Qatar University (QU) was part of the peer review and paper submission for the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the International Association of Universities (IAU), IAU – E4J Paper Competition for Young Researchers: Higher Education engages with SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions, within the framework of the Education for Justice (E4J) initiative. Dr. Talal Abdulla Al-Emadi, QU Press Director, represented QU in the experts evaluation and Dr. Imad Ibrahim, Research Assistant Professor at QU College of Law, Center for Law and Development, was among the selected 13 papers. Dr. Imad’s selected research paper is entitled ‘The Importance of International Corruption Law and International Environmental Law to achieve SDG16: An Analysis of Global Instruments Addressing Environmental Corruption.’ The outcome of this collaboration is an open access publication of 12 outstanding and unique research papers from young scholars around the globe which can be accessed via this link.
The link also shows the recorded virtual launch event for the publication and announcement of the selected authors, involving discussion on important topics related to SDG 16, Higher Education, and beyond.
Commenting on the importance of the event, QU President Dr. Hassan Al-Derham, said, “Qatar University attaches great value to such events and initiatives that aim at enhancing peoples’ standard of living and the overall socio-economic development of those in need. Our participation in SDG-16 is a commitment to working for unravelling the benefits of SDGs through the use of higher education by making QU as a platform of expression for such steps to global development.”
Prof. Mariam Al-Ali Al-Maadeed, Vice President for Research and Graduate Studies at QU said, “Research gives us the ability to create a better understanding and helps us lay solid foundations of emerging scientific concepts, which in turn motivates us to work for the betterment of humanity. Perhaps, this is the purpose of pursuing the initiative of SDG-16, that we are able to play our role for the collective human good. Qatar University’s role in pursuing such an endeavor will always generate positive outcomes and help in conveying to the world how higher education and particularly research can fasten our journey in achieving SDG objectives.”
Dr. Talal Abdullah Al-Emadi, QU Press Founding Director and Oil and Gas Law Professor, and a member evaluation experts committee said, “Qatar University has done a lot in pursuit of publications that advocate for the role of higher education in enhancing Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG-16. This particular event has provided an opportunity for us to comment and evaluate some outstanding contributions from the youth towards the SDG-16 initiative, for example, how higher education can create the atmosphere for realizing these goals for the betterment of the world and hence a better global future. In the same vein, QU Press intend to publish more research-based-studies on the concept of sustainable development to help ensure commitment to this global initiative”.
Dr. Imad Ibrahim, who received the honor of selecting his research paper, commented: “SDG-16, which is focused on peace, justice and strong institutions, is seen as one of the most important goals adopted by the international community. Goal 16 includes several targets and indicators, including in relation to corruption prevention, which is extremely difficult to address. This is mainly because of the absence of the rule of law or institutional corruption which is why, this research collaboration was extremely needed to address this interplay.”
It is worth noting that the Education for Justice (E4J) initiative was instigated in the Doha Declaration Global Program during the 13th United Nations Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice 2015, funded by the State of Qatar. The E4J initiative seeks to prevent crime and promote a culture of lawfulness through education activities designed for primary, secondary, and tertiary levels.