Secretary General Encourages More Cultural Exchanges among Member States

Date: 02/11/2015

At the opening ceremony of the 9th Islamic Conference of Cultural Ministers (ICCM) that is being held at the Omani capital, Muscat, the Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, Mr. Iyad Ameen Madani, delivered a statement in which he, inter alia, encouraged Member States to be more active in implementing initiatives geared towards improved cultural exchanges among them. He also called for creation of stages, venues, and channels for more cultural interaction within the OIC, as well as how to make the current stages more known and with wider impact. Mr. Madani also highlighted challenges that face the Muslim world in terms of cultures of oppression, discrimination, and marginalization, as well as cultural destruction and cult of the sect. In this context and with a view to addressing those challenges, he made proposals to move forward and build on what has been accomplished, including the review of the Cultural Strategy of the Islamic World, the establishment of an “OIC Festival of Cultural expression” on the margins of each Conference of Ministers of Culture, which is convened every two years, the building of bridges of cultural exchanges, workshops, events, completion and translation, the need for a proactive approach in terms of how Islamic culture is presented to others. Taking into account the threat upon Islamic cultural heritage, he called on ISESCO and IRCICA to join hands so as to organize an international seminar on “Islamic Action to Protect Cultural Heritage” sometimes in 2016. The 9th ICCM, under the theme “Towards a Middle Stance Culture Favouring Muslim Societies’ Development”, is being hosted by the Sultanate of Oman, following the expiration of two-year chairmanship of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The Conference was declared open by H.H. Sayyid Haitham bin Tariq al-Said, the Omani Minister of Heritage and Culture, in an opening ceremony also addressed by H.E Dr. Abdulaziz Othman Altwaijiri, ISESCO Director General, and H.E. Dr. Adel Bin Zayd Al-Tarifi, Saudi Minister of Culture and Media, with the attendance of Ministers and Heads of Delegation from 38 OIC Member States and a host of invited guests representing OIC Observer States, regional and international organizations. It may be mentioned here that, as part of activities related to the 9th ICCM, the city of Nizwa, in Oman, along with Almaty (Kazakhstan) and Cotonou (Benin), are being celebrated as the Capitals of Islamic Culture for 2015 in representation of the three OIC geographical region, which is being seen as a great opportunity for the Member States to turn such celebration into true cultural events. 
The Conference is expected to adopt resolutions and a Muscat Declaration, dwelling on the challenges the Muslim world is facing in terms of protection and promotion of its culture.

Other Press

No press releases assigned to this case yet.