Category: Front Page

The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), in partnership with Oracle’s Research and Development Center in Morocco, held the Second Session of the Regional Workshop on Bridging Curricula and the Tech Industry. The event aimed to support Member States’ efforts in keeping pace with digital transformations and accelerating the development of more effective innovation ecosystems. The workshop brought together about 50 university professors, researchers, and experts from engineering schools and higher education institutions.

Held on Wednesday, February 18, 2026, in Tangier, Kingdom of Morocco, the workshop focused on identifying gaps between academic training and industry needs. Participants explored practical solutions to enhance graduates’ readiness for emerging technologies, improve their employability, and align university programs with the evolving job market.

In this context, Dr. Issam Krimi, an Expert from ICESCO’s Science and Environment Sector, delivered a presentation on the vital role of sustainable partnerships between universities and industries in modernizing curricula and linking them to productive realities, stressing that such collaborations foster innovation-driven development across Member States. Meanwhile, Mr. Mohammed Rashwan, from ICESCO’s Young Professionals Program, highlighted the importance of participatory approaches in program design to bring together academic and economic stakeholders.

The workshop featured two presentations by representatives of the Oracle Center, namely Ms. Yousra Elhatib, Strategy Director, and Ms. Valerie Hayotte, Director of University Skills Development for Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. The two experts proposed practical integration pathways and areas of cooperation to bridge the divide between education and the workforce.

At the close of the workshop, participants stressed the need to build sustainable coordination channels between academic institutions and industry partners and to develop collaboration models that incorporate hands-on training, career guidance, and up-to-date pedagogical content.

The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) held on Friday, 13 February 2026, at its headquarters in Rabat, a roundtable celebrating the 9th centenary anniversary of the birth of Ibn Rochd, titled “The Legacy of Ibn Rochd: Landmarks for Thinking Tomorrow”. The event was organized in partnership with the French Institute in Morocco and brought together a distinguished group of philosophers, researchers, and specialists in Medieval Thought.

This initiative is part of the “Philosophical Encounters” program launched by ICESCO’s Center of Strategic Foresight and Artificial Intelligence, aiming to provide a space for intellectual dialogue and the exchange of views on issues of philosophy and knowledge, while deepening debate on philosophical heritage and its continually renewed questions.

In his opening remarks, Dr. Kais Hammami, Director of the Center of Strategic Foresight and Artificial Intelligence, stressed that commemorating the 9th centenary anniversary of the birth of Ibn Rochd is an invitation to revisit a body of thought whose modernity remains striking. He recalled that certain intellectual figures constitute a living human heritage whose reinterpretation is essential for understanding present challenges and contributing to shaping future choices.

Dr. Hammami highlighted the importance of engaging with Ibn Rochd’s thought at a time of technological, environmental, and social transformations, emphasizing the need to place reason at the core of understanding the world and interpreting its phenomena. He added that foresight is not merely a predictive technique but a long-term intellectual culture.

For his part, Dr. Jean-Baptiste Brenet, French philosopher and Professor of Arabic Philosophy at Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne University, noted that Ibn Rochd’s works, which have not yet all been edited and published, have had a profound impact on various intellectual and religious traditions. He added that each era returns to Ibn Rochd to question its own concerns, including contemporary issues related to Artificial Intelligence.

The roundtable was moderated by Dr. Pauline Koetschet, Director of the Department of Arabic Studies at the French Institute for the Near East (IFPO). The sessions featured specialized scholarly presentations, during which Dr. Fouad Ben Ahmed, Professor of Philosophy at Dar Al-Hadith Al-Hassania in Morocco, offered a critical reading of the thesis of the “death of philosophy in Islam after Ibn Rochd,” arguing that it is based on a reductive historical conception and calling for moving beyond simplistic interpretations of intellectual history.

Safia Zghal, researcher in philosophy at Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne University, examined modern uses of the figure of Ibn Rochd through the early twentieth-century debate between Mohammed Abdo and Farah Anton, showing how each relied on Ibn Rochd to defend a distinct vision of the relationship between religion, reason, and modernity.

The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) and Fujairah University in the United Arab Emirates explored avenues of cooperation in media literacy, building the capacities of media professionals and content creators across the Islamic world, and promoting ethical AI use in the media field. The two parties discussed cooperation during a meeting at the University’s headquarters on Wednesday, February 11, 2026, between Dr. Sulaiman Al Jassim, Chancellor of the University of Fujairah, and Mr. Osama Heikal, Director of ICESCO’s Media and Communication Sector.

The two parties reviewed opportunities for cooperation between the Organization and the University, particularly in strengthening media literacy, with the aim of protecting younger generations against the influx of fake news and misleading information. They also stressed the need to equip students and youth with critical thinking and analytical skills to navigate the growing volume of digital content with responsibility and awareness.

For his part, Mr. Heikal stressed the importance of shaping media messages amid the rapid surge in AI technologies, highlighting the need for an ethical framework that maximizes AI’s benefits in media while upholding professional standards and moral principles.

In this regard, the ICESCO official stated that the Riyadh Charter for Artificial Intelligence in the Islamic World, launched by ICESCO in partnership with the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA), provides a roadmap for developing AI technologies in harmony with the ethical values and principles of the Islamic world.

For his part, Dr. Al Jassim expressed keen interest in partnering with ICESCO’s Media and Communication Sector to support the ongoing comprehensive development measures at the University’s College of Communication, set to roll out in the coming months.

The Islamic World Heritage Committee concluded its 13th meeting, held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, from 10 to 12 February 2026, announcing the inscription of 117 new historical sites and cultural elements on ICESCO’s Islamic World Heritage Lists from 16 countries, bringing the total number of sites and elements inscribed on ICESCO’s Heritage Lists to 841 cultural and civilizational sites and elements.

The meeting considered the proclamation of Samarkand as the Culture Capital in the Islamic World for 2025 and discussed and adopted a number of strategic decisions and documents. The Committee adopted the vision of the ICESCO Islamic World Heritage Center, followed up on the implementation of the decisions of the Committee’s previous meeting and the recommendations of the Conference of Ministers of Culture in Jeddah, and approved the document on the “Islamic World Heritage Portal Initiative.”

At the close of its meeting, the Committee issued a set of recommendations, including updating the Heritage Portal, intensifying technical support missions to Member States for the preparation of nomination files, adopting best management practices for the preservation of cultural sites and elements, developing a communication strategy to publicize the elements inscribed on the ICESCO Heritage List, and developing a set of strategies to address the impact of climate change on heritage and the protection of heritage in situations of conflict.

The meeting kicked off with an address by Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, ICESCO Director-General, delivered on his behalf by Dr. Mohamed Zinelabidine, Head of the Organization’s Culture Sector, in which he affirmed ICESCO’s commitment to protecting heritage in light of circumstances that place a major cultural responsibility on everyone, given that the Islamic world’s heritage represents no more than 11% of the World Heritage List, whereas more than 62% of the sites included on the List of World Heritage in Danger are found in Member States.

For his part, Eng. Mohammed Al-Aidarous, Chairman of the Islamic World Heritage Committee, stressed the need to adopt a proactive approach to address the under-representation of Islamic world heritage on world lists and to protect endangered sites.

On the sidelines of the meeting, Dr. Webber Ndoro, Director of the ICESCO Islamic World Heritage Center, and Mr. Everin Rutbl, Director of the International Institute of Central Asian Studies (IICAS), signed a memorandum of understanding with a view to building cooperation in preserving and exploring the rich heritage of Central Asia and developing cultural ties among the peoples of the region.

The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) and the Arab Gulf Programme for Development (AGFUND) discussed ways to strengthen their strategic partnership under the memorandum of understanding signed between the two parties, with the aim of implementing joint programs to support the education sector in Sudan and vulnerable groups in Syria, and to enhance cooperation in development media.

This came during a coordination meeting held on Tuesday, 10 February 2026, at the headquarters of the Arab Open University in Riyadh, bringing together Dr. Barakat Al Wegyan, Head of the Communication Division at ICESCO’s Media and Communication Sector, and Hammam bin Juraid, CEO of AGFUND.

During the meeting, the two sides underlined the importance of media and communication as key instruments in supporting the implementation of joint development programs and the role of development media in documenting the impact of these programs in advancing communities and strengthening international partnerships. They also discussed the possibility of implementing training programs for journalists and content creators in the Member States.

The two parties agreed to maintain coordination and to hold an expanded meeting at ICESCO headquarters in Rabat to examine mechanisms for implementing the proposed programs and initiatives.

In a related context, Dr. Barakat Al Wegyan discussed with Dr. Mohammad Ibrahim Al-Zakari, President of the Arab Open University, prospects for joint cooperation, particularly in implementing specialized training programs through the University’s branches in several Arab countries.