Translation Builds Bridges: Professors and Students of the University of Peru became UNODC’s latest Education for Justice (E4J) champions

9 July 2020 - Translation builds bridges and partnerships are core for advancing the Sustainable Development Goal 16 – these were the two core messages of the virtual ceremony to thank the students and their professors for their outstanding support provided to the E4J initiative by using their skills and knowledge in translating the E4J University Modules on Organized Crime, Cybercrime, Wildlife Crime and Anti-Corruption into Spanish.

The Education for Justice’s (E4J) University Module Series are innovative tools for lecturers, developed with and peer-reviewed by hundreds of academics from around the world to support SDG 16 and rule of law related teaching at higher education institutions around the world. The more than 115 university modules cover issues ranging from integrity and ethics to organized crime to counter-terrorism, applying a multidisciplinary approach to make the teaching on these topics easier for lecturers from various disciplines.

Originally developed in English only, these modules are currently being translated by partners, including UPC, into other languages. Providing material and tools to lecturers interested in teaching on topics covered by the E4J initiative in various languages is crucial to strengthen teaching on the SDGs at higher education institutions around the world. The partnership with UPC which started in 2019 is central to this endeavour and clearly demonstrates the value this cooperation has for both sides – students getting first-hand experience in working with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime thereby supporting the E4J initiative and the teaching on SDG 16 related topics at universities in Spanish-speaking countries.

The support received from UPC, their professors and students, is undoubtedly of paramount importance and effectiveness to the very core of the E4J’s own objective: bridging the gap between academia and the United Nations.