General Secretariate
The General Secretariat serves as the executive body of the Foundation. It consists of an Executive Secretariat, a Computer Department, and a Research Department. The responsibilities of the Research Department include research, editing, reviewing, and supervising publications, as well as managing administrative and financial affairs. The executive body, in particular, is responsible for preparing meetings of the Board of Trustees and the Advisory Committee for the “Albabtain Encyclopedia of Arabic Poets in the 19th and 20th Centuries”, the editorial office of the encyclopedia, as well as the editorial office of "Albabtain Encyclopedia of Contemporary Arab Poets” - Second Edition. It also oversees the judging committees, coordinates the production of entries for awards, and ensures their formal review. The regional offices operate under its guidance. The Secretary-General represents the Foundation in various occasions and tasks. Additionally, the General Secretariat implements the plans and policies set by the Board of Trustees and monitors all decisions issued by it.
The first Secretary-General of the Foundation was the poet Adnan Al-Shayji, who served from the beginning of the establishment of the Foundation in 1989 until July 1991. He organized the judging and distribution of awards for the first session in May 1990 at the Marriott Hotel in Cairo. At that time, the General Secretariat had not yet been formed, and reliance was placed on the Modern Literature Association in Cairo, under the presidency of Dr. Abdel-Monem Khafagy. The Association, with gratitude, supported the efforts of the Foundation during its early stages and stood by its side in carrying out its tasks.
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In August of 1991, Mr. Abdulaziz Al-Sarra'i was appointed to assume the position of Secretary-General of the institution. At that time, he held the position of Director of the Culture and Arts Department at the National Council for Culture, Arts, and Literature. He resigned from his government job and dedicated himself entirely to his duties as Secretary-General of the Foundation starting from October 1993, a role he continued until 2013.
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He was succeeded by Mr. Abdulrahman Khaled Albabtain in 2013, and he continues to hold the position to this day.
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