On February 21, 2022, commemorating the UN’s World Day of Social Justice, the Faculty of Law and Political Science (FLPS) at Notre Dame University-Louaize (NDU) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Lebanese Center for Human Rights (CLDH).
The agreement took place during a two-hour panel forum, titled “Human Rights, Social Justice and The Digital Frontier”, with the aim of employing mutual resources to conduct research on human rights and social responsibility, supporting the NDU-FLPS students and helping them find ways to establish a promising career in Lebanon.
In attendance were Fr. Bechara Khoury, NDU President, Dr. Dany Ghsoub, Acting Dean of the FLPS, Mr. Fadel Fakih, Executive Director of the CLDH, Dr. Eugene Sensenig, and Ms. Rouba El Helou, along with several guest speakers – both online and in person – and numerous NDU students.
The first panel titled, “Diversity Management and Intersectionality in the ICC as an Employer,” hosted Ms. Fabiola Dina, the International Criminal Court’s Senior Administrative Assistant in the Committee of Budget and Finance. She joined the event online via Zoom and spoke about gender equality and inclusion and stressed the importance of having dynamic teams and champions in the workplace. She then discussed numerous programs at the ICC that promote diversity and intersectionality.
The second panel about “Human Rights and Synergy in Civil Society” included speakers from the CLDH and NDU, highlighting the contributions and services of the CLDH towards the resolution of human rights issues in Lebanon – such as forced disappearance and arbitrary detention – and advantages of collaboration with universities. Speakers included Josiane Noun, Programs Manager at CLDH, Louise Abellard, Senior Fundraising and Reporting Officer, and FLPS professor Dr. Eugene Sensenig speaking on the synergy within civil society bringing together academia and NGOs, and connecting them with the corporate sector and reform minded government leaders.
Fr. Khoury welcomed CLDH and expressed his strong belief in the potential of this cooperation as it provides a wide ranging window of opportunity for both the university and students.
He highlighted the merits of institutionalizing human rights. He added, “We acknowledge that educators must first understand what it means to be a socially responsible institution and our role in civil society, and are therefore able to build relations between an academic institution and civil society.”
The meeting concluded with a group picture and the promise of establishing a strong, synergetic partnership between both institutions.
*This press release was written by NDU.
