Head of Sector of SRC, Aytan Babayeva has been awarded 1st place in the international competition organized by ICESCO under the “Shusha Nomination.”
21.10.2025
21.10.2025
Aytan Babayeva, a representative of the Social Research Center (SRC), has been awarded first place by the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) in the Shusha Nomination of its international competition dedicated to the Cultural Capitals of the Islamic World.
On 15–16 October 2025, ICESCO hosted an international conference on “Narratives and the Question of Identity” at its headquarters in Rabat, the capital of Morocco. As part of the event, the organization held the award ceremony for the inaugural “Cities of Poems” international competition, which promotes creative work reflecting cultural development and the diversity of literary and linguistic expression across the Islamic world.
Aytan Babayeva, Head of the Sector for International Cooperation and Development at the Social Research Center (SRC), successfully represented Azerbaijan at the international competition and conference organized by ICESCO. She received first place in the “Shusha Nomination” of the international contest dedicated to the Cultural Capitals of the Islamic World.
The international conference and award ceremony took place within the framework of World Novel Week, an annual event established by UNESCO and held each October. The aim of the competition and conference was to promote cultural identities and diversity worldwide, highlighting the role of nations’ literary and analytical traditions as a unique form of human creativity and expression of national and cultural identity, as well as a medium for intercultural dialogue. The conference continued with lectures and discussions involving scholars and experts from various countries, focusing on the role of literary-analytical thought and artistic narratives in shaping the cultural development of civilizations, peoples, and nations.
As a prominent international organization that brings nations together on a platform of high-level cultural representation, ICESCO’s major event gathered officials from member states, representatives of the diplomatic corps, and distinguished experts and scholars from various countries. The exchange of ideas during the event highlighted and celebrated the distinctive achievements of nations in shaping and renewing their national and cultural identities.
Aytan Babayeva was selected as the winner among numerous participants for her poem “Shusha,” dedicated to the fifth anniversary of the Victory of the Republic of Azerbaijan. She was awarded first place and delivered remarks of gratitude at the ceremony. Her literary and poetic work, devoted to Shusha, the Islamic Cultural Capital of 2024, was presented from the main stage at ICESCO’s headquarters in Rabat.
Moreover, Aytan Babayeva met with ICESCO Director-General Dr. Salim AlMalik during the award ceremony. She engaged with international participants, received congratulations from representatives of various countries, and gave interviews to both domestic and foreign media outlets, speaking about the significance of this achievement and its national, cultural, and linguistic value.
By winning the “Shusha Nomination” in ICESCO’s first international competition dedicated to the cultural capitals of the Islamic world, Ms. Babayeva stood as Azerbaijan’s sole representative at this inaugural international event and accompanying conference, which focus on strengthening cultural identity and the development of mother tongues across the Islamic world. She proudly raised the Azerbaijani flag on the international stage.
Dr. Salim AlMalik remarked that national identities serve as a window through which the world is viewed with confidence and pride. He highlighted international statistics showing that more than 50% of the world’s languages are endangered, that 80% of the global cultural corpus is derived from Western languages, and that the combined creative output in Arab, Asian, and African languages accounts for only 10% of global cultural activity. Dr. AlMalik emphasized that these figures reflect a significant imbalance in the fair and sustainable representation of peoples’ unique cultural narratives.
In her remarks, Dr. Rawda Al-Haj, an expert in the Culture Sector, underscored the importance of raising awareness of national identities in cultural forms, particularly highlighting the role of education in this process.
The event demonstrated ICESCO’s efforts to present, promote, and support national languages, cultural identities, and diversity as a central pillar in fostering intercultural dialogue in the modern global context. It showcased these initiatives in a high-level international forum designed to advance cultural relations and support narrative creativity across civilizations.
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