27-31 October 2019 - The 2019 XIX International Congress of Criminology had a far reaching impact beyond the conference as it brought together academics as well as practitioners in Doha, Qatar. The opening day had over 300 participants in attendance including an international cohort of criminologists, members of the Qatar Police College, the Qatar University College of Law and the Qatar Ministry of Interior. UNODC Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Officer Bianca Kopp delivered a welcome keynote speech on day one and a provided an overview of the Education for Justice (E4J) initiative, a component of the Global Programme for the Implementation of the Doha Declaration. She highlighted what an honor it was to be back in Doha, where the E4J journey started, since the Doha Declaration, adopted by Member States in 2015, was the first declaration highlighting the importance of education for crime prevention and for strengthening the rule of law. The cooperation between universities and UNODC in the framework of the E4J initiative was discussed further in a session on day two, where E4J champion Dr. Melissa Deehring, clinical assistant professor at Qatar University, shared her experience using the E4J tools and working with UNODC.

The event was also a moment to reflect on the impact of young scholars in shaping the future. The ISC and E4J worked together to launch a paper competition for young scholars to attend the conference. In Qatar, the 10 winners of the competition were offered the chance to present their research in a short 6-minute Ted Talk format to the entire conference. The young scholars rose to the occasion and each delivered concise and precise summaries of their findings as well as potential implications of that research for the future. Perhaps best stated by one of the winners of the ISC-E4J competition Angelina Stanojoska, assistant professor at University St. Kliment Ohridski in North Macedonia, "Prevention and suppression of crime is only possible through researching and understanding its etiology. That's why educating young people using criminology is an important part of that process."

 

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