Under the patronage of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz, and on his behalf, the Deputy Emir of the Mecca Region, Prince Saud bin Mishaal bin Abdulaziz, inaugurated the conference “Universities’ Responsibility in Enhancing Values and Intellectual Awareness,” organized by Umm Al-Qura University. The three-day event runs from August 25 to 27, 2025, at the Al-Abdiyah campus, attended by the Minister of Education and Chairman of the Universities Affairs Council, Yousef Al-Bunyan, along with several officials from relevant authorities.

During the opening, Prince Saud bin Mishaal launched two platforms: “Mustasharak” and “Wa’i”. The first offers free remote consultations in educational, social, developmental, and mental health fields confidentially through a select group of specialized and experienced faculty members. The “Wa’i” platform is dedicated to receiving reports related to intellectual violations, extremist behaviors, or negative phenomena.

The conference aims to highlight Saudi Arabia’s role in promoting human values and intellectual awareness, exchange expertise, organize joint initiatives between Saudi universities and related sectors, emphasize universities’ roles in supporting social upbringing institutions, and propose solutions to contemporary challenges facing values and intellectual awareness. It also seeks to outline a forward-looking vision for Saudi universities’ responsibilities in this regard.

Dr. Maadi bin Mohammed Al-Madhhab, President of Umm Al-Qura University, emphasized that the conference reflects the pivotal role of Saudi universities in instilling values and enhancing intellectual awareness within the academic community. He noted that the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques’ patronage represents significant support for education in the Kingdom and motivates academic institutions to fulfill their national and intellectual responsibilities. He added that launching the “Mustasharak” and “Wa’i” platforms is part of the university’s efforts to build a safe intellectual environment and empower its members to protect thought, preserve values, and access consultations that strengthen society’s immunity against deviant ideas.

The conference includes five scientific sessions, workshops, and discussion panels featuring 24 speakers from academics, experts, and thinkers. They will address five main themes: Saudi universities’ efforts to promote human values, experiences in enhancing values and intellectual awareness, universities’ responsibility in society and its institutions, confronting challenges to values and intellectual awareness, and future prospects for universities’ roles in light of Saudi Vision 2030.