7, 2022. The jury will select the first and second place winners, while the attendees will select the audience award winner.
The first place winner will receive USD 2,000, the second USD1,500, and the third winner will get USD1,000.
The Sector of Partnerships and International Cooperation of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) held a virtual meeting with the United Nations Development Programme’s Regional Bureau for Africa, in Addis Ababa, intending to strengthen cooperation between the Organization and the Bureau in areas of common interest to contribute to sustainable development in Africa.
During this meeting, the representatives of the Sector reviewed ICESCO’s major programmes and projects implemented in the Member States, especially in African countries, and highlighted the great attention that the Organization attaches to building partnerships and cooperation with regional and international institutions to face the current global challenges. UNDP-Africa highlighted the areas of their activities and the programmes in Africa.
Besides, the two parties agreed to enhance cooperation in the fields of education, science and technology, peace and security training, climate change, youth development, rehabilitation of women and girls, and the development of health and sanitation programmes, within the framework of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 2030 and the African Union Agenda 2063.
Dr. Salim M AlMalik, Director-General (DG) of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), met with Mr. Ahmed Issa, Minister of Tourism and Antiquities of the Arab Republic of Egypt, to explore the latest developments in joint cooperation between ICESCO and Egypt in the field of heritage.
Dr. AlMalik began the meeting, which was held on Thursday, September 1, 2022, at the headquarters of the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities in Cairo, by congratulating Mr. Issa on his appointment as Minister of Tourism and Antiquities in the Arab Republic of Egypt, wishing him success in his new mission.
ICESCO DG reviewed the components of the Organization’s vision and strategic orientation in relation to heritage, and ICESCO’s efforts in the field of valorizing and safeguarding heritage, through the establishment of the Islamic World Heritage Center and the Islamic World Heritage Fund.
For his part, the Egyptian minister commended ICESCO’s roles in preserving heritage and fostering culture, stressing the ministry’s eagerness to strengthen and develop cooperation with the Organization, as a strategic partner.
The two parties examined the latest developments in preparation for holding the international conference on countering the illicit trafficking in cultural property and its restitution, which is scheduled to be held in the Arab Republic of Egypt, where the Minister expressed his keenness to cooperate closely with ICESCO to ensure the participation of the largest number of countries affected by this phenomenon around the world.
The meeting, which was attended by several leaders of the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities in the Arab Republic of Egypt, touched upon ICESCO’s financing of an initiative aimed at promoting the transformation toward green and renewable energies in some Egyptian historical sites. The two parties agreed to inscribe more Egyptian historical sites and cultural elements on ICESCO heritage lists of the Islamic world.
At the close of the meeting, ICESCO DG presented a shield bearing the ICESCO logo to the Minister, who presented a souvenir, in return, to ICESCO DG.
Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General (DG) of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), met with Dr. Mohamed Mokhtar Gomaa, Minister of Awqaf of the Arab Republic of Egypt, and together they explored prospects for cooperation between ICESCO and the Ministry in areas of common interest.
During the meeting, held on Thursday, September 1, 2022, at the Ministry headquarters in Cairo, Dr. AlMalik highlighted the key elements in ICESCO’s vision and the programs and activities the Organization implements in its areas of competence. The Director-General stated that ICESCO focuses on encouraging the Member States to capitalize on the great potential of modern technology to develop their systems of education, scientific research and culture, noting that the Organization also accords great attention to promoting the presence of the Arabic language and supporting the efforts to increase the Arabic digital content on the internet.
Moreover, Dr. AlMalik stated that ICESCO is implementing several programs that aim at incorporating the values of peace and tolerance in educational curricula to reflect the true image of the culture and civilization of the Islamic world and encourage the youth to uphold dialogue and accept differences to enrich human civilization.
The Director-General also invited the Egyptian Minister to visit ICESCO Headquarters and give a lecture during the Exhibition and Museum of the Prophet’s Biography and Islamic Civilization, which will open on September 8.
For his part, Dr. Gomaa congratulated Dr. AlMalik on the signing of the MoU with the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research and the Saleh A. Kamel Humanitarian Foundation (SAKHF) on the Professional International Certification in Teaching in Egypt. He also reviewed the expertise of the Ministry in training preachers, stressing the importance of selecting trainees who must have a real desire to develop their skills and build their capacities.
The Minister also highlighted the expertise of the Ministry and its activities in promoting scientific research, and publishing, stating that Egyptian Waqfs generate large revenues that are then used in many social and humanitarian initiatives.
The two parties agreed to build cooperation between the two institutions, especially on preserving identity, increasing Arabic content online and publishing a number of the Ministry’s publications on ICESCO’s Digital Home.
At the close of the meeting, the DG presented the Minister with an ICESCO Shield, while Dr. Gomaa presented the Director-General and the ICESCO library with some of the Ministry’s publications.
AlMalik Calls for Supporting Young People to Create Digital Content to Enhance Status of Arabic in Cyberspace
Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General (DG) of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), stressed the importance of producing purposeful digital Arabic content, which raises awareness and stimulates moderation and openness given their significant impact on a large number of young people, pointing out to the need to encourage them to create digital content that enhances the status of Arabic in the cyberspace and disseminate Arab culture to save it from extinction.
This statement was part of the address that Dr. AlMalik gave at the closing ceremony of the three-day Attaa Digital Hackathon in the Arab Republic of Egypt, on Wednesday evening (August 31, 2022), held in partnership between ICESCO, the Saudi Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, the Egyptian Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, and the Information Technology Industry Development Agency (ITIDA) and RiseUp Summit. Thousands of content makers competed to win one of the Hackathon’s three prizes.
Dr. AlMalik also highlighted the key role of young influencers in shaping media and socio-economic trends, which necessitates paying further attention to the purposeful digital content, explaining that holding this Hackathon in Egypt is a milestone to enrich the Arabic digital content with various cultures, sciences and arts.
“It is necessary to promote and enhance the status of Arabic online given its rich vocabulary. In this regard, ICESCO seeks to achieve this objective through its new modernization approach and vision to increase the outreach of Arabic,” he added.
ICESCO DG concluded his address by thanking the government of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and the Saudi Crown Prince, which strives to give new impetus to the digital Arabic content through activities such as Atta Digital Initiative based on the ambitious 2030 Vision.
In the award ceremony, the prize money amounting to 100,000 Egyptian pounds was shared among the three best teams. The hackathon organizers then exchanged memorial shields.
Atta Digital Hackathon in Egypt aimed to spread the culture of creativity, innovation and teamwork to enhance Arabic educational technical content by motivating Egyptian young people to share their ideas and compete to provide relevant solutions and proposals. Such an objective is in line with the strategy of ICESCO, which seeks to promote the use of modern technologies for the development of education, science and culture.
Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General (DG) of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), met with His Eminence Dr. Ahmed At-Tayeb, Grand Imam of al-Azhar al-Sharif, and together they explored the prospects of cooperation between ICESCO and Al-Azhar in areas of common interest.
During the meeting, held on Wednesday, August 31, 2022, at the headquarters of Mashiakhet Al Azhar in Cairo, the two parties reaffirmed their keenness to build a fruitful partnership between the two institutions and sign a cooperation agreement on the implementation of joint programs and projects, especially with regard to promoting the international presence of the Arabic language and preserving and publicizing the Islamic identity culture and civilization to address its growing challenges.
The two parties also discussed the major challenges facing the youth in the Islamic world and the need to join efforts to support them and build their capacities to keep up with the jobs of the future.
Moreover, the two officials discussed cooperation between ICESCO and Al-Azhar to provide several scholarships for the students of the Islamic world to study at Al-Azhar, especially in scientific specialties. Likewise, the two parties reviewed prospects of cooperation in enriching the Arabic online digital content, as part of the Attaa Digital Initiative, launched in partnership between the Organization and the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
At the close of the meeting, the Director-General invited the Grand Imam to visit the Headquarters of ICESCO and give a lecture during his first visit to the Kingdom of Morocco. His Eminence Dr. At-Tayyib thanked the Director-General for the invitation and promised to visit in the future.
Dr. AlMalik then presented the Grand Imam with an ICESCO Shield, while Dr. At-Tayyib presented Dr. AlMalik with a copy of Mukhtarat min Dhakirat Al-Azhar Al-Sharif.
Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General (DG) of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), and Dr. Amr Talaat, Minister of Communications and Information Technology of the Arab Republic of Egypt, explored ways to develop cooperation between ICESCO and the Ministry in the field of promoting Arabic digital content and supporting youth in innovation and entrepreneurship with modern technology.
During the meeting, which was held on Tuesday, August 30, 2022, at the headquarters of the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology in the Smart Village, 6th October City, Dr. AlMalik reviewed the key part of ICESCO’s strategic orientations and its new vision, which encourages the countries of the Islamic world to invest in modern technology and artificial intelligence to develop the fields of education, science and culture, noting that ICESCO implements several pioneering programmes and projects in this field.
He pointed out that the Organization has witnessed a process of modernization and development in its various sectors and departments and it has become dependent on digitization and technology, and that ICESCO adopts an open-door policy to all, and cooperates with international organizations and bodies, civil society institutions and universities, to contribute to the development of the fields of education, science and culture. It has also signed several agreements with major institutions in the fields of artificial intelligence and space science.
Dr. AlMalik added that ICESCO accords high priority to supporting youth and building their capacities, especially in the fields of technology and innovation, and it holds training sessions for their benefit to acquire the skills for future professions.
He noted that ICESCO is ready to cooperate with the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology in several programs, after the success of the cooperation in the Digital Hackathon initiative in Egypt, which provided an opportunity for digital content makers to create Arab educational content in the field of technology through holding workshops and training sessions.
For his part, Dr. Amr Talaat commended ICESCO’s role in its fields of competence and its modern and upgraded vision, noting that the ministry is working to include technology in the field of heritage and its desire to digitize it.
He expressed his eagerness to cooperate with ICESCO in areas of common interest, especially sponsoring innovators, supporting entrepreneurs in the field of information technology and enhancing the presence of the Arabic language in digital content.
Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General (DG) of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), reaffirmed that young people are essential partners in development, calling for having confidence in their capabilities, responding to their aspirations at all levels, and promoting education and training to build a productive economy.
This statement was part of the video speech that Dr. AlMalik addressed to the 1st World Youth Summit, held on 27-30 August 2022, in Kazan, capital of the Russian Republic of Tatarstan, with the participation of His Excellency Rustam Mnikhanov, President of the Republic of Tatarstan, Chairman of the Strategic Vision Group ‘Russia – Islamic World’; and Mr. Taha Ayhan, President of the Islamic Cooperation Youth Forum, in addition to 300 participants from 67 countries.
In his address, Dr. AlMalik stressed that ICESCO is a youth Organization, which has increased the number of its young staff and launched the Young Professionals Programme for 2022 and the Leadership Training in Peace and Security Programme, as part of its new modernization vision.
“The Organization seeks to build capacities and improve the performance quality of research centers in the Islamic world through workshops for young people on measurement devices, reverse engineering, space technology and entrepreneurship in the field of technology and innovation,” stated ICESCO DG.
Dr. AlMalik stated that the Organization is implementing a number of programmes and activities to connect young people to artificial intelligence and publicize the professions of tomorrow to enshrine the concept of smart career choices among young people.
In conclusion, Dr. AlMalik pointed out that ICESCO pays special attention to university education through the establishment of new academic chairs on youth issues in some universities, in addition to the provision of scholarships for young people from the Islamic world.
During their participation in the Summit, Dr. Sidra Tariq Jamil, Expert at ICESCO Center for Civilization Dialogue, and Ms. Fahemida Faiza, Programmes Manager at ICESCO Human and Social Sciences Sector, gave presentations wherein they reviewed the key aspects of the Organization’s vision and action strategy in the field of youth rehabilitation and leadership skills, as well as the initiatives and programmes launched in this context.
The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research of the Arab Republic of Egypt, and Saleh Kamel Humanitarian Foundation signed a memorandum of understanding for the implementation of the International Professional Teaching Certificates Project for the benefit of 2000 male and female teachers in several Egyptian governorates.
The MoU was signed, at a major ceremony, in Cairo, on Tuesday (30 August 2022), by Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, ICESCO Director General (DG); Dr. Mohamed Ayman Ashour, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, President of the Egyptian National Commission for Education, Science and Culture; and Mr. Abdullah Saleh Kamel, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Saleh Kamel Humanitarian Foundation.
In his address during the signing ceremony, Dr. AlMalik reaffirmed that the project will provide teachers with the professional conditions to fulfill their tasks, pointing out that professional certificates aim at advancing training programmes and preserving the rights of teachers, who devote their lives to the honorable profession of teaching, facing various challenges to see their students at the summit of success.
Besides, he explained that this full-fledged project is based on a participatory vision, which consists of specialization, experience and capabilities, noting that ICESCO’s supervisory role in this project stems from the Organization’s interest in education as one of its top priorities.
In concluding his address, ICESCO DG expressed his thanks to King Saud University for supporting the project academically, the Egyptian Ministry of Higher Education for promoting the project locally, and Saleh Kamel Humanitarian Foundation for funding this ambitious project, hoping to see it replicated in the near future in many Muslim countries.
In his address, Dr. Muhammad Ayman Ashour welcomed the representatives of international organizations and university presidents, stressing that this project comes in the context of the unprecedented impact of the current global challenges in light of technological advancements and the radical change in education, which requires well-qualified staff to deal with these transformations.
He also expressed his pride in choosing the Arab Republic of Egypt to launch the project, which will be replicated in many Muslim countries, concluding his address by thanking Saleh Kamel Humanitarian Foundation, King Saud University and ICESCO.
For his part, Mr. Abdullah Saleh Kamel indicated that the funding provided for the project is in line with the Foundation’s vision and interest in sustainable endowment projects, and aims at maximizing the impact of educational outputs given the role of teachers as the cornerstone of the educational process. “We also seek to enhance the contribution of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to global humanitarian action, which is an integral part of the Kingdom’s ambitious 2030 Vision,” he added.
The MoU provides for the implementation of the project over a three-year period in Egypt while ensuring coordination with the competent parties in the Arab Republic of Egypt to prepare periodic progress reports, assess the performance of beneficiary teachers, and measure the impact of qualification in the educational field.
The Professional teaching Certificates Project aims to build a comprehensive system to develop teachers’ skills and provide them with the necessary competencies in their various specialties and fields to achieve the objectives of educational curricula. Among the key outputs of the project is to allow 100.000 teachers from the ICESCO Member States to obtain the International Teaching Certificates (PCT), within the framework of the Organization’s vision aimed at supporting the modernization of its educational process.
