Joining the board members of the Universal Networking Digital Language Foundations (UNDL), Serageldin attended the Board Meeting convened in Kuwait this week. At a meeting with the Board of Directors of the Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development (AFESD), Serageldin gave a presentation entitled “Who Benfitis from the UNL? The Leading Role of the Library of Alexandria”. Other speakers at the meeting were Tarcísio G. Della Senta, Brazilian linguist and President of the UNDL Foundation; Ronaldo Martins, Language Resources Manager at the UNDL Foundation; Sameh Alansary, Director of the Ibrahim Shehata UNL-Arabic Language Centre (ISAUC) at the Library of Alexandria.
In July 2004, a partnership was established with UNDL to host the ISAUC at the BA. ISAUC plays the major role in designing and implementing the Arabic component. A team conducted by UNDL was formed with members from the Bibliotheca Alexandrina and qualified linguists from Egyptian universities. The Center is funded by the Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development (AFESD) in honor of the memory of Dr. Ibrahim Shihata, an international jurist and expert on international development and a great promoter of Arabic culture. The AFESD is a Kuwait-based-based pan-Arab development finance institution. All member-states of the Arab League are members of the AFESD.
The UNL is a computer language that enables computers to process information and knowledge. It is an artificial language that replicates the functions of natural languages The UNDL has a special mandate from the United Nations for developing and promoting the UNL to the benefit of all nations. This is accomplished with the cooperation of a global network of UNL language centers.
The Board of the UNDL Foundation, an International organization based in geneva since 2001, is constituted by eminent persons, from different regions of the world, representing various fields of sciences or public responsibilities in national and international arenas. Members are chosen for their intellectual and professional competence in the academic and public affairs communities.