From New York to Belgrade to Addis Ababa, Amr Aljowaily '90, '93, assistant foreign minister of Egypt and former Egyptian ambassador to Serbia, has traveled the world in service of his country. But long before his name appeared on international awards or diplomatic rosters, he was a student discovering passion and purpose at AUC.
"AUC is a university, yes, but to us, it was more than that. It was an exploration of life," he says.
More Than a Student
Aljowaily prides himself on his participation in cocurricular activities during his years as an undergraduate. He was awarded Best Overall Club President for his term in the student organization Egypt My Love and was an inaugural member of the University's first delegation to a Model United Nations (MUN) conference in the Hague, becoming shortly after the founder of the now-named Cairo International Model Arab League, serving as the first secretary-general of the latter.
In 1990, he participated in the World Theme Conference in Tokyo, where AUC was the only Arab delegation present at the conference. "That was a life-changing experience for me," Aljowaily says. "I saw Japanese students in the organizing committee at that conference, and they were so serious, professional and sophisticated. Immediately, we tried to model that same professionalism at our conferences back home."
"The extracurriculars are what come to mind when I think back on my college years. All these activities, each in their own way, helped shape my personality."
Aljowaily was also an active member of the Student Union and joked that he liked to compete with his friends to see who could be listed more frequently in AUC's former daily events bulletin, The Channel. He organized for students the first Sinai safari, a visit to the opera, the first water sports trip to Ain Sokhna and more.
"When I close my eyes and imagine the last 40 years that have gone by, these are the memories that have stayed. The extracurriculars are what come to mind when I think back on my college years," Aljowaily says. "All these activities, each in their own way, helped shape my personality."
During his college years, Aljowaily took advantage of the many resources
and opportunities that AUC has to offer. To current students, his participation in student life to develop skills and discover his passions should serve as an example.
"Energy never dissipates; it simply changes forms. Always have energy in everything that you do," Aljowaily says.
Aljowaily during his AUC days. Photos courtesy of Amr Aljowaily
Serving Egypt
As ambassador to Serbia, Aljowaily brought the same charisma and infectious energy with him, becoming the first foreigner to be awarded Personality of the Year due to his community outreach. He also received the Development of Friendly Relations shield from Serbia's Centre for International Public Policy.
He is particularly proud of the leap in relations between Egypt and Serbia that began during his assignment, as well as the embassy's focus on creating cultural connections. Under his leadership, Egypt was the guest of honor at the International Belgrade Book Fair, Belgrade Tourism Fair, and Afro Festival.
"Diplomacy is government-to-government, but relations are nation-to-nation. So culture is the common language between different countries," Aljowaily says.
Aljowaily has continued to pursue his interests across fields, keeping busy doing what he loves. "Diplomacy was the predictable path for me, but I needed to add spice to the recipe: I continued to research, teach, publish and write," he says. Aljowaily has published books on diplomacy and a collection of prose and poems, and has also worked as an adjunct professor of international relations at AUC whenever he returned to Cairo throughout his career.
To represent Egypt in multilateral organizations ranging from the United Nations to the African Union, Aljowaily has lived between three continents. "Working for Egypt has been both a responsibility and an incredible privilege," Aljowaily says, explaining that he sees the country as a leader of the Arab world, Africa, the Mediterranean and even the Global South.
Wherever he is and whatever he's working on, Aljowaily's love for Egypt remains strong. "Each country we live in leaves a lasting trace in our character and way of thinking," he says. "The two years we diplomats spend back home in between being posted abroad are an opportunity to be reintroduced and re-immersed in Egypt's social and cultural life. It made my love for Egypt renew itself to deeper levels each time."
-By Celeste Abourjeili