The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) held a panel discussion titled: “Trustworthy AI in Practice: Transparency, Accountability, and Societal Alignment,” in partnership with Princess Sumaya University for Technology (PSUT) and Pakistan’s COMSATS University. The panel discussion took place on the sidelines of the Organization’s participation in the International Conference on Application of Emerging Technologies and AI for Advancing Science, Technology and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), held in Amman, Jordan, from 14–15 October 2025.
In his opening remarks, Dr. Adel Smeda, expert in the ICESCO Science and Environment Sector, emphasized the importance of building AI models that are trustworthy and interpretable. He stressed that making AI systems understandable is not a mere technical luxury but an ethical necessity, warning that the absence of clear accountability frameworks undermines public trust and weakens AI’s capacity to serve sustainable development goals.
During his participation in the conference, Dr. Smeda also discussed steps ICESCO has taken to develop scientific cooperation strategies and knowledge exchange among Islamic countries, including the launch of the Riyadh Charter on AI Ethics in the Islamic World and the preparation of a study titled “Promoting Scientific Diplomacy: Roadmap to the Strategy of ICESCO Member States.”
Professor Raheel Qamar, Head of Science and Environment Sector at the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), presented the Organization’s strategy for building resilient, sustainable, and smart cities in its Member States during the 3rd Azerbaijan National Urban Forum (NUFA3), held in the cities of Khankendi and Baku on Wednesday, 15 October 2025. His intervention took place during a panel session titled “Interplay Between Mobility, Data, and Spatial Planning: Innovative Urban Solutions.”
In this context, Professor Qamar emphasized that mobility, data, and spatial planning constitute the living system of a city and determine whether it merely survives or thrives. He called for leveraging digital technologies as tools to empower people, protect the environment, and drive inclusive development.
Professor Raheel showcased pioneering initiatives by the Organization in this field, notably the “Digital Twin of Marrakech” project, which employs smart technologies to safeguard and promote cultural heritage, enhance tourism, and support urban planning. He noted the adaptability of similar models in other countries, including those with limited infrastructure, through data-driven approaches.
Furthermore, Professor Raheel outlined the key components of ICESCO’s smart cities agenda, including the development of the “Smart, Sustainable, and Resilient Cities Program in the Islamic World,” the promotion of policy adoption through ministerial conferences, and innovation programs such as startup competitions and living labs. He reaffirmed ICESCO’s goal to support each Member State in establishing at least one resilient smart city by 2030.
The Forum brought together over 400 representatives from public and private institutions across 60 countries, in addition to delegates from international organizations, academic institutes, and civil society organizations.
The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) participated in a workshop organized by the Statistical, Economic and Social Research and Training Centre for Islamic Countries (SESRIC), held in Ankara, Türkiye, on 14-15 October 2025, under the theme “Cyber Addiction: Best Practices to Protect Children from Violence via Internet in the OIC Member States.” The event brought together a group of international experts to discuss initiatives aimed at enhancing digital safety for children and youth across the Islamic world.
ICESCO was represented at the workshop by Mr. Mohamed Hedi Shili, Director of Legal Affairs and International Standards, who delivered an intervention during the fourth session. His presentation addressed strategies to combat internet addiction and protect children within national and international legal frameworks, highlighting the challenges facing the implementation of such policies.
Mr. Shili emphasized the complex and interlinked relationship between digital addiction and online violence, noting that each phenomenon fuels the other and exacerbates psychological and social impacts on children and adolescents, pointing out that legislative gaps in several Islamic countries reveal the need for a comprehensive approach that goes beyond criminalizing certain forms of online violence to addressing the psychological and social roots of the issue. He called for a comprehensive strategy involving the state, family, school, civil society, and the technology sector.
He concluded by stressing the importance of adopting the concept of “human-centered cybersecurity,” and announced ICESCO’s readiness, in coordination with the OIC General Secretariat, to propose a convention on cybersecurity and the protection of individuals in digital spaces. This convention would be based on five principles: prevention and education; shared responsibility; comprehensive protection of children’s rights; international cooperation; and ethical digital sovereignty aligned with spiritual values.
The workshop made several key recommendations, including the development of national frameworks to combat digital addiction, enhanced coordination among ministries of health, education, and social affairs, integration of online violence issues into curricula, training of guidance professionals, promotion of innovation in artificial intelligence, and strengthening of partnerships to ensure a safe digital environment for children.
The 2nd International Conference on Teaching Arabic Language and Literature (ICTALL 2025), held under the theme “Prospects for Teaching Arabic Language and Literature in Southeast Asia: Local Experiences and Inspiring Models,” concluded on Wednesday, 15 October 2025. The event was held under the honorary patronage of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) and organized by Sultan Azlan Shah University (USAS) in Kuala Kangsar, Malaysia, in cooperation with ICESCO’s Center for Arabic Language for Non-Arabic Speakers and the World Assembly of Muslim Youth (WAMY).
In ICESCO’s opening address, Dr. Majdi Bin Haji Ibrahim, Head of the Center of Arabic Language for Non-Arabic Speakers, reviewed the Organization’s key orientations in the field of Arabic language teaching for Non-Arabic Speakers. He emphasized ICESCO’s commitment to promoting Arabic globally through diverse content that fosters dialogue and mutual understanding among peoples, responds to learners’ goals, and continuously develops teaching curricula. He also highlighted the importance of diversifying resources, tools, and services through a forward-looking approach that considers the future role of modern technology in language education.
During the conference’s first session, Dr. Majdi Bin Haji Ibrahim presented a research paper titled “Language Immersion in Teaching Arabic to Non-Arabic Speakers: Insights and Experiences,” in which he reviewed ICESCO’s experience in organizing several language immersion programs in Southeast Asia. These programs, launched mid-year, targeted three countries in their initial phase: Indonesia, Cambodia, and Malaysia.
The opening session also featured addresses by Dr. Wan Sabri bin Wan Yusof, Vice-Chancellor of Sultan Azlan Shah University; Abdullah bin Mohammed Al-Qarni, Advisor for Educational Affairs at the World Assembly of Muslim Youth; and His Eminence Dato’ Seri Haji Wan Zahidi bin Wan Teh, Mufti of Perak Darul Ridzuan State.
On the sidelines of the conference, a roundtable meeting was held with representatives of participating organizations, institutions, and universities to discuss joint strategies among Arabic language curriculum developers and digital platform providers. Additionally, ICESCO’s representative held a meeting with the Vice-Chancellor of Sultan Azlan Shah University, who also serves as Secretary of the Association of Islamic Universities in Asia. They discussed prospects for cooperation through student and training exchange programs and the organization of academic forums. The Vice-Chancellor expressed his interest in ICESCO joining the Association, which currently includes 85 Islamic universities across Asia.
The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) held a seminar titled “Narratives and the Question of Identity” on Wednesday, 15 October 2025, at its headquarters in Rabat, in celebration of World Novel Week. The seminar aimed to deepen the discussion around questions of identity in Arab narrative, explore its connections to current cultural transformations, and deconstruct the dialectic of place and memory. These themes were discussed by a distinguished group of writers, poets, thinkers, and academics participating in the event.
In his opening remarks, Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, ICESCO Director-General, emphasized that the Organization’s mission is to rewrite the civilizational narrative of the Islamic world with a contemporary spirit that highlights creativity and restores the value of the human being in light of their history and contributions. He added that the Islamic world is currently writing a new chapter in its cultural history, balancing authenticity and openness, and shaping a civilizational narrative based on diversity and mutual respect.
Dr. AlMalik pointed out that identity is not a wall of isolation but a window to the world through which we look with confidence and pride. He noted international data showing that over 50% of the world’s languages are endangered and that 80% of global cultural production is translated from Western languages, while Arabic, Asian, and African languages combined account for only 10% of translation activity. He considered these figures indicative of an imbalance in the fairness and cultural diversity of the human narrative.
In her intervention, Ms. Rawda El-Haj, Director of the Center for Poetry and Literature at ICESCO, stressed the role of narrative in enhancing awareness of identity and expanding its aesthetic horizons. Meanwhile, Iraqi thinker and academic Dr. Abdullah Ibrahim highlighted that identity is shaped within a narrative framework that gives it meaning and purpose, noting that autobiographical writing in modern Arabic novels has accumulated a creative fusion between fiction and autobiography, producing hybrid forms such as the “autobiographical novel” and the “novelized autobiography”.
Dr. Mhamed Dahi, Moroccan critic and researcher in self-semiotics, addressed issues of dynamic identity and autobiographies in world literature, referencing the experience of French novelist Jean-Marie Gustave Le Clézio as a model for reclaiming origins and lineage through narrative travel across time and space. Egyptian literary critic Dr. Mahmoud Eldabh explained that the third millennium witnessed radical transformations that shook the certainty and rigidity of identity, and that the concept of identity now extends beyond the individual and the group to include the “identity of place and time.”
The seminar concluded with the honoring of winners of the first edition of the “Cities of Poems” competition, overseen by ICESCO’s Center for Poetry and Literature. Nine poets from various countries were recognized for their poems celebrating the cultural capitals of the Islamic world for the year 2024: Benghazi, Marrakech, and Azerbaijan’s Shusha. The ceremony also acknowledged the outstanding creativity of other participants in the competition.
This seminar came as part of ICESCO’s ongoing commitment to advancing its programs and initiatives aimed at promoting linguistic and cultural diversity and supporting narrative and poetic creativity as a key pillar in building a contemporary and open civilizational narrative.
The Gulf Forum for Empowering Vocational Training Institutions in Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Incubator Management concluded in Muscat, the capital of Oman, on 15 October 2025. The Forum was organized from 13 to 15 October by the Omani Ministry of Labor, in cooperation with the Omani National Commission for Education, Culture and Science, and the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO). It aimed to promote scientific research, intellectual property, and digital transformation, and to develop the incubator ecosystem to empower and enhance staff competencies in the labor market.
During the opening session, Mr. Waqas Afridi, expert at ICESCO’s Education Sector, emphasized that the Organization’s initiatives in education and innovation have benefited hundreds of thousands of students, teachers, and policymakers across Member States. He noted that the Forum reflects the strategic orientations of ICESCO’s Education Sector for 2025–2030, stressing the importance of integrating skills learning from early school stages to foster youth competencies, confidence, and creativity.
Mr. Afridi added that ICESCO’s Education Sector will present the first draft of the “Strategy for Skills, Technical and Vocational Education and Training” at the Regional Conference on Education and Vocational Training (Middle East and Arab World), scheduled for early 2026 at Doha University of Science and Technology, in cooperation with UNESCO’s Regional Office in Qatar. The strategy aims to align skill development with labor market needs and prepare youth for a rapidly evolving work environment.
For his part, Dr. Khalid Ambusaidi, Director General of Vocational Colleges at the Ministry of Labor, reaffirmed Oman’s and ICESCO’s commitment to strengthening the role of education and vocational training in development, in line with Oman Vision 2040. Dr. Mahmood Al-Abri, Secretary-General of the Omani National Commission for Education, Culture and Science, explained that the Ministry of Education in Oman has integrated technical and vocational education into the school education system, aligning with ICESCO’s approach to making vocational education a tool for achieving sustainable development goals.
The Forum brought together over 100 experts and representatives from Oman and Gulf Cooperation Council countries, along with several international organizations. It featured workshops on the role of training institutions in supporting entrepreneurship, establishing and operating incubators, developing their programs and services, and discussions on teaching methods that foster entrepreneurial mindsets, impact assessment, and ways to enhance regional and international cooperation.
The Center of Arabic for Non-Arabic Speakers of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) has published the book entitled “Research Papers of the First International Conference: Language Skills in Teaching Arabic to Non-Arabic Speakers – Challenges of Reality and Prospects for Development,” featuring the contributions of 47 researchers, representing 20 countries, who participated in the conference that ICESCO organized, in cooperation with Bursa State University, in Bursa, Türkiye, in February 2025.
The two-volume publication, comprising 1,050 pages, includes 40 peer-reviewed academic papers authored by experts and university professors. It is a valuable reference in Arabic language teaching and skills for non-Arabic speakers. It aims at enriching scientific research in the field of teaching Arabic to non-Arabic speakers and keeping pace with global trends in the development of curricula and teaching methods.
The new book covers the following topics:
• Successful strategies for teaching and learning language skills; • Analysis of language skills in Arabic textbooks for non-Arabic speakers; • Assessment of language skills; • Modern technologies in language skills teaching; • Problems related to language skills teaching.
Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), received on Tuesday, 14 October 2025, H.E. Abdoulaye Idrissa Maïga, former Prime Minister of the Republic of Mali, at the Organization’s headquarters in Rabat. The meeting, which saw the presence of H.E. Salaheddine Mezouar, former Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of the Kingdom of Morocco, explored prospects for joint development initiatives in light of the security, educational, and human development challenges facing countries in the African Sahel region.
During the meeting, Dr. AlMalik reaffirmed ICESCO’s steadfast commitment to promoting the values of peace, tolerance, and intercultural dialogue as core pillars of the Organization’s strategic vision. He highlighted several flagship initiatives implemented by ICESCO in this regard, including the award-winning “360° Peace” initiative, the Encyclopedia for Deconstructing Extremist Discourse developed in partnership with the Mohammadia League of Scholars in Morocco, the publication of ‘‘Ahmad Baba al-Timbukti: A Model of Civilizational Diplomacy in West Africa’’, and the Leadership Training Programme in Peace and Security (LTIPS), which has trained more than 180 young men and women from 68 countries, who were selected to serve as ICESCO’s Peace Ambassadors.
For his part, Mr. Maïga expressed his appreciation for ICESCO’s efforts in fostering peace and security through education, science, and culture. He emphasized the importance of expanding cooperation with the Organization in initiatives aimed at achieving lasting peace and sustainable development in the Sahel region.
At the close of the meeting, the two sides agreed to continue coordination on developing a joint initiative focused on peacebuilding and sustainability, contributing to regional and international efforts to support stability and development in the region.
In attendance from ICESCO were Dr. Abdelilah Benarafa, Deputy Director-General; Mr. Osama Heikal, Head of the Media and Communication Sector; Ambassador Khalid Fathalrahman, Head of the Center for Civilizational Dialogue; and Dr. Abdoulaye Al Maïga, expert at the Center for Civilizational Dialogue.
Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), received H.E. Dr. Anna Jankovic, Ambassador of the Republic of Austria to the Kingdom of Morocco, at the Organization’s headquarters in Rabat on Monday, 13 October 2025.
The meeting explored prospects for cooperation between ICESCO and Austrian institutions in the fields of education, science and culture. Both parties discussed opportunities to implement joint programs and projects that support sustainable development goals and promote dialogue and understanding among cultures and peoples.
Dr. AlMalik invited Austrian institutions and bodies to strengthen their collaboration with ICESCO in its areas of competence, in a way that fosters knowledge exchange, capacity building and intercultural dialogue.
For her part, Ambassador Jankovic commended ICESCO’s significant role in supporting education, culture and scientific research in the Islamic world and beyond. She affirmed her country’s interest in developing a partnership with the Organization in areas of shared concern.
Dr. Salim AlMalik, Director-General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), met with Mrs. Shakilla Umutoni Kazimbaya, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Rwanda to the Kingdom of Morocco. The two parties discussed avenues for cooperation in the fields of developing education, protecting culture, achieving peace, capacity-building of youth and women, and the possibility of joining the Organization as an “Observer Member.”
During the meeting, held on Monday, October 13, 2025, at ICESCO Headquarters in Rabat, Dr. AlMalik highlighted the importance the Organization attributes to African countries by implementing programs and projects that meet their needs in capacity-building of youth and women, promoting entrepreneurship in the fields of technology and AI, and strengthening the values of coexistence, peace, and civilizational dialogue. Dr. AlMalik commended the continuous efforts carried out by Rwanda to overcome challenges in recent years.
For her part, Mrs. Kazimbaya reviewed the efforts of Rwanda to build a resilient society capable of overcoming challenges and strengthening peace and security. She affirmed her country’s commitment to cooperate with the Organization in developing projects and programs, convening symposiums for the capacity-building of youth, and empowering human capital in the fields of promoting leadership skills and developing education, scientific research, and heritage preservation.
The two parties also discussed the possibility of Rwanda joining ICESCO as an “Observer Member,” as Mrs. Kazimbaya expressed her country’s desire to join the Organization and the importance of building fruitful partnerships in the fields of education, sciences, and culture. Dr. AlMalik welcomed this proposition, noting that the Organization is adopting an open approach to international cooperation, in accordance with its vision and purposeful strategy to promote partnerships and support joint work.
