File photo: CGTN

RABAT, March 3 (Xinhua) -- The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) announced on Tuesday it will award 200,000 U.S. dollars for discoveries of COVID-19 cure or vaccine.

The initiative reflects the organization's awareness of the repercussions of the virus, threatening to become a global pandemic with serious impact on the world socio-economic situation, said the Rabat-based organization in a statement.

The statement quoted ICESCO Director General Salim Al-Malik as saying that setting up this award goes in harmony with ICESCO's new vision which highlights the need to adopt applied scientific research as a tool to find appropriate solutions to exigent and challenging issues.

ICESCO also called on all governments, international organizations and civil society institutions to assume their roles and intensify their efforts to counter the spread of this dangerous virus.