ICESCO Center for Arabic for Non-Arabic Speakers at the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) held a meeting with the Center for Translation, Arabization and Sparking Interest in Arabic in the Sultanate of Oman, of the General Secretariat of the Gulf Cooperation Council, to explore prospects for cooperation in the field of Arabic for non-Arabic speakers.

Dr. Majidi Haji Ibrahim, Head of ICESCO’s Center for Arabic for Non-Arabic Speakers, Dr. Youssef Ismaili, Expert at the Center, and Ms. Rajae El Hakkouni, program assistant, represented ICESCO in the meeting while Dr. Abdullah bin Saif Al-Toobi, Head of the Center for Translation, Arabization and Sparking Interest in Arabic, represented the Center.

During the meeting, held on Tuesday, 15 March 2022, at ICESCO Headquarters in Rabat, the two parties explored avenues for cooperation in the field of the Arabic language. Dr. Abdullah bin Saif Al-Toobi reviewed the Center’s action areas and objectives mainly strengthening the status of Arabic and coordinating with the concerned authorities in the fields of translation and Arabization. He highlighted the need to be guided by the expertise of the ICESCO Center for Arabic for Non-Arabic Speakers, especially with regard to the implementation of activities and programs.

For their part, ICESCO representatives reviewed the role of the ICESCO Center for the Arabic for Non-Arabic Speakers and its efforts to publicize Arabic and strengthen its position inside and outside the ICESCO Member States.

At the close of the meeting, the two parties agreed to start cooperating by holding a set of activities in the field of Arabic education during 2022, with the hope to expand the horizons of cooperation to include various other programs and projects.