Reverse Linkage

124 REVERSE LINKAGE It was also a platform for Muslim women to showcase their artistic and cultural creativity as well as their entre- preneurial skills. The festival began with a Walk-for-Peace event with about 2,000 participants. Among the highlights of the festival was the International Exhibition which showcased products that appeal to modern Muslim women and provided a platform for a comprehensive, integrated women’s wellness programme. The Summit urged all relevant institutions and parties to act now in order to create real opportunities for women, build integrated value-based education for women’s empow- erment, and to maximise women’s participation in economic and political development across Islamic communities. It also urged the relevant authorities to widen the role of Muslim women as scientists, decision makers, civil society builders and peacebuilders at local, regional and interna- tional levels. Additionally, the Summit witnessed the launch of 100 scholarships under the OIC-Malaysia Academic Support Programme for young Muslim women from conflict zones and war-torn countries to study in Malaysia. These scholarships are worth more thanMYR15 million and were fully sponsored by Malaysian public universities. The university also organized the First International Islamic Initiatives on Peacebuilding 2017 to improve psychosocial well-being and mental healthcare for women and children in conflict zones through improving both the policy and the practice. This was a form of collaboration and partnership between inter-governmental, academic and civil society organizations. It produced evidence-based recommendations for the improvement of policies concern- ing humanitarian aid and intervention programmes for the victims of conflicts. The initiative highlighted the status of the psychological health of women and children in conflict- ridden regions – Syria, Palestine, Iraq, Sudan, Myanmar and Yemen – and urged all organizations including OIC and other Islamic Relief and affiliated institutions to protect women and children’s rights in conflict regions. In summary, the International Islamic University Malaysia, established in 1983, has been striving to foster South-South Cooperation through Reverse Linkage and capacity devel- opment interventions. The university has established several institutes and centres to promote peace, and has organized several conferences and seminars to exchange knowledge, expertise and resources to help development and to promote peace. It has also collaborated with IsDB, the United Nations and other regional and international organizations to share respective resources to ameliorate the sufferings of the victims of war and conflict and tomake the world a better place for all. World Muslim Women Summit and Exhibition 2016 Image: IIUM