Category: News

Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), met with Ms. Dima Al-Khatib, Director of the United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation (UNOSSC), on Tuesday, 22 September 2026, at the Office’s headquarters in New York City, United States.

During the meeting, Dr. AlMalik reviewed ICESCO’s key initiatives and programs and their tangible results across its Member States. He underscored the Organization’s commitment to expanding its international partnerships and sharing successful expertise in support of sustainable development efforts and a stronger standing for countries of the Global South in shaping future solutions.

For her part, Ms. Al-Khatib expressed appreciation for ICESCO’s qualitative programs and commended the rapid progress it has made across its areas of action. She also invited ICESCO to join the “Global Alliance for South-South and Triangular Cooperation,” an international platform that connects development needs with available expertise and opportunities and scales up successful solutions across countries of the Global South.

The meeting also addressed ICESCO’s potential membership in the “South-South Global Thinkers” initiative, a global coalition of think tank networks that enriches public policy dialogue, facilitates knowledge exchange, and promotes perspectives from the Global South on international development issues.

Both sides stressed the importance of building institutional cooperation that harnesses ICESCO’s capacities and extensive network across its Member States, contributes to youth and women empowerment, strengthens development solidarity, and transforms shared knowledge into initiatives with sustainable impact.

At the close of the meeting, Ms. Al-Khatib thanked Dr. AlMalik for his visit and expressed her anticipation of fruitful cooperation between UNOSSC and ICESCO.

New York: 22 September 2026

The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) and the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan signed a strategic cooperation agreement in the fields of science, technology, innovation, higher education, and science diplomacy. The agreement aims to develop initiatives, programs, and partnerships that contribute to sustainable development and strengthen international scientific cooperation.

The agreement was signed on Monday, 21 September 2026, in New York City, United States of America, on the sidelines of the High-Level Dialogue on Science Diplomacy and Global Cooperation, held as part of the 2026 Science Summit. The signing ceremony was attended by Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, ICESCO Director-General, and Dr. Saule Sagintayeva, President of Abylkas Saginov Karaganda Technical University in Kazakhstan, representing the Ministry.

The agreement identifies several key areas of cooperation, notably science diplomacy; the advancement of research excellence, innovation ecosystems, and advanced technologies; capacity-building and human capital development through training programs and academic cooperation; harnessing science for sustainable development; and institutional cooperation among universities, research centers, and centers of excellence.

Under the agreement, cooperation between the two parties will also include developing joint programs, projects, and initiatives; establishing platforms, networks, observatories, and institutional centers to advance scientific cooperation and innovation; organizing conferences, forums, and training workshops; and exchanging experts, data, and best practices.

New York: 22 September 2026

The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) signed, on Monday, 21 September 2026, two cooperation agreements with Al-Farabi Kazakh National University (KazNU) and Khoja Ahmet Yassawi International Kazakh-Turkish University (AYU) to expand access to high-performance computing and advance cooperation in scientific research, education, and innovation.

The first agreement was signed by Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General of ICESCO, and Mr. Samgat Yermekbayev, Deputy Chairman of the Board and First Vice-Rector of KazNU, on the sidelines of the High-Level Dialogue on Science Diplomacy, organized by ICESCO in partnership with the Kazakh Ministry of Science and Higher Education in New York, USA, as part of the Science Summit 2026.

The Agreement aims to expand researchers’ access in ICESCO Member States to high-performance computing resources by leveraging the computing facilities of KazNU, as well as to build their capacities through training and joint research projects. This will contribute to narrowing disparities in computing capabilities and harnessing them for knowledge production and the development of innovative solutions.

The second MoU was signed by Dr. Salim AlMalik and Dr. Zhanar Temirbekova, Rector of AYU. It focuses on advancing cooperation in science, technology, and innovation; supporting research on environmental and climate issues; developing youth capacities; and expanding opportunities for education, scholarships, and academic exchange.

The MoU also provides for cooperation in science diplomacy and peacebuilding, as well as safeguarding the heritage of the Islamic world and Turkic-speaking regions, by supporting intercultural dialogue and understanding and exchanging knowledge related to this heritage. It also enables the launch of joint initiatives linking scientific research with social responsibility and supporting the contribution of universities to preserving civilizational memory.

The two agreements offer a framework that brings together access to computing infrastructure and the development of academic partnerships, linking research and training to practical applications and expanding the participation of scientific institutions in Member States in knowledge production and its application in the service of development.

The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), in partnership with the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan, held the first High-Level Dialogue on Science Diplomacy and Global Cooperation on Monday, September 21, 2026, in New York, United States. The event brought together officials from government bodies, international organizations, and scientific institutions to discuss ways of leveraging science diplomacy to strengthen international cooperation in higher education and translate scientific and technological capacities into tangible impact.

The dialogue, held as part of this year’s Science Summit in conjunction with the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA 81), opened with remarks by Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, ICESCO Director-General. He highlighted the importance of science diplomacy in advancing knowledge and progress, stressing that many scientific discoveries capable of protecting societies from contemporary challenges remain out of reach because countries lack the necessary infrastructure and partnerships.

Dr. AlMalik expressed his appreciation to Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Science and Higher Education for its cooperation with ICESCO in organizing the dialogue, noting that science diplomacy lies at the heart of the Organization’s priorities. He added that ICESCO is developing its areas of competence through an approach based on impact, inclusiveness, creativity, and sustainability.

In this regard, the ICESCO Director-General stated that the Organization is working to develop a framework for the mutual recognition of academic qualifications in 15 countries, as well as permanent mechanisms for science diplomacy to connect scientists with diplomats, universities with governments, and scientific research with policymaking.

Following, Dr. Yergaliyev Kuanysh, Head of the Science and Environment Sector at ICESCO, moderated a panel that saw the participation of Dr. AlMalik; Mr. Didar Temenov, Director of the Multilateral Cooperation Department of Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Ms. Dima Al-Khatib, Director of the United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation; Dr. Saule Sagintayeva, President of Abylkas Saginov Karaganda Technical University in Kazakhstan; Ms. Susie Kitchens, Director of Science Diplomacy at the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis; Dr. Saifur Rahman, Editor-in-Chief of IEEE Climate Magazine, Director of the Virginia Tech Advanced Research Institute, Dr. Brando Okolo, Head of the Science, Technology and Innovationat the African Union Development Agency; and Mr. Seán Kelly, Member of the European Parliament.

At the conclusion of the dialogue, participants issued the “New York Declaration on Science Diplomacy for Inclusive Global Development,” affirming the commitment of participating institutions to employ science diplomacy to advance cooperation among countries, governments, universities, research institutions, the private sector, and civil society. The Declaration aims to promote innovation, sustainable development, and the contribution of Global South countries to science, particularly in the face of contemporary challenges, foremost among them climate change, security, and health. It emphasized that science diplomacy provides a practical means of developing research infrastructure, modern technologies, and the capacities of future generations of scientists and diplomats.

On the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly and the Science Summit 2026 in New York City, Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), met with several Kazakh universities presidents and their deputies participating in the Summit.

During the meeting, held on Monday, 21 September 2026, Dr. AlMalik presented ICESCO’s vision and flagship programs in education and scientific research. He also discussed prospects for cooperation with Kazakh universities through joint programs and projects, the establishment of academic chairs, and the provision of scholarships for the Islamic world youth.

Dr. AlMalik also gave a presentation on the Federation of Universities of the Islamic World (FUIW), an ICESCO-affiliated body, outlining its objectives and aspirations to build an effective university network that advances higher education and strengthens the standing of universities of the Islamic world on the international stage. He invited Kazakh universities to join the Federation and participate in its initiatives.

The university presidents and their deputies expressed appreciation for ICESCO’s programs, affirming their interest in developing cooperation with the Organization and FUIW through scientific forums and conferences, support for projects and programs of mutual interest, and the exchange of academic expertise. Several universities also expressed their readiness to offer scholarships through ICESCO for students from Islamic world countries.

Dr. AlMalik proposed that a Kazakh university host the seventh edition of the Vice Chancellors’ Forum of Universities in the Islamic World, organized by FUIW, and that coordination and preparations for this event begin. The proposal was welcomed by several university presidents, who expressed interest in hosting the Forum.

At the close of the meeting, the participants reiterated their commitment to translating the ideas discussed into practical programs and sustainable academic partnerships and expressed their gratitude to the ICESCO Director-General for this initiative.

On the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly meetings, Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), met with Mr. Musa Kulaklıkaya, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Türkiye, on Monday, 21 September 2026, at the Turkish House in New York City.

The meeting explored prospects for advancing cooperation between ICESCO and the Republic of Türkiye in education, science, and culture, as well as the possibility of Türkiye joining the Organization membership.

Dr. AlMalik stated that the Republic of Türkiye’s accession to ICESCO would bring significant added value to the Organization, given its influential standing and prominent presence in the Islamic world, its rich civilizational heritage, advanced experience in education and scientific research, and deep-rooted cultural legacy.

For his part, Mr. Kulaklıkaya stressed the importance of strengthening cooperation between ICESCO and Turkish institutions, foremost among them the Research Centre for Islamic History, Art and Culture (IRCICA) and the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA). He also emphasized the need to organize joint conferences and seminars and implement initiatives that advance shared priorities.

At the close of the meeting, the two sides agreed to maintain coordination and intensify efforts to build an effective institutional partnership that contributes to achieving ICESCO’s objectives and serving the countries and peoples of the Islamic world.