The Supreme Council for Community Service and Environmental Development Affairs held its periodic meeting, headed by Dr. Mustafa Refaat, Secretary of the Supreme Council of Universities, in the presence of Prof. Ghada Farouk, Vice President of the University, and distinguished members of the Council, at the headquarters of Beni Suef University.

At the beginning of the meeting, Dr. Mustafa Refaat thanked the Beni Suef University family for hosting the meeting of the Supreme Council for Community Service and Environmental Development Affairs, praising the level of the university’s performance in organizing the fifth environmental conference at Beni Suef University, which was organized by the community service and environmental development sector at the university, under the slogan “Green is a way of life,” sponsored by Dr. Ayman Ashour, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, and Dr. Mansour Hassan, President of the University, and under the supervision of Dr. Sameh Al-Maraghi, Vice President of the University for Community Service and Environmental Development, in the presence of a number of university presidents and university vice presidents for community service and environmental development.

Dr. Mustafa Refaat confirmed that the Supreme Council of Universities greatly welcomes and supports all activities that contribute to achieving sustainable development, within the framework of the directives of the political leadership, and the interest of the Minister of Higher Education in moving towards green, explaining the importance of including sustainable development goals within university curricula; To teach young people how to preserve the environment, pointing out that going green has become an urgent necessity at the local, regional, and international levels, and has become one of the pillars of sustainable development in light of climate change, which has greatly affected the quality of life.

Pointing out the importance of the role of universities in leading development in light of the national strategy for higher education and scientific research launched by Dr. Ayman Ashour March 7, 2023.

The Council agreed to adopt a unified guideline to organize the work mechanisms of human rights units in Egyptian universities, as an independent unit affiliated with the university president, and not included in any other units, within the framework of cooperation with the (Central Human Rights Unit) of the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research.

The Council discussed the latest developments on a number of topics, including:

• All universities prepare a classification model for materials that can be recycled or sold, and how to benefit from them.

• What was done in the Best Environmentally Friendly University competition for the year 2024.

• All universities implement the proposal to create a visual identity for each governorate of the Republic.

The Council also discussed the efforts of universities in implementing many important initiatives and projects, as part of their efforts to achieve sustainable development and enhance their role in society, including:

• Preparing a study of the pumps that can be used in the New Delta Project and other projects; To maximize the use of these capabilities.

• Study the obstacles facing the Ataqa Industrial Zone in Suez Governorate, with regard to expanding the application of the dual education system and transfer education to provide trained and skilled workers.

• Spreading the culture of energy conservation and improving the efficiency of its use in universities.

• Preparing a comprehensive action plan for awareness-raising convoys as part of the Egyptian state’s efforts to combat and prevent illegal immigration and human trafficking, while presenting an action plan throughout the year 2024.

Within the framework of cooperation between the National Population Council and universities, the Council followed up on the efforts of universities to submit a statement of completion for the quarterly quarter (January - March) 2024 of the annual plan for population activities of the Ministry. This follow-up comes within the framework of activating work on the 2023/2024 executive plan emanating from Five-year plan 2020-2025 for the National Population and Development Strategy 2023-2030.

The Council was informed of a number of issues, including:

• Suggestions of Dr. Heba Makram Sharubim, member of the Senate Education, Scientific Research and Communications Committee, regarding activating students’ social responsibility, by preserving the environment, and including it in the students’ summer activities plan.

• Activities of a workshop entitled “Educational Integration – A First Step Toward Globalization,” which was held at South Valley University as part of the activities of the Alliance of Universities in the South Upper Egypt Region.

• Universities’ report on the activities and achievements of the community service and environmental development sector in universities during the last period of the academic year 2023/2024.