UAE Education Authority Strengthens Ties with Islamic Cultural Organization

SHARJAH - The UAE National Commission for Education, Culture and Science dispatched a formal delegation to the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation’s Regional Office in Sharjah, signalling a structured push to deepen institutional cooperation between the two bodies across education, science and culture.

Leading the delegation was Ibtesam Al Zaabi, Acting Secretary-General of the National Commission, accompanied by Zahra Al Mulla, Senior Specialist for Specialised Organisations, and Aisha Al Muhairi, International Organisations Specialist. Salem Omar Salem, Director of the ICESCO Regional Office in Sharjah, received them alongside the office’s regional team.

Additional reference context is available at https://sharjah24.ae/en/Articles/2026/09/02/Ma4.

The meeting centred on expanding the coordination framework between the two institutions. Both sides examined cooperation opportunities, mechanisms for expertise exchange, and potential collaborative programmes aligned with their shared mandates in education, science and culture. The discussions reflected a commitment to reinforcing these partnerships at both local and regional levels.

The delegation also toured the regional office’s new headquarters. Staff provided briefings on available resources, facilities and the operational structures through which ICESCO develops and implements its activities. The tour gave the visiting officials direct insight into how the office organises its work to advance the organisation’s mandate.

Salem Omar Salem used the occasion to outline the office’s areas of focus, presenting its key programmes, current initiatives and forward priorities. He underscored the office’s role in sustaining ICESCO’s institutional presence across the region. In remarks following the meeting, Salem described the visit as an important opportunity to exchange views on joint work, present the office’s programmes, and identify new avenues for partnership. He stated that the office remains committed to building effective institutional partnerships that contribute to developing high-quality initiatives and facilitating the exchange of expertise and knowledge in service of ICESCO’s objectives.

The programme also included a cultural hospitality component featuring dishes representing different traditions within the regional office’s area of work, with staff providing brief introductions to the cultural backgrounds of each offering. The gesture created an atmosphere conducive to dialogue between the delegation and the office team.

Al Zaabi commended the activities and initiatives undertaken by the ICESCO Regional Office in Sharjah. The diversity of its programmes and the quality of their implementation, she said, reflect the scope and ambition of the office’s work. She pointed to the cooperation already established between the two sides and stressed the importance of expanding it in the coming phase, particularly in areas of mutual interest.

At the conclusion of the visit, Al Zaabi signed the regional office’s visitors’ book. The office presented her with a commemorative shield in recognition of the visit and the opportunities it created to strengthen communication and cooperation between the two institutions. Whether those opportunities translate into formal joint programmes will be the measure of what the meeting actually delivered.