The Headquarters of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), in Rabat, witnessed, on Thursday, September 23, 2021, the closing ceremony of the ICESCO Program for Leadership Training in Peace and Security (LTIPS) for women and youth. The meeting announced the code of engagement of ICESCO Youth Ambassadors for Peace, and distributed certificates to members of the cohort from more than 20 countries, who are now official peace ambassadors of ICESCO.

The closing ceremony of LTIPS, implemented in partnership with UNESCO Maghreb Office, the Conference of Education Ministers of French-speaking Countries (CONFEMEN), the Conference of Ministers of Youth and Sports of French-speaking Countries (CONFEJES), and Luanda Conference brought together officials and ambassadors from various countries and the representatives of a group of international organizations and bodies both at ICESCO headquarters, in Rabat, and via videoconference.

In his opening address, Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, ICESCO Director-General (DG), stressed that peace is an essential component of the Islamic civilization, which is a prerequisite for building a prosperous society. He underscored that “it is not possible to build and form an active human capital capable of handling challenges without peace and security.”

Dr. AlMalik also pointed out that ICESCO has become a leading Organization in building peace and security through building its multiple partnerships, and its strategy based on integrating peace issues in the fields of education, noting that ICESCO’s LTIPS aims to focus on the essential role of youth and women as builders of peace and security in their communities.

Mr. Tun Musa bin Hitam, former Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia, highlighted the importance of women and youth training programs to form peace ambassadors who contribute to building peaceful and secure societies, calling for cooperation between all parties to alleviate the suffering of displaced people in conflict areas.

In a speech delivered on his behalf by Dr. Mustapha Messaoudi, Secretary-General of the Ministry, Mr. Othman El Ferdaous, Moroccan Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports, commended ICESCO’s initiative to train women and youth leaders as active parties in building peace and citizenship. Dr. Faisal bin Muaammar, Secretary-General of King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz International Center for Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue (KAICED), called for intensifying cooperation to implement similar training programs that promote a culture of peace and security.

Mr. ElHadj As Sy, Chairman of the Board of Kofi Annan Foundation, congratulated ICESCO on the success of its training program, calling for concerted efforts to combat violence. Dr. Abdel Rahmane Baba-Moussa, Secretary-General of CONFEMEN, stressed the importance of improving the quality of education as an essential way to build safe societies. Mr. Modibo Traoré, Deputy Secretary-General of CONFEJES, indicated that the conference programs aim to consolidate the principles of peace and social cohesion through sports activities.

Mr. Salah Khaled, Director of UNESCO’s Regional Office for Central Africa, commended the ICESCO’s program aimed at promoting peace and security through training youth and women.

Afterward, the code of engagement of ICESCO Youth Ambassadors for Peace was read out in the three languages ​​of the Organization, which stipulates the commitment of the young ambassadors to take the necessary measures to spread peace and security while addressing all forms of violence and extremism, focusing on women and youth in building peace, and refraining from promoting any political agenda or taking any political stance that would undermine the efforts and missions of ICESCO and its partners.

During the ceremony, four members of the 2021 cohort of the ICESCO training program received the Peace Leadership Support Award, and 30 cohort members from more than 20 countries received certificates of participation to officially become ICESCO Ambassadors for Peace.

At the close of the ceremony, the winners of the Peace Leadership Support Award presented their projects. Besides, the participants discovered the future stages of ICESCO’s LTIPS program.