The Secretary-General of the Association of Arab Universities Patronizes Scientific Forum on Development Initiatives and Social Responsibility

Under the patronage of H.E. Prof. Amr Ezzat Salama, Secretary-General of the Association of Arab Universities, and with the presence and participation of H.E. Prof. Ibrahim Al-Shaer, Chairman of the Council for Social Responsibility of Arab Universities and President of Al-Quds Open University, the Council for Social Responsibility of Arab Universities—affiliated with the Association—held a scientific forum entitled: “Development Initiatives as a Response to the Imperatives of Social Responsibility.” The event was conducted virtually, with the participation of a distinguished group of academics and experts, and was chaired by Prof. Yousef Diab Awwad, Director of the Council.

In his opening remarks, H.E. Prof. Amr Ezzat Salama highlighted that the design of development initiatives has become a fundamental pillar for achieving sustainable development, grounded in scientific planning and effective partnerships. He emphasized that the real challenge lies not in launching initiatives, but in their ability to generate tangible and sustainable impact within communities.

He further noted that Arab universities play a pivotal role in the development ecosystem, serving as hubs for knowledge production and incubators for innovation. He stressed that the success of academic institutions should not be measured solely by academic indicators, but also by their societal impact and their contribution to addressing development challenges.

In this context, H.E. Prof. Salama introduced an initiative to establish an Arab Observatory for University Development Initiatives, envisioned as a reference platform for documenting best practices, exchanging expertise, and assessing societal impact, thereby promoting excellence and strengthening integration among Arab academic institutions.

This forum comes within the framework of the Association of Arab Universities’ ongoing efforts to advance social responsibility and sustainable development across higher education institutions, through fostering knowledge exchange, developing joint initiatives, and expanding regional and international partnerships, ultimately reinforcing the role of Arab universities in serving their societies.