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Professor Damilola S. Olawuyi, SAN
Professor of Law and UNESCO Chair on Environmental Law and Sustainable Development
HBKU College of Law
P.O. Box: 34110
Education City Doha, Qatar
About the UNESCO Chair
Launched in 1992 at the 26th Session of the General Conference of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the UNESCO Chair program aims to foster strategic collaboration between UNESCO and institutions of higher learning across the world with proven competence in one or more areas of UNESCO’s spheres of activities. The partnership is formalized through an agreement signed between the Director-General of UNESCO and the President or Head of the institution hosting the UNESCO Chair. There are currently around 830 UNESCO chairs across the world, in over 110 countries, covering 70 disciplines.
Domains Covered by UNESCO Chair
Environmental Law
Sustainable Development
Clean Technology Entrepreneurship
Law and Behavioral Regulation
Culture and Heritage Law
UNESCO Chair on Environmental Law and Sustainable Development at HBKU
UNESCO approved the establishment of a UNESCO Chair on Environmental Law and Sustainable Development (ELSD) at HBKU to harness research, teaching, knowledge exchange and international cooperation on Environmental Law as a tool for advancing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.
This Chair established at HBKU is the first chair that focuses on Environmental Law. It is also one of the very first in the entire MENA region to focus on the Sustainability Science aspect of the UNESCO Management of Social Transformations (MOST) Programme.
The Chair serves as the focal point for strengthening scientific research, and South-South cooperation between Environmental Law and Sustainable Development researchers in African Universities, and those in the Middle East, to collaboratively address environmental challenges across the MENA region. The Chair also advances international, North-South and North-South-South cooperation, knowledge exchange and capacity development on Environmental Law amongst key stakeholders in education, economic, financial, regulatory and development sectors, and beyond.
Objectives
ObjectivesThe UNESCO Chair at HBKU aims to harness research, teaching, knowledge exchange and international cooperation on Environmental Law as a tool for advancing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.
Through locally relevant research, training, workshops, conferences and community outreach programs, the Chair will develop, train and equip homegrown policy leaders who are capable of steering the continuous application and implementation of environment and sustainable development instruments, especially the UNSDGs, in Qatar and the MENA region.
Activities
Research
Disseminate cutting-edge research and locally relevant publications that will contribute to evidence-informed decision-making on environment and sustainable development issues, especially in critical areas of climate change, preservation of natural heritage, energy efficiency, sustainable lifestyles, clean technology entrepreneurship and the green economy.
International and Regional Cooperation
Work with existing partners such as the Association of Environmental Law Lecturers in Middle East and North African Universities (ASSELLMU), where the UNESCO Chair will serve as a focal point for strengthening South-South, North-South and triangular scientific cooperation, academic exchanges, and knowledge dissemination on Environmental Law and Sustainable Development in the MENA region.
Training
Serve as a focal point for training on Environmental Law and Sustainable Development, through new or existing degree or certificate programs at the HBKU College of Law.
Public Dialogue
Organize seminars, workshops, conferences, and public outreach programs aimed at transforming research in environmental law into societal empowerment.