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RIYADH: The Organization of Islamic Cooperation has urged the international community to protect the rights of refugees around the world, particularly with regard to their access to education.
The call was made at the end of the eighth annual seminar held by the OIC’s Independent Permanent Human Rights Commission. The two-day event, titled “Islamic Perspectives on Protection of Refugees: Rights and Access to Education,” was held in Kuala Lumpur in collaboration with the Malaysian government. It was attended by IPHRC members as well as experts from academia, multilateral and intergovernmental organizations, and representatives of OIC member and observer states.
The participants called for “identifying gaps and making proposals on ways forward, including building the capacities and capabilities of host countries, to provide the best educational opportunities for refugee children; addressing gender dimensions in refugee education, including online learning opportunities; strengthening national legislation and development plans; improve refugee access to education, and to identify ways to enhance international cooperation to address refugee issues.”
They recommended the adoption by the IPHRC of the “Kuala Lumpur Declaration on Refugee Rights and Access to Education” as the final document of the symposium. They also called for the establishment of a special institution, mechanism or fund within the OIC system through a mandate by the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers with the aim of laying a methodological basis for improving the welfare of refugee communities in OIC countries based on a burden-sharing approach.
IPHRC Chairman Haci Ali Acikgul stressed the need to develop cooperative links between all OIC member states and the commission to promote best practices to ensure the full protection of refugees’ rights in accordance with Islamic teachings and international human rights law.
The attendees also welcomed the establishment of the Global Islamic Refugee Fund “as an innovative Shariah-compliant instrument to invest in the humanitarian response to forced displacement,” which was adopted by the Islamic Solidarity Fund for Development — the humanitarian arm of the Islamic Development Bank — in partnership with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. They also urged OIC member states to support the initiative to address refugee issues and protect their welfare, including the coordination of resources for the purpose of providing education, health services and livelihoods for refugees.
Malaysian Foreign Minister Dato’ Sri Saifuddin bin Abdullah proposed the establishment of an OIC Refugee Education Foundation to design, facilitate and develop interventions in all relevant areas for refugees’ education.
According to UNHCR figures there were about 27.1 million refugees and 4.6 million asylum-seekers worldwide at the end of last year. UNESCO says that 50 percent of the world’s refugees and asylum-seekers are under the age of 18.
Dr. Abdualraheem Almoghathawi, a former professor of graduate studies at the Islamic University of Madinah, said: “Refugees are in a state of alienation and distance from their families, friends and relatives, and therefore they are in an abnormal condition and not qualified to live a decent life.”
Providing educational opportunities at all levels and in accordance with refugees’ needs was one of their most basic rights, he added.
“There are many ways and means to activate this lofty goal, including the formation of a fund for the education of refugees in the world, and its support must be from several reliable bodies.”
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia now has 21 universities that have achieved significant high scores to make a global rankings list, 40 percent more than last year, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Wednesday.
The Times Higher Education World University Rankings, published annually since 2004, is based on 13 performance indicators that measure an institution’s performance across four areas: Teaching, research, knowledge transfer and international outlook.
Six local universities entered the 2023 list for the first time, seven made progress in their positions, and six maintained their rankings.
The Kingdom now has its leading university just one place short of the world’s top-100 higher education institutions.
King Abdulaziz University is now 101 in the world, a massive jump from 190 in last year’s ranking.
This was followed by King Fahd University of Petroleum in group 201-250 and King Saud University in the 251-300 group.
Al-Faisal University ranked fourth in group 301-350, University of Hail in 351-400, with Imam Muhammad bin Saud Islamic University entering the classification for the first time, also in the 351-400 group.
This was followed by Jazan University, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Majmaah University, Prince Sattam bin Abdulaziz University and Taif University.
The classification depends on several indicators including innovation, number of doctorates and bachelor’s degrees, university’s income, reputation in research, research income, annual research papers, citations annually, international diversity and learning environment.
According to the website of the rankings body, the University of Oxford is in first place for the seventh consecutive year. Harvard University remains in second place, but the University of Cambridge jumps from joint fifth last year to joint third.
The US is the most-represented country overall, with 177 institutions, and also the most represented in the top 200 (58).
Mainland China now has the fourth-highest number of institutions in the top 200 (11 compared with 10 last year), having overtaken Australia, which has dropped to fifth (joint with the Netherlands).
RIYADH: The Global Health Exhibition, which recently ended in Riyadh, saw policymakers, professionals and companies discuss critical challenges facing the local and global industry.
The exhibition ran from Oct. 9 to 11 at the Riyadh International Convention and Exhibition Center with over 250 exhibitors from more than 30 countries.
Local and international companies that participated included 3M Arabia, Abbott, Al-Borg Diagnostics, Ajlan and Bros Group, Baxter, NEOM, Philips, Siemens and NUPCO.
With the Kingdom’s industry changing rapidly, this year’s theme was “Transformation in the Health Sector,” with exhibitors displaying their latest technological advances and innovations.
Five continuing medical education, or CME, conferences were held: Leaders Forum, Quality in Healthcare, Innov8 Talks, Future of Diagnostics in labs and radiology, and Public Health.
The Public Health conference, featuring academic input and sponsored by the Saudi Ministry of Health, proposed several methods to tackle the prevalence of chronic diseases.
On the last day of the Public Health conference, session four handled the subject of promoting awareness and services.
One presentation titled “How our history informs the future: Forty years of tobacco smoking and prevention in Saudi Arabia (1980-2020)” was given by Dr. Abdullah Al-Anazi, head of the smoking cessation program at the National Guard Hospital in Riyadh.
“In Saudi, we don’t have a standardized study that addresses the entire trend of smoking in the Kingdom. Therefore, what my colleague and I did is that we gathered all records — 654 of them — in the country which documented cigarette and hookah smoking in the past 40 years.”
Al-Anazi proposed that the government introduces an annual, standardized surveillance system on the behavior of all smokers in the country.
Another presentation, on the regulatory challenges facing the Saudi public health system, was given by Dr. Riyad Alghamdi, deputy CEO for transformation, and a consultant, at the Saudi Public Health Authority. Alghamdi highlighted the importance of proper implementation of policies across the country.
On the sidelines of the event, a number of private Saudi companies signed cooperation and supply agreements with multinational firms for the provision of services, particular to tackle rare illnesses.
The Kingdom’s National Health Sector Transformation Program has identified the importance of facilitating access to services with the development of advanced care systems.
RIYADH: The Goethe Institute and Alliance Francaise in cooperation with Gharem Studio concluded a 10-day on-site workshop in Riyadh that offered people the opportunity to work with internationally renowned photographers Scarlett Coten (France), Susanne Kriemann (Germany) and Tasneem Al-Sultan (Saudi Arabia).
During the workshop, attendees explored the theme of gender equality through their work. They were also offered the possibility to review their art in the context of social changes happening in Saudi Arabia.
This project, held under the slogan “Lens for Equality,” came as part of close collaboration between the German, Saudi and French teams. The German Embassy in Saudi Arabia, the Goethe Institute, the French Embassy in Saudi Arabia, Alliance Francaise and Gharem Studio organized the workshop to encourage documentary photography. Artist Abdulnasser Gharem, founder of Gharem Studio, said that the workshop aimed at “developing the skills and experience of young Saudi artists.”
He added: “There is an amazing teacher coming from Berlin called Susanne Kriemann. but also artists from France. So, it is very beneficial to have this kind of collaboration with professional and international artists.”
French Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Ludovic Pouille, who was present during the event, praised the project. He said: “This is one of the first collaborations between France and Germany, here in Saudi Arabia, to support the Saudi artistic youth.
“The result is impressive, with a lot of creativity and originality. We feel the artistic talent and the dynamism of Saudi society.”
The three internationally renowned photographers heading the workshop are Susanne Kriemann, Scarlett Coten and Tasneem Al-Sultan. The trio agreed to teach photography by transmitting their techniques and vision to others.
The German, French and Saudi artists have had very different journeys in the world of photography.
Kriemann, a professor at Karlsruhe University of Arts and Design, said that photography is a “recording system” — a privileged means to study the human species.
Saudi American Al-Sultan is an award-winning photographer. She uses images to capture the spirit of the Middle East and its people, as well as recent changes that have transformed the region.
Coten explores the themes of gender, identity and intimacy mainly through the form of portraits.
The varied backgrounds of the three photographers added richness to the innovative workshop. The session aimed to mobilize artists and the public on a subject still new to Saudi Arabia, and promote the art of documentary photography.
* This story was first published on Arab News En Français.
RIYADH: Authorities in Saudi Arabia thwarted attempts to smuggle more than three tons of narcotic qat and 772 kilos of hashish in Jazan and Asir, the Saudi Press Agency said Wednesday.
Security patrols in the regions of Jazan and Asir thwarted the smuggling attempts and arrested 80 suspects. They also seized 206,340 tablets subject to the regulation of medical circulation.
The suspects include 30 Saudi citizens, one Yemeni resident and 64 other violators hailing from Yemen, Ethiopia and Eritrea.
RIYADH: The recent OPEC+ decision to reduce the oil cartel’s output target by 2 million barrels a day was made for purely economic reasons, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan told Al Arabiya news channel on Tuesday.
Energy ministers from the oil-producing countries that are members of the group agreed the cuts, which will take effect next month, when they met on Wednesday last week.
“The decision of OPEC+ is purely economic and was taken unanimously by member states,” Prince Faisal said.
“OPEC+ countries acted responsibly and took the appropriate decision. OPEC+ countries seek market stability and to achieve the interests of producers and consumers.”
He added that Riyadh and Washington enjoy a strategic relationship that supports regional security.
“Military cooperation between Saudi Arabia and the US serves the interests of both countries and has contributed to the stability of the region,” he said.
“Our relationship with the United States (has been) institutional since the relationship between the two countries was established.”
Turning to the war between Russia and Ukraine, Prince Faisal said: “We seek to push the parties to the Ukrainian crisis to dialogue to end the conflict.”
“The war does not affect Ukraine alone, but the whole world. We must find ways to stop the war in Ukraine,” he said.
Closer to home, he said “efforts to extend the truce in Yemen are ongoing” and added that the Yemeni government has shown great flexibility and responsibility in its efforts to protect the country’s interests.
“The Kingdom, the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen, and the Yemeni government are keen to extend the truce in the country,” Prince Faisal said.
The United Nations is pressing for an extended and expanded truce that would build on the two-month one that expired on Oct. 2 after being rolled over twice.
Regarding talks with Iran, the minister said they have not yet produced any tangible results and that the Kingdom is looking at entering into a sixth round of negotiations.
Speaking about efforts to revive the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, Prince Faisal said that any agreement must take into account the shortcomings of the previous accord.
“Any agreement with Iran must take into account regional security,” he added.
On the subject of the relationship between Saudi Arabia and China, Prince Faisal said it is, firstly, economic and with this in mind the two countries have many joint projects in progress.
“China is a reliable partner and our relationship with the country is important as it has the second largest economy in the world,” the minister said.
The minister also expressed his hope that Iraq will “overcome the political turmoil that is currently afflicting it.”