2026-03-28
On March 25, 2026, under the patronage of BabaGurgur University’s President, Prof. Dr. Mohsen Al‑Shawani, BabaGurgur Platform for Sustainable Development held its fifth scientific symposium on Innovation and Circular Economy, as part of its academic plan for the years 2025–2026.
The symposium was chaired by Dr. Madeleine Kassab, President of the International Organization for Media, Creativity, and Development. In her opening remarks, she emphasized the importance of Innovation and Circular Economy as a crucial pillar of Sustainable Development—one that can be considered among the most prominent manifestations of human creativity. She noted that Development, in its essence, is holistic: it is science, art, and philosophy all at once.
Dr. Madeleine continued:
"I view Innovation and Circular Economy as a universal design philosophy, not merely an economic model confined to limited and restrictive dimensions. Our departure from traditional production and our movement toward Circular Awareness reshape our relationship with time, with materials, and with the function of every product.
In the traditional economy, time moves linearly—from production to consumption to waste. In the circular economy, time becomes circular, moving in loops where every ending is a new beginning. This opens the door to designing products that do not end (transformed, reformulated, and reborn products).
In the oases of Sustainable Development, material is not treated as a static resource but as a being with a life cycle. Circular design approaches plastic, wood, metals, and even data as entities that must be respected and returned to life in more advanced functional and aesthetic forms.
A product in the circular model does not carry a fixed function; it changes according to context and follows a flexible, transformative design. A bag, for example, may become a building material or a storage unit. This protects humanity from the risks of industrial stagnation.
Accordingly, we can observe the deep connection between Sustainable Development and human elevation—both materially and spiritually."
Details of this scientific symposium are available in Arabic at the following link: https://iomcd.org/php/viewNews.php?id=131&lan=1
