Under the patronage of the President of Al-Mustaqbal University, Professor Dr. Hasan Shakir Majdi, and in line with its commitment to supporting national development plans and strengthening partnerships with state institutions, Al-Mustaqbal University has launched a specialized training course in sustainable development for employees of the Babylon Governorate’s Directorate – Department of Development and Sustainable Development.
This initiative is part of the university’s broader training programs aimed at enhancing the capacities of government institution personnel in the fields of community service and sustainable development.
The course was inaugurated with a welcoming speech delivered on behalf of the University President by Professor Dr. Mudhafar Sadiq Al-Zuheiri, Director of Scientific and Academic Supervision. In his remarks, Dr. Al-Zuheiri welcomed the participants and expressed the university’s pride in organizing this training, emphasizing its academic vision and social mission to build effective partnerships that support Iraq’s development efforts.
Dr. Al-Zuheiri highlighted that this course aligns with the university’s ongoing achievements, notably its outstanding performance in the 2025 Times Higher Education Impact Rankings, where it ranked 1st globally in achieving Sustainable Development Goal 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy). Additionally, the university was placed within the 201–300 global category among more than 2,500 universities from 130 countries—an unprecedented achievement for an Iraqi university, reinforcing its global leadership in sustainable development.
The course runs from July 1 to July 3, 2025, and began with a lecture delivered by Eng. Khalid Kazem Hassan Al-Salhi, Head of the Sustainable Development Division at the university. He expressed his enthusiasm for conducting the training, especially as it targets staff from a newly established department within the Governorate’s Directorate, formed based on recommendations from a previous session of the Subcommittee on Sustainable Development hosted by Al-Mustaqbal University.
The first day of the course provided an introduction to the concepts of sustainable development, covering its economic, social, and environmental dimensions. It also explored the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a global framework for institutional performance, and featured local and international case studies to raise awareness and encourage knowledge exchange in support of institutional development across government departments.
At the end of the first day, participants expressed their gratitude to the University’s leadership, commending its efforts in delivering high-quality programs that enhance their capabilities and align with the objectives of Iraq Vision 2030 and the country's comprehensive local development plans.