The MCO Secretary General, David Lock, gave a keynote address at the General Assembly of the Association of Arab Universities in Jordan in March 2022.
The Association of Arab Universities operates within the framework of the Arab League and comprises some 500 universities from 22 countries where Arabic is the main language. Its vision is to strengthen, reinforce the quality of and transform higher education and research to address challenges and realise a prosperous future for graduates. It is an outward looking body with links to universities in Europe and other parts of the world.
Currently just 20 Arab universities have signed the Magna Charta Universitatum. The countries represented include Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Tunisia and Iraq. A proposal was made for the Association to develop its own Magna Charta but before determining what to do, the Association sought evidence from the MCO and this led to the Secretary General being invited to address the General Assembly. Some 300 rectors were present in Amman, Jordan and others joined the session online.
David Lock spoke about the purpose of a Magna Charta, MCU 2020 and the process by which it was prepared, including the global consultation, which made it potentially a Magna Charta for all universities anywhere in the world. Currently 950 universities have signed it. He was joined by MCO Ambassador, former MCO Council member and now President and Vice-Chancellor of the British University in Egypt, Professor Mohamed Loutfi, who highlighted the links between the principles, values and responsibilities set out in MCU 2020 and those in Arab culture.
The session was well received with follow up including universities expressing interest in signing the MCU. The Association’s Executive Committee will now consider its next steps.
Universities interested in this aspect of the MCO’s work with Arab universities are invited to contact the Secretary General or consult the website to learn how to sign the MCU 2020.
Published on 22 April 2022
