Under the auspices of H.E. Prof. Dr. N'eem Al-Aboudi, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, the 56th session of the International Conference of the Association of Arab Universities commenced in Baghdad, in the presence of Prof. Dr. 'Amr Ezzat Salama, the Secretary-General of the Association of Arab Universities, alongside a slew of high-level delegations from Arab countries, presidents of Arab and Iraqi universities, as well as senior officials of the Ministry.

The two-day conference, hosted by the University of Baghdad, continues its proceedings today. One of its key events was the transfer of the presidency of the Executive Council of the Association of Arab Universities from the University of Sousse in the Republic of Tunisia to the University of Baghdad, headed by Prof. Dr. Baha' Ibrahim Insaf, the President of the University of Baghdad, under the supervision of the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research.

The conference also featured a number of dialogue sessions addressing ministerial programmes and initiatives launched by the Ministry, including the Study in Iraq initiative, the Bologna Process, Arab and global rankings, applied research, sports, and patents. These topics were presented by a number of senior Ministry officials, including Adviser Prof. Dr. Ala' Al-Zughaibi, Prof. Dr. Hazim Baqir, Director General of the Directorate of Scholarships and Prof. Dr. Lubna Al-Rub'ie, the Director General of the Directorate of Research and Development . They presented statistics on the extent to which Iraqi universities have implemented these systems and programmes, which have contributed significantly to achieving scientific and research success.

For her part, Prof. Dr. Zainab Al-Mulla Al-Sultani, the President of Al-Zahraa University, affirmed the University’s commitment and role in contributing to the advancement and development of the educational process and scientific research in a manner that keeps pace with global scientific progress within reputable academic environments and research centres, in accordance with the objectives established by the Ministry for Development. She further emphasised that the University will establish academic and research partnerships with a number of Arab universities to achieve its educational objectives and in line with the approved quality indicators and standards adopted by the Ministry, which the University continuously seeks to fulfil.

The Conference of the Association of Arab Universities is regarded as one of the most significant conferences held across the Arab world. Iraq is an important member and an active supporter of its activities and recommendations, which stem from the directives and regulations issued by the Iraqi Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research.

Translated by Zahra’ Ala’