Lebanon TV reports and interviews
H.H. Sheikh Zaid Ben Sultan Al Nahian, when received
Honorary Doctorate from Arab Academy
Winner of Seatrade Awards, Innovation Category, 1999
Prof. Farghali has won a prestigious prize in the international maritime industry. William O’Neil, S.G. of the International Maritime Organisation and Chairman of Judges, presented the awards. Prof. Farghali, who in 1996 became the first student to gain a PhD from the Southampton Institute’s Maritime Faculty, won the innovation category of the awards for his PhD thesis work on a decision-making system for collision avoidance. The Seatrade Awards are like the Oscars of the maritime industry.
Signing the Magna Charta Universitatum at Bologna, Italy
Prof. Farghali took the initiative to sign the Magna Charta Universitatum in Bologna, Italy. It was a leading step to join a great host of a worldwide community of more than 700 universities sharing the same ideals and principles. This initiative aimed to develop the cooperation between the North and South of the Mediterranean in the field of University Liberal Education and Research and to establish more effective and far-reaching intellectual, cultural, social, scientific and technological links.
In 2009, Prof Farghali undertook the initiative to establish the Regional Centre for Disaster Risk Reduction (RCDRR) jointly with the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR) and the Chairman of both Arab and Islamic Bureau of Environment Ministers. The Governing Board of the Centre includes distinguished members such as Egypt, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Tunisia, the Islamic Development Bank, the Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development and the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery of the World Bank. The main objectives of RCDRR include promoting the integration of Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) in national policies, strategies, and plans, building capacities in the field of DRR, and building networking and partnership with a multi-stakeholder to accelerate the implementation of the Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA) in the Arab region. The initiative of Mohamed Farghali resulted in various fruitful cooperation and projects with different international bodies, such as the World Bank and UNISDR. These projects include a study on Climate Change Adaptation and National Disaster Preparedness in the Coastal Cities of North Africa (Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia), Damage and Loss Assessment (DALA) Training, developing seven online courses in partnership with GFDRR with 120 participants from various countries such as Yemen, Tunisia, Egypt, Lebanon, Palestine, Syria, China, Italy and Germany, Working on two projects entitled “Development & Enhancement of Information and Knowledge Capacity on DRR” and “Enhancing Information Management and Knowledge Capacities in the MENA Region”, and developing training on HFA Monitoring and Reporting Monitoring with HFA focal points of Arab States.
Arabic Version (Original)
English Version (Official Translation)
I am passionate about research, teaching, and consultancy within education, training, and research. Since 1980, my journey has been intertwined with the Arab Academy for Science, Technology, and Maritime Transport, an esteemed institution under the auspices of the League of Arab States, dedicated to education, training, research, community service, and impactful projects. My tenure culminated in being consensually elected as the Academy President in 2007. One of the defining moments of my career was spearheading a transformative project: the creation of the largest Integrated Simulators Complex in the Middle East. Overseeing every aspect from conception to implementation, this endeavour, backed by a $165 million budget from the US government, aimed to revolutionise technology transfer across various transport sectors. It encompassed state-of-the-art simulators, laboratories, and disaster management centres for marine and environmental crises, including liquefied natural gas and petroleum. In 1999, our commitment to innovation was recognised with the prestigious "SEATRADE AWARDS" in the Innovation category. This accolade honoured our pioneering work in developing a cutting-edge maritime expert system for collision avoidance at sea. Furthermore, my involvement extended to international platforms, such as serving on the Consultative Group and the Results Management Council of the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery at the World Bank and contributing to the Scientific and Technical Committee of the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction. In 2010, I took a significant step towards fostering global collaboration by leading the Academy to sign the Magna Charta Universitatum. This landmark decision aligned us with over 700 universities worldwide, sharing common ideals and principles first articulated by the University of Bologna in 1986. Despite diverse geographical and contextual backgrounds, this unified commitment underscores our dedication to excellence in education and research on a global scale. In October 2010, the member states convened at the Academy's General Assembly at the ministerial level. Following the Academy's establishment agreement, they unanimously extended its Presidency for four years until October 2015. This decision was made to recognise the exceptional progress in education, training, research, finance, and administration in preceding years. However, in October 2011, I faced unjust exclusion from my diplomatic profession despite the majority support from member states in the General Assembly. This exclusion stemmed primarily from my principled stance against diverting the Academy's budget towards funding the presidential election campaign of Amr Mousa, the former Secretary-General of the League of Arab States. Following my exclusion, my financial entitlements, including pension, social benefits, and medical care, were regrettably withheld due to my pursuit of legal recourse.
Press Conference - Arabic Video
The press conference about the conspiracy of Amr Mousa and the Egyptian minster of transport
Academy Demonstrations (1) - Arabic Video
Demonstrations in support of Dr Farghali
Academy Demonstrations (2) - Arabic Video
Demonstrations in support of Dr Farghali
Lebanon Visit - Arabic Video
Yemen Visit - Arabic Video
Yemen TV reports about the visit and the meeting with the Yemeni Prime Minster
Letter of Thanks and Deep Appreciation
A letter of thanks and deep appreciation was addressed to Professor Mohamed Farghali from the members of Arab States in the General Assembly "GA" of the Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport.
The members of Arab States in the Academy’s GA addressed this letter to highlight the profound impact of Prof. Farghali's extraordinary achievements during his first presidency of the Academy. In a remarkably brief period, not exceeding two years from August 2008 until December 2010, Prof. Farghali served as a regional expert in higher education and national and regional development. His long-standing career in the Arab region, supporting national governments in achieving their development goals in higher education, has significantly enhanced the role of the Arab Academy as a regional specialised organisation of the League of Arab States. As the lead executive of the Arab Academy, he has demonstrated a unique capacity to generate innovative ideas, providing invaluable support to Arab National Governments in their national programs and plans. Among his many achievements, Prof. Farghali has accomplished the following:
Increase of the Academy’s financial resources by more than US$33 million
Increase the Academy’s cash reserves, indemnity funds, and pensions, social and health care funds with a value of US$ 96 million.
Renewal of the entire Academy’s infrastructure since its inception (water, electricity, sewage, telephones) in addition to the establishment of many new projects, such as: the computer networking center and the planetarium.
Raise the salaries of all employees for the first time since the Academy’s inception by 20%, and raise the value of allowances and incentives in varying proportions ranging from 20 to 100%.
Share this page
From 1994 to 2007, Prof. Farghali supervised and guided the planning, implementation, and management of a four-phased project for the largest Integrated Simulators Complex (ISC) in the Middle East, with a budget of US$165 million by USAID. ISC includes marine, environmental, and crisis management components for handling natural and man-made disasters such as explosions, floods, earthquakes, terrorism, and oil spills. ISC is engaged in training and research.
Establishment of the largest Integrated Simulators Complex in the Middle East