Page 6 - Issue 39

ELITE Vol.1, Issue 39, January 2022
Vol.1, Issue 39, January

One of my rich experiences during that period was the opportunity reforms and measures that a citizen had to be aware of in
to be elected as the President of the Arab Parliamentarians forum for order to accept and even support them. In addition, the
Population and Sustainable Development, and I represented Egypt Supreme Council of Culture evaluates scientific works and
and the Arab nations in various forums and visits to parliaments awards the country’s different prizes.
around the world. This experience was centered on how the
sustainable development goals are implemented globally and ● We are definitely proud of you assuming the position of
monitored by parliaments. This is because achieving sustainable the Dean of the London School of Economics and Political
development requires integration and coordination between all Science (LSE) Programs at the European Universities
sectors and institutions. And according to the structure of Branch in the New Administrative Capital – In your
parliaments, there are committees corresponding to the different opinion, what can this project add to the higher education in
ministries, and in my opinion, there should be a committee that Egypt?
includes all the different sectors to monitor the government work
and the consistency of legislation that ensures achieving the goals of I was honored, of course, to be chosen for this position and
sustainable development. Finally, being an assigned member and not that Minouche Shafik (Nemat Shafik), President of the
an elected one gave me the space to go through such different London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE),
experiences, including: my selection as the Vice President for the delivered the news of my selection for this position. I went
Forum of Legislators for Peace on Roads in the Middle East and to London in 2019 to meet her, and at that time I was still a
West Asia, as an initiative by the World Health Organization Member of Parliament, so I intended to occupy this
(WHO) and then globally. position temporarily. At that time, a presidential decree had
not been issued yet to establish the institution of the
● Among the positions you have assumed is working in two European universities in Egypt and among its goals is
committees in the Supreme Council of Culture and chairing one of hosting branches of European universities which are
them. In your opinion, what is the relationship between culture and currently two branches: one for the London university
economics that was behind your selection for this position? which is a federal university which includes 17 member
institutes among which is: the London School of
I was a member of the Environmental Committee and chaired the Economics and Political Science (LSE) and the other
Economic Committee of the Supreme Council of Culture. Economic branch is for the University of Central Lancashire (UCL).
culture is very important, as it educates people and presents the And after the issuance of the Presidential decree to
economic issues in a simplified manner. I also believed that it was establish the European universities in March 2021, a
the council's mission to educate about the “economic development director of each branch had to be appointed by the Minister
behavior”. And I thought at that time that the dialogue in of Higher Education based on a nomination from the hosted
educational seminars and discussions should be made easier to university. I was surprised by my nomination by the
comprehend, especially since that period witnessed many economic University of London for its branch here in the

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