The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), represented by its Regional Office in Baku, participated with a dedicated pavilion in the 12th Baku International Book Fair, organized by the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Azerbaijan from 21 to 25 October 2026. The pavilion hosted a rich program featuring cultural, scientific, and intellectual activities, attended by officials, researchers, experts, and cultural figures from Azerbaijan and ICESCO Member States.
The pavilion’s program included five intellectual sessions: “Shusha and the Arab World: From Books to Cultural Exchange” and “The Future of Reading: Culture, Society, and New Generations,” featuring Mr. Anar Karimov, Head of the Partnerships and International Cooperation Sector at ICESCO; Ambassador Khalid Fathalrahman, Head of the ICESCO Center for Civilizational Dialogue; and Mr. Murad Aliyev, Expert in the Partnerships and International Cooperation Sector. The program also featured a panel discussion titled “Calligraphy and Manuscripts: The Beauty of Writing and the Memory of the Book,” with the participation of Idham Hanash, Head of the ICESCO Center for Calligraphy and Manuscripts; a panel discussion titled “Azerbaijan on the Silk Roads: Books and Knowledge at the Crossroads of Civilizations,” with the participation of Dr. Hani Albalawi, Head of the Communication Department at the Center; and a session on knowledge in the age of artificial intelligence.
The sessions aimed to raise awareness of the cultural and intellectual heritage of the countries of the Islamic world and Central Asia and to explore ways of harnessing knowledge, publications, and translation to strengthen ties between communities across languages, generations, and borders. They also addressed the ethical challenges posed by the rapid development of artificial intelligence and ways to foster critical thinking among young people.
The ICESCO pavilion also hosted a live Arabic calligraphy demonstration by calligrapher and abstract artist Rabab Zahra, celebrating the heritage of calligraphy and its significance in the Islamic world. In addition, folkloric performances from Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan were presented by children from the Azerbaijani Republican Children and Youth Development Center.
The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) and the International Qur’an Research Association (IQRA) held the “IQRA 2026 Global Virtual Conference” on 24–25 October 2026 under the theme “Guiding the Digital Age: A Qur’anic Compass for Human-Centered Innovation and Sustainable Development.” The Conference brought together prominent leaders from around the world, including officials and representatives of governments and international organizations, as well as academics, to explore ways to harness Islamic values and Qur’anic principles to guide digital transformation and sustainable development in the age of artificial intelligence.
The event, held via videoconference, was organized in partnership with the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), the Islamic Cooperation Youth Forum, the Islamic Organization for Food Security, the National Awqaf Foundation of South Africa, the Federation of Muslim Women’s Associations in Nigeria (FOMWAN), the Union of OIC News Agencies (UNA), and the Federation of the Universities of the Islamic World, an ICESCO-affiliated body.
The opening session featured remarks by Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, ICESCO Director-General; Dr. Ahmad Kawesa Sengendo, OIC Assistant Secretary-General for Economic Affairs; Dr. Safi Kaskas, Founder and President of IQRA; Dr. Saadeddine Othmani, former Head of Government of the Kingdom of Morocco; and Dr. Ameenah Gurib-Fakim, former President of the Republic of Mauritius.
In his recorded address, Dr. AlMalik stressed that technological transformation must remain grounded in human dignity, ethical responsibility, and sustainable development. He reviewed ICESCO’s efforts to promote responsible AI governance and strengthen technological capabilities across the Islamic world, highlighting in this regard the “Riyadh Charter for Artificial Intelligence in the Islamic World” and the “10k AI Leaders” training program.
During a special ICESCO session titled “Artificial Intelligence, Education and the Future of Knowledge,” featuring distinguished thinkers, participants discussed the role of education in bridging rapid technological progress and ethical responsibility, and in preparing future generations not only to adapt to the digital age, but also to help shape it. Ambassador Khalid Fathalrahman, Director of ICESCO’s Center for Civilizational Dialogue, also took part in the strategic roundtable on “The Future of the Islamic World in the Digital Age.” The session brought together senior representatives of international and Islamic institutions to explore ways of translating the Conference’s ideas into sustainable institutional cooperation.
Over two days, the Conference sessions addressed artificial intelligence, education and the future of knowledge, youth leadership, women’s participation, food security, Islamic social finance, and the institutional foundations required for meaningful participation in the digital economy.
The discussions also underscored the importance of strengthening the Islamic world’s capacity to develop and govern its own AI systems. Participants emphasized the need to embed Islamic ethical principles from the earliest stages of technology development, providing an important framework to ensure that emerging technologies serve human dignity, knowledge, social well-being, and the common good.
The Conference concluded with the issuance of the “IQRA’ 2026 Global Declaration on Ethical AI and Human-Centered Development,” which captured the key ideas and recommendations emerging from the two days of discussions and laid the groundwork for continued cooperation among the participating
Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), and Mr. Olli-Pekka Heinonen, Director-General of International Baccalaureate (IB), agreed to elevate cooperation between their two Organizations to a strategic partnership. The partnership will be guided by a two-year joint action plan featuring high-impact initiatives to enhance the quality of education and advance the performance of teachers and school leaders across the Islamic world.
The agreement was reached during their meeting on Friday, 23 October 2026, held on the sidelines of the annual IB Conference in Lyon, France, from 22 to 24 October 2026, in which ICESCO participated.
At the outset of the meeting, ICESCO Director-General expressed his appreciation for the invitation and warm reception. The IB Director General, in turn, commended Dr. AlMalik’s participation and address at the opening plenary session, as well as the contribution of ICESCO’s Education Sector to the Conference and the organization of a joint event by the two Organizations.
Both parties expressed satisfaction with the progress achieved since the signing of the strategic MoU at ICESCO Headquarters in April 2026. They affirmed their commitment to building on its outcomes through initiatives that have a direct impact on educational institutions. The action plan includes completing the professional standards initiative for teachers and school leaders in early 2027, in preparation for its launch and presentation at the ICESCO Conference of Education Ministers in the Islamic World, scheduled for the last quarter 2027. It also provides for adapting these standards to national contexts and piloting them in three to five Member States, thereby enhancing their effectiveness in developing educational practice.
The two sides also agreed to launch the “ICESCO–IB Award for Educational Excellence,” which will recognize the best teacher, school leader, and school, in order to encourage inspiring practices and showcase experiences that make a meaningful difference in student learning.
Dr. AlMalik presented a proposal for the “ICESCO–IB Schools” initiative, to be included in the joint action plan. The initiative would establish defined standards that schools may seek to fulfil in order to obtain accreditation under the initiative. The proposal draws on ICESCO’s knowledge of its Member States’ priorities and the IB’s expertise in curricula and assessment, offering an educational model that respects national particularities while benefiting from international best practices.
ICESCO Director-General also announced the allocation of 200 places for IB school teachers and leaders in ICESCO’s “10,000 AI Leaders” programme, supporting their capacity to employ these technologies in teaching and school leadership.
The two sides also discussed developing the “ICESCO–IB Professional Excellence Pathway for Teachers and School Leaders,” based on the standards currently under development. The pathway aims to provide high-quality training and professional certifications in fields including artificial intelligence, digital teaching, values and ethics, inclusive education, future skills, and school leadership.
The discussions also covered joint participation in the Human Capability Initiative Conference (HCI 2026), to be held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in April 2027, and enhancing the IB’s participation in ICESCO Conference of Education Ministers. Dr. AlMalik further proposed hosting one of the IB’s annual conferences in 2029 at ICESCO Headquarters in Rabat. This would expand engagement with educational institutions across the Islamic world and open new horizons for cooperation.
The two sides also agreed to establish a professional exchange programme between the staff of both Organizations, to promote the exchange of knowledge and expertise. They will also work towards issuing a periodic report on the situation of teachers and school leaders in the Islamic world, contributing to the guidance of development efforts and support for education policies.
The two sides exchanged views on learning outcomes as reflected in international reports, affirming the importance of improving teaching quality and strengthening institutional support for education professionals. In this context, Mr. Heinonen commended ICESCO’s standing and growing impact in the Islamic world and beyond, expressing the IB’s pride in its partnership with the Organization.
The meeting concluded with an agreement to establish a joint technical team to finalize the action plan, identify its priorities, timelines, and implementation mechanisms, and monitor the delivery of the initiatives over two years, translating the strategic partnership into tangible and sustainable results. The meeting was attended, on behalf of ICESCO, by Dr. Ahmed Albanyan, Head of Education Sector, and Mr. Waqas Afridi, Expert at the Sector. The IB delegation included the senior executive responsible for programme development and professional pathways, the regional directors for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, and Canada, the Global Head of Education Standards, Policy and Design, as well as the Senior Director for Education Systems Solutions and the Senior Director for Education Systems Operations.
The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) strongly condemns the heinous terrorist attack targeting a church in Karak Governorate in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, which claimed innocent lives and left a number of people injured. This horrific crime violated the sanctity of a place of worship and brought grief to families who lost their loved ones. ICESCO affirms that this reprehensible act constitutes an assault on the human conscience. The shedding of the blood of innocent people and terrorizing them in their places of worship are abhorrent crimes rejected by the teachings of all religions and cannot be justified under any pretext. The Organization stresses the need to hold the perpetrators and all those who incited the attack accountable, and to confront extremist ideologies that violate the sanctity of life and fuel hatred.
The Organization expresses its full solidarity with the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and its confidence that the deep-rooted unity and genuine brotherhood binding the Jordanian people will remain impervious to attempts to sow discord and undermine the country’s national fabric. ICESCO further affirms its support for all measures taken by the Kingdom to protect its security and safeguard the safety of its citizens.
ICESCO extends its sincere condolences and deepest sympathy to His Majesty King Abdullah II ibn Al Hussein, the brotherly Jordanian people, and the families of the victims. It prays to Almighty God to grant the deceased His abundant mercy, comfort their families, and grant the injured a speedy recovery. ICESCO reaffirms that the sanctity of places of worship is inseparable from the sanctity of human life, and that their protection is a shared responsibility requiring a firm stance against terrorism and the safeguarding of everyone’s right to worship in safety and peace.
Dr. AlMalik: Fostering Innovation and Critical Thinking among Students Is Key to Building a Future Rooted in Equity and Creativity
Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), emphasized the need to strengthening students’ critical-thinking skills, fostering innovation, disseminating knowledge, and providing young people with opportunities to build a better future rooted in equity, creativity, and humanity.
The remarks forms part of an address delivered by Dr. AlMalik as Guest of Honor during the opening session of the third IB Global Conference, which opened in Lyon, France, on Thursday, 22 October 2026. Held under the theme “Shared learning, shared futures,” the three-day Conference brings together 1,800 education officials and experts, school leaders, and teachers from 96 countries.
Dr. AlMalik highlighted that the relationship between teachers and learners is founded on knowledge, trust, and guidance. He commended the role of the third IB Global Conference in promoting the exchange of educational expertise, ideas, and knowledge, and in providing a platform for dialogue among educators from around the world to support young people in realizing their potential and developing solutions with tangible impact to educational challenges.
ICESCO Director-General affirmed that the transformations brought about by artificial intelligence and technology, which have made information more accessible, render the capacity for sound judgment and informed opinion increasingly urgent. This, he noted, requires preparing young people to assume this responsibility through sustained investment in their capacities.
He also highlighted the importance of the joint ICESCO–IB project to develop the “first ICESCO standards and professional practice tool for teachers and school leaders.” The project forms part of the strong partnership between the two Organizations, which includes the IB’s participation in the third ICESCO Conference of Education Ministers, held in the Sultanate of Oman in October 2024, and the signing of a memorandum of a MoU between the two sides in April 2026.
Dr. AlMalik concluded his address by urging participating school leaders, teachers, and educators to embrace innovative ideas and translate them into an impact that extends to the lives of students and learners.
ICESCO is participating in the Conference with a delegation headed by Dr. AlMalik, and comprising Dr. Ahmed Albanyan, Head of the Education Sector, Supervisor of the Translation and Publishing Center, and Mr. Waqas Afridi, Expert at the Sector. The delegation members will take part in several sessions and discussions on efforts to enhance the quality of education in the Islamic world.
The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), in partnership with the Moroccan National Commission for Education, Science and Culture, is preparing to organize the fourth edition of the ICESCO Marathon on the morning of Saturday, 31 October 2026, in Rabat, under the theme “Let’s run together for well-being and mental health.”
ICESCO invites people of all ages and backgrounds, including persons with special needs, to participate free of charge in an event that combines physical activity with awareness of the importance of mental health and offers participants a collective experience celebrating the spirit of solidarity.
The Marathon will start at 9:00 a.m. outside ICESCO Headquarters on FAR Avenue in Rabat and follow an approximately nine-kilometer route through several of the Moroccan capital’s main streets.
This edition is supported by the Ministry of National Education, Preschool, Vocational Training and Qualification and the Ministry of Youth, Culture and Communication of the Kingdom of Morocco, Air Arabia, Assurances Lyazidi, Aswak Assalam, Islamic Center for Development of Trade (ICDT), the Moroccan Anti-Doping Agency (AMAD), UNICEF, the Royal Moroccan Federation of Sports for Persons with Disabilities, and Special Olympics Morocco.
Winners will receive valuable prizes, including airline tickets, to encourage participation and sporting competition. ICESCO invites those wishing to join the event to complete the registration form at the following link: https://icesco.org/en/get-engaged/icesco-marathon/
Through this event, ICESCO seeks to make sport a space for connection and inclusion, while highlighting the importance of mental health and well-being in daily life, in an atmosphere that brings together physical activity and human interaction.
Dr. Mohamed Zinelabidine, Head of Culture Sector at the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), highlighted the contributions of ICESCO Agora platform to fostering pluralistic thought and promoting intellectual dialogue, noting that the platform, hosted on ICESCO Creative digital portal, has published more than 275 articles by over 89 authors from more than 31 countries, issued 14 collections and books, and registered more than 300 members.
He noted that the platform, launched as part of the ICESCO Roads for the Future initiative, has established itself as a space for reflection and knowledge-sharing focused on cultural, economic, social, and civilizational issues in the Islamic world and beyond.
Dr. Zinelabidine’s remarks came during a virtual seminar held by ICESCO’s Culture Sector in cooperation with the SWISS UMEF on Wednesday, 21 October 2026, to review ICESCO Agora platform’s contributions to cultural and intellectual fields.
During the seminar, Mr. Salvatore Lombardo, President of the Charles-Louis Lassalle Foundation for Contemporary Art, Director of the Master’s Programme in Geopolitics at SWISS UMEF, commended the contributions of ICESCO Agora and the role of culture in contemporary societies. He called for a comprehensive and renewed vision of culture, emphasizing that transmitting cultural heritage does not necessarily mean reproducing it unchanged. Rather, culture remains alive as long as it is open to diverse forms of expression and to the questions and transformations shaping societies.
Following an overview of the platform presented by Mr. Sidi Ahmed Djawad at ICESCO’s Culture Sector, discussions bringing together researchers, professors, cultural practitioners, and representatives of civil society organizations addressed several published articles and works, as well as prospects for the platform’s development.
The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) in partnership with the Uzbek Space Research and Technology Agency (Uzcosmos) and Turin Polytechnic University in Tashkent concluded the fifth International Aerospace Symposium and the fifth edition of the Training Workshop on Educational Satellite Model (CanSat) in Tashkent on Wednesday, 21 October 2026. The two events brought together 250 trainees from Malaysia, Oman, Pakistan, Azerbaijan, Gabon, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan.
The closing programme of the seven-day workshop featured a competition in which 14 teams developed solutions to engineering and aviation challenges by designing, assembling, and testing CanSat devices before launching them aboard rockets. Team Nebula won first place, Team Pegasus took second place, and Team Sky Lab placed third.
The workshop’s closing day opened with remarks by Dr. Muhammad Sharif, Advisor at ICESCO’s Science and Environment Sector, and Mr. Mukhiddin Ibragimov, Deputy Director of Uzcosmos, in which they emphasized the importance of providing learning and training opportunities in the space industry and developing young people’s technical and creative skills in the field.
The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), with support from Azerbaijan’s Heydar Aliyev Foundation and in partnership with the NGO Youth, Peace, and Development (JEPADE), has launched the project “Educational and Social Support for Displaced and Boarding School Girls” in the Republic of Niger, benefiting 5,150 girls and women.
The project aims to improve water, sanitation and hygiene facilities in schools, support literacy efforts, facilitate access to non-formal education, expand women’s economic empowerment opportunities, and raise awareness of the importance of women’s participation in peacebuilding and efforts to mitigate the impact of crises.
The launch ceremony, held on Thursday, 15 October 2026, both via videoconference and in person in Niamey, brought together Mr. Anar Alakbarov, Executive Director of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation; Mr. Elh Idi Abdou, Deputy Secretary-General of the Ministry of National Education, Literacy and Promotion of National Languages; Mr. Assoumane Mahamadou, Executive Secretary of Niger’s National Commission for UNESCO and ICESCO; and Mr. Laminou Garba, National Coordinator of JEPADE; as well as the representatives of several educational institutions in Niger.
The project is part of ICESCO’s ongoing efforts to advance education and human development in its Member States, strengthen resilience, and provide solutions to the challenges facing the most vulnerable communities across the Islamic world.
The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) co-organized the Granada Partners Forum for Educational Excellence and Innovation, held by the Granada Foundation for Publishing and Educational Services on Tuesday, 20 October 2026, in cooperation with the University Center for Teaching Arabic to Non-Arabic Speakers at Sultan Moulay Slimane University in the Kingdom of Morocco, under the theme “Arabic Brings Us Together.”
Held via videoconference, the Forum brought together a distinguished group of experts, academics and specialists in Arabic language education and the development of educational practices. It addressed excellence and innovation in Arabic language education, curriculum and program development, and the advancement of teachers’ continuing professional development.
ICESCO was represented at the Forum by Mr. Adel Bouraoui, Advisor to the Director-General and Supervisor of the “Mishkat Al-Arabiya” program, who delivered a presentation entitled “ICESCO and the Granada Foundation: A Model Partnership at the Service of Arabic Language.” He highlighted the importance of institutional partnerships in developing educational initiatives and programs, sharing educational expertise, and coordinating efforts to serve Arabic language and expand its reach across diverse linguistic and cultural settings. He also commended the achievements made through this partnership over two decades in numerous countries across all six continents.
Dr. Youssef Ismaili, Head of Language Training Division at ICESCO Center of Arabic for Non-Arabic Speakers, delivered a presentation entitled “Arabic as Soft Power: Global Education and Teacher Training.” He explored the civilizational and cultural dimensions of Arabic and its role in promoting communication and mutual understanding among peoples, stressing the importance of teaching Arabic to non-Arabic speakers as a means of fostering cultural dialogue and broadening the horizons of civilizational dialogue. He also highlighted the pivotal role of teacher training in improving the quality of Arabic language education by developing teachers’ linguistic, pedagogical and digital competencies and enabling them to use modern curricula and innovative educational technologies.
