Dr. Damilola Olawuyi, Queen’s Counsel, a faculty member at the College of Law at Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU), has received the 2020 LexisNexis Innovative Teaching Award. The award was presented at a recent virtual awards ceremony following the annual Qatar Business Law Forum.

Celebrating excellence in innovation across the legal sector, the Qatar Business Law Awards select winners from a high caliber of entrants. The Innovative Teaching Award category recognizes the achievements of legal educators in the areas of designing and implementing innovative academic legal training programs and for overall strategic vision.

Dr. Olawuyi was recognized for his many accomplishments although two, in particular, stood out:  the launch of his new course “Environmental Law” and his leadership in establishing the Association for Environmental Law Lecturers in Middle East and North African Universities (ASSELLMU).  

In response to receiving the award, Dr. Olawuyi stated: “I am most delighted and honored to receive the Innovative Teaching Award. The Environmental Law course provides opportunities for our students to understand the values, assumptions, and guiding principles that underlie the field of global environmental law. Coming at a time of real need, the course emphasizes practical skills and requirements on how stakeholders in Qatar, especially business enterprises, corporate organizations, lawyers, and law firms can anticipate, prevent, and mitigate environmental liability in their operations, especially through corporate social responsibility, environmental due diligence, sustainability reporting, green supply chains and procurements, and strategic risk management.”

ASSELLMU, founded by the College of Law in cooperation with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in 2018, is a network of environmental law academics from the MENA region that is dedicated to the establishment of environmental law courses in law faculties in the MENA region and the development of best practices as to the teaching of environmental law.  Thanks to a grant from the Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF), ASSELLMU has hosted two major international conferences, the first at HBKU in 2018 and the second at Hassan the First University, Settat, Casablanca, Morocco in 2019.  

Dr. Susan L. Karamanian, dean, College of Law, remarked: “Dr. Damilola’s focus on environmental law, whether through his teaching or outreach to major MENA universities, is in line with HBKU’s overall emphasis on sustainability, specifically as to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs). His work and engagement on issues such as food sustainability, alternative energy, and clean practices as to natural resources are highly relevant to Qatar.  We are so proud of him as his energy and vision have helped establish the College of Law as a regional leader in the important field of environmental law.”   

According to Dr. Olawuyi: “The aim of ASSELLMU and our environmental law initiatives is to equip the next generation of environmental innovators and lawyers in Qatar and the region with dynamic legal knowledge and skills needed to support, promote and commercialize environmentally sustainable technologies that advance all aspects of Qatar’s National Vision (QNV) 2030. This timely recognition and award will certainly spur us on to continue our innovation and leadership in this area.”

As part of HBKU’s commitment to provide cutting-edge education and training in key sectors relevant to QNV 2030, the College of Law continues to host innovative lectures, seminars, conferences, and other capacity development programs to facilitate mutual dialogue between industry and academia that elicit thought-provoking debate and promote innovative solutions. To learn more about the college, its activities, and events, visit cl.hbku.edu.qa.