English 
Professor Dr. Abdelaziz Konsowa, President of Alexandria University congratulated Dr. Emad Khalil, Professor of the UNESCO Chair for Underwater Cultural Heritage and Director of the Centre for Maritime Archeology and Underwater Cultural Heritage at Alexandria University, on his election as Chairman of the Scientific and Technical Advisory Committee of UNESCO for the 2001 Convention, during the fourteenth meeting of the Scientific Advisory Committee of UNESCO, and the ninth meeting of the Member States of the 2001 UNESCO Convention for the Protection of Underwater Cultural Heritage, which was held from 13-15 June 2023 at UNESCO headquarters in Paris. It was held in the presence of Mr. Ernesto Ottoni, Assistant Director-General of UNESCO, and Ms. Christa Picat, Secretary General of the UNESCO Charter Department for the year 2001, and delegations representing the 72 member countries of the Convention. This is the first time that Egypt chairs this committee, which consists of 14 international experts specializing in underwater cultural heritage, and considered the organization's scientific reference in that field.
It is worth noting that during the meeting of the member states, the role of Egypt and the University of Alexandria was commended, represented by the UNESCO Chair for Underwater Cultural Heritage, for the remarkable effort, effective and diverse regional and international activities aimed at building regional and Arab capacities in the fields of heritage. The administration of the 2001 Convention praised the various aspects of cooperation between the UNESCO Chair at Alexandria University, Bibliotheca Alexandrina, and the UNESCO Office in Cairo, in support of activities related to underwater cultural heritage in the Arab region.