Reem Leila attended the ceremony marking Mrs Suzanne Mubarak's receipt of an honorary doctorate from Cairo University The award of an honorary doctorate to Mrs Suzanne Mubarak by Cairo University was marked by a red carpet reception on 16 September. Mrs Mubarak made her way to the stage to receive the honorary degree in sociology to be met by a standing ovation. She was accompanied to the ceremony by Minister of Higher Education Hani Hilal, President of Cairo University Hossam Kamel and Dean of the Faculty of Arts Zein El-Abedine Abu Khadra. Mrs Mubarak was given the award on the recommendation of Faculty of Arts in recognition of her work in the field of empowering women, upgrading education, and improving the welfare of children. The recommendation was approved by Cairo University's Council on 14 July. Kamel highlighted the many initiatives promoted by Mrs Mubarak on a national, regional and international level, including programmes to teach girls, establish one-class schools, and to eliminate female genital mutilation. He also praised the attention she has given to children's culture, her revival of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina and establishing the Mubarak Libraries, park and mobile libraries. Abu Khadra singled out the Suzanne Mubarak Women's International Peace Movement which aims to spread peace and respect between cultures for special mention. During her speech accepting the award Mrs Mubarak highlighted the key role played by the government in realising development through its political and economic reforms. She highlighted the role played by civil society in helping ensure the success of major projects such as the Bibliotheca Alexandrina and the Children's Cancer Hospital 57357. "The country needs civil society to play an effective role to entrench democracy, boost economic growth, give momentum to scientific research and create more educational opportunities and jobs," said Mrs Mubarak. Despite the challenges Egypt faces, she continued, it has the "will and power" to make great progress. "It is essential to increase public awareness of intensive and efficient collective work to support the drive to create a better future for the coming generations," she said. In the past century Cairo University has awarded just 88 honorary doctorates. The recipients include Nelson Mandela, Theodore Roosevelt and Naguib Mahfouz. Former IAEA President Mohamed El-Baradei received an honorary doctorate from the university in 2008 though his portrait was conspicuously absent from the poster- sized photographs of earlier awardees hung to celebrate the occasion. Mohamed Abul-Ghar, founder of the 9 March Movement, described the failure to include El-Baradei's picture as "embarrassing". Cairo University, he said, is no longer able to differentiate between academic and political issues. Fifty-five professors, from the American University in Cairo (AUC), Cairo, Ain Shams, Helwan, Alexandria, Beni Sweif, Suez Canal and Menoufiya universities, delivered a petition to Cairo University's president expressing their opposition to the granting of the honorary doctorate. On 19 September Mrs Mubarak, Minister of Trade and Industry Rachid Mohamed Rachid and Minister of State for Family and Population Mushira Khattab witnessed the signing of a memorandum of understanding on eliminating human trafficking. The signatories were representatives of Suzanne Mubarak Women's International Peace Movement (SMWIPM) and the Egyptian Junior Businessmen Association. During the ceremony to mark the signing Mrs Mubarak said that human trafficking is one of the gravest and most complex human rights challenges of our time. "It represents an enormous obstacle to freedom and our ability to live in peace and security. It has become one of the most profitable illicit industries worldwide, generating an estimated $38 billion per year," she said. Mrs Mubarak announced an international forum against human trafficking that will convene, in partnership with the United Nations (UN) and others, in Luxor in December. "The forum will focus on key issues related to human trafficking and identify the best practices and positive experiences," said Mrs Mubarak. "One of the most important sessions in the forum will be the discussion of corporate law and how enabling legal frameworks can enhance positive corporate practice; how each company can come up with internal rules and audits to ensure ethical corporate practice and a pro-active strategy to ensure zero-tolerance for trafficking." The Luxor Forum is intended as a milestone in international efforts to combat the crime, 10 years after the Palermo Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons. The forum will also announce the winner of the first- ever Business Leader Award against Human Trafficking.
