The General Conference of the Association of Arab Universities in its fifty-sixth session

The Acting President of the University of Science and Technology, Prof. Dr. Abdulghani Hamid Ahmed, is participating in the 56th General Conference of the Association of Arab Universities, which is being held at the University of Baghdad in the sisterly Republic of Iraq, from March 4-6, 2024. 

The participation of the Acting President of the University came in response to a generous official invitation he received from the General Secretariat of the Association of Arab Universities, which extended the invitation based on an invitation from the University of Baghdad, the host of the conference. 

The program of the General Conference of the Association of Arab Universities includes a number of segments, meetings and dialogue sessions throughout its duration. It began yesterday, Sunday, with the reception of the delegations participating in the conference, followed by a meeting of the Executive Council. Today, Monday, the conference was opened in Al-Hakim Hall at the University of Baghdad, starting with the Iraqi national anthem, followed by a speech by Professor Dr. Bahaa Ibrahim Insaf, President of the University of Baghdad, followed by two speeches by the presidents of the previous session of the conference, Professor Dr. Lotfi Belkacem, President of the University of Sousse, and Professor Dr. El Hadi Belhaj Saleh, President of the University of Monastir, then a speech by Professor Dr. Amr Ezzat Salama, Secretary-General of the Association of Arab Universities, followed by a speech by the sponsor of the ceremony, His Excellency the Minister of Higher Education in the Republic of Iraq, Professor Dr. Naeem Al-Aboudi. Then, Professor Dr. Lotfi Belkacem and Professor Dr. El Hadi Belhaj Saleh handed over the flag of the fifty-sixth session to Professor Dr. Bahaa Ibrahim Insaf, President of the University of Baghdad, to assume the presidency of the fifty-sixth session and the presidency of the Executive Council, before the official shields were exchanged, and the opening session was concluded by taking a group photo, before the conference sessions resumed after the break with the first session, which included speeches by representatives of Arab organizations. Then, three dialogue sessions were held, the first of which discussed the topic of international cooperation, while the second was about the Bologna Process.

The third session was about the Arab classification project for Arab universities. A number of Arab university presidents, representatives of university unions, and a number of specialists participated in these sessions. The closing session was a luncheon at the university, before returning to resume the sessions with a procedural session, then a meeting session for the subcommittees to discuss the items referred to them. This eventful day concluded with a dinner party sponsored by His Excellency the Minister of Higher Education in the Republic of Iraq, Professor Dr. Naeem Al-Aboudi.

The conference activities will continue tomorrow, Tuesday, starting with a tour of the exhibition of scientific products of Iraqi universities, then a session dedicated to presenting the projects of the Association of Arab Universities, before holding another general session for all members of the General Conference of the Association, followed by discussing the items referred to the General Conference, approving the recommendations, distributing membership certificates, handing over shields, signing memoranda of understanding, then a luncheon, and in the evening, during dinner, a comprehensive presentation of private education in Iraq will be held, and this will be in the village of Dijlah in Baghdad. Next Wednesday has been designated as a tourist day organized by the University of Baghdad. The participating delegations will leave on Thursday. 

The participation of the Acting President of the University of Science and Technology in the conference reflects his interest and the interest of the university in enhancing the field of cooperation between Arab universities, strengthening ties and relations between them, and exchanging ideas, experiences and viewpoints; which leads to the development of higher education in the Arab world.