Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU) College of Law is organising the 2019 Middle East Environmental Law Scholars Conference on November 4 and 5 in Settat, Morocco, it has been announced.
Registration is now open for the conference that will see leading environmental law practitioners, scholars and policymakers come together to examine teaching ‘Climate Change in the Middle East and North Africa’.
The Morocco conference will enable participants to assess current opportunities, challenges, best practices and innovation in teaching environmental law, particularly climate change law and policy, in Mena universities, HBKU has said in a statement. Participants will leverage their specialised knowledge to explore how best to advance investment in climate-smart infrastructure in the region.
Dr Susan Karamanian, dean of HBKU Law and a member of the event’s advisory committee, said: “Climate change is high on the global agenda due to the wide and severe impact of recent weather-related events. As Mena nations address the substantial challenges due to climate change, they face a growing demand for expertise in the subject, which drives the need for informed teaching of environmental law in universities.
This year’s conference is sponsored by the United Nations Environment Programme and will be held in collaboration with Hassan the First University, Settat, Morocco; Laboratory for Research on Comparative Democratic Transition, Morocco; UN Regional Office in the Middle East and North Africa; LexisNexis Middle East and North Africa; and the Association for Environmental Law Lecturers in Middle East and North African Universities (ASELLMU).
Founding chair of ASELLMU and HBKU Law associate professor, Dr Damilola S Olawuyi, said, “This year’s conference will significantly consolidate the achievements from the first conference. It will provide a platform for exchanging latest research innovations, as well as stimulating interest in the teaching of environmental law in universities across the Mena region.”
Topics to be explored this year include Environmental Law Teaching in the Middle East; Climate Change Impacts on the Middle East; Green and Climate Resilient Infrastructure; Climate Finance Initiatives and the Law; Building Capacity for the Green Economy; and Agriculture and Food Security.
High-level attendance is expected with keynote addresses by Elizabeth Mrema, director of the Law Division at the United Nations Environment Programme, and Aisa Mustafa Hammadeen, regional vice-chair for West Asia, International Union for Conservation of Nature Commission on Environmental, Economic and Social Policy. Distinguished delegates from the Moroccan Ministry for Agriculture, Maritime Fisheries, Rural Development, Water and Forests; and the Ministry of Energy, Mines and Sustainable Development, among others, are also expected.
For more information and to register to attend, one can visithttps://www.hbku.edu.qa/en/academic-events/mena-law-
conference
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