Birzeit University founder, coordinating member at the newly-launched BSEMAN

Birzeit University, represented by its president Abdellatif Abujhijleh, participated in the Founding Conference of the Black Sea and Eastern Mediterranean Academic Network- BSEMAN; marking the beginning of a creative, social and environmental sustainable collaboration, held at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece. The university is a founding member, and the Palestinian representative on the First Coordinating Committee on behalf of universities in the West Bank.

 The conference culminated in the signing ceremony of a Memorandum of Understanding establishing BSEMAN. The network is formed by academic institutions that come from the region of the Black Sea and Eastern Mediterranean, including Birzeit University, along with 25 other universities from Palestine, Lebanon, Greece, Cyprus, Turkey, Ukraine, Russia, Armenia, Georgia and Bulgaria. This collaboration plans to develop research in a range of scientific disciplines and focus especially on global environmental issues; academic workshops and conferences; a sustainable  network of the libraries and data resources of the participating institutions; and cooperative youth initiatives.

Abuhijleh said that BSEMAN will serve as a bridge that will connect the region under a noble mission in education and research. The president proudly announced that Birzeit University is a founding member, and a member at the network is Coordinating Committee; represented in the administrative body that coordinates the annual program of BSEMAN, as well as any special activity. He noted that the university is now exploring the prospects for an international conference on international law and human rights, in collaboration with Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece.

 Referring to Birzeit University’s commitment to reaching out to a wide range of universities across the globe, Abuhijleh pointed to the university’s new approach to step up its cooperation in academia and research with new partners. “BSEMAN is a great opportunity to network, exchange expertise, and work together towards a better future for our youth. We will continue to work closely with its Eastern partners, where the opportunities for development and transformation are numerous. I believe that we will be able to achieve a positive and wide-reaching impact.”