Participants during the conference.
Doha: Hamad Bin Khalifa University’s (HBKU) College of Law partnered with the Geneva Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies to co-host a two-day conference titled, “Reorienting International Economic Law for the Digital Economy: From Addressing the Digital Divide to Enabling Digital Development,” exploring how international economic law could be reshaped to support economic development in the digital era.
The event convened local, regional, and international experts to exchange perspectives on how existing legal frameworks and practices can be updated to keep pace with the digital economy.
Through a series of panel and roundtable discussions, they also highlighted emerging geoeconomic players’ role in digital development, as well as the prospects of international economic law in addressing digital divides and spearheading digital development.
Dr. Gregory Shaffer, Scott K Ginsburg Professor of International Law, Georgetown University Law Centre, delivered the keynote speech, highlighting how international economic legal frameworks can promote digital development.
The session was introduced by Umar Azmeh, Registrar at the Qatar International Court & Dispute Resolution Centre.
Noting the successful hosting of the event, Dean Susan L. Karamanian, College of Law, said, “A future-oriented view is vital to ensure that the digital economy does not leave a large segment of the world’s population behind. The College of Law and the Geneva Graduate Institute conceived of this platform to facilitate discussions on how international law can help sustain economic growth in the digital age.
“The conference is part of the College’s ongoing efforts to support national and regional capacities with global relevance, gathering expertise from across the world and building a hub for legal knowledge in Qatar.”
Dr. Georgios Dimitropoulos, Professor of Law and Associate Dean for Research, College of Law, who co-organised the conference together with Dr. Neha Mishra, Assistant Professor in International Law at the Geneva Graduate Institute, said, “It is a privilege having had the chance to contribute to the emerging discussions around digital development and addressing digital divides in the Global South and beyond. These are some of the most pressing issues of our times. International law should be at the forefront of these discussions.”
Representatives from the Qatar Financial Centre Authority and the Office of the State of Qatar to the WTO, WIPO, and UNCTAD engaged with their academic counterparts, including faculty members from Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law, Georgetown University Law Center, Georgetown University in Qatar, Singapore Management University and other renowned institutions worldwide.
The American Society of International Law, which was represented by its President Mélida Hodgson at the conference, and the Qatar National Research Fund/Qatar Research, Development, and Innovation Council under the “Industrial Policy for Digital Development (IPDD) Project” (ARG01-0524-230314) led by Dr. Georgios Dimitropoulos as Lead Principal Investigator, served as co-sponsors of the event.
