On Wednesday 30 January 2020, the 40th session of the Executive Council of the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, held in Abu Dhabi, State of the United Arab Emirates, adopted the modification of the name of the Organization into "Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization" (ICESCO). In this regard, Dr. Salim M. Almalik, ICESCO Director General,2 stated that the modification of the name of the organization aims to clarify the nature of its missions, and open wide prospects for its presence at the international level. The Director General also highlighted that the new name accurately reflects the nature of the civilizational mission of ICESCO in the fields of education, science, culture and communication, as well as its purposes and objectives.3
ICESCO's objectives are "to strengthen and promote cooperation among the Member States in the fields of education, science, culture and communication; consolidate understanding among peoples inside and outside Member State; contribute to world peace and security through various means; publicize the true image of Islam and Islamic culture; promote dialogue among civilizations, cultures and religions; encourage cultural interaction and foster cultural diversity in the Member States, while preserving cultural identity and intellectual integrity."4
ICESCO includes three organizations:
The Charter of Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), stipulates that every full Member State of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) shall become a member of ICESCO upon officially signing the Charter, and having completed the membership legal and legislative formalities and informed, in writing, the General Directorate of ICESCO. A State which is not a full member, or is an observer member of OIC, cannot become member of ICESCO.
ICESCO consists of fifty-three Member States, along with three Observer States, out of the fifty-seven Member States of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation – OIC. ICESCO Member States are listed below according to their Arabic alphabetical order.
The acronym ICESCO is formed from the initials of the Organization's name: IslamiC World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.
"History | Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization – ISESCO –". www.isesco.org.ma. Retrieved 2018-02-24. http://www.isesco.org.ma/history/ ↩
"Dr Salim M Al-Malik". The Muslim 500. October 2019. Retrieved 2021-09-30. https://themuslim500.com/profiles/salim-m-al-malik/ ↩
"Unanimously, ICESCO Executive Council adopts Modification of Organization Name – ICESCO-En". 30 January 2020. Retrieved 2020-02-28. https://www.icesco.org/en/2020/01/30/unanimously-icesco-executive-council-adopts-modification-of-organization-name/ ↩
http://www.isesco.org.ma/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/OIC-Organs-Institutions.pdf Archived 2017-03-01 at the Wayback Machine [bare URL PDF] http://www.isesco.org.ma/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/OIC-Organs-Institutions.pdf ↩
"Organs | Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization – ISESCO –". www.isesco.org.ma. Archived from the original on 2017-10-24. Retrieved 2018-02-24. https://web.archive.org/web/20171024095443/https://www.isesco.org.ma/organs/ ↩