Abdelhak Azzouzi, president of the Alliance of Civilizations chair at Euromed University of Fes

The establishment of this university chair was decreed during the 9th edition of the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) World Forum, held in Fes on November 22-23, 2022. The High Representative for UNAOC, H.E. Miguel Angel Moratinos, during a press conference organized at the conclusion of the forum, announced the creation of this chair within the Euromed University of Fes.

Pr. Abdelhak Azzouzi is a member of the Board of Directors of the Euromed University of Fes, a university professor, and a specialist in diplomacy, strategy, international relations, and comparative political science. He has created and directed several research and development centers. He initiated and organized the Fes Forums on the Alliance of Civilizations and those on the Union for the Mediterranean. Pr. Abdelhak Azzouzi has also authored around thirty works, including nine volumes on the Alliance of Civilizations and cultural diversity. He has published more than 1500 international columns. He is a consulting member for several national and international organizations. He has received several international distinctions and awards, including that of the Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly for his commitment to bringing the two shores of the Mediterranean closer together.

There is a unanimous conviction within the Board of Directors of the Euromed University of Fes that the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations is the most suitable partner to establish such a project and to generate a dynamic of change in perceptions, future visions, and practices that generate fruitful values at both the individual and collective levels.

The mission of the chair holds, historically and epistemologically, a significance of the highest importance with regard to the cardinal values of Fes and Morocco in terms of intercultural and interfaith dialogue of civilizations and coexistence. It claims the role inherited from the University of Al Quaraouiyine (historically the oldest in the world, still in operation) in matters of knowledge and openness to other cultures and civilizations. On the other hand, the choice of Fes to create the chair is salutary; for throughout time, this city has been the crucible in which diverse components have intersected and merged with the multiple tributaries constituting Moroccan identity, namely Arab, Berber, Andalusian, African, Hassani, and Jewish elements.