The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), in partnership with the Faculty of Letters and Humanities of Mohammed V University in Rabat, held a workshop to share the content of ICESCO’s “Guide on Mental Health and Psychosocial Support for Families, Communities and Educational Actors” announced by the Organization as part of its “The Societies We Want” initiative to support the efforts of Member States to face various crises.

The workshop, which was held on Friday 4 November 2022 at the Faculty of Arts and Humanities in Rabat and by videoconference, aimed at sharing experiences on the Guide and shining light on the general context and the conceptual, theoretical and methodological framework of its publication, as well as considering the possibility of expanding its targeted beneficiaries.

ICESCO was represented at this workshop by a delegation made up of Mrs. Ramata Almamy Mbaye, Head of the Human and Social Sciences Sector, Dr. Mohamed Zine El Abidine, Head of the Culture and Communication Sector, and Dr. Koumbou Bolly Barry, Head of the Education Sector, in addition to several experts.

At the beginning of the workshop, Mrs. Ramata Almamy Mbaye thanked all the partners who contributed to the preparation of the Guide and underlined the general context of its publication as part of ICESCO’s continuous efforts to address the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on the countries of the Islamic world and the Muslim communities. She reaffirmed that the initiative of “The Societies We Want” aims at building safe societies through the exchange of experiences between institutions, bodies and international organizations.

For his part, Dr. Zine El Abidine reviewed ICESCO’s orientations within the framework of its new vision and action strategy, which adopts openness to cooperate with academic institutions, civil society organizations and donors, aiming to support Member States’ development efforts and contributing to the development of social, health and educational welfare, among other things.

In the same vein, Dr. Jamal Eddine El Hani, dean of the Faculty of Letters and Humanities, welcomed the participants to the workshop and stressed the importance of this Guide that can assist families, educational managers and local communities to cope with various pressures.

In her speech, Ms. Naseem Awl, Deputy Representative of UNICEF in Morocco, welcomed the cooperation between ICESCO and UNICEF, stressing the importance of addressing mental health issues through a psychosocial approach and focusing on children and vulnerable groups.

Then, Dr. El Mostafa Rezrazi, on behalf of the team in charge of preparing the Guide, made a presentation on the aspects related to the conceptual, theoretical and methodological framework of the Guide and the general context of its publication, along with a summary of the guidelines and best practices concerning the protection of the child, the family, the school and the local communities in times of crisis.

At the end of the workshop, in which many National Commissions of ICESCO Member States took part, the floor was given to participants who raised questions and ideas that enriched the debate.