EUCLID (Pôle Universitaire Euclide - Euclid University) is an international intergovernmental or- ganization with an educational mandate, serving 11 Participating States as of 2012. It is also one of the world's 5 regional / international institutions of higher learning listed by the UNESCO- based International Association of Universities which publishes the authoritative International Handbook of Universities and the World Higher Education Database. In this group, EUCLID's fel- low institutions are the United Nations University, the European University Institute, the World Maritime University and the IMO International Maritime Law Institute. EUCLID delivers best-of-class distance education and capacity-building services to its Participat- ing States’ officials as well as to the general public. Our primary mission is to engage with the global community and foster sustainable development through education, global engagement, and international dialogue. EUCLID’s 11 Participating States with the National Points of Contact: ♦ Benin (MOU only) | Paulin Djakpo (Public Administrator) ♦ Burundi | Amb Balthazar Habonimana (Ministry of Foreign Affairs) ♦ Central African Republic | Apollinaire Molaye (Prime Minister’s Office / EUCLID HQ) ♦ Comoros | El-Marouf Mohamed (Permanent Mission to the UN) ♦ Eritrea | Amb Hanna Simon (Ministry of Foreign Affairs) ♦ Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | Luis de Shong (Ministry of Transport and Works) ♦ Senegal | Minister Abdoulaye Faye (Presidency) with Djibril Sylla (City of Dakar) ♦ Sierra Leone | Victoria Sulimani (Permanent Mission to the UN) ♦ Timor Leste | Dr Edmundo Viegas (Ministry of Education) ♦ Uganda (MOU only) | Amb Juliet Kalema (Ministry of Foreign Affairs) ♦ Vanuatu (MOU only) | Amos Tatangis Sheyrild (Ministry of Education) 2 “Mission Accomplished” - What Now? A note from EUCLID’s High Steward Mohamed Toihiri: EUCLID High Steward For EUCLID and its stakeholders, especially government-sponsored stu- His Excellency Mohamed Toihiri became dents and Participating States, 2011 was a remarkable year, which ex- EUCLID’s High Steward on April 1, 2011, plains the image on the cover page; a major construction such as the Millau following the sad and untimely passing Viaduc (in France), now fully operational. away of our dear friend and colleague, In 2011, EUCLID completed its institutional processes with two remarkable Ambassador Banny de Brum, who had achievements for which the support of EUCLID’s Participating States must generously served as EUCLID’s High Stew- be noted: firstly, the two intergovernmental agreements defining the organi- ard and Chairman of the Board of Advi- zation’s mandate were registered and published by the United Nations Trea- sors since 2009. ty Section, and can now be easily and universally accessed at http:// treaties.un.org (see our feature article page 10). Secondly, following the finalization of the Headquarters Agreement with the government of the Cen- tral African Republic (which we congratulate), the formal registration of EU- CLID with the UNESCO-based International Association of Universities was accomplished, and EUCLID was included in the “regional / international category,” a small group of 5 institutions which includes the UN’s own uni- versity. These are not simply abstract achievements for EUCLID itself—they are practical achievements for all the Participating States, the developing world as a whole, and mostly for EUCLID’s students, many of which are officials of our governments. EUCLID is also more than just outstanding educational programs for our ABOVE: Ambassador Mohamed Toihiri presenting his government staff—offered at zero cost by a dedicated international team. credential to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon as Permanent Representative of the Union of the Comoros EUCLID also offers technical support services, such as free Internet hosting, to the United Nations (2007). web design and maintenance, which it currently does for several of the pub- lic institutions of the Participating States. I recently had the delightful expe- Ambassador Toihiri is the Permanent Rep- rience of being greeted at the UN headquarters by a very senior UNGA offi- resentative of the Union of the Comoros cial who shared his enthusiasm for his EUCLID studies—a rewarding mo- (Indian Ocean / East Africa) to the United ment indeed. Nations, as well as the country’s ambassa- I hope that as you read through this Annual Report, you will share my sense dor to the United States, Canada, and Cu- of honor of succeeding the late Ambassador de Brum as EUCLID’s High ba. He was appointed to this post in 2007 Steward as well as the pride we can all feel at the achievements we have by President Sambi. made together during the past year. I look forward to building an even more Dr Mohamed Toihiri has a rich academic productive future together with you in 2012. background and holds (among others) a doctorate in literature from the University of Bordeaux in France. He is also a ‘Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur’ (the high- est decoration of the French Republic). Mohamed Toihiri, PhD Ambassador, High Steward 3 Remembering our first High Steward Ambassador Banny De Brum On March 16, 2011, His Excellency Banny de Brum, Ambassa- dor of the Marshall Islands to the United States and EUCLID’s first High Steward, passed away at Queen's Medical Center in Honolulu, Hawaii, after a battle with cancer. The communiqué issued by the Marshallese Ministry of Foreign Affairs evokes the remarkable life and personality of this be- loved and respected diplomat. United States Congresswoman Madeleine Bordallo also issued the following statement on the passing of EUCLID’s High Stew- ard: “Ambassador de Brum was a tireless advocate for the peo- ple of the Republic of the Marshall Islands,” said Congresswoman Bordallo. “He worked to build regional relationships with the RMI’s neighbors in the Pacific and was an effective representative of his govern- ment. I join the people of the Marshall Islands in mourning his loss and I extend my sincere condo- EUCLID SG writes to lences to his family, friends, and loved ones.” US Secretary of State Ambassador de Brum had been willing to travel with the EUCLID team to Asmara, Eritrea, to launch Prior to the publication the LOT3 project funded by the European Commis- of this Annual Report, sion. In order to honor his memory, the class of Secretary-General Syed almost 60 graduates from the Eritrean Ministry of Zahid Ali wrote a letter Education will be named after our late High Stew- dated 17 January 2012 ard. to the Honorable Hillary After a time of mourning, EUCLID Assistant Secre- R. Clinton, Secretary of tary-General Chad D’Amore met with Ambassador State of the United Mohamed Toihiri (photo below) who kindly accept- States of America, to ed to become EUCLID’s second High Steward. provide updated infor- mation regarding EUCLID and to ensure proper dissemination of information to all 50 US states in order to ensure proper classification of EUCLID’s as an intergovernmental organization and “an ac- Building a bridge to development Building a bridge to development credited university” (as formally expressed in Prime Minister Touadéra’s Note Verbale of October 2011). The Permanent Representatives of the EU- CLID Headquarters State and Comoros (as high Stewards) also sent a letter to the US government for the same purpose. 4 Omari Williams: Celebrating students Omari Williams is a diplomat of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines currently serving as Minister Counselor—Deputy Chief of Mission (and Alternate Representative to the Or- ganization of the American States) at the SVG Embassy in Washington DC. Mr Williams is—as all diplomats are—incredibly busy and yet equally committed to pursuing EU- CLID’s educational program. Omari recently completed his Post-Graduate Certificate in Diplomacy and is pushing forward with the full MDIA. EUCLID welcomes Timor-Leste as 11th Participating State On May 17, 2011, His Excellency Dr João Câncio Freitas, Minister of Education of Ti- mor, signed on behalf of the Government of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste the instrument of approval formalizing Timor-Leste’s participating in EUCLID. The Min- ister of Education also appointed a panel to review EUCLID’s programs prior to issuing a formal protocol of approval and validation. This procedure was completed on August 3 ,2011 by means of a Note Verbale issued by His Excellency João Mendes Gonçalves, Minister of Economy and Development. Already, EUCLID is delivering a distance Master’s degree program in Sustainable Development to Ms Eliana Silva Pereira, the Legal Advisor to Minister Goncalves. The entire EUCLID team is looking forward to a long and fruitful relationship with the government of Timor-Leste. Above: Timor-Leste became the first new sovereign state of the 21st century on May 20, 2002, and is now a candidate to ASEAN membership. Apollinaire Molaye (photo on the left) is the “EUCLID Focal Point” for the institutions of the Central African Republic, duly appointed by the Prime Minister’s office by decision 565 of July 6, 2010. M. Molaye is also the manager of the Digital Campus of Bangui and until recently served as Director of the Center for Multimedia Resources at the University of Bangui. M. Molaye is well known by the governmental and academic authorities of the country and plays a key role in the development of EUCLID projects both locally and globally. 5 Uganda: Celebrating students The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Uganda has been actively training its senior offi- cials using