The first academic encyclopedia for higher education in the Middle East was launched in Damascus.

The Syrian Future Movement followed with great interest the official announcement on September 17, 2025, of the launch of the first academic encyclopedia specializing in higher education in the Middle East. The launch, held in Damascus, brought together a select group of Syrian academics. This initiative comes within an ambitious scientific context that seeks to document academic concepts and terminology and provide a comprehensive knowledge reference that serves educational and research institutions in the region. It reflects an academic desire to overcome the challenges facing the higher education sector in Syria and other Middle Eastern countries.

The Syrian Future Movement, while welcoming this step, appreciates the efforts made to enhance Arabic academic content and emphasizes the importance of this project in terms of:

1. Documenting academic knowledge and standardizing scientific terminology, which contributes to raising the quality of higher education and facilitating communication between academic institutions.
2. Highlighting Syria’s role in knowledge production, despite the difficult political and economic conditions, and reflecting the continued scientific activity within the country.
3. The encyclopedia can be used as a cultural diplomatic tool, enhancing Syria’s presence in regional and international academic forums and opening up horizons for academic cooperation.
4. The project’s independence from any political or ideological exploitation is essential, preserving its academic neutrality and enhancing its credibility.
5. Syrian academics at home and abroad are invited to participate in developing the encyclopedia, ensuring its comprehensiveness and diversity and transforming it into a comprehensive national reference.

While the Syrian Future Movement emphasizes the importance of providing a free and safe academic environment that allows researchers to work without restrictions, it expresses its willingness to cooperate with any independent academic body that seeks to serve knowledge and society, free from exclusion or political exploitation. The Syria we aspire to is a Syria of knowledge, freedom, pluralism, and dignity.