IUIU Cultural Event: OIC Secretary General Underscored the Importance of Education in Reinforcing Sustainable Development in Member States

The General Secretariat of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in close cooperation and coordination with the Islamic University in Uganda (IUIU), Kampala City, co-organized a two-days cultural event under the theme “culture, education and development: experiences from the Muslim world” on 11th and 12th of June 2022.

In his statement delivered on his behalf by Ambassador Tarig Ali Bakhiet, H.E the Secretary-General Mr. Hissein Brahim Taha, extended thanks to the IUIU for collaborating with the OIC to make this unique cultural event happen. He highlighted the role of education in creating dynamic spaces of cultural interaction and optimal outreach channels to connect Muslim communities within the OIC bigger family while offering opportunities to better train the youth in the Muslim world and to build their capacities to be role models and actors of genuine change and development in their countries.

This cultural event is organized in implementation of Council of Foreign Minister’s successive resolutions calling for the reinforcement of cultural links and cooperation networks among member states and diverse international partners to promote cultural rapprochement among Muslim countries, members of OIC and build bridges of Cultural understanding with other cultures and civilizations.

The event was characterized by the wide and significant participation of international actors from member states including government officials, heads of educational and youth institutions, political leaders, academic professors, local community leaders, parliamentarians, a representative of the Ministry of Education and Sports of Uganda and diplomats representing the diplomatic corps in Kampala.

A number of OIC institutions participated also in this event with stands showcasing their activities including IRCICA, ICYF, IUMS, Islamic University of Technology (IUT) in Bangladesh, among other international participants.

This two-days event was an opportunity to expose the diversity of Islamic culture in a university that brings together students from more than ten African countries, which reflects how an educational institute can be an incubator of cultural exchange and a promoter of cultural understanding and cooperation within the OIC geography and the larger African space.

The event reflects also the OIC commitment to promoting the great causes that underpin its mission, including fostering cooperation among member states, underscoring the value of education in development, reinforcing the sense of Muslim unity, building the capacities of the youth in the Muslim World and opening huge doors for further collaboration in science, education and sustainable development.

Source: Organization of Islamic Cooperation