HBKU inaugurates UNESCO Chair on Environmental Law and Sustainable Development – The Peninsula

HBKU inaugurates UNESCO Chair on Environmental Law and Sustainable Development – The Peninsula

Doha: Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU) has officially launched the UNESCO Chair on Environmental Law and Sustainable Development.

The inaugural Chairholder, Dr. Damilola S. Olawuyi (SAN), Professor and Associate Dean for Research at the HBKU College of Law, presented his first lecture, setting out his vision for the Chair.

The high-level launch also featured keynote speeches by Qatari officials as well as senior UNESCO representatives and a panel discussion with foremost experts on environmental law and sustainability.

In his inaugural lecture, Dr. Olawuyi said: "The UNESCO Chair at HBKU will be at the forefront of galvanizing multi-stakeholder cooperation and partnerships for the Sustainable Development Goals in Qatar and beyond for the next several decades. Technological innovations and changes in key economic sectors and industries in response to climate change, pandemics, and other environmental and social pressures, offer a broad scope for much needed future research. As the inaugural Chairholder, my aim is to develop, train, and equip homegrown policy leaders capable of steering the continuous implementation of environmental and sustainable development instruments in the region."

The launch commenced with an opening speech by Dr. Michael J. Benedik, HBKU Provost, Salah Khaled, Director, UNESCO Doha Office for Gulf States and Yemen, and Sheikha Aisha Bint