In its bid to encourage medical and specialized scientific research, thereby promoting humanitarian and social undertakings as its core objective, the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) announced setting up a US$200,000 prize award for individuals or group who will find an effective cure or develop vaccine against Coronavirus (Corvid 19).

         The ICESCO Director General, Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, reaffirmed this initiative, reflecting the Organization’s awareness of the serious repercussions of this virus, threatening to become a global pandemic with serious impact on the world socio-economic situation.

Dr. AlMalik added that setting up this Prize goes in harmony with ICESCO’s new vision which highlights the need to adopt applied scientific research as a tool to find appropriate solutions to exigent and challenging issues, calling on all governments, international organizations and civil society institutions to assume their roles and intensify their efforts to counter the spread of this dangerous virus.

In the same context, Dr. AlMalik reiterated his sympathy for the families of the victims who lost their lives to this virus, and reasserts the Organization’s absolute readiness to assume its humanitarian role to abate the continued proliferation of the deadly contagion.