In the presence of the University President, Prof. Zeidan Kafafi, and the Irish Ambassador in Amman, Dr. Vincent O'Neill, the Department of International Relations and Projects at Yarmouk University organized the activities of Yarmouk University International Week. The opening ceremony was attended by the Nigerian Ambassador in Amman, the Vice-Chancellor for Administrative Affairs, Humanitarian Faculties Affairs, several deans, faculty members, and a crowd of students. Kafafi welcomed the participants in the first Yarmouk International Week and stated that it will be a platform for partnerships, networking, and exchange of best practices and experiences among all participating institutions and universities. He then reviewed the development of Yarmouk and emphasized its vision to achieving balance between the humanities on the one hand and the scientific, engineering, and medical specialties on the other hand. He also pointed out the considerable interest of Yarmouk to provide its students with outstanding teaching levels, community service opportunities, extracurricular activities, and promotion of innovation. He concluded that the university’s main goal is to produce productive young people of integrity, vision, and entrepreneurial thinking.

For his part, the Irish Ambassador, Dr. Vincent O'Neill, talked about the role of higher education in achieving Sustainable Development Goals. He pointed out that Ireland is one of the new countries that was able to build a strong economy and take its investment position among international companies. O’Neill then stressed out that the success of the state of Ireland, despite its recent history, is attributed to the nation's commitment to deepen its global ties and internationalization at various levels. O'Neill pointed out that the Irish economy grew faster after joining the United Nations in 1955 because of its belief in achieving human welfare and development. Then he said that there are many similarities between Ireland and Jordan: Both are small countries that are linked to multiple international relations and have been able to build distinct security and safety system for themselves. He then recommended that in order to benefit from its international relations, Jordan must access international markets and strengthen its trade ties.

In his turn, the Director of the Department of International Relations and Projects, the Chairman of the Organizing Committee for Yarmouk International Week, Dr. Mowaffaq Al-Ottoum said that the activities of the week, which includes more than 115 participants from Jordan and more than 50 participants from outside Jordan representing 23 countries, focuses on the internationalization of higher education. He explained that such an event will promote entrepreneurship opportunities through exchange programs and capacity-building projects and will strengthen the link between industry and scientific research.