The Human Rights Center at Beirut Arab University, in cooperation with the Madaniyat Foundation for Equality, organized the closing ceremony of the “Her Civic Quest” project, which was launched in November 2024. This project lasted several months with the aim of empowering 50 female university students in the fields of leadership, gender justice, political participation, environmental protection and conflict resolution.
The ceremony started with welcoming speeches by BAU Secretary-General and the Director of the Human Rights Center, Dr. Omar Houri, and the Project Coordinator at the Madaniyat Foundation Ms. Nadine Al-Hajj Hussein.
In his speech, Dr. Omar Houri stressed that "this project represents an effective model for enhancing student participation in social justice and human rights issues on campus," noting that "the enthusiasm and commitment we have seen among female students reflects the importance of investing in the energies of youth, especially in the areas of leadership and advocacy, as an essential step towards building more just and inclusive societies."
He added, "The Human Rights Center will continue to support and keep pace with these initiatives within a sustainable vision".
The program included a video presentation summarizing the project's most prominent milestones, followed by the participating students presenting their personal and professional experiences within the project, in addition to presenting the work plans that will be implemented in the university campus during the fall semester of 2025.
The ceremony also included two dialogue sessions with the participation of female students and the interventions of governance and local development expert Dr. Josephine Zogheib and lawyer Manar Zaiter, where ways to enhance the role of young women in civil and leadership spaces were discussed.
The participating students developed three initiatives during the project, which will be implemented with support from the Human Rights Center and in coordination with the Madaniyat Foundation. These initiatives aim to achieve a sustainable impact on the university environment and revolve around:
- Environment: through awareness campaigns and activating recycling activities on campus.
- Student political representation: by launching a democratic electoral system that enhances effective student participation.
- Empowering women: by organizing workshops, implementing awareness campaigns, and providing basic personal hygiene supplies in university facilities.
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