• February 1999 Report
• July 1999 Report

Chairman Hassan Wageih Hassan was in Saudi Arabia and unable to attend. Jerry Glenn reported on the Node and had visited it twice during the year to follow-up on the prospects for the Project's "Millennium Symposium" January 2000. Esther Lee is an Intern with the Project in Cairo and is the first overseas full-time Intern. She just began her duties and plans to continue through the conclusion of the symposium. She distributed the Round 3 questionnaire and supports the planning process for the Millennium Symposium and the New Year's Eve event with the Millennium Society. UNESCO's regional office in Cairo and the University of Cairo have endorsed the symposium and will participate in the planning process.

Nadezhda Gaponenko asked who do we want to attend the symposium? Scholarships should be sought to insure a good mix of people. Maybe there should be fees by attendees categories, function of the country they represent. Hazel Henderson suggested covering the activity on WETV and Ted Gordon offered to write the proposal.

Jerry Glenn said that the an original reason for the Project was to have prepared a globally vetted assessment to present at the millennium (both 2000 and 2001). More people would be willing to take the future more seriously than at any other time thus far in history. The question is where. The pyramids of Egypt at the dawn of the year 2000 is the "psychic bulls eye." This is the first time humanity will celebrate together its past and prospects. Any other time and place will be less effective. Mohsen Bahrami had suggested that the symposium move to different Nodes throughout the year 2000 (this is currently being investigated) and maybe return to Egypt on the year 2001 for the real millennium.

As a result of the discussions, the locations for the traveling symposium were reduced to just the Cairo area and Alexandria and tourist days were deleted. This was shortened the time from an eleven day period to a six or seven day period for the symposium.

It was agreed that a sub-committee of the planning committee would be involved in the planning of the symposium; however, nearly all hands went up when volunteers were called; therefore, draft documents will be circulated to the full planning committee for comments on a periodic basis for comment.

The Egypt node was represented by Hassan W. Hassan, node chair, and Kamal Z. Mahmoud, Director, Futures Research and Studies Ctr., University of Cairo, Egypt.

Hassan Wageih Hassan, chair of the Cairo Node explained how private sector, government, and university collaboration has begun with Al Azhar University, Al Arham Press Institute, and the Ministry of Education of the Arab Republic of Egypt. The initial plan is to begin with advanced training in futures methodology, then the introduction of futures curriculum development, and lastly long-range educational strategies.

Hassan W. Hassan presentation focused on the "Dawn of the Year 2000... at the Pyramids of Egypt - The Mind's Embrace of Time", The Millennium Symposium on Great Challenges of Our Time, January 1 - 3, 2000 At the Historic Mena House at the foot of the Great Pyramids of Giza, Egypt

Both Hassan and Kamal tried to argue the date for the Millennium Symosium, as it is the middle of the Ramadan. However, they offered full support in case the Planning Committee decides to keep the dates of 1-3 January, 2000. Also, they invited the Millennium Project to join the Symosium organized by the Cairo University on January 20-25, 2000.

Oter topics were: Interest of futurists in Egypt, coordination with the Cairo Unuversity, effective global cultural education and future orientation.

As three of the Planning Committee Members are in the "Water Vision" project, the water issue came up and Hassan the scenario of water-peace was disscused.

Peter Metler brought up the oil problem, pointing out that it is an important threat. What if it will not be need for oil anymore?
Kamal answered that oil is not the major economic factor; it's just a modern economic resource. There are a lot of more other natural resources.

Pavel Novacek asked about illiteracy, that is even now, that they have oil, high. That's an open problem.

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