Library of Alexandria Host Many Intellectuals

On the eve of the new soft opening of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, Ismail Serageldin hosted some 70 of Egypts leading intellectuals in for a dialogue on the future of the Library and what their thoughts were on what it should do for them and for Egypt.

First Lady and Trustees Meet at the Library of Alexandria

The first Lady and chair of the Board of Trustees of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina met with the Egyptian members of the board of trustees to discuss the plans for the soft opening of the Library and the next steps in the librarys development.

Bibliotheca Alexandrina: Reviving the Spirit of the old Library of Alexandria in the 21st Century

- Alexandria, Egypt

Dr. Serageldin delivered this presentation entitled “Bibliotheca Alexandrina: Reviving the Spirit of the old Library of Alexandria in the 21st Century” at the Library of Alexandria.

Serageldin Selected as the World's Best Lecturer

Ismail Serageldin, selected by Aarhus University as the best lecturer in the world, delivered two lectures at the university today. He spoke in the morning on the Library of Alexandria and in the afternoon on the University of tomorrow. Both lectures were well attended and very well received.

The University of Tomorrow: The Challenge and the Response

- Aarhus

Dr. Serageldin delivered this presentation entitled “The University of Tomorrow: The Challenge and the Response” in Aarhus.

Celebration of Adel Abu-Zahra at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina

Adel Abu-Zahra, secretary general of the Egyptian Association of Friends of the Library of Alexandria (EAFLA), has been honored by the international associations in Geneva as one of the ten most effective leaders of the civil society in the world.

First Meeting of the Board of Trustees of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina Held in Cairo

The first meeting of the Board of Trustees of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina (BA) was held in Cairo. The members of the Board were received by the President of Egypt who reaffirmed the support of the Egyptian government to the BA and wished them well on their work.

Serageldin Confirmed As First Director of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina

At its first meeting held in Cairo on May 28th, the Board of Trustees unanimously endorsed the recommendations of the search committee and selected Ismail Serageldin as the first Director of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina (BA).

Egyptian Association of Friends of the Library of Alexandria (EAFLA) Passes 500 Members

Ismail Serageldin told us today that he was delighted to learn that the membership of the Egyptian Association of Friends of the Library of Alexandria (EAFLA) was growing rapidly and that it had already reached over 500 members.

Egyptian Intellectuals Meet to Discuss the Role of the Library of Alexandria in Promoting Dialogue and Tolerance

A three day event organized by the Coptic Evangelical Organization for Social Services (CEOSS) and the Egyptian Association of Friends of the Library of Alexandria (EAFLA) to discuss the role of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina in promoting dialogue and tolerance in the years ahead.

Egypts First Lady Announces New Directions for the Library of Alexandria

First Lady Suzanne Mubarak visited the Bibliotheca Alexandrina today and held a press conference at which she delivered a very important address that laid out the future path of the BA and announced the new governance structures of the BA.

Serageldin Appointed to the Supreme Council for Culture

Ismail Serageldin was appointed to the Supreme Council for Culture in Egypt. This august body comprises 22 persons in their individual capacity and a number of eminent ex-officio members.

Stellar Board to Guide the Library of Alexandria

It has just been learned that the new Library of Alexandria is to be guided in its actions by a Board of Trustees that is a veritable who's who of eminent personalities. The Board is to be chaired by Mrs. Suzanne Mubarak, Egypt's First Lady, who has been the driving force for this project for a very long time.

Corals, and an Unusual Honor for Serageldin

This story should have been filed last December... but we just learned of all the details ... We have known for many years that Ismail Serageldin is a very avid scuba diver, and a strong supporter of coral reefs and actions to conserve them.

Conference on Biotechnology in the Arid Zones Starts in Kuwait

A conference to discuss the applications of biotechnology in the arid zones started in Kuwait today. The conference was sponsored by the Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research (KISR) and included a large number of regional personalities.

Herbie Hancock at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina

The legendary Herbie Hancock and the Thelonios Monk Institute Jazz Ambassadors came to the Conference Center of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina for a Jazz concert. The riffs were spectacular, and the audience filling the 1200 seat auditorium enjoyed every minute of it.

Serageldin Starts Tenure with Meeting for All Staff

Ismail Serageldin started his tenure as DG of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina with an open meeting with all the staff from the Janitors to the Directors. The meeting lasted for almost three hours, with all the time taken up with questions and answers following the opening 20 minute presentation by the new Director General a.i.

New Egyptian Association of the Friends of the Library of Alexandria Established

Alexandrian activists Dr. Adel AbuZahra, and Mr. Sayed El-Nahas, his wife Mahiba Abdel Salam, Professor Lutfi AbdelWahab, Mrs. Mona El-Nashar and other friends founded the Egyptian Association of the friends of the Library of Alexandria.

Serageldin Named Director-General of the New Library of Alexandria

President Mubarak of Egypt issued a series of decrees today that appointed HE Mrs. Suzanne Mubarak to head the Council of Patrons and the Board of Trustees, and that named a distinguished group of Egyptians and non-Egyptians to the Board of Trustees of the Library complex, a huge cultural complex comprising several institutions...

Presidential Decree Signed Spelling Out the Structures of the New Library of Alexandria

Presidential decree 76 for year 2001 was signed today. It spells out how the New Library of Alexandria is to be governed and managed. A high level Council of Patrons, including such luminaries a the President of France and the Queen of Spain, would meet once every three years or so.

Law for New Library of Alexandria Passed

Law No.1 for 2001 was passed by Parliament on the 12th of March and creates a new juridical person attached directly to the Head of State and gives the President the authority to design its supervisory, administrative and financial regulations with enormous latitude to avoid bureaucratization.

Library of Alexandria Rises by the Mediterranean

The beautiful design of the Library of Alexandria is taking shape on the edge of the water in the old harbor of Alexandria. The magnificent design is becoming reality and is attracting international attention from many quarters.

Serageldin Named Distinguished University Professor at Wageningen University in the Netherlands and Delivers Foundation Day Lecture

Wageningen University, one of the world's leading research in Agriculture and related fields, today named four individuals to a newly created cadre of Distinguished University Professor.

Scandinavian Committee of the Friends of the Library of the Alexandria Visit the Building

A group of members of the Scandinavia Committee of friends of the Library of Alexandria, led by Prof. Annica Dahlstrom, visited Alexandria. There they met with Ismail Serageldin and Dr. Mohsen Zahran, Director of the Library project.

Architecture Debate

A lively debate characterized the meeting sponsored by the Architectural Committee of the Supreme Cultural Council of Egypt. The meeting was a formal seminar linked to an exhibition that had been presented at the "Hanager" exhibition hall in the Opera Complex in Cairo.

Biology Now and Tomorrow

- Cairo, Egypt

Dr. Serageldin delivered this presentation entitled “Biology Now and Tomorrow” in Cairo.

Biovision Forum Attracts Thousands on Biotechnology Forum

For a few days, the city of Lyon became the biotech capital of the world. Some 2000 persons representing Industry, scientists and the civil society, as well as a number of eminent political figures from the President of France to the Commissioner of Health of the EC to the minister of research of China, all attended a densely packed program of thematic plenaries...

The Newest on the Biotechnology Front

In an address on Biotechnology old and new, Ismail Serageldin sketched out to the students and faculty at the AUC the latest developments on the biotechnology front. He painted a vivid image of a world in remarkable transformation and where the new paradigms of biotechnology work especially in industry...

Thousands of Youth Attend Model UN in the Hague

Thousands of young people from over 90 countries converged on the Hague for the week on simulation of the United Nations. The Hague International Model United Nations (THIMUN) is now the best known such effort in the world.

German-Egyptian Dialogue Explores Cultural Identity and Globalization

A day long program of German-Egyptian dialogue was organized by the Mubarak Public Library in Cairo around the theme of cultural identity during globalization. A distinguished raft of intellectuals on both sides participated in the event. Ismail Serageldin was among the participants...

Indian National Youth Employment Summit (YES) Consultation Takes Place in New Delhi

Poonam Ahluwalia YES summit Director and Ismail Serageldin led a brainstorming session of some 50 activists from NGOs. Government, Private sector and young entrepreneurs to define a work program for the next 18 months to promote Youth employment issues in India.

India Science Congress Brings Together 4200 Scientists - Serageldin Chairs and Delivers Address at Final Session

The prestigious Indian Science Congress held its 88th session in New Delhi from January 3-7, 2001 at the new Campus of Pusa. The theme was food, nutrition and environmental security. Opened by the Prime Minister and involving 4200 scientists including over 90 foreign guests, the science congress had a stellar group of presenters and speakers.

Serageldin Elected to the World Academy of Arts and Sciences

Minnesota -- Ismail Serageldin has been elected as a fellow of the World Academy of arts and sciences. The academy is dedicated to the advancement of the cause of arts and sciences and by statute can have no more than 500 members worldwide at any time and at present has only 450 members.

Historic Cities and Sacred Sites: Cultural Roots for Urban Futures

 Ismail Serageldin, Ephim Shluger, Joan Martin-Brown (Co-editors)    Download

Urban Heroes -- Serageldin Delivers Prince Claus Fund Awards Lecture

The prestigious Prince Claus Fund Awards were given today. The top awardees were Jaime Lerner of Curitiba, Brazil for his visionary work in making it a model of urban development, Viva Rio, an NGO in Rio de Janeiro, and Francisco Toledo, an artist in Mexico. Ten other awards were given.

Serageldin Elected to Arab Thought Forum

Ismail Serageldin was elected as a member of the Arab Thought forum (ATF). Based in Amman, Jordan the ATF includes some of the most distinguished names in the intellectual and professional elite of the Arab World.

White House Conference on Culture and Diplomacy Opened by President Clinton

Some 200 invited guests participated in a special event with the President of the US and the secretary of State. The event included such luminaries as Wole Soyinka and HH the Aga khan, and many well known artists such as Yo Yo Ma and actors Meryl Streep and John Lithgow.

Environment and Engineering Conference Opens with a Keynote Address by Ismail Serageldin

Addressing the opening session of the international conference on Environment and engineering, Serageldin spoke of the transformation of engineering from enemy of the environment to the its all, of moving from end-of-pipe solutions to incorporating environmental factors in design...

Serageldin Speaks at Cairo University on a New Economic Paradigm

Returning to his old Alma Mater, Ismail Serageldin gave a major address at the faculty of economics and political science which was very well attended. In that session he challenged conventional views of sustainability and economic measurement and management.

Serageldin Elected to the Presidency of the Universal Movement for Responsible Science (murs)

At the college de France in the hall of the Academie des Sciences in France, the members of the Universal Movement for Responsible Science (Mouvement Universel pour la Responsabilité Scientifique, MURS) today elected Ismail Serageldin to head its international effort.

Serageldin Honored by Agricultural Group

The Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) held a special seminar in honor of Ismail Serageldin and incoming chairman Ian Johnson presented him with a scroll recording the best wishes of the CGIAR to Ismail in his new endeavors. In his response, Ismail Serageldin praised all his collaborators and said that he had been privileged to work for the CGIAR...

Serageldin Honored at Isfahan Technical University

At the legendary city of Isfahan in Iran, Ismail Serageldin received a special award by the President of Isfahan Technical University, in recognition of his many contributions to the advancement of agricultural research for the benefit of the poor and the environment.

Serageldin Speaks on the Role of Science for Food Security

Ismail Serageldin delivered today a sweeping lecture on the challenges of food security and the role of science in meeting the challenges of food production, environmental protection and poverty reduction.

Farewell to the World Bank

- At World Bank, 12^th Floor Gallery, Washington, DC, USA

It has finally happened. I speak for the last time as a member of the Staff of the World Bank. After 28 years, the time to move on has come.

I had thought to steal away quietly, with no fuss or fanfare, to fold my tent and go silently into that good night, a passageway to new horizons, to new adventures.

Urbanization and Housing

- Cairo

Dr. Serageldin delivered this presentation entitled “Urbanization and Housing” in Cairo.

Serageldin as Distinguished Visiting Professor at American University in Cairo (AUC) to Speak on Development

Ismail Serageldin has now officially joined the AUC as Distinguished Visiting Professor. He will give a series of eleven public lectures this fall. They cover the gamut of the topics pertaining to development.

Methodological Discussions to Undergird the AUC Lecture Series

In commenting about the lecture series that has just been announced by AUC, Ismail Serageldin said that while the topics would be of general interest and the material would be presented in a manner accessible to the general public, there were very important technical and methodological underpinnings to his analysis and his statements.

International Association of Universities Challenged to Think of Quality and International Collaboration

Durban was host to some 650 University presidents and top administrators who met for their five-yearly conference. They elected Hans van Ginkel, rector of UNU as their new president, and heard from Ismail Serageldin who in his (illustrated) keynote address challenged them to implement their commitment to international collaboration...

Serageldin Relinquishes Chairmanship of Global Water Partnership (GWP) and Is Elected a "Patron" of the GWP

In a highly constructive and productive meeting in Stockholm, the GWP came of age… after four years of nurturing, the GWP has now completed a major transition, a time that made it appropriate for Ismail Serageldin, founder and first chairman of the GWP to pass on the baton to a new colleague.

CIS Architects Discuss Faith, Pluralism and Architecture

Architects from the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) countries and international architects met in Moscow for an international seminar co-sponsored by the Aga Khan Award for Architecture (AKAA) and the International Association of Unions of Architects.