Mr Henningsson (born in Uppsala 1950) took up his position in Alexandria in September 2002. During the past three years SwedAlex has seen considerable growth, both in terms of programme activities and in terms of networking. The Institute has become a popular venue for Euro-Arab workshops and seminars, as well as for inter-Arab meetings, bringing together youth leaders, journalists, scientists, translators, and diplomats.Today, SwedAlex enjoys close co-operation with several highly renowned partners in the Arab world and in Europe, governmental as well as non-governmental, such as: the League of Arab States, Council of Europe, UNESCO, Centre for Arab Unity Studies, the Egyptian Council for Foreign Affairs, and the UK-based conference centre Wilton Park. In this context one must mention the intensive collaboration between SwedAlex and a number of Egyptian ministries and institutions. The most recent example is the official Memorandum of Understanding signed with the Academy of Scientific Research and Technology (affiliated to the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research).The recent establishment of the “Anna Lindh Euro-Mediterranean Foundation for the Dialogue between Cultures” in the premises of SwedAlex and the Bibliotheca Alexandrina is another important development, which Mr Henningsson hopes will strengthen the role of Alexandria as an international forum for intellectual exchange. There is after all, he concludes, hardly any other city in the world with a comparable legacy when it comes to creative cross-fertilization.Mr Henningsson’s first public appearance after the renewal of his term will be a lecture – in Arabic – at the University of Al-Azhar (Faculty of Languages and Translation) with the title “Dialogue beyond stereotypes” (Al-hiwar wara’ al-tanmit), on 4 April 2005.