Invited by the former President of Portugal, Mr. Abdulaziz Albabtain participates in a virtual symposium titled "Supporting the Future of Syria and the Region: Higher Education in Crisis - Listening to Syrian Voices and Other Testimonies."
March 26, 2021
As part of the collaborative efforts between Abdulaziz Saud Albabtain Cultural Foundation and international institutions focused on education and the culture of peace, the poet Abdulaziz Saud Albabtain participated with a video speech in a virtual symposium in Brussels on Thursday, March 25, 2021. The symposium was titled "Supporting the Future of Syria and the Region: Higher Education in Crisis - Listening to Syrian Voices and Other Testimonies." The event addressed the issue of Syrian students studying in Portugal and other European countries. The participation of Albabtain was extended by an invitation from Jorge Sampaio, the former President of Portugal.
Representatives from several European countries, as well as important political and diplomatic figures concerned with peace and education issues worldwide, participated in this symposium. This was particularly significant in the context of crises, conflicts, and challenges in the field of higher education that many countries around the world are facing.
Regarding this invitation, Mr. Abdulaziz Saud Albabtain stated, "As we express our gratitude and appreciation to His Excellency President Jorge Sampaio for extending this invitation to present testimony on the issue of Syrian students studying in Portugal and other European countries, I am pleased with the Emergency Scholarship Program for Syrian Students who sought refuge in Europe. This program aims to assist them in continuing their studies and was established in 2014."
Abdulaziz Saud Albabtain emphasized in his speech that his Foundation remains steadfast in its path to promote a culture of peace. He stated that initiatives like these lie at the core of the most beneficial humanitarian efforts for future generations, a mission that "Abdulaziz Saud Albabtain Cultural Foundation" has been dedicated to for over thirty years. He pointed out the Foundation’s collaboration with the Presidency of the United Nations General Assembly on the program "Teaching the Culture of Peace for the Security of Future Generations." Within this program, the Foundation has developed seventeen curricula, ranging from early childhood education to university level. Today, over a hundred educational institutions worldwide benefit from its teachings, and hundreds of other institutions will soon integrate it into their curriculum once it's translated into French, Arabic, and Spanish.