Euclid University facts for kids

Quick facts for kids EUCLID (Euclid University, Pôle Universitaire Euclide)
Logo
Headquarters	Gambia (2013-current) and Central African Republic (2011-current) and Belgium (temporary until 2011)
Working languages	English French
Membership	12 Participating States
Leaders
• Secretary-General	Winston Dookeran
• Deputy-Secretary-General	Robin van Puyenbroeck
• Oversight Council Chair	Laurent Cleenewerck
Establishment
• Entry into force of Open Memorandum of Understanding I-49006	2008

EUCLID, also known as Pôle Universitaire Euclide or Euclid University, is a special kind of international organization. It's like a university that was created by several countries working together. It started in 2008.

EUCLID has its main offices in The Gambia and the Central African Republic. It also has an office in Washington, D.C. in the United States. Its main job is to teach government officials from the countries that are part of it. However, its programs are also open to anyone who wants to learn. The current leader of EUCLID is called the Secretary-General, and his name is Winston Dookeran.

History

EUCLID's story began in 2006. At that time, the University of Bangui and the University of N'Djamena created a group of universities called "Euclid Consortium." This project was managed by the International Organization for Sustainable Development, which was led by Syed Zahid Ali.

Originally, "Euclid" was meant to be an international part of the University of Bangui. But in 2008, it became its own separate organization. This happened through an agreement signed by different governments. In the same year, the leader of the University of Bangui, Faustin-Archange Touadera, became Prime Minister. He signed the agreement in 2010, making his country officially part of EUCLID.

In January 2008, Syed Zahid Ali, who was the Secretary-General of IOSD, showed a new plan for EUCLID to government representatives. Soon after, several governments who wanted to use EUCLID's programs to train their staff agreed to the new rules. These rules officially started in April 2008.

How EUCLID Works

United Nations Treaty Information

EUCLID's main agreement is listed with the United Nations. It's called a "multilateral treaty," which means it's an agreement between many countries. This agreement officially started in April 2008. Another updated agreement began in September 2009. The agreements signed by The Gambia were officially recorded by the United Nations in 2013.

Countries Involved

Many countries have joined EUCLID. Here's a list of the countries and when they joined:

Country	Joined	Signatory name	Signatory position	Comment
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	2008	Girlyn Miguel	Minister of Education	Officially recorded
Sierra Leone, Republic of	2008	Zainab Bangura	Minister of Foreign Affairs	Officially recorded
Eritrea, State of	2008	Osman Saleh	Minister of Foreign Affairs	Officially recorded
Uganda, Republic of	2008	Sam Kutesa	Minister of Foreign Affairs	Not officially recorded
Vanuatu, Republic of	2008	Bakoa Kaltongga	Minister of Foreign Affairs	Not officially recorded
Senegal, Republic of	2009	Abdoulaye Faye	Minister to the President	Officially recorded
Benin, Republic of	2009	Paulin Djakpo	Director of Cabinet of the Minister of Foreign Affairs	Not officially recorded
Comoros, Union of	2009	Mohamed Toihiri	Permanent Representative to United Nations	Officially recorded
Burundi, Republic of	2010	Augustin Nsanze	Minister of Foreign Affairs	Officially recorded
Central African Republic	2010	Faustin Touadera	Prime Minister	Officially recorded
Timor-Leste, Democratic Republic of	2011	Joao Cancio Freitas	Minister of Education	Officially recorded
Gambia, Republic of the	2012	Mamadou Tangara	Minister of Education	Officially recorded

Main Offices (Headquarters)

Euclid headquarters agreement signing

When EUCLID first started in 2008, its offices were allowed to stay in Brussels, Belgium. They could move or add more offices later if needed.

In 2011, EUCLID signed an agreement with the Central African Republic to have a main office there. They got office space in the Prime Minister's building and at the University of Bangui. But because of problems in the Central African Republic, EUCLID signed a new agreement in 2013 with The Gambia. They now have offices in Banjul, Gambia.

After things became stable again in the Central African Republic, and Faustin-Archange Touadéra (who helped start EUCLID) became president in 2016, EUCLID also started sharing offices with a school there called ENAM. So, since 2017, EUCLID has main offices in both locations. It is listed in the UNESCO IAU World Higher Education Database under the Central African Republic.

Online Presence and Rights

EUCLID flag as registered with WIPO

Because EUCLID is an international organization, it has its own special internet address ending in .int. This is given out by IANA. As an "international intergovernmental organization," EUCLID also has special rights to protect its name and logo, similar to how companies protect their brands. This is managed by the World Intellectual Property Organization.

What EUCLID Teaches

EUCLID has six main areas of study, like different departments in a school:

• School of Diplomacy and International Affairs
• H. Tristram Engelhardt School of Global Health and Bioethics
• School of Theology and Interfaith Studies
• School of Global Economics and Development
• School of Education, Language and Interpretation

EUCLID offers advanced study programs (like master's and doctorate degrees) in many interesting subjects, including:

• International Law and Treaty Law
• Solving Conflicts
• Sustainable Development (making sure we use resources wisely for the future)
• Islamic Banking and Finance
• Talking and understanding different religions
• Climate and Energy Studies
• Public Health around the world
• Bioethics (ethics in biology and medicine)
• International Organizations
• Energy Studies
• Different Christian Theology
• Diplomacy and International Affairs
• Eastern and Greek Orthodox Theology
• Global Economics and Development
• Interfaith Dialogue and Diplomacy
• Renewable Energy Studies
• How to design learning materials and open learning
• Catholic Studies
• Sustainable Development and Diplomacy
• Terrorism Studies and De-Radicalization

Eritrea LOT3 Graduation Ceremony 2012

Programs with Other Organizations

In 2015, EUCLID started offering special programs with CAFRAD. This is an organization that helps improve public administration in Africa. They offer programs like:

• MBA in Islamic Finance
• MBA in Leather Commerce and Industry
• Master's in International Public Administration

EUCLID also worked with the Ministry of Education in Eritrea from 2008 to 2012 to provide online learning programs for government workers.

How EUCLID is Organized

EUCLID has different groups that help it run smoothly:

• A Governing Board
• A Board of Advisors
• An Executive Board
• An Oversight Council

Leaders of EUCLID

• Winston Dookeran (Secretary-General, since 2020)
• Syed Zahid Ali (Secretary-General, 2008–2020)
• Juan Avila, (Ambassador from the Dominican Republic), High Steward since 2015
• Faustin-Archange Touadéra (President of the Central African Republic), High Steward since 2014

Past Leaders

• Banny deBrum, (High Steward, 2009–2011) Ambassador from the Marshall Islands
• Mohamed Toihiri, (High Steward, 2011–2012) Ambassador from the Comoros
• Hermenegilde Niyonzima, (High Steward, since 2012) Ambassador from Burundi
• Roubani Kaambi, (High Steward, 2012–2014) Ambassador from the Comoros

Partner Institutes

EUCLID works with several "affiliated institutes," which are like partner organizations:

• International Organization for Sustainable Development (IOSD)
• EUROSTATE University Institute
• International Institute for Inter-Religious Dialogue and Diplomacy
• Center for Ecological Desertification and Reforestation

Working with Other International Groups

EUCLID has agreements with or is a member of many other important international organizations, such as:

• Islamic Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture (ICCIA)
• Economic Community of West African States
• African Training and Research Centre in Administration for Development (CAFRAD)
• Islamic Development Bank (IsDB)
• Africa Leather and Leather Products Institute (ALLPI)
• International Anti-Corruption Academy (IACA)

Being Part of Other Academic Groups

EUCLID is also a member of several academic networks, which means it connects with other universities and educational bodies around the world. Some of these include:

• Academic Council on the United Nations Systems
• Association of African Universities
• Association of Universities of Asia and the Pacific (AUAP)
• International Anti-Corruption Academy (IACA)
• United Nations Academic Impact
• GUNI (Global University Network for Innovation)
• United Nations Global Compact
• PRME – United Nations Principles for Responsible Management Education
• GRLI – Globally Responsible Leadership Initiative

The Secretary-General of EUCLID is also a member of the International Association of University Presidents.

UN Interfaith Harmony Week Award

In 2016, EUCLID helped organize events for the United Nations World Interfaith Harmony Week. This is a week dedicated to promoting understanding between different religions. EUCLID won first prize for their efforts. They received a gold medal from King Abdullah II of Jordan in April 2016.

How EUCLID's Degrees are Recognized

Recognition in Headquarters Countries

The Central African Republic, where EUCLID has a main office, officially recognizes EUCLID. This means that degrees from EUCLID are accepted there. The National UNESCO Commission of Gambia also lists EUCLID as "recognized / accredited." EUCLID is officially recognized by Gambia's National Accreditation and Quality Assurance Authority (NAQAA).

United Nations Statement

In 2012, the United Nations confirmed that EUCLID and four other international universities are recognized. This means their degrees are accepted by the UN.

Recognition in Other Countries

The agreement that created EUCLID says that the degrees it gives out are officially recognized by the education ministries of the countries that are part of EUCLID. For example, Gambia and Timor-Leste say that EUCLID degrees are legally valid in their countries. Also, because EUCLID is recognized in the Central African Republic, its degrees are accepted in 22 African countries that have signed a special agreement on higher education. Since 2012, EUCLID has been a member of the Association of African Universities, which only accepts accredited (officially recognized) members.

Recognition in the United States

EUCLID is not a university based in the United States, so it is not accredited by US organizations. However, it does have an office in Washington, DC, used for meetings with government staff. Some US states used to list EUCLID as an unaccredited institution, but after discussions, they removed EUCLID from these lists. This means that while EUCLID degrees are not US-accredited, they can still be used in the US, though graduates might need to show their degrees are similar to those from US-accredited schools for some jobs.

Famous Alumni

Many people who studied at EUCLID have gone on to do important things:

• Asser Harb, a Senior State Counsel in Egypt
• Diego Gómez Pickering, an author and former Mexican Ambassador to the United Kingdom
• Felix Emeka Anyiam, a data scientist and professor
• Hanna Simon, Ambassador of Eritrea to France and UNESCO
• Supun Dilara Wijesinghe, a Consultant Community Physician in Sri Lanka
• Reginald Vaughn Finley Sr., an American activist and talk show host
• Rory Stanley, Chief of Staff for Nuclear Energy in the US Department of Energy