Dr. Kherieh Rassas Re-Elected as UNIMED President for a Second Term Amid High-Level International Engagements
BARCELONA – October 8, 2026 — Dr. Kherieh Rassas, Vice President for Partnerships and Global Initiatives at An-Najah National University, has been re-elected as President of the Mediterranean Universities Union (UNIMED) for a second term. The election took place during the Union’s 2026 General Assembly, hosted by the University of Barcelona in Spain, with broad participation from university presidents and representatives of member academic institutions. UNIMED brings together 208 universities from 25 countries spanning Europe, the Balkans, North Africa, the Middle East, Sub-Saharan Africa, and the Gulf region. The Assembly also welcomed representatives from the European Union (EU) and the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) as well as the Minister for the European Union and Foreign Action of the Government of Catalonia.
Dr. Rassas’s re-election reflects continued confidence in her leadership and recognition of her achievements during her first term (2023–2026). Throughout this period, she advanced academic and research collaboration, expanded international partnerships and mobility opportunities. Her leadership also prioritized strengthening the resilience of higher education institutions affected by crises, through pioneering initiatives such as the Technical Education Support Initiative (TESI) and H-Gaza.
This achievement stands as an extension of An-Najah National University’s distinguished international presence and underscores the capacity of Palestinian academic leaders to hold influential global positions. Dr. Rassas marked a historic milestone for UNIMED in 2023 when she was first elected in Granada, Spain, becoming the first woman, first Arab, and first Palestinian to serve as President since the organization's founding over three decades ago. Her election established an inspiring precedent, fostering greater inclusivity, diversity, and collaborative academic engagement across the Euro-Mediterranean higher education landscape.
Expressing his pride in the outcome, the President of An-Najah National University, Prof. Abdel Naser Zaid, noted that this re-election reflects solid and growing international trust in Palestinian academic competencies. He emphasized that it highlights the university’s advanced global standing and its role in building bridges of cooperation between educational and research institutions worldwide.
Coinciding with her re-election, Dr. Khereih Rassas actively engaged in key international summits across Europe, advocating for higher education resilience and academic diplomacy in conflict-affected zones. At the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) Conference in Barcelona, Dr. Rassas highlighted UNIMED’s specialized initiatives supporting higher education institutions impacted by crisis. During the 45th Aspen Institute Italia Seminars in Venice, she further emphasized the critical role of universities and cross-border academic diplomacy in building regional stability, fostering equitable Mediterranean partnerships, and investing in human capital.
Beyond her leadership of UNIMED, Dr. Rassas has held prominent academic, administrative, and advisory positions, including serving as Advisor to former Palestinian Prime Minister Dr. Rami Hamdallah. At An-Najah National University, she played a leading role in establishing Palestine’s first Faculty of Optometry and its Global Health Institute. Her contributions have also earned international recognition, including the French National Order of Merit (Knight rank, 2021) and the Queen Elizabeth II Award (2005).
