Hamad Bin Khalifa University’s (HBKU) College of Law and College of Public Policy (CPP) collaborated with Wijdan Cultural Center to organize a workshop highlighting various human rights mechanisms and the formation of national identities in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA).

Hosted  October 24, 2023, at Minaretein, Education City, the workshop featured two talks by guest speakers Dr. David Keane, Assistant Professor in Law, School of Law and Government, Dublin City University, and Omar Shamseldein, Director of Training and Institutional Communication, Wijdan Cultural Center.

Dr. Keane’s talk highlighted key regional and international human rights mechanisms, including both charter- and treaty- based bodies, and detailed the participation of Qatar and other MENA states in various international human rights bodies. He also drew from the example of the International Convention on Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination to explore Qatar's historic use of the inter-state complaints mechanism and its wider role in the global human rights system. 

Shamseldein’s session discussed the formation and cultivation of national identity and their intersection with human rights across the Arab world. He also outlined the Wijdan Cultural Center’s ongoing efforts to foster and strengthen Qatar’s national identity through the organization of educational initiatives.

“Qatar and the wider MENA region’s efforts in the field of human rights has resulted in a dynamic landscape that features robust mechanisms. The College of Law eagerly works with local and international partners to foster a healthy knowledge exchange in this sector and build expertise and research capacity in the country and beyond,” said Dr. Susan L Karamanian, Dean, College of Law.

“CPP prioritizes the creation and delivery of interdisciplinary learning experiences across its academic offerings. This workshop offered participants the chance to connect insights from the fields of human rights with lessons from the formation of national identities throughout the MENA region,” said Dr. Leslie Pal, Dean, CPP.

Situated at a global crossroad of culture, business, and geopolitics, the College of Law hosts internationally recognized faculty that bring substantial expertise to contemporary legal issues of profound relevance to Qatar, the region and beyond.

As one of the leading public policy schools and knowledge hubs in the region and globally, CPP provides a uniquely situated venue for public conversation in Qatar. Highly dynamic and open to novel ideas and experimentation, the CPP recruits the world’s best faculty, builds research capacity, and educates future leaders who engage with their communities.