Mrs. Suzanne Mubarak met on 6/2/2007 with the wives of the Board of Trustees of the American University in Cairo (AUC) currently paying a two-day visit to Egypt on the sidelines of holding the meeting of the AUC Board of Trustees in Cairo. During the meeting, Mrs. Mubarak confirmed the importance of the efforts exerted to boost the new educational initiatives and protect children against the negative effects of the IT revolution, hailing the AUC role in this respect.

 

The First Lady noted that Egypt attempts to preserve its civilization heritage and benefits from all opportunities to continue its pioneering role in a world governed by the rules of globalization. Mrs. Mubarak wondered the extent to which overlooking the hardships facing the peoples in the region could reach, citing the need to mull thoroughly the consequences of any decision before taking it. In this regard, Mrs. Mubarak noted the important role of such scientific institutions as the AUC which she takes pride in her being one of its graduates, and which provided for over eight decades programs for studies aimed at developing minds and enabled them to analyze all options.

 

However, Mrs. Suzanne Mubarak asserted that the march of development in Egypt relies to a great extent on the investments in the field of education. She indicated that this enables Egypt to renew its efforts in order to enlarge and improve its educational system, thus ensuring the people's participation in forming the future of their country. Mrs. Mubarak added that owing to the great achievements realized by "Participate in upgrading your school project", the government decided to enlarge the range of the project and restructure it within the framework of the Ministry of Education with the participation of the private sector and the civil society.

 

During the meeting, Mrs. Mubarak tackled the Egyptian Education Initiative launched by the private sector which aims to improve the quality of education in Egypt through the effective use of IT and telecommunications. Mrs. Mubarak noted that the initiative aims to boost the innovative approach of the teachers and students through the effective use of IT and telecommunications. She added that this would help develop the IT industry at the local level in order to adopt more innovative approaches at the level of education in cooperation with the world corporations.

 

Mrs. Mubarak confirmed that the hypothetical education community brought about a state of communication and removed all barriers and borders and enabled the students of the 21^st century to learn more about their potentials.

 

On the other hand, Mrs. Mubarak cited the side effects of the IT and telecommunications revolution on children and youth. Mrs. Mubarak noted that during her participation in the International Center for Missing and Exploited Children in Paris, she came to know that there are more than 100,000 pornographic websites dedicated to children. She called on all parties concerned to bear the responsibility of the safety of children and youth on the internet.

 

Mrs. Mubarak also cited the issue of human beings trafficking, indicating that it is closely linked to violating the innocence of children and temptation of youth. She indicated that the Suzanne Mubarak Women's International Peace Movement held a meeting in Athens in 2006 in which it called on all businessmen to launch a global campaign to end the problem of human trafficking. In this context, Mrs. Mubarak noted that 2, 5 million persons, most of them are women and children, are smuggled through the international borders.

 

Mrs. Mubarak confirmed Egypt's determination to get involved in the efforts exerted to combat these global disasters. She indicated that the Egyptian legislations would be reviewed, taking into consideration the issue of violating the innocence of children on the internet. "In fact, we are committed to joining all efforts at all levels to face up these risks whether at the level of policies, techniques or legislation in addition to educational levels," Mrs. Mubarak said. She added that these efforts include the roles played by the government in upgrading a national policy against the abuse of children and the civil society and educational organizations to promote the awareness of parents and children. The First Lady asserted that boosting the international mechanisms would have a positive impact at the global and local levels to bring about a protective milieu for our children and community.

 

Finally, Mrs. Suzanne Mubarak lauded the effective role assumed by the AUC in organizing discussions pertaining to issues of major interest. She noted that the AUC hosted a series of seminars on peace under the name of the Suzanne Mubarak Women's International Peace Movement and it extended invitations to scientists and peace activists to offer their experience and visions. "Peace means prosperity, purity and security, which gives us the power to face the unknown confidently and the future optimistically," Mrs. Suzanne Mubarak concluded.