UniMed’s General Assembly to Discuss University Cooperation in Times of Crisis

AMMAN—The Union of Mediterranean Universities (Unimed) will open its 2022 General Assembly on June 22 under the theme: “Shaping the Mediterranean from Cooperation to Integration”.

This year’s event is being held in person in the Jordanian capital for two days, after two years of online and distant events due to the repercussions of the Covid-19 pandemic.

While taking the necessary precautionary measures to protect against the coronavirus, the University of Jordan is hosting the event.

The university is a sponsor of the event in cooperation with Mariya Gabriel, the European Union’s commissioner for innovation, research, culture, education and youth, along with the European Parliament and the Union for the Mediterranean. Nearly 200 academics, professionals, journalists, policy makers, and others from Europe and the Middle East are attending the event.

Over the meeting’s two days, participants will address several topics, notably the role of university cooperation in times of crisis. Other topics include Euro-Mediterranean academic cooperation, open and online education in the Mediterranean region, employment and entrepreneurship, cultural dialogue, and student organisations.

Several officials are giving opening speeches on Wednesday. They include Hadeel Yaseen, director of the international affairs unit at the University of Jordan; Nathir Obeidat, president of the University of Jordan; Francisco Matte Bon, UniMed’s president and rector of the University of International Studies of Rome; Wajih Owais, Jordan’s minister of education and minister of higher education and scientific research; and Mariya Gabriel of the European Union.

Keynote Speeches

The first day’s activities will also include keynote speeches by Hmaid Ben Aziza, UniMed’s secretary-general and a former rector of the University of Tunis; Marcello Scalisi, UniMed’s director; Amr Ezzat Salama, secretary-general of the Association of Arab Universities; Osama Obeidat, chief executive of Queen Rania Teacher Academy, in Amman; and Juan Rayón, president of the Erasmus Student Network.

[Enjoying this article? Subscribe to our free newsletter.]

Al-Fanar Media’s team will actively participate in the event, with a delegation that includes Salah Khalil, an Egyptian businessman, philanthropist, and founder of Al-Fanar Media and the Alexandria Trust; Jo Weir, head of partnerships at Al-Fanar Media; and Mohamed El Hawary, the website’s editor-in-chief.

For further details about the event’s calendar, click here, here, and here.

Related Reading 

• Al-Fanar Media and UniMed Announce Strategic Partnership Fostering Cooperation Between Academia and Journalism
• Report Explores How to Improve Arab-European Educational Exchanges
• European-Kurdish Cooperation in University Reform Is Seen as a Model for Iraq