The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) and the Libyan National Commission for Education, Culture and Science signed an agreement on Libya’s hosting of the 45th session of ICESCO Executive Council, due to be held in January 2025, in Tripoli.
The agreement was signed at ICESCO headquarters, in Rabat, on Tuesday (5 November 2024), by Dr. Salim Al-Habsi, Director of the General Secretariat for National Commissions and Conferences of ICESCO, and Dr. Mohammed Amari Zayed, Libya’s Permanent Representative at ICESCO, on behalf of the Libyan National Commission.
Following the signing, Dr. Al-Habsi expressed his confidence in the ability of the competent parties in Libya to ensure the success of ICESCO Executive Council, noting that it will feature a consultative meeting of Member States to tackle the opportunities and challenges facing the Islamic world.
For his part, Dr. Zayed affirmed that the Libyan authorities will spare no effort to successfully host and organize ICESCO Executive Council in Tripoli, commending the distinguished cooperation relations between ICESCO and the State of Libya in the Organization’s areas of competence.
It is worth mentioning that ICESCO Executive Council is convened on an annual basis, bringing together its members and the delegations of ICESCO’s 53 Member States, with the Secretaries-General of National Commissions heading their delegations, to examine and approve the activity reports and action plans submitted by ICESCO’s General Directorate.
Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General (DG) of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), emphasized that the profound transformations currently shaping global society demand an unprecedented focus on advancing and modernizing educational systems, policies, and orientations. These changes, driven by the emergence of knowledge economy, rooted in intellectual capital and the rapid evolution of artificial intelligence with its implications for education, call for a comprehensive evaluation of the education reforms undertaken over the past two decades, discarding elements no longer aligned with the needs of the modern era.
This statement was made as part of the DG’s address today, Tuesday, November 5, 2024, during the opening session of the Fourth International Educational Conference, titled “Transforming Education: Opportunities and Challenges to Enhance the Future of Education in the Gulf Countries.” Organized by the Gulf Arab States’ Educational Research Center, under the Arab Bureau of Education for the Gulf States, the two-day conference in Kuwait City is held under the patronage of Kuwaiti Minister of Education Eng. Sayed Jalal Al-Tabtabaei. The Event is attended by heads of academic institutions, international and regional organizations that focus on education, and a selection of esteemed international experts.
Dr. AlMalik highlighted that advancing education in the Gulf requires consideration of several key factors, including the demographic impact of the education sector, with students making up 17% of the population, and the need to reevaluate reform methodologies, especially as Gulf studies have questioned the effectiveness of imported curricula as substitutes for national efforts. He stressed the importance of developing a new educational thinking that embraces the philosophy of digital transformation and addresses digital literacy challenges.
He also noted the critical role of the family in the educational process, acknowledging the unique cohesiveness of families in the Gulf region, and the central role of teachers. Furthermore, Dr. Al-Malik commended Gulf countries on their achievements in teacher training and development.
Moreover, ICESCO Director-General recognized significant disparities in the quality of education among Islamic countries, while praising the Gulf states for supporting educational systems in less developed nations. He urged further collaboration with ICESCO to assess the educational needs of the Islamic world, leveraging the Organization’s in-depth knowledge of its Member States’ conditions.
Dr. AlMalik concluded by encouraging a thorough review of the UN questionnaire on transforming education, suggesting its adaptation to the Region’s educational and cultural framework in order to glean important insights. At the close of the Conference’s opening session, Dr. Salim M. AlMalik was honored with the Conference’s commemorative shield, presented by Dr. Abdulrahman Al-Assimi, DG of the Arab Bureau of Education for the Gulf States, in the presence of Mr. Jasem Mohamed AlBudaiwi, Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council, and Engineer Sayed Jalal Al-Tabtabaei, the Kuwaiti Minister of Education.
The 29th session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP 29), to be hosted by the Republic of Azerbaijan from November 11 to 22, 2024, in Baku, will see an exceptional level of participation from the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO). The Organization will contribute both to the main program of this global event and through its dedicated pavilion in the Blue Zone. The pavilion will host around 50 diverse activities organized by the Organization’s various sectors and departments, addressing the impacts of climate change on education, science, culture, and related fields.
ICESCO’s delegation to COP 29 will be led by Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, ICESCO Director General, accompanied by sector heads, department directors, and experts.
Speakers from ICESCO, as well as external experts, will participate in sessions organized at ICESCO’s pavilion via videoconferencing. This participation aligns with ICESCO’s strategic priorities and new vision, emphasizing its commitment to supporting global efforts to protect the environment and mitigate the adverse effects of climate change.
ICESCO’s COP 29 agenda includes a ministerial meeting titled “Heritage and Cultural Sustainability in the Face of Climate Change,” organized in partnership with Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Culture and Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources. This meeting will bring together ministers of culture and environment from across the Islamic world, as well as representatives of international organizations focused on heritage preservation, to explore ways to employ modern technologies in minimizing climate change’s impacts on cultural assets and to develop sustainable solutions.
ICESCO will also co-host a panel discussion with the Islamic Organization for Food Security and the Commission on Science and Technology for Sustainable Development in the South (COMSATS), focusing on advancing water security, biodiversity, and peace through innovation and earth observation. The session, which will feature experts and representatives from various international organizations, aims to address challenges related to water scarcity, and environmental peace, and issue actionable recommendations.
ICESCO’s pavilion in the Blue Zone, a designated area for all parties to the convention, official state delegations led by heads of state, and delegations of accredited observers, a status ICESCO obtained in December 2023, will feature a substantial program. This includes the launch of ICESCO’s “Mediathon” initiative to strengthen media, in collaboration with the OIC Islamic Broadcasting Union.
Additionally, the pavilion will host panel discussions, workshops, seminars, and networking sessions, with contributions from ICESCO experts, prominent international specialists, and global climate action leaders. Key topics of discussion will include food and water security, the development of smart agriculture, natural disaster management, education advancement, human capital capacity-building, youth inclusion, and showcasing ICESCO’s efforts and initiatives in these vital areas.
A delegation from the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) visited the Arab Republic of Egypt to follow up on the progress of the International Professional Teaching Certification Project. This Project is a collaborative effort between ICESCO, the Egyptian National Commission for Education, Science, and Culture, the Ministry of Education and Technical Education and the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research in Egypt, King Saud University in Saudi Arabia, and the Saleh Kamel Humanitarian Foundation. The Delegation evaluated the quality of training processes, assessed outcomes, and reviewed alignment with the Project’s goals and needs.
During the visit, on 2-3 November 2024, ICESCO’s delegation reviewed the ongoing preparations for the final assessment of the Project’s first cohort. Part of a three-year initiative to train 2,000 teachers across various Egyptian governorates, this first cohort is set to finish by the end of 2024, graduating with a diverse toolkit of modern teaching skills.
ICESCO delegation, which included Dr. Haddy Jatou Sey, Head of the Education Sector; Mr. Mohamed Hedi Shili, Head of the Legal Affairs and International Standards; and Dr. Zaid Abu Shama’a, Expert at the Education Sector, met with Dr. Ayman Farid, Assistant Minister of Higher Education for Strategic Planning, Supervisor of the Egyptian National Commission for Education, Science and Culture, along with the commission members. They discussed Egypt’s strategic plan for education and explored avenues for cooperation between ICESCO and Egypt, particularly in supporting the development of educational policies across the Islamic world and implementing effective strategies for educational transformation and modernization.
Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), received a delegation of content creators and influencers from the Kingdom of Morocco, during their visit to the International Exhibition and Museum of the Prophet’s Seerah and Islamic Civilization, currently housed at ICESCO headquarters in Rabat.
During the meeting, held on Friday, November 1, 2024, Dr. AlMalik highlighted the main axes of ICESCO’s vision and strategic orientations, and talked about the Organization’s key initiatives, programs and projects, especially in the field of youth capacity building. He further explained that the Organization has dedicated an entire year to celebrating young people, in firm belief of their key role in developing their societies and building a better future for the Islamic world.
Moreover, the Director-General mentioned key initiatives, notably Youth Training Project on Creating Small Projects in the Fields of Technology and Innovation, Can-Sat training workshop, held in Morocco, Burkina Faso and Türkiye, and Leadership Training for Peace and Security Program (LTIPS), through which 180 young men and women graduated as ICESCO Young Peace Ambassadors.
For their part, the delegation expressed its appreciation of ICESCO’s programs and projects targeting the youth of the Islamic world, conveying its keenness to take part in the Organization’s activities and contribute to the promotion of its leading roles within its areas of competence, as well as its efforts to support young people and prepare them for the professions of the future.
Afterwards, Dr. AlMalik took the delegation on a tour of the Exhibition and Museum, where they received detailed explanations on the content of its pavilions and sections, which all employ modern technology and capitalize on AI and augmented reality’s applications to transport the visitor to the time of the Prophet, peace and blessing be upon him.
A German delegation of activists in the fields of interfaith and intercultural dialogue and peaceful coexistence visited on Friday, November 1, 2024, the Museum and Exhibition of the Prophet’s Seerah and International Civilization, currently housed at ICESCO headquarters in Rabat. The Museum and Exhibition are the outcome of a strategic partnership among ICESCO, the Muslim World League and the Muhammadia League of Scholars.
Prior to the visit, Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, ICESCO Director-General, met with the delegation of 31 people, and reaffirmed that hosting the Exhibition and Museum at ICESCO was the fruition of the Organization’s endeavors to highlight the civilizational aspects of the Prophet’s seerah and present the true image of a moderate Islam to the world. He added that the Organization follows an open-door policy with all, in service of its Member States and Muslim communities around the world.
Moreover, the Director-General held a discussion with the German delegation, and answered their questions on cooperation between ICESCO and German institutions in the fields of education, science, culture and civilizational dialogue, reaffirming that the Organization has cultivated strong cooperation relations with a number of prominent institutions such a Konrad Adenauer Foundation, Leibniz Foundation and Mouatana Institute. He added that ICESCO works alongside these institutions to serve the Islamic world regardless of religion, race or ethnicities.
Afterwards, Amb. Khalid Fathalrahman, Head of ICESCO’s Center for Civilizational Dialogue, and Dr. Abdelmalek Hibaoui, Head of the Interfaith Dialogue Division at the German Institute for Dialogue and Understanding (Mouatana), took the delegation on a tour of the various sections of the Exhibition. The delegation received detailed information on the content displayed at the different pavilions and sections.
At the end of the tour, the delegation expressed their delight at visiting this exhibition, stressing the centrality of the values of peace, coexistence and civilizational dialogue.
The Culture and Communication Sector at the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) held two training workshops for a number of experts in the cultural field in ICESCO’s Member States. The first workshop was on leadership in cultural policies, while the second addressed artificial intelligence and creative industries, focusing on sound and music.
Dr. Mohamed Zinelabidine, Head of ICESCO’s Culture and Communication, stressed that the two workshops are being held in cooperation with the National Commissions and a number of international experts, with the aim of building capacities in the field of sustainable development in the Islamic world, especially among the youth to nurture their interest in new areas of digital transformation and alternative economies.
During the first workshop held via video conference, on Wednesday, October 30, 2024, the second of its kind, Dr. Rim Jellouli, ICESCO’s External Expert and Specialist in Cultural Policies, highlighted the importance of ICESCO’s strategy on cultural policies in the Islamic world and cultural indicators in helping the Member States formulate their own visions and strategic orientations, and reviewed a set of reports on this matter. For her part, Dr. Youma Fall, Minister Counselor at the Presidency of the Republic of Senegal, stressed the need to accord due attention to cultural indicators, as they play a crucial role in drafting the strategic vision of countries.
The workshop featured rich discussions and presentations by a number of experts at ICESCO, as well as specialists in the field from the Organization’s Member States. During the second workshop, Dr. Amine Hammami, ICESCO’s External Expert in the field of digital creativity and digital culture, gave a presentation on the latest platforms and technologies that are reshaping the way we interact with sound and the world of music. He also talked about global best practices in the field, as well as new AI-enriched platforms, and the role of digital tools in pushing the boundaries of creativity in production.
The discussion was opened to participants to ask questions about ethics and intellectual property, and the legal and linguistic challenges facing the use of AI in the field of sound and music production.
Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General (DG) of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), received Mr. Fafré Camara, Ambassador of the Republic of Mali to the Kingdom of Morocco, and together they explored ways to promote cooperation between Mali and ICESCO in the Organization’s areas of competence. At the beginning of the meeting, held today, Friday, November, 1, 2024, at ICESCO headquarters in Rabat, Dr. AlMalik conveyed his congratulations to Mr. Camara for his new position as Mali’s Ambassador to Rabat, wishing him success in his mission.
For his part, Mr. Camara expressed his thanks for the warm welcome, handing Dr. AlMalik a letter from H.E. President Assimi Goïta, Transitional President of the Republic of Mali, conveying His Excellency’s appreciation of ICESCO’s efforts to support its Member States in the fields of education, science and culture, and keenness to promote cooperation between Mali and ICESCO.
Likewise, the Malian Ambassador presented the DG with a letter from Mr. Andogoly Guindo, Minister of Culture, Handicrafts, Hotel Industry and Tourism, where the Minister commends ICESCO’s initiative to preserve, promote and restore the historical Timbuktu Manuscripts, stressing Mali’s readiness to cooperate with ICESCO in the implementation of this initiative.
The DG expressed his thanks and appreciation to H.E. the Transitional President for his letter, and to the Malian Minister of Culture, underscoring that Timbuktu Manuscripts comprise of thousands of historical and religious documents that represent an intellectual treasure trove that must be preserved and promoted.
Moreover, the DG stated that ICESCO is keen to support the efforts of the Member States to upgrade their educational, scientific and cultural sectors, as part of the Organization’s new vision and strategic orientations. To this end, Dr. AlMalik added, ICESCO implements initiatives and programs with tangible impact that meet the expectations and needs of each Member State. He further explained that it closely works with National Commissions for Education, Science and Culture and competent parties, expressing ICESCO’s readiness to develop its cooperation relations with Mali.
The Islamic World Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) invites researchers, specialists, and postgraduate students to contribute research papers on one of five key topics of the first International Conference on “Language Skills in Teaching Arabic for Non-Arabic Speakers: Current Challenges and Development Prospects.” The Conference will be held in partnership with the Theology Faculty at Bursa Uludağ University, Turkey, on 3-4 February 2025.
The submissions should address one of the Conference’s main topics: • Challenges in teaching language skills; • Analysis of language skills in Arabic textbooks for Non-Arabic speakers; • Effective strategies for teaching and learning language skills; • Language skills assessment; • Modern techniques in teaching language skills.
To participate, applicants are requested to submit abstracts to arapcasempozyumu@uludag.edu.tr, by 15 November 2024. Approved abstracts will be announced on 20 November, and full-papers are due by 1 January 2025. The announcement of approved full-papers will be on 10 January. Additional conference details can be found on the Conference’s website accessible via, https://uludag.edu.tr/arapcasempozyumu.
Submitted papers must adhere to the following requirements: • The research must be original and not previously presented at any conference, symposium, or published in an academic journal; • Research should adhere to scientific methodology standards, demonstrating originality and rigorous analysis; • Submissions must be free of grammatical, rhetorical, spelling, and typos; • Preference will be given to papers based on real-life issues and offering practical solutions; • Submissions should be written in either Arabic or Turkish; • Authors of approved abstracts must adhere to the Conference’s publication guidelines as stipulated by the scientific committee and make necessary revisions after submission; • The scientific committee reserves the right to reject any abstract or paper without justifying it. The Conference’s scientific review committee will evaluate all submissions to select papers eligible for participation at the Conference in February 2025. Accepted papers will be published in a volume with an international ISBN under the auspices of ICESCO.
Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General (DG) of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), received Dr. Slim Khalbous, Rector of the Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie (AUF), at ICESCO’s headquarters, in Rabat, to discuss potential avenues for enhanced cooperation in areas of common interest.
At the outset of the meeting, held on Thursday, October 31st, 2024, Dr. AlMalik reaffirmed ICESCO’s commitment to deepening cooperation with esteemed universities and research institutions within and beyond the Islamic world. This commitment is reflected in the implementation of joint programs and projects and the establishment of ICESCO Scientific Chairs. Dr. AlMalik highlighted the Organization’s belief that academic and research institutions are the best incubators for innovation and creativity and play a pivotal role in developing the skills of young people to face future challenges.
For his part, Dr. Khalbous expressed AUF’s dedication to furthering its partnership with ICESCO, as outlined in the framework cooperation agreement signed between the two organizations in March 2021. This cooperation has led to numerous impactful activities and initiatives over the past three years.
The meeting also examined proposals for future cooperation, particularly in advancing linguistic diversity in scientific research to enrich the field through varied perspectives and methodologies, enhancing networks between member universities in the Federation of the Universities of the Islamic World, affiliated with ICESCO, and AUF’s member universities, as well as launching targeted programs to benefit both institutions’ member universities. During the meeting, Dr. Khalbous invited Dr. AlMalik to attend the upcoming World Francophone Science Week, set to take place next year in Dakar, Senegal, with participation from representatives of over 1,100 universities. Dr. AlMalik reciprocated with an invitation for AUF to participate in ICESCO’s Conference of Ministers of Higher Education and Scientific Research, scheduled for mid-2025.
Also present at the meeting were Dr. Adel Jarboui, DG of the International Academy of Francophone Scientific (AIFS); Dr. Mohamed Zine El Abidine, Head of ICESCO’s Culture and Communication Sector; Dr. Raheel Qamar, Head of ICESCO’s Science and Environment Sector; Mr. Anar Karimov, Head of ICESCO’s Partnerships and International Cooperation Sector; and Dr. Omar Halli, Advisor to the Director-General of the Federation of the Universities of the Islamic World.
