Category: News

Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), received Dr. Abu Bakr Koko Dahiya, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Welfare of the Republic of Sudan, on Friday, 3 July 2026, at the Organization’s headquarters in Rabat.

During the meeting, which was attended by Ambassador Mawadda Omar Haj Al-Toum, Sudan’s Ambassador to the Kingdom of Morocco, both sides explored ways to strengthen bilateral cooperation in administrative development, capacity-building, training, and professional qualification.

Dr. AlMalik reaffirmed ICESCO’s firm commitment to supporting Sudan and standing by it amid the current circumstances, expressing the Organization’s full readiness to mobilize its resources and expertise to support the country’s recovery efforts.

The Director-General reviewed ICESCO’s experience in developing and modernizing its administrative structure over the past five years, noting that young people now make up more than 60 percent of the Organization’s workforce, while women hold around 50 percent of leadership positions. He also highlighted that ICESCO has obtained several international certifications and accreditations in the fields of knowledge management, creativity, and innovation.

He added that ICESCO has hosted around 2,000 young people from Member States for training across its sectors and centers, expressing the Organization’s readiness to welcome Sudanese youth for training opportunities.

For his part, Dr. Abu Bakr expressed his pleasure at visiting ICESCO headquarters, stressing that Sudan is a key partner of the Organization. He also expressed his aspiration to cooperate with ICESCO in capacity-building, training, and institutional excellence, given its leading experience in these areas.

The meeting also discussed a number of proposed projects and initiatives to be implemented jointly in the fields of training, professional qualification, and capacity-building for youth and women, as well as the possibility of benefiting from the Sinnar Regional Center for Dialogue and Cultural Diversity in Sudan in this regard.

The meeting was attended by Dr. Abdelillah Benarafa, Deputy Director-General; Dr. Sally Mabrouk, Director of the Director-General’s Office and Supervisor of the Strategy and Institutional Excellence Sector; and Ms. Rawda Al-Hajj, Director of the Poetry and Literature Center.

The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) invites researchers and specialists to submit academic studies for the “Specialized Studies Series on Teaching Arabic to Non-Arabic Speakers 2026,” issued by its Center of Arabic for Non-Arabic Speakers. Contributions should consist of rigorous academic research that supports the development of Arabic language teaching for non-Arabic speakers.

Interested parties may apply by submitting a 200-word abstract of the book, a research outline, their CV, and a copy of their passport to the email address (stans@icesco.org) no later than 15 July 2026.

Candidates selected by the jury will be notified within two weeks and will receive an invitation to sign an authorship contract.

For participation requirements and publication criteria, please visit the following link:
https://icesco.org/3vbe

It is worth noting that this is the sixth Specialized Studies Series on Teaching Arabic to Non-Arabic Speakers published by ICESCO. This project has made a valuable contribution to the field of applied linguistics through five academic series that draw on the latest linguistic and pedagogical theories.

The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), on Thursday, 2 July 2026, held an international symposium on the “Draft ICESCO Charter for the Promotion of Cultural Rights in the Islamic World,” with the participation of 60 experts and representatives of national commissions from 17 Member States, along with several stakeholders in cultural affairs, both in person and via videoconference.

The Charter aims to establish a reference framework for policymakers, public and private stakeholders, as well as citizens in ICESCO Member States, to enhance participation in cultural life without discrimination, enrich it, while respecting cultural diversity and preserving civilizational identities.

In his opening remarks, Dr. Mohamed Zinelabidine, Head of the Culture Sector at ICESCO, affirmed that the Organization seeks to implement this Charter within Member States in a way that strengthens the status of cultural rights in public policies and highlights their deep connection to the values of Islamic civilization, based on respect for diversity, tolerance, dialogue, and cooperation.

The symposium was moderated by Mr. Osama Heikal, Head of the Media and Communication Sector at ICESCO, who underlined the importance of linking cultural rights with media, social media platforms, and artificial intelligence. He called on countries of the Islamic world to strengthen their digital presence and develop platforms capable of promoting their values and culture and contributing to global cultural engagement.

Following this, Mr. Mohamed Al Ansary, an expert at the Culture Sector, delivered a comprehensive presentation on the Charter’s main provisions, explaining that its primary objective is to address the challenges and threats facing cultural rights at both national and international levels through an approach underpinned by three main categories: the right to culture, the right of culture, and cultural rights.

The symposium concluded with interventions that underscored the value of the Charter and its importance at the present time, emphasizing the need to develop practical mechanisms for its implementation and strengthen cooperation among Member States, with a view to making cultural rights a driver of development, dialogue, and the preservation of diversity.

The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) held an international conference titled “From Dialogue across Civilizations to Cooperation among Generations for Peace” as part of the fourth edition of its Leadership Training in Peace and Security (LTIPS) Program. The conference brought together several experts, ICESCO Young Peace Ambassadors, and participants in the Organization’s Young Professionals Program.

The conference, held on Wednesday, 1 July 2026, in a hybrid format combining in-person attendance and videoconferencing, opened with remarks by Ambassador Khalid Fathalrahman, Head of ICESCO’s Center of Civilizational Dialogue. He underscored the importance of the conceptual evolution of dialogue among civilizations over time, noting that the Center’s work is grounded in this vision to move dialogue beyond the theoretical level into practical applications with tangible impact.

He also highlighted the concept of Civilizational Diplomacy, developed by the Center to transform dialogue among civilizations into practical pathways for cooperation and interaction among cultures, institutions, and generations, in the Islamic world and beyond.

For her part, Ms. Ramata Almamy Mbaye, Head of ICESCO’s Social and Human Sciences Sector, emphasized the essential role of the social and human sciences in enabling societies to understand current transformations and in promoting public policies grounded in inclusion, peace, and the preservation of human dignity. She stressed that peace is achieved through the building of cohesive societies founded on education, dialogue, and mutual understanding among generations.

The conference also featured a panel discussion titled “Promoting Civilizational Diplomacy and Intercultural Understanding for Global Peace,” bringing together experts and officials from civilizational dialogue institutions and centers in several of the Organization’s Member States. The panelists presented practical experiences in fostering intergenerational dialogue, strengthening youth engagement, and developing innovative tools to promote mutual understanding and build peace.

The panel featured Dr. Ravan Hasanov, Executive Director of the Baku International Multiculturalism Center (Azerbaijan); Associate Professor Dr. Durriyyah Sharifah Binti Haji Hasan Adli, UMCCD Fellow and Lead of the UNESCO Club at the Universiti Malaya Centre for Civilizational Dialogue (Malaysia); Dr. Saad Al Yahya, Director of Research and Studies at the King Abdulaziz Center for Cultural Communication (Saudi Arabia); Professor Youssef Mafuda, Dean of the School of Asian and African Studies at Xi’an International Studies University (China); and Mrs. Lantana Bako Abdullahi, National Coordinator of the Nigerian Women Mediators Network (Nigeria).

The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) held a training workshop on Wednesday, 1 July 2026, during which it presented the “New Cultural Economies Index in Member States.” The workshop is part of the “ICESCO: Leadership in New Cultural Policies 2021–2029” program and brought together 240 experts, cultural stakeholders, and representatives of national commissions, both in person and via videoconference.

The workshop aimed to enhance Member States’ understanding of the index as a practical tool for developing innovative cultural policies, measuring the impact of cultural and creative economies, and strengthening their integration into sustainable development pathways, given culture’s role as a driver of development, innovation, and job creation.

In his opening remarks, Dr. Mohamed Zinelabidine, Head of the Culture Sector at ICESCO, emphasized the strategic importance of the index in supporting Member States in designing cultural policies capable of adapting to technological, economic, and creative transformations. He noted that the initiative aligns with the Organization’s vision of positioning culture as a value-generating sector that supports youth employment and inclusion.

The workshop was moderated by Dr. Sally Mabrouk, Head of the Director-General’s Office and Supervisor of the Strategy and Institutional Excellence Sector, who highlighted ICESCO’s efforts to leverage modern technologies in the cultural field and strengthen partnerships with national commissions to facilitate the implementation of the index in Member States.

Dr. Rim Jallouli, an expert in cultural and creative economies, delivered a presentation on the methodological foundations of the index, outlining its key components, data collection and analysis mechanisms, and its potential to measure the development of cultural and creative sectors and track their transformation.

The workshop concluded with interactive discussions involving representatives from several national commissions, including the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Sultanate of Oman, and the State of Qatar. Participants shared their experiences, provided proposals, and expressed their interest in implementing this strategic tool within their national contexts.

The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) has published the fifth issue of its peer-reviewed scientific journal, ICESCO Journal of Arabic Language, issued under the supervision of the ICESCO Center of Arabic for Non-Arabic Speakers. This initiative reflects the Organization’s commitment to supporting research in Arabic language and literature, restoring the Arabic language’s international standing, and strengthening awareness of its central role in enriching human knowledge.

This issue features ten research papers by researchers and specialists from diverse nationalities, both within and beyond the Islamic world, including the Arab Republic of Egypt, the State of Qatar, the Republic of Yemen, the Kingdom of Morocco, the Republic of Mali, the Syrian Arab Republic, the Republic of Uzbekistan, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the United States, and the United Kingdom.

The issue covers a wide range of topics related to manuscript heritage, linguistics, literary criticism, comparative literature, Arabic language teaching and learning, and artificial intelligence, reflecting the intellectual exchange and cultural diversity characteristic of the peoples of the Islamic world.

The fifth issue is accessible on the journal’s website via the following link:
https://ijal.icesco.org/index.php/journal/index

It is worth noting that the journal is published twice a year, in June and December. It welcomes submissions from researchers specializing in the Arabic language and invites them to submit their work for review and publication in upcoming issues by registering on the journal’s electronic platform:
https://ijal.icesco.org/index.php/journal/about/submissions