At a prize-giving ceremony in Paris in September, UNESCO was presented with the ISESCO-OCIS Prize for Educators, 2017, in recognition of its contribution to the Promotion of Peace and Co-existence.

After speeches by His Excellency Dr Abdulaziz Othman Altwaijri, Secretary General of the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation, and the Director of the Centre, Dr Nizami, the Prize shield was formally accepted by the Director-General of UNESCO, Mrs Irina Bokova.

Earlier in the year, the Prize jury had identified a number of very strong candidates (individuals and institutions) who had been nominated for consideration for the award. The jury was unanimous in its appreciation for the exceptional importance and distinction of the work of UNESCO in recent years, notably UNESCO’s ‘Different Aspects of Islamic Culture’ collection published earlier in the year.

The Prize is one of a number of formal academic initiatives established between the Centre and ISESCO (itself formally established in 1981 to promote cooperation between OIC member states in the fields of education, science and culture).