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    ICESCO Expresses Solidarity with Pakistan Following Devastating Floods

    The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) expresses its deep sorrow and sincere condolences to the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, its leadership, government, and people, over the devastating floods that claimed hundreds of lives, displaced thousands, and caused unprecedented destruction to property and infrastructure. A disaster of such scale calls for solidarity and support from all countries of the world, so that the people of Pakistan may overcome the tragic conditions left behind by the catastrophe.

    While commending the responsible efforts made by the Pakistani authorities to mitigate the consequences of this painful calamity, the Organization conveys its full solidarity and support, affirming the depth of the ties binding ICESCO and the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, and reiterates its readiness to provide assistance that reflects its genuine stance during these difficult times.

    ICESCO Director-General and Syrian Minister of Religious Endowments Discuss the Project for Reviving the Aleppo Manuscripts and Its Waqf Library

    Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), met with Dr. Mohammad Abu Al-Khair Shukri, Syrian Minister of Religious Endowments, at the conclusion of His Excellency’s official visit to the Syrian Arab Republic, during which he headed a high-level delegation from the Organization.

    The discussions, held on Thursday, 21 August 2025, in Damascus, focused on avenues of bilateral cooperation for the implementation of the project to revive Aleppo’s manuscripts and its Waqf Library, as well as on convening an international conference to support efforts aimed at restoring the Aleppo Library and its counterparts in other Syrian cities.

    Dr. AlMalik reaffirmed ICESCO’s commitment to supporting the revival of both the tangible and intangible heritage of Aleppo. He highlighted the scholarly and historical significance of the city’s Waqf Library and its wealth of invaluable civilizational legacy, underscoring the urgency of proceeding with its revival through restoration and digitization, in order to reinstate its enlightening cultural role.

    For his part, the Syrian Minister of Religious Endowments commended ICESCO’s initiatives in the field of manuscript preservation and revival, affirming the Ministry’s readiness to cooperate with the Organization in this regard.

    The meeting was attended on behalf of ICESCO by Dr. Adham Hamawiya, expert at the Center of Arabic for Non-Arabic Speakers, while from the Syrian side it was attended by a number of directors of departments at the Ministry of Religious Endowments.

    Special ICESCO Committee Discusses Priorities of Cooperation with Syrian Ministries in Education, Science, and Culture

    As part of the visit of Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), heading a high-level delegation to the Syrian Arab Republic, a special committee of experts from the Organization held several coordination meetings with representatives of the Ministries of Education, Higher Education and Scientific Research, and Culture.

    The meetings focused on discussing cooperation priorities to support Syria’s recovery process, as well as outlining the specific needs and requirements of each ministry in the fields of education, science, and culture.

    During the meeting with representatives of the Ministry of Education, priority was given to the restoration of schools and their provision with school supplies, pedagogical as well as educational technologies’ equipment, in order to accommodate the large number of students, with a focus on dropouts.

    During the meeting with representatives of the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, emphasis was placed on supporting the Ministry’s digital transformation centers, through the provision of technological equipment and the engagement of international experts and speakers to conduct training courses and workshops in the fields of artificial intelligence and digital transformation.

    Meanwhile, the Ministry of Culture identified its priorities as the nomination of Damascus as a Culture Capital in the Islamic World for 2027, the registration of Syrian cultural heritage on ICESCO’s Islamic World Heritage List, and the requirements for the restoration of the Waqf Library and the Umayyad Mosque in Aleppo.

    The ICESCO Special Committee for Syria is composed of Ms. Faizah Alaoui, expert at the Center for Foresight and Artificial Intelligence; Mr. Mohammad Al-Absi, expert at the Islamic World Heritage Center; and Dr. Adham Hamawiya, expert at the Center of Arabic for Non-Arabic Speakers.

    Strategic ICESCO–UNDP Partnership to To Support Syria in Education, Science, and Culture

    Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), and his accompanying delegation held a meeting with Dr. Abdallah Al Dardari, Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations and Director of the Regional Bureau for Arab States at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The discussions focused on areas of cooperation between the two sides to contribute to rebuilding the educational system in the Syrian Arab Republic.

    The talks, which took place on Tuesday, 19 August 2025, at the UNDP Regional Bureau for Arab States headquarters in Damascus, addressed ways to support the Syrian Ministry of Education. This includes contributing to the reconstruction and equipping of several destroyed schools, providing proposals for curriculum reform and development, implementing an integrated program to reduce student dropout rates and reintroduce current dropouts, as well as the training and capacity-building of teachers.

    The discussions also covered the possibility of dispatching a technical team to assess the damage inflicted on heritage sites, their restoration, and the capacity-building of professionals working in heritage conservation. In addition, the two parties examined means of supporting universities in establishing incubators for creativity and innovation, and encouraging them to prepare students for the demands of future professions.

    Both sides agreed to sign an executive program to begin implementing these initiatives on the ground, following the approval of the competent authorities in the Syrian Arab Republic. After the meeting, Dr. Al Dardari accompanied Dr. AlMalik on a tour of the “Digit” innovation incubator at Damascus University, which was established with funding from UNDP.

    It is worth noting that this important meeting followed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between ICESCO and UNDP last April at ICESCO’s headquarters in Rabat.

    During his Meeting with Minister of Education in Damascus: ICESCO Director-General: We Are Keen to Contribute to Rebuilding Educational System in Syria

    Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General (DG) of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), and Dr. Mohammed Abdulrahman Turko, Syrian Minister of Education, Chairman of the National Commission for Education, Science and Culture, discussed ways to enhance their cooperation with a view to rebuilding the educational system in Syria. The discussions included reconstructing damaged schools, capacity-building for teachers, standardizing curricula, and reintegrating school dropouts.

    During this meeting, held on Monday 18 August 2025 at the Ministry’s headquarters in Damascus, Dr. AlMalik underlined the Organization’s support for the development of education in Syria, emphasizing its commitment to contributing to the reconstruction of the Syrian educational system. He also highlighted several ICESCO programs implemented to promote education in its Member States, most notably the “Remedial Education Project for Dropout Girls in Yemen”, benefiting 19,000 girls, besides the project aiming to provide “Educational and Social Support for Displaced and Boarding School Girls” in the Republic of Burkina Faso.

    The ICESCO Director-General highlighted the importance of integrating artificial intelligence applications into educational curricula, emphasizing that science and artificial intelligence are at the core of the Organization’s concerns. This has prompted ICESCO to issue the Riyadh Charter on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence for the Islamic World and to devise programs and activities that keep pace with the latest developments in the digital field. He also proposed ICESCO’s participation in a conference on educational curricula development in Syria, with the aim of showcasing success stories from countries that made progress in this regard and benefiting from international best practices. The Director-General expressed the Organization’s readiness to receive a group of Syrian youth for training at its headquarters and participation in its various capacity-building programs.

    During the Meeting, the two parties agreed to form a joint committee to study the needs of the Syrian Ministry of Education, in coordination with the Syrian National Commission, and to explore ways for ICESCO to contribute to providing the needed resources for educational development, in accordance with the identified priorities.

    For his part, the Syrian Minister of Education indicated that the Ministry’s current priority is building schools, followed by devising and standardizing curricula and training teachers. He emphasized Syria’s openness to successful international experiences to keep pace with the developments, especially in the digital and artificial intelligence areas.

    ICESCO Director-General Meets Syrian Minister of Culture to Discuss Declaring Damascus as Culture Capital in Islamic World

    Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General (DG) of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), leading a high-level delegation from the Organization, met with Mr. Mohammed Yassin Saleh, Minister of Culture of the Syrian Arab Republic. The discussions focused on joint cooperation projects in the fields of heritage preservation and valorization, foremost among them being declaring Damascus as Culture Capital in the Islamic World for 2027, and the restoration of the Waqf Library in Aleppo.

    At the outset of the meeting, which took place on Monday 18 August 2025, at the Ministry’s headquarters in Damascus, Dr. AlMalik expressed his deep conviction that Syria is moving in the right direction with regard to its recovery and development efforts. Moreover, he reaffirmed ICESCO’s commitment to supporting all aspects of national cultural activity, including arts, heritage, poetry, and literature, stressing that the proposal to designate Damascus as the Capital of Culture in the Islamic World comes within the framework of the Organization’s ongoing support for Syria in this critical stage.

    Dr. AlMalik also presented ICESCO’s offer to participate in the rehabilitation of the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus, under his personal supervision, in cooperation with the Ministries of Culture and Religious Endowments. He further noted that ICESCO is preparing to convene an international conference to launch the project for the restoration of the Waqf Library in Aleppo.
    The DG emphasized that ICESCO is ready to dispatch a team of international experts to survey archaeological and heritage sites, assess their technical condition, and issue an accredited technical report. Such a report, he explained, would provide credible evidence of the damage sustained by these sites before the relevant institutions of the international community.
    In this context, Dr. AlMalik urged the swift registration of Syrian heritage sites on ICESCO’s Islamic World Heritage Lists, during the upcoming annual meeting of the Islamic World Heritage Committee, to be held soon in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.

    For his part, Mr. Saleh welcomed ICESCO’s initiative to support Syria in the cultural field, expressing his hope for the establishment of a permanent ICESCO office in Damascus. He also referred to the Ministry’s efforts to restore numerous heritage sites that were damaged over the past years.

    At the close of the Meeting, Dr. AlMalik and Mr. Saleh exchanged shields and commemorative gifts.

    ICESCO Director-General Visits Umayyad Mosque and Several Cultural and Heritage Sites in Damascus

    Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General (DG) of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), accompanied by Mr. Mohammed Yassin Saleh, Syrian Minister of Culture, paid a visit to several archaeological and heritage sites in Damascus. The visit included the Umayyad Mosque, the National Museum, and Al Azem Palace. This was within the framework of his official visit to the Syrian Arab Republic at the head of a high-level delegation from the Organization, reaffirming support for the Syrian state in its new phase.

    During his visit to the Umayyad Mosque on Monday, 18 August 2025, Dr. AlMalik listened to detailed explanations about the long history of this grand mosque and its architectural design, which is considered one of the landmarks of Islamic architecture, particularly the unique Umayyad style.

    At the conclusion of the visit, Dr. AlMalik renewed the Organization’s readiness to participate in the rehabilitation of the Umayyad Mosque, in recognition of its historical standing in the Islamic world. He also expressed his great admiration for the architectural design of the mosque, which has remained a beacon of knowledge, spirituality, and culture throughout Islamic history.

    Dr. AlMalik and the accompanying delegation also toured the halls of the National Museum of Damascus, established in 1919, which is considered one of Syria’s most prominent and oldest cultural institutions. The museum houses a distinguished collection reflecting the richness and diversity of Syrian heritage.

    The tour also included the historic Al Azem Palace in Old Damascus, where the Syrian Minister of Culture provided explanations to the ICESCO delegation, highlighting the archaeological importance of the palace and its exhibits documenting traditional Damascene and Syrian life in its social, economic, and artistic aspects.

    At the end of the tour, Dr. AlMalik expressed ICESCO’s keenness to contribute to the preservation and valorization of heritage sites in Syria and to provide support to the relevant national authorities in this regard.

    ICESCO Director-General, Syrian Foreign Minister Discuss Ways to Enhance Joint Cooperation

    AlMalik: We Seek to Be Part of the Efforts to Restore Syria to its Glory and Civilization

    Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), at the head of a high-level delegation from the Organization, met with Mr. Asaad Hasan Al-Shaibani, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates of the Syrian Arab Republic, in the presence of Dr. Mohammed Abdulrahman Turko, Syrian Minister of Education. The meeting discussed ways to strengthen joint cooperation in the educational, scientific, and cultural fields.

    At the beginning of the meeting, which took place on Sunday, 17 August 2025, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs headquarters in Damascus, Dr. AlMalik expressed ICESCO’s keenness to support the Syrian State in its fields of competence, in logistical, technical, and financial aspects, and to establish distinguished international partnerships with the aim of implementing Syria’s programs, initiatives, and activities, stating: “We seek to be part of the efforts to restore Syria to its glory and civilization.”

    Dr. AlMalik presented the possibility of declaring Damascus the Capital of Culture in the Islamic World for the year 2027, within ICESCO’s program for Culture Capitals in the Islamic World. He stressed the Organization’s readiness to send a technical committee to survey the damage sustained by Syrian heritage sites during past years, in order to issue a detailed technical report that would constitute an admitted document contributing to Syrian efforts related to heritage restoration. In this regard, he called for the inscription of more heritage and archaeological sites on ICESCO’s Islamic World Heritage List.

    Dr. AlMalik also affirmed the Organization’s keenness to cooperate with Syrian entities in the fields of science, environment, and artificial intelligence, and to develop and reform the educational system by implementing training programs for teachers.

    For his part, Mr. Al-Shaibani welcomed the ICESCO delegation, affirming that the visit is highly valued at all levels of the Syrian State, and that the Ministry is ready to cooperate with ICESCO during the coming period by providing all necessary facilities. Dr. AlMalik also addressed the possibility of preparing and training Syrian youth to work in international organizations through intensive training courses at ICESCO headquarters in Rabat.

    The Syrian Foreign Minister explained that the State is giving the highest priority to education and its development during this period, within the framework of its vision based on investing in people, pointing out that the Ministry is working towards the return of Syrian competencies and scientific elites who had migrated, back to their homeland to contribute to rebuilding the Syrian State.

    At the end of the meeting, Dr. AlMalik presented Mr. Al-Shaibani with ICESCO’s commemorative shield.

    The ICESCO delegation included Mr. Osama Heikal, Head of the Sector of Media and Communication; Ms. Faizah Alaoui, Expert at the Center for Foresight and Artificial Intelligence; Dr. Adham Hamawiya, Expert at the Center of Arabic for Non-Arabic Speakers; and Mr. Mohammad Al-Absi, Expert at the Islamic World Heritage Center.

    ICESCO Delegation, Syrian Minister of Higher Education Agree to Enhance Academic Cooperation

    Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), met on Sunday, 17 August 2025, with Dr. Marwan Alhalabi, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research in the Syrian Arab Republic, to discuss the development of cooperation in educational and academic fields, and support for higher education and scientific research.

    This meeting, held in the Syrian capital Damascus, came within the framework of the official visit of the ICESCO Director-General at the head of a delegation from the Organization, reaffirming ICESCO’s support for the Syrian Arab Republic in its new phase.

    At the beginning of the meeting, Dr. AlMalik expressed his sincere wishes for Syria to overcome its crisis, stressing ICESCO’s keenness to support Damascus in organizing various conferences and symposia, and the Organization’s readiness to cooperate in the field of academic studies and scientific research with the capabilities it possesses, particularly through strengthening partnership with the Federation of the Universities of the Islamic World, which is affiliated with the Organization and includes hundreds of prestigious universities, and to contribute to providing specialized training programs in cooperation with Syrian universities.

    The ICESCO Director-General presented an overview of the Center for Foresight and Artificial Intelligence and its role in conducting in-depth studies on the economy of the future and the new career paths, emphasizing that the future of sciences and AI constitutes a top priority for the Organization. He underscored the importance of aligning education with the rapid developments in these fields.

    Dr. AlMalik also extended an invitation to the Syrian Minister to attend the Islamic Conference of Ministers of Higher Education and Scientific Research, to be held soon in Cairo, Egypt, and proposed dedicating a special session to discuss ways of developing education in Syria.

    For his part, Dr. Alhalabi noted that Syria had suffered from academic isolation in recent years, which led to a major decline in scientific research. He expressed hope for strengthening communication and cooperation with all international bodies and organizations, foremost among them ICESCO, in order to provide scientific support in this regard. He also highlighted Syria’s efforts to achieve progress in the education sector, invest in youth, and enhance innovation through research incubators.

    At the conclusion of the meeting, Dr. AlMalik invited Dr. Alhalabi to visit ICESCO headquarters in Rabat and presented him with the Organization’s shield in appreciation of his efforts.

    The ICESCO delegation included:

    • Mr. Osama Heikal, Head of the Sector of Media and Communication
    • Ms. Faizah Alaoui, Expert at the Center for Foresight and Artificial Intelligence
    • Dr. Adham Hamawiya, Expert at the Center of Arabic for Non-Arabic Speakers
    • Mr. Mohammad Al-Absi, Expert at the Islamic World Heritage Center

    At the Outset of His Visit to Damascus, ICESCO Director-General Announces Support for Syria’s Efforts in Education, Science, and Culture

    Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), announced the Organization’s full support for the efforts of the Syrian Arab Republic in the fields of education, science, and culture, through the provision of technical assistance and the establishment of international partnerships. This came during his participation on Sunday, 17 August 2025, at the head of a high-level delegation from the Organization, in the launch of the initiative “Give Me Back My School,” which was inaugurated by the Syrian Ministry of Education in a major ceremony in Damascus.

    In his address during the launch ceremony, which was attended by several ministers, representatives of international organizations, and civil society, Dr. AlMalik praised the steps of the Syrian leadership, which is giving utmost priority to knowledge and education at this stage, out of the belief that they represent both the solution and the true beginning of Syria’s recovery. He added that this was clearly reflected in the launch of today’s initiative, stating: “The clearest proof that the country is regaining its vitality is the revival of its schools with renewed activity and brilliance.”

    The ICESCO Director-General also highlighted the historic and scientific stature of Damascus throughout the ages, as it witnessed the brilliance of many prominent figures of Islamic civilization in various fields. He pointed out that Damascus was among the first cities to know formal schools, stressing that education there never ceased, even amid the sounds of battles that the city historically witnessed.

    For his part, Dr. Mohammed Abdulrahman Turko, Syrian Minister of Education, affirmed that the greatest challenge lies in ensuring that every child receives his right to education, especially as the Ministry prepares to welcome 1.5 million students who will return with their families from abroad in the coming months.

    Meanwhile, Syrian Minister of Finance, Mohammed Yassar Barniya, stated that the education sector has become a top priority in government spending at present, particularly with the approach of the new academic year and the urgent need to rebuild destroyed schools. He noted that discussions are ongoing with international donor institutions, chiefly the Saudi Fund for Development, for joint cooperation in restoring these schools and in developing the entire educational process.

    The launch of the “Give Me Back My School” initiative comes amid unprecedented challenges facing the education sector in Syria, where more than 7,000 out of 23,000 public and private schools have been destroyed. This has had a direct impact on the future of 4.2 million students in pre-university education. Figures also indicate that there are currently 2.4 million students who have dropped out of school, with expectations that the number of new dropouts will reach 1.6 million during the current year.