Birzeit University Law and Public Administration assistant professor Fida Shafi recently participated in a TEDx Annual Conference, held in Barcelona, Spain. The conference, held December 1, 2012, was themed “Empowering women around the Mediterranean.”

Professor Shafi addressed the importance of education as a personal and professional experience, and talked about the need to use human rights and respect for others as a guide while avoiding gender discrimination.

The event featured speakers from ten Mediterranean countries, including Algeria, Egypt, France, Greece, Libya, Morocco, Palestine, Turkey, and Spain. Each social entrepreneur spoke, relating his or her inspiring story.

“TED” stands for “Technology, Entertainment and Design,” and TEDx events are international conferences sponsored by the US-based Sapling Foundation, a private non-profit institution, under the slogan "ideas worth spreading."

Professor Shafi’s TED talk is available online at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4nBfvU7HuM.