The Unesco Chair on Environmental Law and Sustainable Development at Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU) recently partnered with the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS) Rule of Law Programme Middle East and North Africa and Youssef SADER Foundation for Legal Culture to hold the Rule of Law Forum - 2nd Edition.
The event convened legal minds, scholars, and decision-makers operating across the Arab world to discuss pressing contemporary issues throughout the Middle East and North Africa (Mena). The two-day agenda featured panel discussions on topics including judicial transparency, business accountability for human rights, legal frameworks governing startups in the region, implementation of international environmental treaties in Arab states, and use of artificial intelligence in legal practice.
HE Ibrahim bin Ali bin Issa al-Hassan al-Mohannadi, Minister of Justice and Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs, presented the opening address. The Lady Justice Imani Daud Aboud, president, African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights, presented the forum’s keynote, which highlighted the evolving role of international courts, such as the African Court, in advancing the rule of law, including human rights, and sustainable development. President Aboud also participated on a forum panel that focused on judicial transparency in which she addressed the role of courts in society and their engagement with the public.
Dr Damilola S Olawuyi, professor and Unesco chairholder on Environmental Law and Sustainable Development, HBKU, and Lothar Freischlader, ambassador of Germany also provided opening remarks, stressing the importance of the rule of law to the areas to be discussed during the Forum.
Susan L Karamanian, dean, HBKU College of Law, said: “The rule of law is under stress, particularly at the international level in which decisions of international courts and tribunals are being challenged. Yet even in national systems uncertainty abounds due to contemporary developments, such as digitization, social media, and climate change.”
Each session featured panels composed of renowned experts hailing from the UN Development Programme, German Federal Ministry of Justice, Egyptian Constitutional Court, Supreme Judicial Council in Jordan, and other legal authorities. Panelists exchanged insights with peers from the private sector, including Siemens Energy, and Ooredoo, along with practicing lawyers and academic experts.
Dignitaries at the forum
