Dr. Ahmed El-Kased, President of Menoufia University, indicated that the Supreme Council for Community Service and Environmental Development Affairs held its regular meeting, headed by Dr. Mustafa Refaat, Secretary of the Supreme Council of Universities, Accountant Mohamed Moussa, Deputy Governor of Menoufia, Dr. Ahmed Zaki Badr, former Minister of Education and former Minister of Local Development, Dr. Sobhi Sharaf, Vice President of the University for Community Service and Environmental Development Affairs, and Dr. Nasser Abdel Bari, Vice President of the University for Education and Students Affairs, in the presence of a number of university presidents, and vice presidents of universities for community service and environmental development affairs, members of the council, at the university administration headquarters.

Dr. Ahmed El-Kased welcomed Dr. Mustafa Refaat and members of the Supreme Council for Community Service Affairs at Menoufia University, thanking them for participating in the third annual conference of the community service sector at the university.

The university president explained that the meeting reviewed the electronic platform for the activities of public universities and discussed proposals to enhance the role of universities in supporting entrepreneurship and innovation, and establishing human rights units in a number of universities, adding that the council also reviewed the efforts of universities to participate in the presidential initiative "A New Beginning for Building the Human Being"

El-Kased added that the council reviewed a number of reports, including a report by the committee formed to prepare practical proposals and recommendations to enhance the role of universities in evaluating their performance in linking scientific research to industry and supporting innovation and entrepreneurship, and a report by the committee formed to prepare a study of pumps that can be used in the New Delta project and other projects to maximize the benefit from these capabilities.

For his part, Dr. Mustafa thanked the Menoufia University family for hosting the meeting of the Supreme Council for Community Service and Environmental Development Affairs, and praised the level of performance of the university in organizing the third annual conference of the Community Service and Environmental Development Affairs Sector, which is held under the title "Social Responsibility of Universities in Light of the National Strategy for Higher Education", pointing out the importance of organizing this conference in light of the developments and challenges witnessed by the world today.

He also praised the efforts of all partners and participants who seek to integrate environmental sustainability with economic feasibility, in line with Egypt's goals in confronting climate change, in light of the global shift towards a green economy, stressing the need to achieve environmental sustainability to confront the global climate crisis, in addition to achieving the sustainable development goals set by the United Nations.

Dr. Mustafa Refaat pointed out that the presidential initiative "A New Beginning for Building the Human" emphasizes the importance of investing in human capital as one of the axes of sustainable development, explaining that the main goal of the initiative is to enhance the Egyptian identity and develop human capabilities, through integrated work programs implemented in cooperation between all state agencies, pointing out the announcement of the Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research about the participation of the ministry and Egyptian universities in this presidential initiative, which It includes various activities, such as medical, veterinary, and advisory convoys, in addition to awareness seminars and training programs, stressing that the initiative aims to build an aware and qualified generation capable of achieving the goals of sustainable development according to Egypt's Vision 2030.

The Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Universities also explained that in light of the current environmental and social challenges, higher education institutions bear a great responsibility in preparing generations capable of facing these challenges, stressing that universities are not only beacons of science, but also incubators of ideas and innovation, which enables them to contribute effectively to achieving a sustainable future, stressing the importance of supporting the goals of sustainable development and the goals of Egypt's Vision 2030 within the framework of the national strategy of the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, with a focus on climate change issues as a national and global priority, noting that Egyptian universities and research centers have witnessed effective participation in the past period in international conferences, such as the COP29 conference, to review their research projects aimed at confronting climate change.

Dr. Mustafa Refaat also touched on the role of the Supreme Council of Universities in coordinating between universities, research centers and institutes to develop strategies to direct science, technology and innovation towards confronting climate change, referring to the "Best Environmentally Friendly University in Egypt" competition, which aims to highlight models of success from universities in achieving the transformation towards an environmentally friendly university. Dr. Sobhi Sharaf added that the council was informed of the universities' reports on the activities and achievements of the community service and environmental development sector, which they submit based on the social responsibility of universities towards their surrounding community, and in light of the state's strategy for sustainable development 2030 and the national strategy for higher education and scientific research.