On September 27, 2021, ECFA organized a symposium, in which Ambassador Dr. Mounir Zahran, ECFA Chairman, presented his book entitled “A witness to Egyptian diplomacy in half a century”, recently published by Dar Al-Shorouk. The symposium was opened by Ambassador Abdel Raouf El-Reedy, ECFA Honorary Chairman, who commended the content of the book, and stressed its importance for the Arab Library, especially as it is a book that combines the practical and theoretical aspects, through a long historical experience that was consolidated over sixty years, which Dr. Zahran spent in the corridors of Diplomacy, international organizations and various civil society organizations. The symposium was attended by many ECFA members, and others.

Moreover, the symposium and its discussions tackled several points, including the emphasis on the importance of the book in question, and its role in educating young people and future generations of the challenges facing Egypt at the international level; Benefiting from the experiences of previous ambassadors, as the book is informative and educational, and not just a memoir. Furthermore, the book is an important addition and supplement to the memoirs written by the former foreign ministers, in particular the memoirs of the late Ambassador Dr. Ashraf Ghorbal and Ambassador Abdel Raouf El-Reedy. The two were ambassadors of Egypt in Washington, where Ambassador Dr. Mounir Zahran also served twice; the first was when diplomatic relations were severed after the 1967 war, and the second was following the resumption of diplomatic relations between the two countries in 1974 after the October War.

The author also affirmed the importance of the Non-Aligned Movement and its role in educating the peoples of developing countries to face the challenges and pressures of developed countries, noting the importance for students of political science and the Diplomatic Institute to be aware of the advisory and oversight bodies of the United Nations organizations and means of coordination between them, and between their activities.