Category: News update

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.

His Excellency the President of the Republic of Iraq, Dr. Abdul Latif Jamal Rashid, received Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), on December 4, 2022, at the Presidential Palace in the capital, Baghdad, as part of ICESCO’s Director-General official visit to Iraq.

Dr. AlMalik started the meeting by expressing his gratitude and appreciation to His Excellency the Iraqi President and the government and people of Iraq for their warm hospitality and invitation to attend the 6th edition of the Ancient Civilizations Forum, hosted by Baghdad under the auspices of the Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs, stressing ICESCO’s eagerness to develop distinguished relations with Iraq in fields of education, science and culture.

He reviewed the main components of ICESCO’s new vision and strategic orientations, as well as the priority the Organization accords, in its ambitious programmes and projects, to build the capacities of youth and women and training them in leadership for peace and security, consolidating the values of coexistence and civilizational dialogue, supporting and training youth in the fields of technology, innovation and artificial intelligence, encouraging Member States to invest in Space science, valorizing and preserving the heritage of the countries of the Islamic world and inscribing historical sites and cultural elements on ICESCO’s Tangible and Intangible Heritage Lists.

ICESCO’s Director-General briefed the President of the Republic of Iraq on the most recent publications of the organization, and the key programmes and projects that it is currently implementing for the benefit of its Member States including Iraq.

For his part, the President of the Republic of Iraq appreciated ICESCO’s efforts, stressing his keenness to sustain cooperation between the Iraqi competent authorities and the Organization in its fields of competence, especially in training Iraqi officials. The Iraqi president requested to have copies of all ICESCO’s publications.

At the close of the meeting, ICESCO Director-General presented the Organization’s shield to His Excellency the President of the Republic of Iraq.

After two days of rich discussions and exchange of expertise, experiences and ideas, the International Conference on “Women Leadership in Higher Education: Context, Challenges and Prospects” concludes its proceedings on Friday, December 2, 2022. The event, which saw a high-caliber presence, was held by the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) and its affiliated Federation of the Universities of the Islamic World (FUIW), in partnership with Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

The second day of the Conference began with a session on “Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University: A Success Story,” which was attended by Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, ICESCO Director-General (DG) and featured interventions by Saudi women leaders who discussed the women empowerment ecosystem in the Kingdom and the University, the factors contributing to women’s success and the importance of cooperation between academia and industry through postgraduate programmes and projects in supporting women entrepreneurship. The session also reviewed the success stories of the major Saudi women leaders who graduated from the University.

In his contribution to the session, Dr. AlMalik commended the role and success of women universities, underscoring the need to draw on the experience of Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University which could successfully position itself as a leading women university and an example to be followed.

The second day also featured a session during which several women university rectors and international experts discussed the role of women in developing industrial skills, emphasizing that higher education institutions must bridge the skill gap. Another session then followed, in which various female postgraduate students from several ICESCO Member States shared their experiences and perceptions of future universities, discussed the role of students in the university of today and tomorrow and explored the prospects and challenges thereof.

In conclusion, Dr. Raheel Qamar, Head of ICESCO’s Science and Technology Sector, delivered an address in which he thanked the participants for their ideas and recommendations to enhance the role of women in higher education leadership and extended his thanks to the people involved in Princess Noura bint Abdulrahman University, stressing ICESCO’s pride in its cooperation with this distinguished University.

The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) held the Third Training Session of the International Program, MESHKAT for Arabic Continuous Training and Professional Development in the Field of Arabic for non-Arabic Speakers, in cooperation with Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation for Distinguished Academic Performance.

The training session was held at MESHKAT Hall at ICESCO Headquarters in Rabat, on 30 November – 1 December 2022, both in-person and via videoconference, under the theme, “Teaching Arabic Phonetics and Grammar to Non-Arabic Speakers.” The Session benefitted 203 trainees from among educational professionals working in the field of Arabic for non-Arabic speakers from Chad, Nigeria, Benin, Guinea, Cameroon, Malaysia, Indonesia, Uzbekistan, Bashkortostan, Vietnam, Turkiye, and Morocco.

During the session, Dr. Ezzat Abu Al-Wafa, Expert in Educational Training, explained and analyzed ways to teach the Arabic phonetic system to non-Arabic following the latest teaching approaches, stressing the importance of rules in international reference frameworks. The expert also moderated applied workshops where participants were introduced to modern methods to teach Arabic phonetics, and grammar to non-Arabic speakers by relying on the best teaching strategies that have proven effective in classrooms.

Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), received Dr. Mariem Mohamed Fadel Dah, First Lady of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, during her visit to ICESCO Headquarters on December 1, 2022, to attend the International Conference on Women Leadership in Higher Education, where she was the guest of honor and delivered an address at the opening session.

Dr. AlMalik started the meeting by welcoming the first lady at ICESCO Headquarters, stressing that her attendance at the conference, which ICESCO is organizing in partnership with Princess Noura bint Abdul Rahman University in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, represents support for women in the countries of the Islamic world, and confirms the depth of the relations between the Organization and the Islamic Republic of Mauritania. He noted that the partnership between the two parties will witness a new start during the celebration of Nouakchott as the Culture Capital of the Islamic World for 2023, as part of ICESCO’s programme, which will continue throughout the year in the capital and other Mauritanian cities.

For her part, Dr. Mariem Mohamed Fadel Dah confirmed that she is happy to participate in the conference because advocating for women’s issues is her main concern, commending ICESCO’s role in supporting women.

The meeting touched upon ways to develop cooperation between ICESCO and Mauritania in the Organization’s areas of competence, mainly in educational, social and humanitarian issues, and how Mauritania can benefit from the Organization’s programmes and projects.

The meeting also dealt with ICESCO’s role in protecting the heritage of the countries of the Islamic world through inscription on heritage lists. ICESCO’s Director-General handed to the Mauritanian First Lady certificates of inscription of several Mauritanian historical sites and cultural elements on ICESCO’s Islamic World Heritage Lists.

After the meeting, Dr. Mariem Mohamed Fadel Dah wrote a speech in the golden record of ICESCO visitors, before Dr. AlMalik accompanied her on a tour to the International Exhibition and Museum of the Prophet’s Biography and Islamic Civilization, currently held at ICESCO headquarters, where she listened to a detailed explanation.