Prof. Mohamed Saeed Khanbash, President of Hadhramout University, pointed out in his participation in Baghdad that the General Conference of the Association of Arab Universities, 56th Edition, held in the Iraqi capital, has taken steps to foresee the future of higher education in the Arab world. He expressed gratitude and appreciation for the opportunity to participate in this international event and engage with various university presidents and representatives of organizations. They discussed issues relevant to Hadhramout University and contributed to the dialogue sessions during the conference.
Prof. Amr Azat Salama, the Secretary-General of the Association, expressed his appreciation to Iraq, the host country, and the university presidents for their attendance. He looks forward to the outcomes of the 56th session, which will provide future perspectives for the development of higher education in the Arab world and enhance its quality and outcomes.
Prof. Naeem Al-Aboudi, the Iraqi Minister of Higher Education, emphasized the importance of focusing on higher education as a cornerstone for the progress of the Arab world, enabling future generations to strive for excellence and advancement.
The conference began with the Iraqi national anthem, followed by welcoming speeches from the President of Baghdad University, Dr. Bahaa Ibrahim Insaf, and the previous session’s presidents of Sousse University and the University of Monastir. They expressed their satisfaction with the former session’s leadership and commended the cooperation between the association’s Secretariat and member universities in achieving its objectives.
The first session included speeches by representatives of Arab organizations, including the Director-General of the Arab Organization for Agricultural Development, the President of the Arab Council of Scientific Research, and the Director-General of the UNESCO Regional Office for Quality and Excellence in Education. It was followed by a panel discussion on international cooperation, featuring several interventions, presentations, and videos from China, Iraq, and the European Union of Universities. Other panel discussions covered the Bologna Process and the Arab University Ranking Project.
On the second day, the delegations visited the exhibition of scientific products by Iraqi universities and held a dedicated session to showcase the projects of the Arab Universities Association. The session was chaired by the Secretary-General of the association, Dr. Amr Azat Salama, and Dr. Waleed Salama, the Advisor to the Arab Universities Association. It was followed by a general session for members to discuss the agenda items referred to the Union.
During the conference days, the subcommittees, including the Administrative and Financial Committee, the Membership Committee, and the Scientific and Cultural Committee, held their meetings. The University of Baghdad organized a sightseeing day for the delegations to explore the city’s landmarks.
Hadhramout was represented by five universities: Hadhramout University, Al-Ahqaf University, Al-Rayyan University, Seiyun University, and Al-Arab University.
