A delegation from the Arab American University visited the Minister of Local Government, Eng. Majdi Al-Saleh, in his office in Ramallah. During the visit, the delegation presented a framework plan for the establishment of GIS units in local government institutions classified (A and B), as a continuation of a decision announced by the Minister of Local Government in a scientific symposium organized At the University last June, in partnership with the Ministry, under the title "Palestinian Municipalities in Light of Modern Geographical Technologies: Where To?".
The decision stipulates the inclusion of GIS units in municipal structures in Palestine, within the framework of the Ministry's vision to keep pace with modern technical developments, especially those related to geographic technologies, to contribute to local administration, urban planning and organization, and smart decision-making to serve urban communities in Palestine.
The University delegation consisted of Vice President for Medical Faculties Affairs, Prof. Dr. Mohammad Asia, Vice President for Administrative and Financial Affairs, Eng. Bara Asfour, the Head of the Geographic Information Systems Office at the University, Dr. Faisal Sabah, and Employee at Public Relations at the University, Mr. Raed Abubaker.
The head of the Geographic Information Systems Office at the University, Dr. Faisal Sabah, presented to the Minister of Local Governance the framework plan for building new units within the municipal structures, reviewing the role of the university in providing all forms of support in terms of downloading programs and training technical staff for free, within the framework of the societal role that the university plays. He explained that the establishment of such units in the municipalities will contribute to providing the municipalities with specialized staff in geographic information systems and puts them on the threshold of technical advancement in planning as an alternative to the old methods.
For his part, Minister of Local Governance, Eng. Majdi Al-Saleh, welcomed the visiting delegation. He referred to the importance of cooperation between the Ministry and the Arab American University. He presented the plan of the Ministry to move forward towards encouraging Palestinian municipalities to switch to using available and constantly evolving technologies, by building GIS units due to their pivotal role in making the right planning decision and developing the institutional work environment.
In turn, Vice President of the University for Administrative and Financial Affairs, Eng. Bara Asfour, confirmed that the university is ready to provide all forms of support to the municipalities, in cooperation with the Ministry, with the help of experts and specialists from the university in all fields, within the framework of the university's commitment to one of its most prominent goals based on serving the local community.
The Minister of Local Government and the Vice President of the University for Medical Faculties Affairs, Prof. Dr. Mohammad Asia, and the accompanying delegation discussed the mechanism for organizing the spatial space of the university, in which investments exceed the barrier of 800 million dollars, indicating that the area in which the university was established before 2000 was devoid of population. While more than 14,000 people live there permanently and temporarily. The region has turned into an investment destination in various residential, commercial, and service sectors. This urges the concerned authorities, led by the Ministry of Local Governance, to organize and develop the place in various fields, especially urban, security, and health. This contributes to recruiting and attracting more investments to the region. They expressed the university's willingness to cooperate with the ministry in organizing matters in the university region. For his part, the Minister of Local Governance confirmed that the building of the Talfeet Local Council, east of the university, will be implemented soon in a way that contributes to supervising and organizing the area.
At the end of the visit, the delegation presented the university plaque in appreciation of the minister's efforts in supporting the university to achieve its goals.
