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The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) took part in a conference on the impact of “ChatGPT” on higher education and scientific research, held by Sultan Moulay Slimane University in Beni Mellal, Kingdom of Morocco, on Wednesday, 22 March 2023.

Chaired by Mr. Abdellatif Miraoui, Minister of Higher Education, Scientific Research and Innovation, the conference was attended by a number of presidents of universities and university institutions, faculty members and students. During the conference, Dr. Omar Halli, Advisor to ICESCO Director-General (DG) for the Federation of the Universities of the Islamic World (FUIW), highlighted the Organization’s role in promoting research in innovation and digitization and keeping pace with these rapidly evolving areas.

He noted that ICESCO held a high-level scientific symposium on “ChatGPT” last February, which explored the opportunities and challenges of artificial intelligence platforms as well as the benefits and risks they entail.

Dr. Halli emphasized that ICESCO seeks to promote awareness and usage of the “ChatBot” natural language processing tool among students in the Islamic world through workshops, conferences, and training sessions in universities across the region.

The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) participated in the third session of the Mediterranean Forum for Sustainable Development, held in Tetouan, Kingdom of Morocco, under the theme “Youth, to determine our future,” organized by the Moroccan Association of Education, Training and Social Development, in cooperation with the United Nations Information Center in Morocco, in the presence of 2000 participants, including ambassadors, heads of international organizations, institutions, experts in the field of development, and students from various disciplines.

During the three-day forum, which concluded its proceedings on Sunday (February 26, 2023), Dr. Muhammad Sharif, advisor to the Science and Technology Sector of ICESCO, reviewed the Organization’s efforts to support its Member States for achieving sustainable development goals through a number of initiatives, programs and projects in the fields of education, scientific research, innovation, culture and communication, and enhance the capacities of youth and women.

The forum also brought together some of the participants in the 2022 edition of the ICESCO Young Professional Program, which provides the opportunity for young competencies from Muslim countries to benefit from professional qualification in the specialized sectors, departments and centers of ICESCO, within the Organization’s vision and strategic orientations to build youth capacities and provide them with new professional skills that keep pace with the global technological development.

The Science and Technology Sector of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) held a meeting with the National Agency for Research and Innovation of the Republic of Indonesia, to explore the mechanisms of cooperation in the field of environmental protection, promotion of scientific research and knowledge sharing among Muslim countries.

During the meeting, held on Friday, 27 January 2023, via videoconference, Dr. Raheel Qamar, Head of the Science and Technology Sector, reviewed ICESCO’s efforts to strengthen the capacities of its Member States in the fields of science, technology, space sciences, environmental protection and combating the impact of climate change through several initiatives and programs.

For his part, Dr. Anang Setiawan Ahmadi, Director of the Center for Environmental Sciences and Ethnology at the National Agency for Research and Innovation, stressed the need to intensify international efforts to preserve forests, natural resources and biodiversity, and develop remote sensing and natural disaster risks reduction mechanisms.

The meeting saw the participation of several experts from ICESCO’s Science and Technology Sector and the Partnerships and International Cooperation Sector, in addition to the representatives of the National Agency for Research and Innovation.

On January 24 of every year, the world celebrates the International Day of Education, which is an opportunity to stress the key role of education in achieving peace and sustainable development and highlight the relevant international commitments. On this occasion, the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) reaffirms the basic human right to quality, comprehensive and equal education, and stresses the need to invest in education as a valuable and renewable resource to serve humanity by using modern technologies and moving from commitments to practices in transforming education.

On this day, ICESCO calls upon the international community to promote education, which is undergoing a severe global crisis in terms of equality, inclusiveness, quality and funding that hinder its functions and roles in addressing global challenges and building a better future for humanity. Thus, it is imperative to mobilize international efforts to consider, reimagine and shape the future of education in a different way to build a better future.

In the same vein, ICESCO’s active participation in the Education Transforming Summit, held at the United Nations Headquarters, in New York, on September 17-19, 2022, aimed to mobilize efforts and encourage commitment to take a new path in education and keep up with global developments given that a large number of countries, organizations and bodies, which participated in the summit, undertook to prioritize education issues and exert every effort to launch initiatives likely to turn education transformation into a reality.

Considering its mission, forward-looking vision and strategic orientations, ICESCO reaffirms its commitment to support its Member States’ efforts to transform education through follow-up on the implementation of the recommendations and outcomes of Education Transforming Education and ensure cooperation between various parties concerned, including international and regional organizations and bodies, and donors, to accelerate the shift from commitments to practices in transforming education and keep up with future challenges.

On Saturday, 14 January 2023, Mr. Muhammadu Sanusi II, former Emir of Kano State in Nigeria and advocate of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, and his accompanying delegation, visited the Exhibition and Museum of the Prophet’s Seerah and Islamic Civilization, currently housed at the headquarters of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) in Rabat.

Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, ICESCO Director-General, received the delegation and gave them an overview of the work of the Organization, noting that it adopts an approach of openness and cooperation with all parties, and attaches particular importance to supporting African countries to achieve sustainable development and face future challenges through initiatives and programs that anticipate the continent’s future in the fields of education, science and culture.

He also explained that the Exhibition is the first of its kind to be held outside the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, thanks to a strategic partnership between ICESCO, the Muslim World League (MWL), and the Mohammadia League of Scholars of the Kingdom of Morocco.

Dr. AlMalik accompanied Mr. Muhammadu Sanusi II and his delegation on a tour of the different pavilions and sections of the exhibition, which contain modern display techniques, narrate and document in detail the Seerah of our Prophet (pbuh), and take visitors on a virtual journey to his time.

Following the tour, Dr. Sanusi commended the valuable information and important messages presented by the Exhibition and Museum on Islamic tolerance and praised ICESCO’s initiative to host this major event.

The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) is holding a training session in Khartoum for young trainers on dialogue, peacebuilding and non-violence, in cooperation with the Ministry of Youth and Sports and the Sudanese National Commission for Education, Science and Culture.

The three-day session, launched on November 28, 2022, aims to qualify 40 young trainers from various provinces of Sudan and enhance their skills in peace and dialogue training through various activities and workshops focusing on denouncing violence and hate speech, as well as methods and mechanisms for consolidating the values of coexistence.

At the opening of the session, Mrs. Hazar Abdul-Rasoul Al-Ajab, Minister of Youth and Sports, Dr. Mahmoud Sir Al-Khatim Al-Houri, Minister of Education, and Dr. Wafaa Sayed, Secretary General of the Sudanese National Commission for Education, Science and Culture, delivered addresses, where they commended ICESCO’s initiatives to promote efforts and mobilize capacities and skills in order to consolidate peace and stability within societies.

The session touched upon the Organization’s key peacebuilding efforts, mainly the establishment of the Center for Civilizational Dialogue and the Regional Center for Education for a Culture of Peace in the city of Yamoussoukro in Côte d’Ivoire, as well as the launch of the Peace 360º Approach in Academia and the Leadership Training Program in Peace and Security (LTIPS).

Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), met with Dr. Mahmoud Mohieldin, climate champion of the Egyptian presidency of the Conference of Parties to the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27) and the United Nations Special Envoy for Financing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, to discuss the importance of joint action for accomplishing sustainable development.

During the meeting, which took place on Saturday, November 12, 2022, in Sharm El-Sheikh during the COP27 climate conference, Dr. AlMalik reviewed ICESCO’s efforts to support its Member States in achieving sustainable development and addressing the negative effects of climate change, mainly the launch of the initiative to establish a fund for safeguarding heritage sites and museums in the Islamic world from the effects of climate change, in addition to the Organization’s programmes to promote the transformation of the Islamic world cities into smart, resilient and sustainable cities.

The meeting touched upon the most effective ways to ensure sustainable funding that contributes to the achievement of the fund for safeguarding heritage sites and museums in the Islamic world, mainly encouraging ICESCO Member States to adopt green transformation initiatives and use clean energy in heritage sites and museums.

The Science and Technology Sector of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) took part in the annual Entreprise Forum aimed at casting light on modern technology applications, held by the VR/AR Association (VRARA) specialized in the fields of virtual reality and augmented reality.

The Forum, which was held via videoconference on Thursday, July 21, 2022, brought together various participants, including digital industry leaders, representatives of business institutions and companies, and businessmen in the field of modern technology, in addition to over 1000 attendees.
Forum sessions featured fruitful discussions on 3D content, digital twins, and digital solutions for epidemic tracking.

In his intervention during the forum, Dr. Abdul Rehman, Expert at ICESCO’s Science and Technology Sector, reviewed the Organization’s programmes and initiatives in the field of “Metaverse” and related applications, noting the challenges of financing, teaching and using modern technologies in the Member States, particularly in the African region. He also emphasized ICESCO’s contribution to developing technologies and supporting youth in innovation in the Islamic world, through its distinguished partnerships with the relevant competent authorities.

Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General (DG) of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), met with Maj. Gen. Khalid Abdel Aal, Governor of Cairo, Tuesday, April 12, 2022, at the headquarters of the Governorate in Cairo.

At the beginning of the meeting, Dr. AlMalik expressed his thanks to the Governorate of Cairo, represented by its Governor, for its cooperation to ensure the success of the inauguration of the celebration of Cairo as the Culture Capital in the Islamic World for 2022, which was organized, on April 10th, by the Egyptian Ministry of Culture in cooperation with ICESCO, a ceremony that reflected the long-standing civilization of the city of a thousand minarets.
The DG noted that Cairo enjoys a glorious history, expressing his wishes for this year-long celebration to be an opportunity to highlight the rich civilizational heritage of Cairo to the younger generations across the Islamic world.

For his part, Cairo Governor thanked the Director-General for his visit to the Governorate headquarters and the selection of Cairo as Culture Capital in the Islamic World for 2022, stressing that all the Governorate’s bodies will exert due efforts to ensure the success of the celebration.

At the close of the meeting, the DG and the Cairo Governor exchanged the Organization and the Governorate’s shields.

The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) is participating in the 4th Arab Sustainable Development Week, that the League of Arab States organizes, in partnership with the Egyptian Ministry of Planning and Economic Development, under the theme “Together for Sustainable Recovery,” under the patronage of His Excellency President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, with the participation of high-level representatives of many international organizations, private institutions and civil society. The event aims at discussing the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic and flexible recovery through sustainability standards and development planning.

Ms. Amira Al-Fadil, Head of Partnerships and International Cooperation Sector at ICESCO represents the Organization in the Arab Week, which kicked off on Sunday, February 13, 2022, in Cairo. ICESCO’s participation comes within the framework of the Organization’s new vision and action strategy, which seeks to support Member States’ efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Agenda 2030 through activities in its areas of competence, namely education, science, culture and communication.

The Week’s program features the launch of the Arab Initiative to End Hunger and the Arab Science and Technology Network for Sustainable Development as well as reviewing the inspiring experiences of Arab youth in the field of sustainable development and issuing a report on sustainable development financing in Egypt.

The working sessions of the Arab for Sustainable Development Week address topics related to the Arab Sustainability Initiative, urban water security for sustainable development, the role of digital transformation and artificial intelligence in achieving Sustainable Development Goals, and anticipating the future opportunities and skills considering modern technological changes and the post-Covid-19 world.

The participants will also explore the role of funding institutions in achieving sustainability, supporting the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals in conflict-affected countries and conducting studies on impact assessment, and supporting institutions to reach a comprehensive approach towards comprehensive recovery, well-being and quality of life.