Following the closing ceremony of the Celebration of Doha, Capital of Culture in the Islamic World for 2021, Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General (DG) of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) met Sheikh Abdul Rahman bin Hamad Al Thani, Minister of Culture of Qatar. The meeting discussed ways to develop cooperation between ICESCO and the State of Qatar in the cultural fields.

During this meeting, held on Thursday (January 20, 2022), in Doha, ICESCO DG reviewed the Organization’s new vision and its recent achievements and strategic orientations presented during the Executive Council, in Egypt, last December.

The meeting considered cooperation proposals between the two parties through the adoption of various initiatives that ICESCO will launch in 2022, in the various areas of culture to contribute to its development in the Islamic world. The proposals also include training sessions on appraising, protecting and preserving heritage as well as inscribing heritage sites on the Islamic World Heritage List of ICESCO.

For his part, Sheikh Abdul Rahman bin Hamad Al Thani commended the development and modernization of ICESCO’s working mechanisms and its new and forward-looking vision, praising ICESCO’s proclamation of Doha as the Capital of Culture in the Islamic World for 2021, and the activities and initiatives of this celebration despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

At the close of the meeting, ICESCO DG invited Sheikh Abdul Rahman bin Hamad Al Thani to visit ICESCO Headquarters, in Rabat. The Minister promised to plan the visit at the earliest convenience.

ICESCO DG also toured the Doha International Book Fair, which is held under the slogan “Science is Light,” with the participation of more than 430 publishing houses from 37 countries, presenting their latest intellectual, literary and scientific productions marking the great international development in all fields.