In parallel with the 70th anniversary of the Bandung Conference, the "Nasser International Forum" concludes interviews for Egyptian applicants for the fifth cohort of the International Leadership Grant

CAIRO, EGYPT:  The Nasser International Forum has announced the conclusion of the personal interviews for Egyptian applicants seeking to join the fifth cohort of the Leader Gamal Abdel Nasser International Leadership Grant. This comes as a prelude to announcing the final admission results for the fifth edition of the grant, scheduled to be implemented during next May under the slogan:

"Egypt and the United Nations: 80 Years of Representing the Issues of the Global South," and under the patronage of His Excellency President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, President of the Republic. Approximately 150 young men and women from youth leaders around the world, representing diverse executive specializations, as well as active and influential youth in civil society at the global level, are expected to participate in this edition.

For her part, Dr. Ragaa Magdy, a graduate of the fourth cohort of the Nasser International Leadership Grant and a member of the interview committee for the fifth cohort, explained that the number of Egyptian applicants for the fifth cohort of the Nasser International Leadership Grant reached approximately 215 applicants, including 122 males and 93 females.

The personal interviews were conducted after meticulous screening stages of the application forms, in accordance with the criteria previously announced by the grant, which included a number of fundamental principles such as: ensuring gender equality, fair geographical representation of all governorates of the Republic, and providing opportunities for the participation of people with disabilities.

The final selection resulted in 75 Egyptian applicants for the final interviews, including 40 males and 35 females, belonging to diverse academic and professional backgrounds, reflecting significant geographical diversity. Dr. Magdy also added that this stage represents a successful model of how to adopt transparency and objectivity in selecting young cadres capable of representing Egypt in international forums, in line with the state's vision for empowering youth and women.

Ahmed Mokhtar, a graduate of the second cohort of the Nasser International Leadership Grant and a member of the interview committee for the fifth cohort, pointed out that most of the questions asked during the personal interviews focused on the applicants' experiences in the fields of public and volunteer work, in addition to knowledge-based questions about the grant itself, such as its background, the reason for its name, its slogan, and its sponsorship by the United Nations, as well as related concepts such as "South-South Cooperation" and the "Non-Aligned Movement."

The questions also included testing the applicants' awareness of current social issues, the extent of their knowledge of ongoing political events, and their vision for the state's management of various political files. Mr. Mokhtar indicated that these interviews are part of well-considered steps to select a distinguished elite that represents an honorable image of Egyptian youth at both the local and international levels.

Salma Tawfik, a graduate of the Nasser International Leadership Grant and the International Marketing Officer for the grant, stated that the detailed statistics of applicants for the fifth cohort of the Nasser International Leadership Grant revealed a remarkable diversity in nationalities, continents, and age groups of applicants. The grant has managed to attract young leaders from various parts of the world, with the East Africa region recording the highest number of applicants after Egypt.

The African continent came at the forefront of continents in terms of the number of applicants, followed by Asia, then Europe, South America, and North America, in addition to participations from Australia and Antarctica. The total number of applicant nationalities reached 93 different nationalities, with males representing about 60% and females about 40%, which reflects the cultural and geographical diversity enjoyed by the grant, as well as its clear commitment to achieving gender balance.

Hassan Ghazaly, an anthropological researcher and founder of the Nasser International Forum, added that the detailed figures of applicants for the fifth cohort of the Nasser International Leadership Grant reflect the growing global standing of the Nasser International Leadership Grant and the pivotal role it plays in attracting youth from around the world to participate in its distinguished leadership programs.

This contributes to building bridges of cooperation and exchanging experiences among future leaders from different cultures and backgrounds. Mr. Ghazaly emphasized that the publication of these statistics comes within the framework of the principle of transparency and is a positive step that reflects the grant's success in attracting youth from various parts of the Republic, thereby enhancing its role as an international platform for exchanging experiences and promoting cooperation among future leaders.

It is worth noting that the fifth edition of the Nasser International Leadership Grant coincides with the celebration of the 70th anniversary of the launch of the Bandung International Conference, which reshaped the Global South.