The United Arab Emirates University (UAEU) participated in the first meeting of the Arab Universities Governance Council in the Jordanian capital Amman. This meeting was held at the Middle East University with universities from seven Arab countries in attendance (the UAE, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Palestine, Sudan, Iraq, and Egypt). They discussed a set of proposals on the role of the council in its attempts to raise the standard of Arab universities in the Association of Arab Universities. His Excellency Dr. Ali Rashid Al Noaimi, Vice Chancellor of UAEU, represented the university.

Dr. Al Noaimi said that this governance project was presented to the forty-seventh session of the Association of Arab Universities in Oman last year. As it was of great importance in terms of the international accreditation of Arab universities, UAEU was keen to participate in the formation of the council. The council aims to disseminate proper governance, build the operational capacity of these universities, provide consultative advice and discuss a draft of the guidelines to be adopted by Arab universities. He added that UAEU’s vision sees a cooperative Arab role in education and research; student and academic exchanges, and governance issues. In line with this vision the council plans to hold conferences, seminars and workshops to provide advice and seek to unify the standards accepted by Arab universities.

Dr. Maher Salim, President of the Middle East University, emphasized the importance of adopting proper governance in the management of university affairs. This affects the respective university’s quality and global ranking. He stressed the desire of members to take responsibility in order to achieve genuine cooperation between the council and the universities in order to achieve better higher education and research results in Arab universities.

Dr. Sultan Abu-Orabi, Secretary General of the Association of Arab Universities, discussed the efforts of the secretariat to develop academic performance and both educational and developmental requirements in Arab countries. He stressed that the council adds value to the association as it plays a role in the organization of academic, technical and administrative issues while enhancing the leading role of such institutions.

Additionally, a Memorandum of Cooperation between UAEU and the Middle East University was signed. This is aimed at strengthening scientific and academic cooperation between the two parties in education, training and research.