Haifa Al Kaylani, President & Founder of the Arab International Women’s Forum and a Commissioner of the ILO Global Commission on the Future of Work 2017-2019, will be chairing a key session at the QS Higher Ed Summit: Middle East and Africa 2023.
This year’s Summit, hosted by the American University of the Middle East (AUM) and organised by QS, will take place on 12-14 March, both online and in-person at the Cultural Center at the AUM Campus in Kuwait. The Summit theme, ‘Envisioning a meaningful future: Purpose-driven higher education in the Middle East and Africa’, will feature keynote speeches and interactive panel discussions from ministers, government officials, and higher education leaders from around the world. AIWF has supported the QS Higher Ed: Middle East and Africa Summits since 2020, and Haifa is especially proud to serve as a Global Advisory Committee Member for QS.
Unpacking several opportunities to build strong relationships and strategic partnerships, the three-day event will feature keynotes, debates, panel discussions, and case studies on the track topics of From Reactive to Adaptive, Unlocking the Potential of Lifelong Learning, Advancing Research Agendas, Agents of Change, Constructing a Sustainable Future and What matters to Africa?. The panel Haifa will be chairing, Unlocking the Potential of Lifelong Learning, will welcome Professor Dr Nathir Obeidat, President of the University of Jordan; Professor Abhilasha Singh, Vice President for Academic Affairs, American University in the Emirates; and Professor Ebada Sarhan, President of Future University in Egypt.
With the emergence of new technology, the skill sets needed by the next generation of graduates in the region are likely to evolve. At the same time, faculty and students alike will benefit from being reskilled with high-demand competencies such as creativity, emotional intelligence and collaboration. According to the World Economic Forum, investing in the skills of primary and secondary school learners alone could create an additional $266 billion for the Middle East economy by 2030. This panel accordingly will explore what institutions in the region are doing to support their students and staff in honing relevant, practical, and holistic skills towards building a resilient, highly skilled MENA workforce in the future.
As a speaker for the Summit, QS has very kindly extended a discount on in-person and virtual conference passes for members of the AIWF network. Please visit here to register and join us for this very special Summit.
