Category: News update

The Islamic World, Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) mourns the passing of H.H. Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the State of the United Arab Emirates, who died on, Friday, May 13, 2022.
On this sad occasion, ICESCO recalls the major role the late President played in supporting joint action at both the regional and international levels and promoting culture, letters and scientific advances. The Organization also highlights Sheikh Khalifa’s special interest in humanitarian work, his keenness to achieve sustainable human development, and his sustained support for ICESCO and its civilizational mission.

Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, ICESCO Director-General, conveyed his and on ICESCO staff members’ behalf, sincere condolences and deepest sympathy to the ruling family, the people of the States of the United Arab Emirates, the Arab and Muslim Ummahs, and the world at large, beseeching Allah Almighty to rest the late president’s soul in peace and make Paradise his abode.

The Social and Human Sciences Sector of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) held a meeting with the Kofi Annan Foundation to explore prospects for cooperation between ICESCO and the Foundation in the fields of peacebuilding and entrepreneurship for the benefit of youth.

The meeting, which was held on Tuesday, May 10, 2022, via videoconference, brought together Ms. Ramata Almami Mbaye, Head of ICESCO’s Social and Human Sciences Sector, Mr. Alioun Ndiaye, Program Manager at the Sector, Dr. Hassan El-Hajjami, in charge of research and analysis at the sector and Ms. Rime Jarari, Head of the Department of Organizations and Bodies within ICESCO’s Partnerships and International Cooperation Sector, Ms. Corinne Momal-Vanian, Executive Director of the Kofi Annan Foundation, and Ms. Maud Roure, Deputy Director for Programmes at the Foundation.

During the meeting, Ms. Almami Mbaye commended the distinguished participation of Mr. Elhadj As Sy, Chairman of the Kofi Annan Foundation, during the joint closing ceremony of ICESCO’s Leadership Training Program for Peace and Security (LITPS) in 2021, and discussed future programs to be implemented jointly by ICESCO and the Foundation in the fields of youth leadership and peace-building.

For her part, Ms. Momal-Vaninan expressed the Foundation’s eagerness to build a fruitful partnership with ICESCO as part of the Organization’s LTIPS program, and to promote the exchange of experiences and good practices between ICESCO’s young ambassadors for peace and the Foundation.

The Education Sector of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) is participating in a regional workshop on measuring the learning outcomes of literacy programme beneficiaries, in the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire, on May 10-12, 2022. The workshop, which brings together representatives of various countries and international organizations, is organized by the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL) in cooperation with the Francophonie Institute for Education and Training (IFEF) and the UNESCO Office in Abidjan.

This workshop is part of the field research project on “Measuring the Learning Outcomes of Literacy Programme Beneficiaries (RAMAA II)”, which aims at assessing and monitoring literacy programmes’ quality in a group of countries. The project measures the effectiveness of literacy programmes, quantifies the level of achievement of their objectives, and provides policymakers and development partners with reliable data on their returns on investment.

During the workshop, the participants emphasized the importance of assessing the RAMAA II research project, discussed the lessons learned, presented the pilot field study and reviewed the challenges facing the programme, particularly its translation into national languages.

Mr. Aziz El-Hajir, Programme Manager at ICESCO’s Education Sector, represents the Organization in this workshop to shed light on its experience in the field of literacy and lifelong learning.

The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) is taking part in the 15th Session of the Conference of the Parties (COP15) of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), which is hosted by the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire, on 9-20 May 2022, under the patronage of the President of the Republic, Mr. Alassane Dramane Ouattara.

The Conference saw high-caliber participation including several heads of government, ministers, and heads of international organizations in addition to the delegations of several countries. Dr. Ismaila Diallo, Expert in the Sector of Science and Technology, represented ICESCO at the Convention.

During the Convention, held both face-to-face and via videoconference, under the theme, “Earth, life, legacy: From scarcity to prosperity,” participants highlighted the dire need to combat land deterioration through joint efforts, exchanging strategies, and mobilizing the proper financial resources for risks and challenges. They also called for consolidating complementarity between the three Rio Conventions (Combat against Desertification, Biodiversity, and Climate Change), and promoting women and youth participation through adopting a comprehensive approach based on equality.

The COP 15 discussed the Abidjan initiative which consists of four main axes, namely fighting desertification and encouraging reforestation, developing agricultural production, developing comprehensive and sustainable value chains, and identifying future value chains. The participants declared their support for the implementation of this initiative which can be replicated in other countries.

The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) participated in the International Conference that the World Muslim Communities Council (TWMCC) held in Abu Dhabi, under the patronage of Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The Conference, which coincides with the fourth founding anniversary of TWMCC, explored the theme “Islamic Unity: Concept, Opportunities and Challenges”.

The Conference kicked off on Sunday, May 8, 2022, at Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC), with the participation of delegations from more than 150 countries from all over the world, in an effort to lay the deep, comprehensive and complex historical foundation of Islamic unity, which has built a pioneering civilization that largely contributed to the progress of humanity.

In his address at the opening session, delivered on his behalf by Dr. Abdelilah Benarafa, ICESCO Deputy Director-General (DG), Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, ICESCO DG, highlighted the importance of the Conference theme, especially during the current context in the Islamic world, pointing out that the issue of the common human destiny is clearly reflected in times of crises and shocks, which necessitates the promotion of the values of unity, solidarity and compassion to address various challenges. This has been demonstrated by the Muslim countries and peoples on many occasions throughout their glorious history.

ICESCO DG also commended the theme of TWMCC International Conference as an initiative to join the efforts of the Islamic Ummah towards raising awareness of the common destiny of humanity and building an international community, where the strong protects the weak, the powerful helps the powerless, and people stand in solidarity with one another without any discrimination.

At the close of his address, ICESCO DG stressed the importance of strengthening the unity of Muslim communities, as a centuries-old nation that has unique morals and unparalleled values to act like a nation eager to lead the way for humanity.

The ICESCO Women Poets Forum continues its creative activities and holds periodic meetings aimed at celebrating and introducing creative women poets and their poetic experiences. These meetings feature poetry recitation, interventions, critical appraisals and video screenings.

In this respect, the forum recently held two sessions. The first session touched upon the experiences of the Jordanian poet Omaima Youssef and the Algerian poet Dr. Amna Hazmoun, and was moderated by the Syrian poet Shatha Qassem. The second session reviewed the experiences of the Lebanese poet Asil Siklawi and the Palestinian poet Amal Ghazal, and was moderated by the Tunisian poet Salwa Rabhi.

The ICESCO Women Poets Forum, chaired by the Sudanese poet Rawda Al-Haj, continues to hold its creative meetings regularly and prepares to publish the first issue of the “Shawa’ir” magazine on women’s literature.

It is worth noting that the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) announced the launch of the ICESCO Women Poets Forum during the celebration of the World Poetry Day, which was held by the Organization on March 31, 2022, under the theme “Perspectives of Women’s Poetry” to express appreciation for women poetry and offer women poets a space for creative exchange.

The Federation of the Universities of the Islamic World (FUIW), under the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) launched the Project for the Development of Open Education in the Federation’s Member Universities, which aims to build the capacity of professors to use open education resources and tools and integrate them in university curricula, and introduce them to the best new practices of disseminating such education tools.

Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, ICESCO Director-General (DG), FUIW Secretary General, inaugurated the launching ceremony of the project, today, Thursday, May 5, 2022, via videoconference, where he gave an address stressing the need to raise awareness of open education and provide training in this field through taking advantage of the current technological revolution, which offers huge opportunities in the fields of education and learning.

Moreover, the DG stressed that ICESCO is committed to promoting open education by capitalizing on modern technology to serve students and teachers, in order to achieve quality education and strengthen knowledge economy in the Member States.

Dr. AlMalik also stated that the project includes a series of training courses for professors and researchers in Member States’ universities and higher education institutions, which are based on three key components, namely building professors’ capacities, promoting best practices in universities, and fostering cooperation with international institutions to benefit from their experiences and resources in this regard.

In his address, Dr. Omar Halli, Advisor to ICESCO DG for the FUIW, said that about 400 teacher-researchers from 25 countries will benefit from this project through virtual trainings to develop their capacities to design open educational resources and use them in their daily activities with their students and colleagues.

Dr. Halli added that project will also provide an open accreditation plan to encourage teachers to create their own platforms and develop their distance teaching skills, noting that ICESCO and the FUIW will grant accreditation to at least one national institution and one university in each Member State where the training program is to be implemented.

Likewise, he stated that the project will be implemented over the course of two years, under the supervision of experts specialized in open education in a number of FUIW Member Universities and European universities.

Also taking part in the ceremony were Dr. Daniel Burgos, Vice Rector of the International University of La Rioja of Research and Technology in the Kingdom of Spain, and Dr. Khalid Berrada, Professor at Mohammed V University in Rabat, both supervisors of the training. Both officials praised the program and stressed its importance and its great potential to keep up with the evolution of the educational process in universities around the world.

In parallel with the celebration of Eid al-Fitr all across the Islamic world, the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) celebrates its fortieth anniversary. The Organization is honored by this inspiring coincidence and seizes this opportunity to renew its commitment to steadily accomplishing further achievements through its fruitful open-door approach and modernizing vision, which includes making progress towards meeting future requirements through many programmes and activities. ICESCO also called various non-Member States to join the Organization as observers, and updated its internal regulations and organizational structure.

Moreover, ICESCO has concluded many cooperation and partnership agreements with major international space institutions to keep up with the rapid global transformations. The Organization has created centers specialized in the fields of civilizational dialogue and strategic foresight. It also developed training incubators for young people from various Islamic countries, some of whom have become ICESCO ambassadors. Furthermore, ICESCO has enhanced the status of women, who now account for half of its staff, given a new impetus to the Federation of the Universities of the Islamic World (FUIW) to achieve its desired goals, and concluded successful partnerships in the field of heritage restoration and preservation in the Islamic world.

This anniversary also coincides with the Celebration of Rabat as Culture Capital in the Islamic World for 2022. On this occasion, the Organization expresses its sincere thanks and gratitude to the Kingdom of Morocco for this forty years of care and support, particulalry the continuous patronage of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may Allah assist him, to many programmes and activities.

ICESCO also avails itself of this opportunity to extend its heartfelt thanks to the leaders of its Member States for their support to the Organization through their valuable participation and the payment of their financial contributions to the Organization’s budget.

Special thanks go to the leadership and members of the General Conference and the Executive Council for their contribution to the Organization’s achievements and outstanding performance.

ICESCO also sincerely thanks all those who have contributed, throughout the last forty years, to its achievements, which are highly commended at the regional and international levels.

Being aware of this responsibility, ICESCO renews its commitment to fulfilling the requirmements of its vision and making further achievements to ensure the prosperity and progress of the Islamic world.