Exploring the role of law and regulation in enabling public and private financing for green growth will be the focus of the next colloquium at the College of Law of Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU). The legal and contractual aspects of green financing will also reflect on the complexities of drafting, negotiating, and facilitating commercial contracts and financing instruments.
The Legal and Contractual Aspects of Green Financing colloquium will take place from 4pm-6pm on September 25 in the Smart Class Room, second floor, next to the HBKU Library, Minaretein (College of Islamic Studies) Building, Education City.
Chaired by College of Law dean Dr Susan L Karamanian, the session will have a distinguished panel of experts: Marie-Claire Cordonier Segger, professor of law, School of Environment, Enterprise and Development, University of Waterloo, Canada; Markus Gehring, deputy director of the Centre for European Legal Studies, University of Cambridge, UK, and HBKU Law visiting professor; and Afaf Kazeem, legal counsel, Siemens Qatar.
The colloquium will address achieving economic diversification in alignment with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which the United Nations General Assembly adopted on September 25, 2015 as part of the 2030 Development Agenda.
Speaking ahead of the colloquium, Dr Karamanian said, “As we meet in Doha, the United Nations will be hosting the SDG Summit, a high-level political forum to evaluate progress in implementing the SDGs. Hence, the timing of our event could not be more perfect. Mobilising investment in green and low carbon technologies, services, and infrastructure is critical to achieving the economic diversification and environmental development goals. Our ability to attract top-tier experts to discuss green financing underscores the College of Law’s reputation as a world-class provider of legal education with an international reach.”
The principal organiser of the colloquium, College of Law professor, Dr Damilola Olawuyi, an expert in sustainability law, remarked: “This colloquium goes beyond theoretical discussions and topical debate. By examining challenges associated with drafting contracts and related documents, the session will provide participants with practical insights for their own development. Doing so underscores another key mission of the College of Law – to develop professionals capable of traversing the multi-faceted relationships that span different legal systems.” 
Dr Damilola spent the past summer at the University of Cambridge as the Herbert Smith Freehills Visitor, where he conducted research on sustainability.
The College of Law regularly hosts public lectures, conferences and other events to discuss the diverse legal systems – civil law, common law and Shariah – that inform Qatari law and complex events and transactions, both in the region and around the world.
The colloquium will be in English. For more information, or to register, one can visit cl.hbku.edu.qa.