Encouraging Qatar’s higher education institutions (HEI) to play a more active role in achieving the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) was among the issues discussed at a recent meeting hosted by Hamad Bin Khalifa University’s (HBKU) College of Law. 

Organized in partnership with the UNESCO Office for the Gulf States and Yemen, and the Regional Office in Beirut, The Role of Higher Education Institutions in Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) provided HEI representatives with information regarding the SDGs, as well as Targets and Means of Implementation. Participants considered which goals specifically align with their expertise and strategy in order to develop a roadmap for their implementation. The meeting concluded with an afternoon session on the establishment of a UNESCO Chair at institutions, as well as the ongoing revision of the Arab Convention on the Recognition of Higher Education Diplomas and Certificates.

Speaking after the meeting, Dean Susan L. Karamanian of the HBKU College of Law remarked, “HEIs can be leaders in promoting SDGs.  They can develop and implement campus programs to protect the environment; they can use their broad reach to engage the community beyond the university. Similar initiatives enacted elsewhere should inspire HEIs in Qatar and the wider region. We hope that the issues and topics discussed at this meeting provided ample food-for-thought to move Qatar’s SDGs initiatives forward.”

“Today’s workshop underscores the important role that universities can play in promoting and achieving the UN’s SDGs. HBKU’s College of Law is already leading these efforts regionally. We are spearheading the importance of triangular cooperation and partnerships in promoting the SDGs through the Association of Environmental Law Lecturers in Middle and North Africa (ASSELLMU), a robust network of regional partners that launched last year through the College of Law. ASSELLMU’s next conference will be held in Morocco in November. We also look forward to introducing HBKU’s first environmental law course next year, which will be offered within the college’s JD and LLM programs,” said Dr. Damilola Olawuyi, associate professor at the College of Law and chair of ASSELLMU.

The College of Law regularly hosts public lectures, conferences and other events to discuss the diverse legal systems that inform Qatari law as well as complex events and transactions, both in the region and around the world. 

For more information, please visit cl.hbku.edu.qa.