About AUG
Al-Azhar University- Gaza

Al-Azhar University-Gaza is pleased to propose the organization of the First International Scientific Conference on Agriculture and Food Systems, entitled: ""Gaza's Food System: From Systematic Destruction to Recovery, Resilience, and Sovereignty"" Al-Azhar University - Gaza was established in 1991 by a decree from the late leader Yasser Arafat, former President of the Palestine Liberation Organization.

It is a national public university distinguished in the production and dissemination of knowledge. The university aims to empower the Palestinian people to achieve sustainable development by preparing qualified and competitive human resources. In addition, it seeks to employ participatory scientific research to serve national priorities, and to positively contribute to meeting the needs and demands of the society.

The university comprises twelve specialized faculties: Medicine, Dentistry, Pharmacy, Engineering and Information Technology, Applied Medical Sciences, Science, Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Education, Law, Arts and Humanities, Economics and Administrative Sciences and Sharia .These faculties offer 121 accredited academic programs, including: 80 Bachelor's degree programs, 36 Master's degree programs and 5 Doctoral degree programs. The number of students currently enrolled in the university's various programs is approximately 16,000. Since its establishment, the university has graduated around 40,000 students.

The university also hosts active scientific and research centers that contribute to the development of scientific research and community service in various fields, including: Water and Environment Institute, Pharmaceutical and Toxicological Research Center, Food Analysis and Quality Control Center, Legal Clinic, Economic Research Center, Continuing Education Center.

The university has achieved numerous accomplishments in the fields of scientific research and has received international, regional, and global awards due to the excellence of its faculty members and researchers. Additionally, its graduates have demonstrated remarkable success stories in various fields both regionally and internationally.

This proposed conference comes at a very critical time for Gaza. The agricultural and food sectors have been exposed to massive destruction during the recent war. At the same time, this destruction cannot be understood only as a sudden result of the war. Gaza's food system had already been weakened for many years through restrictions on land, water, movement, imports, exports, markets, and access to agricultural inputs. What happened after October 2023 represents a more severe stage, where the weakening and control of the food system shifted into direct and systematic destruction of the means of food production, processing, distribution, and access.

The conference is therefore proposed as an academic and scientific contribution to documenting what happened, understanding its implications, and discussing how Gaza's food system can be rebuilt in a way that is more resilient, more locally grounded, and more able to support people's right to food, livelihood, and dignity.