The Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) announces the opening of application for its Programme for Training Youth in Technology and Innovation Entrepreneurship in the Republic of Kyrgyzstan and the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, following the success of the previous editions of the Programme in the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Republic of Kazakhstan.
This initiative, which aims at promoting the creative economy in the Islamic world, is in line with ICESCO’s vision and action strategy to support more than 150 start-ups in the field of technology and innovation in the Organization’s Member States by 2025. ICESCO is implementing the Programme in the Kyrgyz Republic in partnership with a business incubator “MOST Almaty,” and in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan in cooperation with Pakistan innovation Foundation and Katalyst Labs.
The programme will benefit ten ICESCO Member States by the end of 2022 and will include the organization of a two to three-day training camp and a four to six-week intensive course session, under the supervision of experts, investors and people interested in the field of business and enterprise development. The goal is to support participants in launching their projects in the fields of financial technology, digital media, tourism and food technology, agricultural technology, entertainment and gaming.
In this regard, a special jury will select the three best teams that submitted projects to compete in the final phase, which will be held at ICESCO’s Headquarters in Rabat so that the winners can present their ideas to several donor institutions and investors, to provide them with the necessary funding.
To participate in the programme, applicants must fill in and send the application form before 30 June, via the following links
In Pakistan: https://katalystlabs.pk/a-hub-acceleration-program
In Kyrgyzstan: http://most.com.kz/icesco
For more information on the Programme, please visit the following link: https://www.icesco-accelerator.org
Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General (DG) of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), stressed the importance of civil society institutions as they provide societal experience to help government developmental programs become more equitable and just, and seize training opportunities to develop the workforce of society, in addition to their ability to positively contributing to the development of strategic and periodic plans as they include various societal forces.
This statement was part of the address that Dr. AlMalik delivered, on Thursday (June 9, 2022), in Tétouan, at the launch of the Celebration of “Tétouan, Capital of Moroccan Civil Society for 2022,” under the high patronage of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may Allah assist him, held by the International Civil Society Organization for the Values of Citizenship, Development and Dialogue, in cooperation with Tétouan Asmir Association for Cultural, Socio-economic and Sports Development, in the presence of a group of ministers and officials of the Moroccan government, representatives of regional and international organizations, and civil society figures.
ICESCO DG explained that the civil society’s potential stems from a real extrapolation of the societal needs, commending the selection of Tétouan as the Capital of Moroccan Civil Society for 2022 similarly to the Celebration of Rabat as Culture Capital in the Islamic World for 2022, both under the high patronage of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may Allah assist him.
He also praised the features of Tétouan, including its ancient wall, whose full construction took over three hundred years, and its seven historical gates. Tétouan is the memory of Andalusia. It deserved the compliment saying “This is Tétouan… this is its generosity to the civilization of all time.”
Dr. AlMalik concluded his address by reciting the poem he dedicated to Tétouan, under the title: “Princess of Doves.” The International Civil Society Organization for the Values of Citizenship, Development and Dialogue in the Kingdom of Morocco launched the “Capital of Moroccan Civil Society” Initiative in 2018 to celebrate the leading Moroccan cities in civil society action.
The programme of Tétouan, Capital of Moroccan Civil Society for 2022, includes several activities throughout the whole year, particularly symposia on the intellectual and tangible heritage of Tétouan, an exhibition of civil society works and honoring civil society actors and bodies, as well as media professionals, icons of thought, art and innovation, and distinguished and creative youth of Tétouan. It also features artistic and musical performances that highlight the city’s distinguished creativity.
Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General (DG) of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), stressed that the Organization accords great attention to African heritage through the programs and initiatives it launches and implements, notably the annual proclamation of an African city to be the Culture Capital in the Islamic World, which this year celebrates Yaoundé in Cameroon as the Culture Capital, a suitable occasion to cast light on the African tangible and intangible cultural heritage.
Dr. AlMalik made this statement today, Thursday, June 9, 2022, in an address he gave during his participation in the International Colloquium on “Archives in Africa: Reality and Prospects”, held in observance of the International Archives Day. The Archives of Morocco organized the Colloquium in partnership with the National School of Charters in Paris and the School of Information Science in Rabat.
In his address, Dr. AlMalik thanked Dr. Jamaâ Bida, Director of the Archives of Morocco, for extending the invitation to attend this event, held as part of the celebration of Rabat as the Culture Capital in the Islamic World for 2022. He noted that the general public thinks that archives only give glimpses into the past, while in reality, archives focus on documenting the past and building the future, commending the efforts of the Archives of Morocco to preserve documents and safeguard the historical and civilizational memory of nations and peoples.
Dr. AlMalik stated that in addition to its key role in fostering understanding of the past in various fields, archival documents are a solid tool for anticipating the future and setting out strategies and plans to achieve development.
At the close of his address, the DG stated that the organization of this academic event reaffirms the significance and role of archives in raising awareness of the importance of the beginning of ideas and phenomena. “This only highlights the need to find effective ways to preserve archival heritage through exchanging experiences and expertise and capitalizing on digitization and AI applications to preserve documents and address this age’s civilizational changes,” the DG noted.
Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General (DG) of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), received Mrs. Suzi Carla Barbosa, Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation and Communities of the Republic of Guinea-Bissau, and together they explored avenues for enhancing cooperation between ICESCO and Guinea-Bissau in the Organization’s areas of competence.
During the meeting, held on Thursday, June 9, 2022, at ICESCO Headquarters in Rabat, in the presence of Mrs. Filomena Mendes Mascarehas Tipote, Ambassador of Guinea-Bissau to Morocco, Dr. AlMalik reviewed ICESCO’s vision and action strategy, which rests upon greater communication and coordination with National Commissions and competent authorities in the Member States to identify their needs and priorities and devise programmes and activities accordingly.
He also reviewed the key programmes that are currently implemented by ICESCO, mainly those geared towards building the capacities of youth and women, promoting technology entrepreneurship, teaching Arabic to non-Arabic speakers, harnessing the potential of space science and artificial intelligence and their applications for the advancement of education, science and culture, and anchoring harmonious coexistence, peace and civilizational dialogue.
For her part, the Minister of Foreign Affairs commended ICESCO’s support for the efforts of Member States in its areas of competence, emphasizing her country’s keenness to cooperate with the Organization as an important partner in the promotion of peace and security, and the achievement of social development and quality education.
She added that cooperation between the Organization and the Republic is critical to the implementation of programmes that will engage youth and women, the two most prevalent categories in Guinea-Bissau, in the development of their country.
The meeting saw the attendance of Dr. Barry Koumbou, Head of ICESCO’s Education Sector, Mrs. Ramata Almamy Mbaye, Head of the Social and Human Sciences Sector, Ms. Amira Fadel, Head of the Partnerships and International Cooperation Sector, and Mrs. Sally Mabrouk, Director of ICESCO DG’s Cabinet.
At the close of the visit, Dr. AlMalik took Mrs. Barbosa on a tour of ICESCO’s Contemporary Art Gallery, during which she expressed admiration for the exhibited artworks.
A delegation from the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) met Ambassador Hussein Ibrahim Taha, Secretary-General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), in Sharm El-Sheikh, Arab Republic of Egypt, on the sidelines of their participation in the annual meetings of the Islamic Development Bank Group (IsDB), held from 1-4 June, under the theme “Beyond Recovery: Resilience and Sustainability.”
During the meeting, the two parties agreed to sustain partnership in joint programs and projects and to continue the activities of the committees formed by the two parties to follow up on implementation mechanisms.
ICESCO delegation, which consisted of Dr. Amira Fadel, Head of Partnerships and International Cooperation Sector, and Dr. Raheel Qamar, Head of Science and Technology Sector, held a series of meetings with several IsDB experts as well as representatives of United Nations (UN) agencies, the African Union (AU) and the Arab League (AL), where they explored ways of cooperation between ICESCO and these institutions, and they reviewed the Organization activities in its fields of competence.
Dr. Mostafa Madbouly, the Egyptian Prime Minister, inaugurated the IsDB annual meetings, with the presence of several ministers of finance, economy and planning of IsDB Member State, and high-level representatives of regional and international organizations, banks as well as financial and private institutions.
ICESCO delegation participated in several specialized sessions of the conference, which focused on discussing ways of economic recovery in the post-Covid-19 pandemic and means of addressing the effects of climate change.
On Wednesday (June 8, 2022), the Headquarters of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) witnessed the opening of the Second International Conference on Countering Violent Extremism, under the theme “Collective Intelligence in Facing Terrorism and Building CVE/PVE Strategies,” being held by the Moroccan Observatory on Extremism and violence, in partnership with ICESCO, The General Delegation for Prison Administration and Reintegration (DGAPR) of Morocco, Mohammadia League of Scholars, and the Policy Center for the New South, with the participation of several experts, researchers and representatives of international and regional organizations and institutions, and centers of thought and strategy.
The three-day conference began with the recitation of verses from the Holy Qur’an, then Ambassador Khaled Fathalrahman, Director of ICESCO Center for Civilizational Dialogue, presented the work of the sessions.
During the opening ceremony, Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, ICESCO Director-General, gave an address wherein he stressed that the collective intelligence in combating terrorism and violent extremism is not only a means that inquires, anticipates, expands and absorbs, but also an end that underlines the importance of the inspiring human partnership, which is a desired civilizational demand.
“The goals of collective intelligence are imposed by the urgent need to build common policies and mechanisms among the various stakeholders. In this regard, ICESCO draws on a very clear vision that turns its fields of competence into vital platforms to develop ideas and solid plans for confronting the currents of extremism through awareness-raising. As part of this vision, the Center for Civilization Dialogue published the Encyclopedia of Deconstructing the Discourse of Extremism, in partnership with the Muslim World League and the Muhammadiyah League of Scholars.
For his part, Mr. El Mostafa Rezrazi, President of the Moroccan Observatory on Extremism and Violence, tackled the rationale behind the theme of the conference. “There are still imbalances in international cooperation in the field of combating terrorism, which we are trying to overcome with social intelligence,” he stressed.
In a video speech, Mr. Waixeung Chen, Acting Executive Director of the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Executive Directorate, underscored that terrorist groups are spreading in a large number of conflict areas and that the COVID-19 pandemic has increased the scale of social problems that lead to violence, calling for continued collective efforts to face violence.
Mr. Abdelouahed Jamali El Idrissi, Coordinator of Mohammed VI Foundation for the Reintegration of Prisoners, noted the importance of rehabilitating perpetrators of violent and terrorist crimes, reviewing the institution’s reintegration programmes for inmates within society, and building mutual trust.
Mr. Haboub Cherkaoui, Director of the Bureau of Legal Investigations of the Kingdom of Morocco, stated that resolutely confronting terrorism requires the adoption of a comprehensive vision, social intelligence and optimal formulas to unify visions, proposals and solutions to eradicate extremism.
Mr. Abderahim Hanine, Presidency of Public Prosecution, pointed out that terrorist groups have developed their mechanisms through the Internet given its openness to a wide audience.
Mr. Mohammed Loulichki, Former UN Ambassador and Researcher at the Policy Center for the New South, underlined that eliminating the phenomenon of terrorism is a major challenge for the international community, which is making great efforts in this field.
Mr. Carlos Monteiro Reis, Head of the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism and Training (UNOCT) in Africa, stressed that through its support for the Office, Morocco is contributing to the UN orientations and training countries to obtain knowledge and address the various dimensions of the phenomenon of terrorism.
Mr. Mohammed Belekbir, Head of the Center for Research and Studies on Values at Mohammadia League of Scholars, stated that violent extremism is manufactured as people are not born extremists, stressing that this behavior is incited by extremist groups and it is possible to manufacture the opposite of extremism.
The first session then began on the topic “Extremism and Religious Discourses: Narratives of Extremism and Counter-Narratives.”
The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) and the Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality Association (VR/AR) held a meeting to explore cooperation prospects and partnerships in the fields of modern technology and innovation.
The meeting was held on Tuesday, June 7, 2022, via videoconference between Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, ICESCO Director-General (DG) and Mr. Kris Kolo, Global Executive Director of the VR/AR Association.
The two parties highlighted their respective working strategy and programs, which both accord great attention to modern technology in order to contribute to the achievement of sustainable development and support the youth’s innovation. The two parties also discussed several initiatives that can be implemented in cooperation between the two institutions.
The two officials discussed the organization of joint virtual conferences, forums, seminars and workshops on the themes of modern technology and metaverse techniques. They also discussed the signature of an MoU between the two institutions and the possibility of organizing an international summit in the MENA region on developing modern technology in the Islamic world.
The meeting was attended by Ms. Sally Mabrouk, Head of DG Office; Dr. Raheel Qamar, Head of the Sector of Science and Technology; Dr. Muhammad Sharif, Advisor at the Sector; Dr. Abdul Rehman, Expert at the Sector; and Dr. Sanaa Farid, Head of MENA Chapter.
Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General (DG) of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), stressed the importance of promoting and developing investment given its instrumental role in generating employment opportunities, noting that innovation and creativity are paramount to keep pace with the skills of the future and sustain the growth of businesses and institutions.
This statement came in his address during the regional conference on “The Future of Labor and the Role of Entrepreneurship and MSMES in a Post-Covid-19 world,” organized by the Moroccan Ministry of Economic Inclusion, Small Business, Employment and Skills. The event is held in Rabat, capital of the Kingdom of Morocco, and via videoconference, on June 7-8, 2022, in partnership with the African Development Bank Group (AfDB), and several international institutions.
During the session on the future of employment after the pandemic, ICESCO DG reviewed the Organization’s initiatives geared toward enhancing employment in the fields of education, science and culture, emphasizing that ICESCO’s new vision supports the efforts of Member States to remain in sync with the changing global landscape by upgrading educational systems, strengthening infrastructure, promoting green, sustainable economy, and investing in future professions.
Dr. AlMalik also reviewed ICESCO’s efforts towards boosting employment, mainly through supporting innovation and entrepreneurship among women and girls during the pandemic and turning the repercussions into income-generating opportunities for them by encouraging the local production of sanitary and protective equipment. He also referred to ICESCO’s programme for training youth in creating and developing small projects in the field of technology and innovation, and the leadership incubators aimed at equipping the Islamic world’s youth with the requisite skills in education, science and culture.
Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General (DG) of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), received Mr. Nasreddine Nsibi, Minister of Employment and Vocational Training of the Republic of Tunisia, where they discussed ways to enhance cooperation between ICESCO and Tunisia, especially in the field of youth training and capacity-building.
During the meeting, held on Tuesday, June 7, 2022, at ICESCO Headquarters in Rabat, in the presence of a group of heads of sector, department and center at the Organization, Dr. AlMalik reviewed the mainline of ICESCO’s vision and strategic orientations to anticipate the future and serve the Islamic world.
The meeting touched upon ICESCO’s key programmes on youth training and capacity-building to keep pace with tomorrow’s professions and future labor market challenges, including the Leadership Training in Peace and Security Programme; the Youth Training Programme on how to create and develop small projects in the field of technology and innovation; ICESCO incubators to support youth and the Young Professionals Programme; as well as the possibility of cooperation between the Organization and the Republic of Tunisia in these leading programmes.
For his part, the Tunisian Minister commended ICESCO’s qualitative leap, openness and innovative thinking, which helped the Organization succeed in its great achievements for the benefit of Member States.
The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) has released the first volume of the Directory of Museums in the Islamic World, entitled “Museums of African Region,” which features an overview of museum institutions in sub-Saharan African countries that are ICESCO members. It is the first publication of the Center of Heritage in the Islamic World at ICESCO’s Sector of Culture and Communication.
The 178-page guide aims to promote cultural tourism by highlighting museums for students, researchers, investors and entrepreneurs in the cultural field.
The publication includes a preface by Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General of ICESCO, wherein he highlights the importance of this volume as a document that catalogs 194 museums, which is updated every two years, in cooperation with the National Commissions for Education, Science and Culture of Member States.
“The database will allow the creation of a platform to facilitate exchange between museum specialists aimed at facilitating remote access to information, promoting cultural tourism, and establishing a network of museums in the Islamic world,” added Dr. AlMalik.
This new cultural publication of ICESCO is part of its efforts to support its Member States in promoting their cultural heritage, strengthening the cultural economy, developing cultural industries through incubators, and inscribing cultural monuments and elements on the Islamic World Heritage List to turn the cultural sector into a strategic hub for development and a mean to provide employment opportunities.