The "Aqaba International Conference on Marine and Coastal Environment /Status and Challenges in the Arab World" kicked off Monday at UJ’s campus in Aqaba.

The three-day conference is organized by the Faculty of Marine Sciences in cooperation with the Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority (ASEZA).

130 marine researchers and experts from Egypt, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, Algeria, Qatar, Yemen, Kuwait, Mauritania, Turkey, Britain, USA, and Jordan are attending the conference.

The conference aims to review the current status of marine ecosystems in the Arab world, and promote a more effective and broader collaboration between policy makers and stakeholder in the Arab world.

Chairman of the Conference’s Organizing Committee, Prof. Saber Al-Rousan said the aim of organizing the conference is to bridge the gap between the various institutes, universities and research institutions in the Arab world and collaborate in research on marine environments.

Al-Rousan added that the conference seeks to provide an opportunity for the participants to exchange their experiences in their respective fields.

The conference’s opening ceremony was attended by UJ-Aqaba deans, heads of public and private institutions in Aqaba, members of UJ Faculty of Marine Sciences and students, as well as the conference’s speakers and participants.