Dr Damilola Olawuyi, a faculty member at the College of Law at Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU), has received the 2020 LexisNexis Innovative Teaching Award at a recent virtual ceremony following the annual Qatar Business Law Forum.
Dr Olawuyi was recognised 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).
Dr Olawuyi stated, “ 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 emphasises practical skills and requirements on how stakeholders in Qatar, especially business enterprises, corporate organisations, 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 in 2018, is a network of environmental law academics from the Mena region 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, 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. 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.”
Dr Damilola Olawuyi
