Category: News update

The international conference held by the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) on exploring the status of human beings in the era of virtual and augmented reality metaverse concluded its proceedings with a series of workshops on artificial intelligence, for the benefit of 150 researchers, students and professors specialized in the field.

At the outset of the workshops, which were held on Thursday, June 17, 2022, at ICESCO Headquarters in Rabat, in partnership with the Algora Lab at the University of Montreal, Dr. Kais Hammami, Head of ICESCO Center for Strategic Foresight, emphasized the importance of adopting a forward-looking approach in using artificial intelligence in our daily lives, and the role of strategic foresight in promoting a comprehensive dialogue on the ethics of artificial intelligence.

For his part, Dr. Marc-Antoine Dilhac, Professor of Ethics and Political Philosophy at the University of Montreal, and Director of the Algora Lab, defined the concept of artificial intelligence, stressing that our societies must be prepared to face digital transformations, then delved into its ethical and social implications, particularly on human rights and creativity.

The participants were then divided into twelve groups and took part in practical workshops to work on different topics, notably the role of artificial intelligence in preserving languages ​​and minority languages, curbing climate change, fighting online misinformation, and digitizing education.

Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, ICESCO Director-General (DG), visited the workshops and listened to the views of the participants, who underscored the importance of this conference and thanked the Organization for organizing these highly-instructive workshops.

At the close of the event, Dr. Hammami and Dr. Dilhac presented a summary of the main points that were discussed during the conference, which is aimed at exploring the future of metaverse within the Islamic world and beyond, understanding its impact on our daily lives and the importance of facing its changes and transformations, and exchange views on the nexus between ethics and modern technology.

The Partnerships and International Cooperation Sector at the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) held a meeting with the General Secretariat of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to explore coordination and cooperation in the fields of education, science and culture, and form a joint committee to develop a five-year plan for their African Member States and contribute to accelerating the achievement of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals in these countries.

During this virtual meeting, held on Wednesday (June 15, 2022), the two parties stressed the importance of ensuring coordination and cooperation and strengthening communication and joint action in the fields of education, science, culture and social affairs to serve the Islamic world for more complementarity in the programmes and projects of ICESCO and OIC.

The meeting brought together Ambassador Tariq Ali Bakhit, Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian, Cultural and Social Affairs at OIC; Ambassador Askar Musinov, Assistant Secretary-General for Science and Technology at OIC, and several heads of department and specialists from OIC. Dr. Raheel Qamar, Head of Science Sector and Technology, Ms. Amira El-Fadil, Head of Partnerships and International Cooperation Sector, Ms. Ramata Almami, Head of Social and Human Sciences Sector, Dr. Kais Hammami, Director of the Strategic Foresight Center, Ambassador Khaled Fatharahman, Director of the Center for Civilizational Dialogue, Mr. Mohamed Hedi Shili, Director of Legal Affairs, and Mr. Omar Hamed, Expert in the Partnerships and International Cooperation Sector, represented ICESCO in this meeting.

The Education Sector of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) participated in a Regional Workshop on policies and systems for developing curricula in public education in the Arab countries, held by the UNESCO Regional Center for Quality and Excellence in Education (RCQE) in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Dr. Fethi Sallaouti, Minister of Education of the Republic of Tunisia delivered the opening speech of the Workshop, which saw the participation of several thinkers, experts, researchers, academics, teachers, representatives of ministries of education and national commissions, and specialists in the development of educational curricula.

The Workshop held on Thursday, June 16, 2022, via videoconference, included a presentation on the RCQE research project on policies and systems for developing curricula in public education in the Arab countries, and its objectives, methodology and samples, as well as an analysis of the practices of the reference countries including Scotland, Australia, Canada, Singapore and South Africa. The presentation also included an analysis of the results in the Arab countries targeted for the study, namely the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Sultanate of Oman, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the Republic of Tunisia and the Kingdom of Morocco, as well as the proposed framework for developing curricular policies and systems in public education in Arab countries.

The workshop brought together, Dr. Youssef Abou Daka, Mr.Aziz El Hajir, Dr. Ahmed El Zonfoli, Program Managers at ICESCO Education Sector, and Dr. Sungbong Kim, Expert at the Sector.

The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) held a workshop on the psychosocial approach and well-being, where the participants discussed the launch of ICESCO Mental Health Guide and Psychosocial Guidelines, announced within the framework of its initiative ‘The Societies We Want.’
The workshop, held on Thursday (June 16, 2022), at ICESCO Headquarters, concurrently with the International Day of the African Child, brought together the representatives of specialized international and regional organizations, as well as several mental and social health experts.

At the outset of the workshop, the participants watched a video speech by Dr. Abdelilah Benarafa, Deputy Director-General of ICESCO, wherein he stressed that ‘The Societies We Want’ aims to build safe societies through experience sharing between international institutions, bodies and organizations on the future of the Islamic world after the Covid-19 pandemic.
He also pointed out that ICESCO held a high-level virtual meeting, in June 2020, to discuss citizens’ mental health, which is one of the major repercussions of the Covid-19 pandemic. The meeting’s recommendations included the preparation of a guide on mental and psychosocial health to strengthen Member States’ resilience during crises and situations of vulnerability.

Ms. Ramata Almami Mbaye, Head of the Human and Social Sciences Sector, then explained that the workshop focuses on highlighting the various approaches adopted by all partners to prepare the Mental and Psychosocial Health Guide. “It is an opportunity to enrich the discussion on the importance of mental and social health in achieving the well-being of societies,” he added.

In her statement, Ms. Naseem Awl, Deputy Representative of UNICEF in Morocco, commended ICESCO’s initiative aimed at contributing to the debate on mental health through a psychological and social approach, with a focus on the child, and reviewed UNICEF’s key initiatives in this field. Ms. Maimouna Sissoko, Director General of the National Agency for Early Childhood in Senegal, stressed the need to build fruitful cooperation with ICESCO to protect child mental health and build their capacities.

Dr. Jalal Taoufik, psychiatrist and member of the International Narcotics Control Board, said that children cannot live isolated from their families, stressing that we must develop their self-esteem to enjoy a balanced life. Mr. Mohamed Hedi Shili, Director of the Department of Legal Affairs and International Standards at ICESCO, indicated that the guide will serve as a reference for the Member States to build a better future.

In his statement, Dr. Mustafa Razzazi, President of the Moroccan Observatory on Extremism and Violence, stressed the importance of the guide, which takes into account the social differences of Muslim countries and relies on an age group method.
Ms. Amira El-Fadil, Head of Partnerships and International Cooperation Sector at ICESCO, underlined that cooperation between organizations and institutions ensures the success of the guide. Dr. Kais Hammami, Director of ICESCO Center for Strategic Foresight, indicated that forward planning helps achieve the well-being of societies.

The participants then exchanged ideas and opinions on the theme of the workshop.

In a bid to promote the status and presence of Arabic at the international level and strengthen its global role in anchoring cultural and educational exchange and knowledge sharing, consolidating human and civilizational communication and achieving peaceful coexistence, in light of the growing interest of many non-Arab diplomats in learning Arabic, the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) is launching a video series on “Diplomatic Outlook on Arabic Language.”

The series will feature a host of non-Arab ambassadors and diplomats talking about their personal experiences in learning Arabic, acquiring its linguistic skills, and understanding its social and political culture, as well as their advice to new Arabic learners.

Through this cultural and civilizational program, ICESCO aims to promote its leadership, guidance and anticipatory roles in serving and disseminating Arabic worldwide.
The videos will be posted successively on ICESCO’s YouTube Channel and social media pages and accounts, every Thursday, starting from Thursday, June 16, 2022.

The first episode will feature Mr. Samuel Warberg, Regional Spokesperson for the US State Department, who will talk about his Arabic learning journey and how this language has helped him understand Arab literature and poetry and facilitated his communication with Arabs.

The video series is available on ICESCO’s YouTube channel via the following link:
https://tinyurl.com/IcescoPlaylist

Dr. Abdelilah Benarafa, Deputy Director-General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), received Mrs. Maïmouna Cissokho, Director-General of the National Agency for Early Childhood (NAEC) in Senegal, to explore ways for joint cooperation between ICESCO and the Agency in the field of early childhood.

During the meeting, held on Wednesday, June 15, 2022, at ICESCO Headquarters in Rabat, Dr. Benarafa stated that ICESCO accords great importance to the protection of children from social violence through its comprehensive educational programs, commending NAEC’s initiative to introduce the Islamic world culture and learning the Arabic language to children.

For her part, Mrs. Cissokho reviewed NAEC’s programs and initiatives to support young children in the fields of education, health, social protection and nutrition, stressing her eagerness to build cooperation with ICESCO to protect children and develop their skills.

The meeting brought together Mr. Najib Rhiati, Cultural Adviser to ICESCO Director-General, and Ms. Ramata Almamy Mbaye, Head of the Human and Social Sciences Sector. Mr. Rhiati stressed the importance of including the values of peace, security and leadership in curricula for young children, while Ms. Ramata stated that ICESCO launches and implements several programs that contribute to the rehabilitation of young children and the development of their cognitive capacities to achieve sustainable development.

The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) held a conference on exploring the status of the human being in the era of virtual and augmented reality “Metaverse,” to anticipate the future of this amazing scientific development inside and outside the Islamic world and understand its impact on our daily lives, and the importance of dealing with its changes and transformations, as well as to exchange experience and knowledge about the most effective ways to take advantage of the opportunities “Metaverse” offers.

The conference kicked off on Wednesday, June 15, 2022, at ICESCO Headquarters in Rabat, in the presence of a group of researchers and experts in the field of metaverse and artificial intelligence. Dr. Kais Hammami, Director of ICESCO Center for Strategic Foresight, started the two-day Conference, by highlighting the importance of discussing the concept of metaverse that evolves rapidly and has multiple definitions and meanings including “beyond the universe.”

Metaverse is aimed to enable people to interact more largely with digital content, as it mixes virtual and augmented realities, through the use of virtual reality headsets and glasses.
Afterward, Dr. Marc-Antoine Dilhac, professor of ethics and political philosophy at the University of Montreal and Director of the Algora Lab in Montreal, gave a lecture on the future of metaverse, stating that the content in the metaverse, in which information is shared through videos, is primarily visual and animated.

He pointed out that metaverse allows us to feel the things we touch, by seeing them virtually through the sense of sight. Hence, metaverse allows us to create a new environment that reshapes the elements of reality virtually through digital technologies.

He added that metaverse enables us to create a virtual identity different from the one that exists in reality, by reshaping it and ultimately creating a new identity that can meet new people in this new world.

Dr. Dilhac said that metaverse prompts us to wonder what kind of societies we desire to build through the use of modern technologies, noting that metaverse is currently just for entertainment, but it allows us to understand different aspects of our social life. After that, the participants explored in open discussion the mechanisms of dealing with metaverse in our daily lives.

During the second day of the Conference, a series of artificial intelligence workshops will be held at ICESCO Headquarters, in cooperation with the Algora Lab and the University of Montreal in Canada.

ICESCO Center of Arabic for Non-Arabic Speakers held, on Wednesday, June 15, 2022, via videoconference, a meeting with the delegation of the League of Arab States in Kenya to explore prospects for joint cooperation in the field of teaching Arabic to non-Arabic speakers.
ICESCO Center of Arabic for Non-Arabic Speakers was represented in the meeting by Dr. Majdi bin Haji Ibrahim, head of the Center, Dr. Anas Hussam Al-Nuaimi, expert, and Mrs. Rajae El-Hakkouni, program assistant at the Center. The mission of the League of Arab States in Kenya was represented by Dr. Khalid Al Kathiri, head of mission, Dr. Abdinour Adam, deputy chief of mission and Ms. Amira Abdullahi, expert at the mission.

During the meeting, the two parties reviewed the role of ICESCO and its efforts in spreading the Arabic language and enhancing its position in the Member States and abroad. For his part, the Head of the League of Arab States Mission in Kenya praised the remarkable success of the training session held by ICESCO on May 28, 2022, in Kenya on “Writing local African languages in the standardized Arabic script.” He also called for capitalizing on the expertise of ICESCO Center of Arabic Language for Non-Arabic Speakers in holding more training sessions to develop the pedagogical capacities of teachers in Kenya and hone their language skills.

At the end of the meeting, the two sides agreed to hold a series of remote training sessions in 2022 for the benefit of non-Arabic speaking diplomatic missions in Kenya and Arabic language teachers in Kenyan educational institutions.