The first-ever global convocation ceremony of the Aga Khan University (AKU) was live-streamed to a worldwide audience today, where 667 students from three continents received their degrees.
In an event graced by his Highness the Aga Khan and attended by Chief Guest Melinda French Gates and AKU President Firoz Rasul, the former expressed his pride in the University’s contributions in the fight against the pandemic and saluted the courage and resilience of its faculty, staff and students.
Being the AKU’s founder and Chancellor, his Highness the Aga Khan, equally praised the graduates in Pakistan, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and the United Kingdom for having chosen the course he addressed as ‘a path of service to humanity.’
He added: “The University has made a critical difference – advising national governments, training public-sector medical staff, working with teachers and schools, raising awareness through media and journalism, and doing everything possible to treat patients and to save lives.”
Elaborated, he noted the role of the AKU researchers as including tracking new mutations of the coronavirus, assessing the safety and effectiveness of vaccines and evaluating therapies for Covid-19.
On her part, Melinda French Gates, Co-chair and Trustee of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, commended the University for its leadership in improving health and empowering women, and voiced confidence in the graduates.
“The Aga Khan University is not only a global resource – it is a transformative force for public health and women’s health,” Ms. French Gates said. “We’re proud of our partnership with AKU over the years.”
“As graduates of AKU, you join a remarkable group of women and men who are changing lives for the better all over the world,” she told the graduates. “And let me tell you: the world desperately needs your energy and leadership.”
The Gates Foundation and the Aga Khan Development Network – including AKU – are working together in Afghanistan, Pakistan, India and East Africa to improve health, advance economic development and create opportunities for women and girls.
To date, the Foundation has provided approximately 90 million USD in funding for research and other projects at AKU in areas including maternal and child health, infectious diseases, malnutrition and Covid-19.
