The BA hosted the first conference of the “Nations’ Progress” program, which is a series of monthly meetings to promote exchange among cultures, establish dialogue among civilizations, and promote tourism. Entitled “Turkey: A Journey of Renaissance”, the Conference tackled the Turkish experience, which is similar to the Egyptian one, highlighting Turkey’s significant regional role. It also discussed development and economic policies in Turkey. On the sidelines of the Conference, a photographic exhibition entitled “Turkey in Egyptian Eyes” was held.
In line with the radical changes in Egypt and the Arab World, the BA organized a conference entitled “Cross Cultural Encounters” in participation with academia, specialists and researchers from several Arab and European countries, as well as representatives of ISESCO, Al-Azhar Centre of Dialogue, Center for Civilization Studies and Dialogue of Cultures at Cairo University. Over the course of two days, the Conference explored how can we benefit from the concept of “Cross Cultural Encounters” on both the theoretical and practical levels, through benefitting from past and present human experiences amidst the information and communication technology revolution, the shift in the balance of powers, and the current revolutionary wave in the Arab world known as the “Arab Spring”.
In context with the radical changes in Egypt and the Arab World, the BA organized a conference entitled “Egypt is Changing” attended by a group of intellectuals, politicians, activists as well as Egyptian youth. The Conference targeted the 25th of January Revolution 2011, spurred by the spirit of youth enthusiasm. It also tackled different perspectives on some critical issues including the role of political parties, media and constitutional amendments.
The BA organized "Youth: A Revolution for Change" Conference in recognition of youth’s significant role in the Egyptian Revolution. The Forum aimed to gather a large number of youth from various Egyptian and Arab institutions, to discuss and exchange views on the radical changes in Egypt and the Arab World at large. Over 3 days, the Conference tackled different topics including: the future democratic state, active citizenship, the future of institutions, voting and elections, the future of political parties, and the civil society. It also addressed the unity of Egyptian youth, their respect to individual responsibility and the rights of others to take part in the decision making process.
The BA co-organized the Third Global Seminar on Linguistic Diversity, Globalization and Development, held with the support of the UNESCO Department of Public Information, Linguamón-House of Languages and Roberto Marinho Foundation. The Third Global Seminar was to continue a series of seminars, since the United Nations’ declaration of 2008 as an international year devoted to linguistic diversity (IYL). This Global Seminar was devoted to the importance of media, broadcasting and new technologies for linguistic diversity. It also confirmed the importance and the worldwide relevance of linguistic diversity as an indicative of a growing level of global awareness.