The Association of Environmental Law Lecturers in Middle East and North African Universities (ASSELLMU)
6th Scientific Conference and Workshop
Theme:
Water Security and Environmental Law in the Middle East and North African (MENA) Region
February 24-25, 2025
Venue: Faculty of Law, Arab East Colleges, Saudi Arabia
CALL FOR PAPERS
Background
The 6th Scientific Conference of the Association of Environmental Law Lecturers in Middle East and North African Universities (ASSELLMU) is proposed to be held on February 24-25, 2025 at the Faculty of Arab East Colleges, Saudi Arabia, with a view to exploring the role of comprehensive and effective environmental laws in advancing water security in arid and water stressed countries in the MENA region.
This conference builds upon the achievements of its first five conferences held in Doha (Qatar) in November 2018, Settat (Morocco) in November 2019; Doha (Qatar) in November 2021, Amman (Jordan) in 2023; and Sohar (Oman) in 2024. The conferences have been sponsored by the United Nations Environment Programme; SADER Legal Publishing; and with technical collaboration and partnership of the Rule of Law Programme Middle East and North Africa, Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung e.V; the UNESCO Chair on Environmental Law at HBKU; and the Jordanian Society for Climate and Sustainable Development.
The 2025 Conference aims to bring together environmental educators, university teachers, trainers, and practitioners to exchange knowledge, experience and learn from each other on how to strengthen environmental law education and practice in the region, with focus on the role of environmental law in advancing water security across the MENA region.
Water is essential to the development and survival of human beings and that of other life forms, such as plants and animals. Therefore, ensuring water security— that is, the availability, accessibility, and affordability— of clean water is one of the most important aims of environmental law and policy across the world and in the MENA region.,There are several international and regional environmental agreemnts such as the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea; the 1997 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Non- Navigational Uses of International Watercourses Regional Convention for the Conservation of the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden Environment (Jeddah Covention), the Kuwait Regional Convention on Protection of Marine Environment, and Goal 6 of the United Nations Sustainbale Development Goals (SDG 6), amongst others, that aim to prevent the pollution of water bodies, and to ensure access to clean water and sanitation for all.
With less than six years to the 2030 date for the realization of the SDGs, it is urgently imperative to examine the role of environmental law in accelerating progress on water security across the MENA region. Understanding gaps to the effective development, application and implementation of environmental law across the MENA region, as well as innovative environmental law education approaches for addressing those gaps, can help educators, business enterprises, policymakers and other stakeholders to plot a clearer path for systemic integration and reform.
Themes
In acknowledgment of the importance of water security and sustainable development to the MENA region, the plenary session and workshops will provide an opportunity for sharing information and best practices on the role of environmental law in accelerating progress progress on water security across the MENA region. The program will cover national, regional and international law aspects on four (4) main substantive topics:
Papers
We are inviting abstracts for papers falling within any of the above topics that will propose groundbreaking academic style contributions to water law and policy in the MENA region. The contributions can take a continental approach to the issues they cover; or focus on sub-regional or country level case studies. In so far as methodology is concerned, papers adopting multi-disciplinary and empirical approaches are welcome. The papers can also address innovative approaches to teaching, carrying out research in and litigating on environmental law.
Submission of abstracts and publication timetable
Environmental law teachers, scholars and legal practitioners, and other persons interested in the discipline of environmental law and policy from the MENA region, are invited to submit an abstract on any of the above four main substantive topics. The proposals should be of no more than 600 words and include the following elements: name of the author; institutional affiliation of the author; author’s contact details; a short description of the topic to be addressed in the paper; the methodological approach taken; and a brief overview of the expected outcomes of the final paper.
Abstracts should be submitted, together with a copy of the author’s curriculum vitae, as e-mail attachments to the Chair of ASSELLMU, Dr. Damilola S. Olawuyi, SAN (dolawuyi@hbku.edu.qa).
The closing date for submission of abstracts is 30 August 2024. Any questions on this call for abstracts should be directed to dolawuyi@hbku.edu.qa
The selection panel will consider the submitted abstracts and inform only the selected authors on or before 01 October, 2024. Upon acceptance of an abstract by the selection panel, the author will be invited to submit the full drafts of their papers on or before 31 December 2024. Revised versions of the papers will be presented for discussion at the ASSELLMU 6th Scientific Conference to be held on February 24-25, 2025. Finally accepted papers will be published in a journal special issue or book.
Submission Guidelines