
Jeddah (UNA) – The General Secretariat of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) held a joint celebration with the King Salman International Academy for the Arabic Language in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on the occasion of the World Arabic Language Day at the headquarters of the General Secretariat on January 9, 2025, under the slogan: “Arabic Language and Artificial Intelligence: Promoting Innovation while Preserving Cultural Heritage”, with broad participation from Member States, the Organization’s institutions and relevant bodies, and Arabic Language Academies.
The Secretary-General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, Mr. Hussein Ibrahim Taha, said that the initiative to celebrate the World Arabic Language Day in partnership with the King Salman International Academy for the Arabic Language reflects the openness of the General Secretariat of the Organization to all actors in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and member states who aspire to contribute to giving the Arabic language the status it deserves.
In his speech, delivered on his behalf by Ambassador Tariq Ali Bakhit, Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian, Cultural and Social Affairs, the Secretary-General expressed his thanks and appreciation to the King Salman Complex for its good cooperation, looking forward to further cooperation with all actors in the member states.
The Secretary-General of the King Salman International Academy for the Arabic Language, Prof. Abdullah bin Saleh Al-Washmi, delivered the Academy’s speech in which he extended his sincere thanks to His Highness the Minister of Culture, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Academy, Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan Al Saud, for his continuous support to the Academy, its programs, strategy and work. He also thanked the Organization of Islamic Cooperation for its continuous support.
Prof. Al-Washmi expressed the Academy’s happiness to be a major partner in this event, noting that it seeks, through its programs and initiatives, to support the Arabic language in all fields and enhance its use in various fields by building bridges of cooperation with many countries and institutions in the world.
The celebration addressed the reality of the Arabic language in a number of member states and their most prominent scholars. Representatives from the State of Qatar, the Arab Republic of Egypt, the State of Palestine, the Republic of Turkey, the Republic of Iraq, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Republic of Chad, the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Republic of Senegal, the People's Republic of Bangladesh, and the Federal Republic of Nigeria participated in presenting the presentations and lectures.
It is worth noting that holding this celebration comes within the framework of implementing the ministerial decisions related to strengthening and supporting the presence of the Arabic language (the language of the Qur’an), the latest of which is Ministerial Resolution No. 13/50C - issued by the fiftieth session of the Council of Foreign Ministers, August 29-30, 2024, Yaoundé, Republic of Cameroon, regarding supporting and strengthening the presence of the Arabic language (the language of the Qur’an), preserving it, consolidating it, and spreading it.
The celebration aims to highlight the abundant contributions of the Arabic language as the language of the Qur’an, and its role in enriching the cultural and linguistic diversity of humanity, in addition to its contribution to the production of knowledge, as the Arabic language is a pillar of the cultural diversity of humanity.
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