The Secretary General of the Association of Arab Universities Participates in the Preparatory Meeting for the 2027 European Higher Education Ministerial Conference and Global Policy Forum

His Excellency Professor Amr Ezzat Salama, Secretary General of the Association of Arab Universities (AArU), participated on 13 May 2026 in the consultation meeting organized by the Coordination Group on Global Policy Dialogue in cooperation with UNESCO, as part of the preparations for the European Higher Education Area Ministerial Conference and the Global Policy Forum, scheduled to take place in Iași, Romania, and Chișinău, Republic of Moldova, from 25 to 28 May 2027.

During his intervention, the Secretary General emphasized that higher education is no longer merely an educational sector, but has become a strategic pillar for achieving sustainable development, strengthening social stability, building peace, and enhancing societies’ capacity to respond to global crises and transformations.

He noted that the Arab region is facing a set of interconnected challenges, including rapid population growth, increasing demand for higher education, disparities in access and quality, refugee and displacement crises, the digital divide, and the growing need to align education outcomes with the rapidly changing labour market.

In this context, H.E. Prof. Salama presented the vision of the Association of Arab Universities for strengthening international cooperation in higher education, emphasizing the importance of:

He also stressed the importance of strengthening the role of universities in the Global South, including Arab universities, in shaping global higher education and innovation policies, reaffirming the Arab region’s readiness to contribute actively to building a more cooperative, interconnected, and future-oriented international system.

In his concluding remarks, the Secretary General affirmed that the future of international cooperation in higher education must be founded on trust, solidarity, inclusiveness, mutual respect, and shared responsibility, in order to address global challenges and build a more sustainable and prosperous future.