By Ron Chen, Bureau Chief, Asia

The Future of Education, Science, and Culture International Organizations Forum (FESCIOF) successfully ended its inaugural convening in Riyadh, uniting for the first time the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization (ALECSO), the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) plus more than 100 international organizations, leveraging the power of collaboration to drive meaningful impact for the future of international organizations in the fields of education, science, and culture.

After the forum concluded, the organizers announced their commitment to facilitate further collaboration among international organizations in education, science, and culture. They affirmed the importance of FESCIOF as an innovative effort to align efforts and maximize positive impact through collaboration. Saudi Arabia also took the initiative to host the next two editions of FESCIOF, in 2025 and 2027.

FESCIOF, which featured more than 20panel sessions with more than 65 speakers under the theme of ‘Together for Impact in the 21st Century’, aimed to foster insightful discourse and facilitate knowledge exchange to develop a shared vision and identify opportunities for collaboration.

Alongside high-level representatives from UNESCO, ALECSO, and ICESCO, the event facilitated cross-organizational dialogue within a broad ecosystem of change-makers, featuring speakers and attendees from international organizations, including the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) Group and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), as well as experts and thought leaders in organizational design and management from prestigious academic institutions and prominent organizations, such as Harvard Business School, London Business School, INSEAD Blue Ocean Strategy Institute, Google, and Visa, among others.

The representatives from the education, culture and science international organizations reflected on the discussions during the Forum and highlighted its successes, recognizing the value that partnerships between civil society and the private sector bring to the world. During the final session ‘Preparing the Ground for Future Collaboration.’ the panelists, Director General of ALECSO H.E. Mohamed Ouled Amar; Director General of ICESCO H.E. Dr. Salim Al-Malik; Director Regional Bureau in Beirut and Representative of UNESCO to Lebanon and Syria, Costanza Farina emphasized the need to continue working together to create a ‘Together for Impact’ roadmap to achieve shared goals and create a better future for all.

“As organizations and those who are organizing, we need to work at the right time and the right place because the challenge is the value of time,” H.E. Al-Malik said. He also praised the objectives of FESCIOF and said that ICESCO will maximize the conference outcomes and “convert them into action.”

Farina highlighted the interdependence of the three sectors of education, culture, and science, stressing, “we cannot advance on education if we do not advance in science and in culture at the same time”.

Finally, Director General of ALECSO H.E. Mohamed Ould Amar concluded that “the goals from this Forum are crystal clear, we are working together to achieve them.”

FESCIOF aims to establish a collaborative and trusted global platform for international organizations to come together and capitalize on future opportunities. The event fosters open dialogue and partnership among stakeholders to create a roadmap for international organizations to collaborate more effectively, while establishing a sustainable mechanism for partnerships resulting from the forum.

FESCIOF, which took place from 8-9 March, is jointly organized by the ALECSO and the SNC.