On May 24^th 2010, University President, Prof. Rami Hamdallah, received in his office a delegation from UN-HABITAT (United Nations Human Settlements Programme) that included Mr. Philip De Court, Program Coordinator, and Dr. Na'el Salman, Program Director in the West Bank. Prof. Hamdallah welcomed the guests and emphasized the significance of the relationships and cooperation between the University and the different UN programs operating in the Occupied Territories.

Prof. Maher Abu Eid, Vice President for Academic Affairs, and Dr. Ali Abdel Hamid, Director of the Center for Urban and Regional Planning at the University, also attended the meeting in which they discussed with the delegation the opportunities for joint cooperation between the University and the UNHABITAT program in the field of urban planning and housing. They also discussed several topics such as the role of the University in providing students with specialized academic programs and the training of employees who work in the different institutions in Palestine.

Other issues included developing academic plans that are related to urban planning, training students to become qualified in this field, as well as training staff and employees who work in the different institutions of the private sector on the principles of urban planning.

Prof. Hamdallah spoke about the Bachelor Degree program that the University is going to start soon. He illustrated that this program will offer a B.A. in Urban Planning Engineering and will be a vital one in providing the society with experts in this field who will contribute to the development of Palestinian society.

On their part, Mr. De Court and Dr. Salman spoke about the different programs that the UN-HABITAT has implemented in Palestine since its establishment in 2005 in the field of training employees on urban planning. They also spoke about the 2010-2011 work plan and stressed the importance of the role that the University is playing in this respect.

Prof. Abu Eid said that the University considers the needs of the local society when preparing the academic study plans of the Bachelor and Master Degrees programs. The University has contributed to the provision of qualified cadres in the field of urban planning through the Urban and Regional Master Program that was launched in 1997. Dr. Abdel Hamid also mentioned that the University was able, through the Center for Urban and Regional Planning, to support a large number of strategic developmental projects and provide the society with experts and competent professionals in the field of urban planning.