Salem Omar Salem, Director of the Regional Office of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (ICESCO) in Sharjah, said the office had drafted a comprehensive strategy, which was discussed with the organisation's management and will soon be presented to H.H. Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah.

In a statement to the Emirates News Agency (WAM), Salem stated that the regional office's charter includes working jointly with other entities for the organisation's overall objectives, drafting a plan to attract talent and expertise, preparing relevant activities and events, and entering into partnerships with local and international cultural and governmental bodies, adding the office will also participate in cultural committees in various countries to organise on-site programmes and events in those countries or the UAE.

He further explained that the office would work under its new strategy to study cultural indicators in the country, which will, in turn, have an impact on economic indicators, stressing cultural indicators are essential to the economic assessment of any country. It is necessary to update these indicators, especially considering the significant advancements made by Arab Gulf countries, especially in this field.

Salem stressed that there are initiatives to leverage the UAE’s infrastructure in space, technology, programming, health sciences, humanitarianism and cultural exchange among nations, which involve collaborating with scientific universities in the emirate, including the University of Sharjah, the American University of Sharjah and the Higher Colleges of Technology (HCT). Additionally, there is communication with private educational institutions, such as the Etisalat Academy, to benefit from their programmes and attract students from the Islamic world for mutual benefits, along with Al Qasimia University, he further added.

“We look forward to collaborating with cultural entities at the Gulf level and the countries covered by the regional office, cooperating with private entities to benefit from their expertise, and holding specialist quality programmes that will benefit all parties. We will also work on promoting the organisation’s regional office, in collaboration with media and specialist cultural entities, as well as prominent social media platforms, to enrich the office's work,” Salem stated.

He also highlighted the office's plan to participate in the upcoming edition of the Sharjah International Book Fair, noting that the organisation has many publications that will be showcased at the fair in a dedicated pavilion. It will collaborate with a group of publishers to distribute the organisation's publications on their digital platforms and libraries worldwide, and it plans to participate in scientific exhibitions and conferences related to space and technology.

In cooperation with the University of Sharjah, a specialist space programme will nominate students to participate in a training camp organised by the organisation in Türkiye in July, where they will launch a space satellite the size of a soft drink can into space, which will receive and transmit space signals, he added.

Salem also pointed out that the office is currently working on special arrangements to establish a dedicated website that will highlight its work, including its goals, achievements, programmes, events and plans to benefit students, researchers and journalists; adding digital content will also be increased on all platforms affiliated with the office.

The new website will be launched by the end of 2023, and efforts are underway to allocate an Islamic cultural platform that will serve Sharjah’s cultural vision and the organisation’s vision, in general, including all information, research and matters related to Islamic culture, he further added.

He then highlighted the office’s role in the field of education aimed at improving the skills of teachers and the education system in schools and universities in the country and the region through development programmes and conferences, as well as in preserving and safeguarding tangible and intangible heritage in countries covered by the office, through documenting them and developing an international standard in line with the international orientations of other organisations.

The office will also continue working with the organisation's headquarters through quality activities, specialist programmes and scientific research papers on various cultural, artistic, theatrical and heritage topics to enrich the cultural level of societies, including the preservation of archaeological sites in the country and other countries covered by the office, he further said.

Salem affirmed that the office aims to exchange scientific studies and cultural indicators with member countries of the organisation and enrich their scientific and cultural scenes at the level of schools and universities in cooperation with relevant organisations.

Decisions are made based on data and evidence that support innovation, and on being risk-aware by adopting a flexible and responsive working model and committing to the highest standards of performance and efficiency in governance, through adopting quality and excellence standards, providing proactive and fair services to all stakeholders, ingraining a participatory institutional culture, ensuring effective communication, and developing a working model that will achieve appropriate results and goals with optimal investment in human resources, he said in conclusion