The 10th International Cultural Festival has been Launched on o6u campus today 27 February 2017 at the presence of several diplomatic, consular and cultural missions along with members of their respective communities.
The Festival in its 10th edition carries the title "Solving and Mitigating Refugees Problem Contributes to Enhancing International Peace and Security". The Festival takes place in the framework of the importance the University attaches to raising students awareness on global issues relating to international peace and security.
The Festival provides the opportunity to share and celebrate the values of mutual respect and understanding, in addition to raising awareness of the diverse cultures and civilizations.
In his speech Prof. Ahmed Attia Seida touched on the following points:
· The refugees problem is the responsibility of the international community as a whole and can only be tackled through collective and concerted actions and endeavors that ensure building and implementing policies guaranteeing their reintegration in their countries of origin to enable them contribute in peace building process.
· The O6U 10th International Cultural Festival invites you in collaboration with UNHCR office in Egypt to take part in the campaign aiming at raising awareness on the plight of refugees and the gravity of their conditions, and urge the international community to assume its responsibility to mitigate the dire consequences of the refugees problem, notably in the field of education being a fundamental right and enabler and driver in re-building themselves and their communities and begin new beneficial and productive lives.
· We in Egypt host with love and full solidarity about five million refugees from different nationalities, providing them decent livelihood and equal treatment relating to health, education, housing in addition to commodity subsidies.
Prof. Dr. Kheireldin Abdellatif delivered a speech in which he highlighted the following points:
· October 6 University (O6U) attaches great importance to raising awareness on global issues relating to international peace and security through the different events and activities organized by the University. The O6U International Festival in its 9th edition last year carried the rubric of "Culture of Peace".
· The present Festival carries the rubric "Solving and Mitigating Refugees Problem Contributes in Enhancing the Prospects of International Peace and Security" with the main objective of raising awareness on the dire plight of refugees around the world and joining in sounding our profound concern and alarm about the challenges and threats emanating from this unprecedented severe human crisis.
· The O6U International cultural Festival (ICF) fosters a culture of peace based on the eight points of the Programme of Action adopted by the General Assembly in 1999: Education for peace/ the promotion of sustainable economic and social and tolerance.
· The masses of refugees on the move clearly manifest the close interrelationships between international peace and security and the problem of refugees with its enormous proportions.
· In this respect special mention should be made to the vital role played by the United Nations and other international and regional bodies and organizations through negotiation, mediation, peace - building and peace keeping missions.
· I shall be amiss if I do not underline here that the enduring and protracted occupation is still denying the Palestinian people their inalienable rights to return, to self- determination and to their political independence.
Miss Bernadette Castle, Deputy Representative of UNHCR, Egypt highly commended Egypt's courteous and hospitable reception of refugees from over 60 countries providing them equal treatment in terms of health, education, housing and other social services. Miss Bernadette castle referred to the generous role O6U plays in receiving refugees through providing about 100 scholarships to students refugees.
In his speech Mr. Mohamed Alfouly the Executive Director of the United Nations Global Compact Network Egypt highly praised the close cooperation with O6U and said O6U is unique in mainstreaming the Global Compact principles and Sustainable Development Goals (SDG's) and Targets in its practices and operations and that the University performance in this is acclaimed by the high Levels of the United Nations.
One of the main items of the Festival was the song that students presented describing the plight of refugees which was applauded by the audience, and the children of the National School of the City of 6 October displayed as interesting show and chanted nice songs about Egypt which were highly commended by the audience.
About The 10th International Cultural Festival