Portorož, Slovenia, 14 May. International students and visiting professors of the Doctoral Research Seminar »Leadership and Cultural Diversity«, prepared a round table on Cultural Diversity which was attended also by the Rector of the Cyprus University Dr. Stavros Zenios.

At the opening of the event EMUNI representative presented the welcome address of HE Mr Charalambos Panayides, Ambassador of the Republic of Cyprus to the Republic of Slovenia. He expressed hope that the seminar will help the students achieve the greatest possible integration while, at the same time, respect diversity in culture.

Dr. Michel Nehme from the Notre Dame University (Lebanon) introduced a concept, taken also by the UN, that cultural diversity is a common heritage, while the question remains, whether we are willing to accept is it as an enrichment and benefit or take it as an obstacle in the society. Therefore a multi-disciplinary approach for handling this question is needed, which requires efficient leadership, along with financial and other type of support.  Dr. Sam A. F. Alfoqaha, (An-Najah University, Palestinian Authority) was  dealing with a question, how to find consistency at managing questions of integration at one side and fragmentation at the other side, whereby individual elements of different cultures should not be sacrifised. He stressed the role that different universities can play, as they can contribute to enhancing the culture of tolerance and sensitivity. Other topics which were discussed involved the problem of support by national and international authorities, life in inhomogeneous societies, concluding that in the globalised world the process of multi-cultural societies can no longer be avoided, so in the future the questions how to manage them will get even more spotlight.