Mr. Chairman,

Honorable Ambassadors and Representatives of the Member States,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

As the new President of the ECO Cultural Institute, it is an honor to address the Council of Permanent Representatives of the ECI, for the first time in this capacity, and that too on this auspicious occasion of the new year 2024. I am grateful for the opportunity to lead this esteemed organization and look forward to working with all of Your Excellencies to promote cultural collaboration and joint activities within the ECO region in the coming years.

Allow me to begin by expressing my deep felicitations to the Islamic Republic of Iran for having assumed the chairmanship of the CPR and to express my sincere hope that the ECO Cultural Institute will enjoy the leadership support of the Islamic Republic in expanding its outreach and achieving its goals.

I welcome the presence of His Excellency Huseyin Avni Bicakli, Deputy Secretary General of the ECO in this CPR and trust that this healthy tradition will continue.

Dear Colleagues,

Before this meeting, I tried to hold formal, or, as the case may be, informal meetings with the ECO Secretary General, the Presidents of the other two ECO Specialized Agencies, namely, the ECO Science Foundation and the ECO Educational Institute, and heads of the diplomatic missions of all ten ECO member states accredited to the ECO, including the five that are also full members of the ECI, the three states that enjoy an Observer status and the two ECO states which are potential ECI members, to gauge the viewpoint of the countries. The level of support I received from most states was amazing, to say the least, for which I shall remain indebted. We discussed the need for greater cultural collaboration and planning for future joint activities.  I am confident that with your support, we can achieve these goals and foster greater participation from all ECO member states.

The ECO Cultural Institute which will be sixty years old in 2026, has a long way to go, to achieve the objectives for which it was established. This is a long enough time that the member states may start considering whether we need any reforms in the ways this organization has been run thus far. For this, there may be a number of ideas that the member states may take into consideration and may like to make decisions about at the higher forums such as the Board of Trustees in the coming months.

First of all, let me opine that the role of ECI as per its Charter is envisaged as akin to a regional UNESCO, that is, ECI has almost the same status with reference to the ECO as the UNESCO has with respect to the United Nations. However, the word “Institute” in its name appears a bit misleading to denote that it is a stand-alone institute or a center, rather than a specialized agency consisting of several member states. It may be a time the word “Institute” may be replaced by the word “organization” in its formal name. The ECI may get a new name like ECO Region Cultural Organization without necessarily changing its Persian nomenclature.

Secondly, the ECI is also facing acute shortage of financial resources due to piling up of arrears which are close to two million US dollars. Since 2024 has started the fresh subscriptions for the new year, amounting to USD 6,28,000 have also become due and I would earnestly request your Excellencies to impress upon your governments to at least pay this year’s subscriptions in time and consider paying at least half of the arrears. I, as the President, would request the member states to support the ECI initiatives for raising revenues through limited commercial activities like language courses or renting out facilities as detailed in the Activity Report. In addition, we need the support of member states to explore funding opportunities and submit projects for financing to international agencies such as UNESCO, the ISESCO, UNDP, IOM or `national donor agencies such as JICA within the meaning of “Other sources” under Art VII of the Charter. It will be imperative that the ECI is encouraged to start communicating with international and regional cultural organizations such as UNESCO, ISESCO and the cultural agency of the Organization of Turkic States, under Art. VI of the Charter, to explore avenues of cooperation and discussing the possibility of giving each other observer status for the meetings.

Third, to come out of its financial troubles, the ECI needs membership expansion. I will request the existing member states to use their diplomatic influence in convincing the Observer states, namely, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan, that are already signatories to the Charter to join as full members. My predecessor President has laid excellent groundwork of dialogue with non-member states such as Uzbekistan to consider joining the ECI as narrated in detail in Activity Report 2023.

Fourthly, and this is closely connected with both the second and third points above, our Observer Member states are less likely to join, until the existing member states remain less inclined to pay the dues, and unless the ECI has greater visibility and outreach in all the member states. The states and their peoples have to feel the presence and relevance of the ECI to their national interests. Allow me to mention that under the ECI Charter, while its headquarter is to be located in Tehran, it is mandated to have Branch offices in all ECO states. Due to financial constraints, it may not be feasible in the short run to fund dedicated branches. However, support of the ECI member states is requested to help designate one of the ECO organs located in the respective countries or a national cultural center to sign an MoU with the ECI to act our coordination unit in the state concerned as envisaged under Art IV of the Charter.

Fifthly, in order to reinforce ownership of ECI amongst the member states, observer states, and the prospective member states, we need to have the Board of Trustees meetings biennially or triennially as envisaged in Paragraph A of Chapter I of the ECI Rules of Procedure which already has had a long gap due to Covid and other issues. May I request the current chair, namely, the Islamic Republic of Iran, to consider holding BoT meeting twice during their Chairmanship to set a high benchmark. And the first step towards their regularity is the need for full composition of BoT which should include one eminent cultural personality each from all regular and observer member states. May I appeal to all representatives of member states to approach their governments to nominate “one eminent cultural personality” to attend the forthcoming 7^th Meeting of the Board of Trustees along with the Minister for Culture of the esteemed member states.

Sixthly, we may also have CPRs with greater regularity and I would request the hon’able Ambassadors to consider attending the CPR-ECI always in person. If the member states agree, we may occasionally have CPR-ECIs outside of Tehran such as at Isfahan or Mashhad etc.

Seventhly, I must highlight that the funding constraints had made the salaries of ECI staff totally uncompetitive with the market. An English proverb sometimes attributed to His Excellency, Lee Kwan Yew, long time premier of Singapore, that “if you pay peanuts, you get monkeys”, with reference to salaries of national or international civil servants. Low salary structure wrt to the parent agency, ECO, has become all the more outdated since the ECI pay scales have not been revised since 2014 while the cost of living in Tehran in the past six years alone, has rose between 340 to 700% according to various reliable estimates. Meaning thereby that our employees, including international civil servants, are in real terms, getting one fourth of what their predecessors were getting few years back. The same ranks, D-3, D-2 and D-1 in main ECO Secretariat and ECI Headquarters, just a couple of kilometers apart in Tehran have wide discrepancies, resulting in high turnover of employees, with only those sticking around who might not have been able to get absorbed in the labor market of Tehran.

Just to quote one revealing example, while the ECI Staff Regulations (Art 13.3) dictate that the President has to be provided with a fully furnished accommodation commensurate with that of the status of an ambassador, his house rent grant is less than that of the First/Second Secretary, relatively much junior diplomatic ranks in his home state’s embassy here in Tehran. The long term argument about the delay was the lack of resources which, since the joining of Turkiye, has been resolved. Since all three countries which account for 80-90% budget of ECI are now full member states, it would be logical if salary of head of ECI is set at 80% of the head of ECO, and likewise for all ranks. A detailed proposal shall be made shortly to be circulated amongst member states for their consideration before the upcoming BoT.

Eighthly, the President of ECI, as per the eligibility requirements under Art III, clause 3 of the Charter, has to be an eminent dignitary in the field of culture. Every President of ECI in the past was supposed to have some expertise in the field of arts and culture. The only compatriot before him to have headed this Institute, Mr Iftikhar Arif, was a poet of repute and we all know about his attention towards poetry events during his tenure. The present president is an expert in military music, and thus far the only Muslim person ever to have risen to the position of Chairman of the International Military Music Society. He has discussed the idea of having an annual ECO military bands festival in the Fall of each year in a different member state. This august forum is requested to give its blessing to go ahead with further deliberations on this idea especially with respect to its funding, with UNESCO or any other potential donors.

Ninthly, ECI had announced ECO Youth Awards with the hope that one of the outstanding youngster, between ages 18 to 30, would be selected for the Award. For various reasons, which can be discussed orally today under the head of the relevant agenda item or in a special CPR specifically on Youth Awards, we received excluding Afghanistan just ONE, repeat One, valid entry from the whole ECO region, while we were expecting not less than tens, if not hundreds, from each country. The issue of publicity of ECO Youth Awards has been discussed with all member states of ECO, and it is earnestly requested that the revised call for entries which will be out in coming weeks, after removal of deficiencies, is given wide publicity in your home countries for gaining maximum participation.

And finally, given the importance of financial resources to achieve the objectives for which ECI had been created, I would earnestly request the member states to pay this year’s dues during the first quarter of 2024. It would be less than fruitful to propose a budget when the available resources for this year are far from certain. Hence, CPR is requested to allow expenditure as per the past year’s approved budget till the finalization and approval of a fresh budget that we can discuss further under the relevant agenda item after my speech.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Before concluding my speech, I am pleased to inform you that during my few weeks of Presidency, I have held over fifty meetings with diplomatic and cultural personalities and institutions from ECO member states including Saadi Foundation of Iran, National Arts Gallery of Pakistan, Yunus Emre Institute of Turkiye, Hayder Aliyev Center in Azerbaijan,  and many others, as mentioned in the Activity Report. The outcome of these meetings will take time to be realized.

The ECI has arranged many exhibitions, for instance, an exhibition of historical photos of Türkiye in celebration of the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the Republic was arranged in October. One on the photographs of activities of ECO, another of paintings and calligraphies of Afghan artists, one arranged by the Republic of Slovakia and several more exhibitions are in the pipeline for the coming weeks.

You will be delighted to know that in the past few weeks, the ECO Cultural Institute is proactively organizing events despite its limited resources. For example, we are grateful to the ECO for having celebrated the ECO Day celebrations on our campus. We celebrated the World Book Day through an event titled “Books: A Time-Honored Bridge of Friendship Among ECO Member States” in collaboration with the Iran Book and Literature Institute, Ketab.TV, Iran Book News Agency (IBNA), and Farhang Radio Network. We also celebrated Yalda night, the winter solstice, with fun, music and poetry recitation. “Dang-Dang Koban” music group performed several pieces of music, creating an artistic and enjoyable atmosphere. An exhibition of handicrafts and visual arts related to Yalda was concurrently arranged.

I am also happy to inform you that while times are tough for artists and musicians in Afghanistan, the ECO Cultural Institute has opened its doors for Afghan singers, painters and musicians.  We dedicated the new year night between 31 December and 1^st January 2023/24 to them and declared it as Afghanistan Night. It was widely attended and broad coverage of it on television channels, news websites and newspapers was given.

Excellencies,

Hearts of all the civilized nations of the world are bleeding for what is happening in Gaza strip for weeks and months. Within its mandate of cultural preservation, the ECI held a seminar-cum-webinar in hybrid mode about the cultural heritage of Gaza and to emphasize that the deliberate destruction of cultural properties is a war crime. The speakers from Iran, Turkiye, Tanzania, and Pakistan addressed the event while the Ambassador of Palestine was the chief guest. The ECI participated in the Diplomatic Ladies Association of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs charity bazaar to support the oppressed people of Gaza. The event was attended by distinguished members and diplomats from 24 foreign embassies. The ECI also tried to arrange an exhibition of artists from Palestine but no such artist could be found in Iran.

Dear Colleagues,

During the last Executive Committee meeting of the ECI held a month ago and was participated by the distinguished counsellors/ representatives of the embassies, the esteemed member states were kindly requested to provide their proposed programs and activities to be jointly organized with the ECI 2024. However, we only received proposals from the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Republic of Tajikistan. The other member states may kindly convey their proposals to this Institute at the earliest to enable us to present them at RPC starting on 22^nd January 2024. This would help the ECI arrange its calendar of events for the year ahead.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

We understand that the Board of Trustees holds the highest authority in making decisions and policies for the Institute. As such, we kindly request the host authorities of the Islamic Republic of Iran to make the necessary arrangements for holding the 7^th BoT meeting in the coming months.

Excellencies,

The receipt of the annual contribution for the year 2023 from the Republic of Türkiye last October, for which we extend our gratitude to the member country, helped the Institute to pay off debt to its official staff for their overdue salary. Hence, at the cost of repetition I must underline that we will face financial difficulty again in the coming months if the remaining part of the member states’ annual contributions and outstanding arrears are not settled.  Therefore, the esteemed member states are requested to kindly take necessary measures for acceleration in payment of their outstanding arrears. The details of the latest status of payments and arrears of the member states will be provided under the relevant agenda item.

In conclusion, I extend my gratitude to you for gracing this gathering with your esteemed presence.

Thank you

Honorable Chair,

Distinguished delegates,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is indeed a privilege to address such an august gathering as the new President of the ECO Cultural Institute. In this new role, I have had the opportunity to engage in meaningful dialogues with various stakeholders including the ECO Secretary General, the two sister specialized agencies, namely, the Presidents of the ECO Science Foundation and the ECO Educational Institute, as well as the heads of diplomatic missions of the ECO member states. I also held discussions with various personalities and institutions related to culture. My assessment is that there is a broad understanding on the need for greater cultural collaboration and future joint activities, as the building blocks for other forms of cooperation such as political, economic and diplomatic within the ECO region.

However, the ECO Cultural Institute, which turns sixty in 2026, may need reforms to achieve its objectives. In the 41^st meeting of the ECI-CPR the Islamic Republic of Pakistan proposed to club the reform process in ECI with that of the ECO. Be that as it may, there is some food for thought, that I would leave for the consideration of the esteemed member states. First of all, ECI is similar to a regional UNESCO. The word “institute” in its name could be misleading and, as part of reforms, the member states may consider renaming that word with “Organization” or “Association”.

Secondly, ECI needs to expand its membership to overcome financial troubles. Existing member states will be requested to use their diplomatic influence in convincing the brotherly states of ECO  that are still outside the ECI to join as full members. In this respect, we would like to count of the leadership role of the current chair, the Islamic Republic of Iran, in supporting the expansion.

Thirdly, the ECI needs to have greater visibility and outreach in all the member states. Due to financial constraints, it may not be feasible to fund dedicated branches as mandated in the ECI Charter. Instead, an MoU can be signed with an ECO organ or a national cultural center to act as a coordination unit in the concerned state.

Fourthly, given the importance of financial resources to achieve the objectives for which ECI had been created, I would earnestly request the member states to pay this year’s dues during the first quarter of 2024. Major part of ECI financial difficulties is due to piling up of arrears close to two million US dollars. The esteemed member states are requested to hold consultations on a agreeable formulas about phased payment of piled up arrears.

And finally, with the accession of Turkiye as a full member, which is one of the three largest contributors to both the ECO and ECI budgets, coupled with efforts for settlement of arrears, the ECI’s financial cushion is likely to be stronger in future. Given the cost-of-living inflation between 340 to 600% in the city of Tehran according to different estimates, the real income of ECI staff has decreased proportionately. It is high time to pass on part of this cushion in our budgetary position as a pay raise to the ECI Staff for which a consolidated proposal is being prepared for the Board of Trustees. There the support of all esteemed member states is of critical significance.

Excellencies,

The President of ECI is required to be an expert in arts and culture as per the eligibility requirements enshrined in the Charter of the Institute. The current president is an expert in military music and has proposed an annual ECO military bands festival in the Fall of each year in a different member state. As desired by the Chair, Islamic Republic of Iran, a Concept Note is to being formulated for consideration by the Chair and all esteemed member states.

Distinguished delegates,

ECI recently announced ECO Youth Award for outstanding youngsters between 18 to 30 years old. Unfortunately, except for Afghanistan, we only received one valid entry from the whole ECO region. The revised call for entries will be out in the coming weeks and we request all member states to give it wide publicity in their home countries to gain maximum participation.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Before concluding my speech, I am pleased to inform you that during my few weeks of Presidency, I have held over fifty meetings with diplomatic and cultural personalities and institutions from ECO member states including Saadi Foundation of Iran, National Arts Gallery of Pakistan, Yunus Emre Institute of Turkiye, Hayder Aliyev Center in Azerbaijan, and many others, as mentioned in the Activity Report which was provided to ECO Secretariat in PDF form to be circulated amongst the distinguished delegates of the 34^th RPC. The outcome of these meetings will take time to be realized but suffice is to hope at this stage, that greater opportunities for promotion of cultural heritage and strengthening of collaboration will come out of these diplomatic endeavors.

The Institute has been organizing various events despite limited resources., including an exhibition of historical photos of Türkiye, one on ECO activities’ photographs, another of paintings and calligraphies of Afghan artists, and a celebration of World Book Day. The Institute has also organized musical evenings on Yaldaa Night, on the Gregorian New Year (i.e. 1^st January) and has held poetry recitations from distinguished poets in multiple languages in the recent weeks. At the moment, a week-long arts and sculpture exhibition on the theme of “No to War” is taking place at the ECI arts gallery where art pieces of nine leading Iranian artists are on display.

Dear Colleagues,

The esteemed member states are kindly requested to provide their proposed programs and activities to be jointly organized with the ECI 2024. We have only received proposals from the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Republic of Tajikistan. The other member states may kindly convey their proposals to this Institute at the earliest to enable us to further enrich our calendar of events for the year ahead that has already been circulated to all the delegates and your valuable approval is solicited.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

In closing, I take this opportunity to thank the Republic of Tajikistan for its successful Presidency of the ECI through my predecessors HE Muradjan Buribaev and Sarwar Bakhti, and welcome the decision of the Republic of Turkiye for ratifying the ECI Charter and timely payment of contribution. Let us hold a positive outlook for the ECO Cultural Institute’s future. Your backing can help us realize our vision of fostering increased cultural cooperation and collective endeavors within our region. Thank you

Distinguished Chair,

Honorable Foreign Ministers of the ECO Member States,

Excellencies,

Ladies and Gentlemen

As the new President of the ECO Cultural Institute, it is my distinct privilege and honour to speak at this important meeting of the ECO Council of Ministers.

At the outset, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the Government of the Republic of Azerbaijan for the excellent arrangement of this meeting, warm welcome, and hospitality.

Excellencies,

Let me begin by underscoring that a plain reading of the Charter of the ECO Cultural Institute makes it clear that it has the same relation and status with respect to the Economic Cooperation Organization, as the UNESCO has with the United Nations and the ISESCO with the Organization of the Islamic Cooperation (OIC). The cultural cooperation regimes and arrangements both at the global and regional levels from Western Europe to Western Africa, from the Arab world to the Latin Americas, highlight the importance of civilizations and cultures in regional and national identities. Future conflicts may not be on the basis of clash of civilizations but future regional integrations are likely, to a large extent, to be contingent upon the resurgence of cultural consciousness amongst and between nations.

The ECOCI was first founded in 1966 as the first ever specialized agency of, what was then called, the Regional Cooperation for Development as RCD Culture Institute. It was revived after the revival of RCD as ECO and its expansion to seven more member states in Central Asia and the Caucus. Now ECOCI prides itself as representative of diverse member states spanning across ten nations in the heart of Asia, the true reflection of the power of culture in bringing people together cannot be realized unless all ten ECO member states become its full members. Our shared history, traditions, and values serve as a foundation for building stronger economic and diplomatic ties within our region. We cannot truly embrace the potential of economic cooperation without first acknowledging the importance of our cultural ties. By showcasing our diverse cultural heritage, we have the power to attract investment, and tourism, and promote sustainable development in the region. Just as the roots of a tree provide stability and nourishment, our shared cultural heritage forms the foundation upon which we can build a prosperous and harmonious future for our nations.

Honourable Ministers,

Culture is the lifeblood of societies, the essence of who we are as individuals and as communities. It is through culture that we express our values, beliefs, and aspirations. It is through culture that we preserve our collective memory and pass on our traditions to future generations.

The full exploitation of this considerable historic asset necessitates comprehensive and extensive collaboration of the ECO member countries and their pertinent cultural organizations at the regional level. And none of this will be possible if the financial problems that the ECOCI finds itself in, are not addressed promptly, robustly and resolutely.

As a first step, I appeal to the Chair of the COM to consider announcing his country’s joining the ECOCI as a full member here at this COM to set an example for other remaining member states to consider likewise. Among the biggest states, that are members; Pakistan, the founding state; Iran, the host state and Turkiye, the newest state in ECOCI to consider paying their annual contribution before the upcoming Council of Heads of State in Uzbekistan next month.

Once, the ECOCI comes out of its existential challenges, the Institute will bring proposals to this forum through the CPR and its Board of Trustees for revision of the rates of annual contribution by at least 50 percent to partially offset the global inflation since these subscription rates were set way back in 2009.

And lastly, the member states may consider donating to the ECOCI some building or arts gallery n their national capitals to the ECOCI to enable it to raise revenues through commercial means.

Ladies and gentlemen,

The realization of our goals and objectives lies in our collective efforts and collaboration. It is through the collaboration of all ten ECO member states that the ECO Cultural Institute can truly achieve its vision.

By fostering a sense of pride in our cultural heritage, we can inspire the next generation and ensure the continuity of our shared legacy. Let us create a platform where their voices can be heard, their talents can shine, and their dreams can be nurtured.

Excellencies,

Since the Institute’s Annual Report of Activities has already been circulated among the Member States, I do not intend to repeat the content here. However, I want to assure that the next year’s calendar can be much brighter, much busier and more exciting with your cooperation and collaboration. And to that end, at the cost of repetition, I extend a warm invitation to all the remaining ECO countries to join the ECO Cultural Institute as full members.

Before concluding, I would like to acknowledge the worthwhile efforts made by H.E. Mr. Murodjon Buriboev, the former President of ECO Cultural Institute from Tajikistan who held the position until last month. He will be missed at our Institute. And as the new President, I have already set some meetings with delegates on the sidelines of this COM and look forward to more fruitful formal meetings and CPR members with Ambassadors of the ECO member countries back in Tehran over the coming weeks in order to benefit from their ideas and suggestions for cultural collaboration between our nations from the platform of ECOCI as well as from national focal agencies on arts, literature, histography and culture.

I would like to end by expressing my sincere gratitude to all the distinguished foreign ministers and delegates present here today. Your presence signifies your commitment to the ideals of regional cooperation. Let us seize this opportunity to further strengthen the ties that bind us, to celebrate our shared heritage, and to pave the way for a prosperous and united future.

Thank you for your attention.

Just as a symphony is composed of different instruments, each contributing its unique sound to create a harmonious whole, our diverse cultures enrich the fabric of our region. Our cultural heritage is the key to unlocking the doors of collaboration, fostering mutual respect, and strengthening the bonds among our people.

The fact that the ECO Cultural Institute has a longer history of activities than any other ECO-affiliated body stems from the same common and unifying background.

By prioritizing programs that resonate with our younger generation, we can ensure their active engagement in shaping the cultural landscape of our region.

By working together, we can organize a wide array of cultural programs, events, and activities in the areas of culture, literature, and arts that can enhance cultural relations among our people and create a vibrant platform for dialogue and exchange. Let us encourage our scholars, artists, and intellectuals to join hands and showcase the richness of our traditions.

By doing so, you will not only contribute to the growth and development of the Institute but also benefit from the vast network of cultural opportunities it offers. Becoming a full member will grant you access to a myriad of collaborations and partnerships that will help promote your own cultural expressions and foster greater understanding among our nations.

Just as a solitary candle may illuminate a small space, together, as full members, we can ignite a beacon of cultural exchange that lights up the entire region. By joining forces, we can promote our shared values, and contribute to the flourishing of our region.

In the name of God, the Almighty

خدا گر ز حکمت ببندد دری

ز رحمت گشاید در دیگری

The cultural elites and dignitaries in the ECO region, who are numerous in number, have always played the role of wise guides and righteous teachers in their noble works, and mankind has always benefited from the generous source of their radiant thoughts and ideas. In the meantime, Saadi Shirazi, who, according to most scholars, is considered to be the teacher of ethics, has a special place and position among people of the world.

It seems as if Saadi was aware of all the problems of our time, that he speaks today’s words that are lasting and useful at the same time. This talented poet, thinker and writer, who had visited many parts of the world, has told sweet and lasting stories in his works, especially in the books Bostan and Golestan. His audience includes all strata of the society, including rulers, elites, scientists or common people, because Saadi has dealt with, and interacted with, all these strata and expressed his thoughts based on detailed observations in a very short and clear manner. This is the reason why Saadi’s words have a place in the hearts of people and his words have been quoted by the old and the young. Just a brief note that more than 400 of Saadi’s sayings have become proverbs and are heard by people every day.

          Saadi defines and draws a framework for the education and evolution of the spiritual world of man, which encompasses all stages of human life, from childhood to old age. Contentment, humility, knowledge, tolerance, interaction, and justice are among the most important sayings of this well-spoken thinker, which are manifested in his world of utopia.

In his works, Saadi as a virtuous person, who has traveled the world, showed to the people the way of healthy life and in this regard his emphasize on humanity, philanthropy, benevolence and not annoying anyone and helping others, are considered the most important pillars of life policy. This is why Saadi is considered great in the East and West and everyone respects him and his works and poems have been translated into different languages ​​and he has become popular among the people of the world.

The basis of Saadi’s ideal world is justice, helping each other and caring for orphans and the poor, and according to Saadi, the wise people have important mission and a responsibility to increase the awareness of people about their behavior and actions. All of his works are covered with the light of humanity, sacrifice, affection, and friendship, which the world community desperately needs today, and a person who does not have these qualities has no place in Saudi’s Utopia.

In today’s Ceremony on the occasion of Saudi’s Commemoration Day, the ECO Cultural Institute congratulate all the lovers of pure words all over the world and present this sweet verse of Saadi to all the dear ones.

سخن سعدی بشنو که تو خود زیبایی

خاصه آن وقت که در گوش کنی مروارید

Provided by :Mr. Shah Mansour

Translated by: F.M

On the occasion of the International Women Day, I take this opportunity to congratulate all women all over the world, and especially our womenfolk in the ECO member states. The ECO region has been the center of many of the world’s greatest civilizations and women, no less than men, have contributed throughout the history in building these civilizations.

Islam, the dominant religion in the ECO member states, has given due importance on the role and rights of women and so have other religions, traditions and cultures within the ECO region. While the role of women in human procreation cannot be underestimated, nor their pivotal status as the nucleus of a family; it is also true that the women have been making their mark as rulers, as Queens and Empresses, as writers, as artists, as singers, as poetesses, as sportswomen, as educationists, as scientists, as doctors, as engineers, or for that matter, each and every walk of life in all the ECO member countries.

In not-too-distant past, both Pakistan and Turkiye had women as Prime Ministers while today the positions of First Vice President of Azerbaijan and one of the Vice Presidents of the Islamic Republic of Iran, are also held by women. However, we must also recognize that women still have a way to go to get their full rights as enshrined in our religions and our traditions. Here, the brave women of Afghanistan merit a special mention.

I take this opportunity to congratulate not only the women, but also all men, on the occasion of International Women’s Day, 2024. I conclude my message by saying to the women “We are proud of you!”

1. What are the goals and vision of the ECO Cultural Institute in Iran?

The ECO Cultural Institute is the cultural arm and sister agency of the Economic Cooperation Organization. Both the institutions were established during the height of the cold war as the Regional Cooperation for Development (RCD) created in 1964 (but started functioning in 1965), and the RCD Cultural Institute (RCI) established the following year, both with Iran, Pakistan, and Turkiye being the founding member states. Today, RCD is replaced by the Economic Cooperation Organization, with an impressive ten member states. The ECO region has one sixteenth (6.88%) of world population and one nineteenth (5.36%) of the world’s area.

The RCD Institute was revitalized in 1995 as the ECO Cultural Institute, commonly called the ECI, in accordance with the founding principles set in the Treaty of Izmir. The goals of the ECI include a cultural cohesion in the ECO region and a vision of greater people to people contacts and interactions amongst the peoples of its member states.

Having a cultural arm is not unique to ECO, even the United Nations has its specialized agency on culture which is called UNESCO. The Shanghai Cooperation Organization, the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), the Organization of Turkic States and many other regional organizations do have their cultural arms.

2. What have been the most significant achievements of the ECO Cultural Institute in Iran over the years of its operation?

The very existence of ECI for nearly sixty years (except a break of 12 years during 1983-95) is an achievement in itself. It is interesting to note that when, following the Islamic Revolution of 1979, the Iranian government withdrew from RCD, its Cultural Institute continued to function for another four years till 1983. Two years later, in 1985, the erstwhile RCD member states (Pakistan, Iran and Turkiye) decided to revitalize the ECO. Both the Treaty of Izmir and the Istanbul Declaration called for cultural cooperation among the nations, that led to its revival under the new name of the ECO Cultural Institute.

Thus, it became the first of the three specialized agencies of the ECO to come into existence—the other two on Education and Science respectively came into being within the last decade and are located, respectively, in Ankara and Islamabad. Being an older and bigger organization, the ECI has great potential to help in achieving the goals for which the ECO was set up. In other words, the cultural cooperation initiatives by ECI are a ladder towards the economic cooperation goals of ECO.

3. 3. What are the most pressing challenges facing the ECO Cultural Institute in Iran?

The biggest challenge for the ECI is the challenge of ownership of this great institution by the members states. One may argue that the ideal of cultural cooperation cannot be subordinated to that of economic cooperation because the two layers of cooperation are mutually reinforcing and complementary. If there is easier travel between the ECI nations, greater people to people contact, accessibility to each others’ movies, television and radio programs, greater teaching opportunity of each others’ languages, availability of novels, stories and poetry of one ECO state in the languages spoken in other member states, all of this will enable economic linkages to flourish. Once that happens, greater proportion of  ECO nations’ exports and imports towards regional states may be a natural sequel.

Lack of finances is the second biggest challenge as ECI arrears run into three times its notional annual budget. If the nation states pay their dues regularly, there will be enough financial cushion for the ECI to run most of its programs in the plan of action.

Another problem is that the membership of ECO does not automatically translate into the membership of the ECI. So as of now, only five of the ECO member states are regular members of ECI, another three are observer states, and the last two have still to apply.

4. What are the plans of the ECO Cultural Institute for the development of cultural cooperation among the ECO member states?

There are many plans and programs in the pipeline but each one of them depends on the willingness of the member states to participate and contribute in the expenses. The first major plan is to establish a forum for writers and poets of the ECO region. There may be a Writers’ Guild that may enable the literary persons to interact with each other and exchange ideas. As a first step, each ECO member state may like to accord visa free entry to the members of the guild, ie writers and poets, in their respective countries.

The ECO Youth Awards is another area were 18-30 years old persons, five from each country may be identified through a competitive process to be awarded the best youth of their country, one each in the field of scientific invention or innovation, sports, social service, fine arts, and literature. Thus eventually, we may have fifty youth identified each year to be so rewarded.

An annual Military Music festival is also in the works which may be rotated in the capitals of member countries in which the national bands or national orchestras of the members states may perform in an annual tattoo each year. Thus, we may have a regional equivalent of the Edinburgh Annual Military Bands Tattoo that takes place in the Scottish capital each year for the past half a century.

5. In what areas of culture does the ECO Cultural Institute have a special focus?

The ECO Cultural Institute has a special focus on Festivals of member states especially those festivals which are shared by more than one member state: the biggest example is that of the Yalda night and Nouroz which are celebrated not only in Iran, but also in Afghanistan, Azerbaijan and parts of Central Asia. The ECO Institute organizes celebrations with a view to introducing such events not only to other ECO member states where these events are not part of their regular culture but also to the outside world.

The ECO Cultural Institute has also organized events related to poetry of the region especially to honor the poetic giants of the region like Saadi, Hafiz, Ferdiousi, Ganjawi and Iqbal Lahori.

The ECO Cultural Institute is now planning to organize food festivals and dress festivals of the ECO region so people of one country are exposed to culinary and sartorial traditions of other countries of the region.

6. How does the ECO Cultural Institute support artists and authors from the ECO member states?

To promote the authors and artists of the region, the ECI organizes exhibitions of paintings, sculptures, calligraphies and other forms of arts at its premises. To promote the authors, the ECI has the honor of having published many books by emerging authors of the ECO region. Even now, it has some manuscripts under consideration but has resource constraints to get them published. Hopefully, as soon as the Institute gets its arrears cleared by the Member States, the ECI will be able to support the artists and authors in a more robust manner.

7. How does the ECO Cultural Institute help promote the culture and arts of the ECO member states?

In order to promote the culture and arts of the ECO Member states, the ECI has taken initiatives already mentioned above in respect of artists and authors. By supporting the artists we support the arts and by supporting the authors we support knowledge about the region, its history and its culture.

Through exhibitions, book talks, lectures, seminars, webinars, meetings, visits and other means at its disposal, the ECI continues to promote the culture and arts of the member states.

8 & 9. How does the ECO Cultural Institute help people from the ECO member states to get to know each other? What is the role of the ECO Cultural Institute in the expansion of cultural tourism in the ECO member states?

Probably this is the mandate of the ECO, rather than the ECI, to help ease visa regimes between and amongst member countries. The promotion of tourism is also an overlapping function between the ECO and the ECI.

There have been moves to initiate discussions on easing of visa regime in respect of the businessmen already at the ECO level. In due course, the Institute may recommend to the member countries on the possibility and desirability of easier movement for the writers, poets and artists of the countries especially when travelling for their artistic or literary pursuits. But as said earlier, even if the ECI Member States agree to discuss the idea, that discussion will have to take place at the level of ECO which has mandate for such activities.

The ECI believes that Cultural Tourism is an important component of any framework for cultural and economic cooperation. Easier visa regime for writers and artists might well be the first step in that direction. It is important that cultural troupes, music groups, and artisans are able to introduce their finesse and artistic skills to other countries in the region.

10. How does the ECO Cultural Institute help preserve and revive the cultural heritage of the ECO member states?

All the efforts mentioned in response to the earlier questions hint at the resolve of the ECI to preserve the cultural heritage of the ECO member states. The countries constituting the ECO region have rich tangible cultural heritage such as buildings and architecture, handicrafts and artworks, and masterpieces of literature and poetry but also the intangible cultural heritage such as social practices, oral folklore, performing arts and the like. For centuries, Ispahan and Nishapur, Constantinople and Bursa, Tashkent and Bukhara, Balkh and Baku, Dustanbe and Lahore, and so many other cities have been centers of civilization. This is a matter of pride for the nations of the ECO region and the ECI is endeavoring to preserve the very foundations of this great heritage.

11. How does the ECO Cultural Institute contribute to the creation of peace and stability in the region?

Art and music is one of the greatest contributors to peace and stability as well as a tool for greater understanding amongst the peoples. The ECI’s activities in promotion of arts and culture contribute directly to the peace that the region enjoys. It is a matter of record that since the end of the Second World War and the establishment of the United Nations, there has not been any full-fledged war between any two countries with each other amongst the ones which since 1995 onwards constitute the ECO, although in rare cases, wars were fought by an ECO member state with a non-ECO state.

I am not saying that this peace is all because of the ECO or the ECI, or their predecessors RCD and RCI. However, the underlying role of common cultural traditions and common heritage of these ten nations towards good neighborly relations cannot be under emphasized.

To give one example from my own home country, Pakistan, which was part of the South Asian subcontinent, we were ruled for centuries under various dynasties including those from Afghanistan, Persia, or the Turkic people mainly from the Central Asia. The Moguls dynasty that ruled for three centuries till its fall and replacement by British colonial administration also came from Ferghana valley, in present day, Uzbekistan. Some of the Mogul Queens were of Persian descent, like Empress Mumtaz Mahal, wife of Emperor Shah Jehan, who built the iconic Taj Mahal in her memory. Two of the prominent First Ladies of Pakistan, Begum Naheed Iskandar Mirza and Begum Nusrat Bhutto were also Iranian-born and only acquired Pakistani citizenship upon marriage to Pakistanis leaders, both of whom later rose to become Presidents of Pakistan. Thus, not only cultural bonds, but direct familial and marital bonds bind these countries with each other for centuries. This is what contributes to harmony.

12. How can the ECO Cultural Institute develop cooperation in the fields of history, demography, anthropology, archaeology, and the preservation of the region’s shared cultural and architectural heritage?

It is part of the mandate of ECI under its charter to promote collaboration between the national libraries, national museums and national archives of the member nations. Some Memoranda of Understanding already exists between museums and archives of member countries. Six meetings of the Heads of National Libraries of ECO members states have been held so far; the last one in Azerbaijan last year. This is a just one of the initiatives but I think the member states are gradually realizing that a lot more needs to be done in the field of history, museums, archeology etc for the preservation of the region’s shared cultural and architectural heritage.

13. How can the ECO Cultural Institute develop cooperation between universities and other cultural institutions in the region?

The ECI Charter mandates it to have national branches in each of the member states. Due to financial constraints, it would be difficult to establish and fund branches in each member nation. However, it may be easier to negotiate and sign memoranda of understanding with national cultural institutions to agree to act as national coordination units for ECI in each member state.

It is a time taking process and needs the permission of the ECI Member States but can lay the foundation of lasting collaboration amongst the cultural centers of the member states. As for cooperation between universities, the ECO has recently established an education institute at Ankara, and that issue lies in their exclusive mandate and the ECI wishes them well as its sister agency.

14. How does the ECO Cultural Institute use the potential of new technologies such as artificial intelligence and virtual reality to preserve and revive the cultural heritage of the ECO member states?

At the moment, the ECI does not have the technical, financial and human resource capability to utilize artificial intelligence and virtual reality to preserve and revive the cultural heritage of the ECO region but that is a brilliant idea and the way to the future.

However, other technologies such as having a functional website, a regular newsletter, a Facebook page and a Twitter Handle are amongst the latest technologies being used by the ECI in promotion of culture of ECI member states.