Doha, October 31 (QNA) - The Ministry of Justice (MOJ) announced the launch of the "Youth Hackathon for Justice and Innovation" program, bridging the gap between AI and the modern rule of law, a first-of-its-kind initiative organized in partnership with the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) to harness the potential of young legal talent across the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and adroitly develop practical, innovative solutions to the vastly formidable challenges confronting the justice sector.
The initiative aims to harness the potential of young legal talent from the State of Qatar and across GCC nations, equipping them to address contemporary challenges through responsible innovation and practical solutions.
The hackathon forms part of MOJ's efforts to strengthen the rule of law, advance responsible digital transformation and significantly boost legal and technical capabilities, in accord with its 2025-2030 strategic plan to elevate the quality of legal services, entrench institutional excellence, build a future-ready workforce, and foster innovation, continuous development and effective institutional partnerships.
The two sides called on young legal talent to participate in the program, which Doha will host from March 21-28, 2027, bringing together specialized training, expert mentorship and collaborative work across multidisciplinary legal teams.
The program is anchored in an integrated training framework designed to empower GCC talent to develop innovative legal solutions through practical learning.
Participants will learn to identify and analyze challenges facing the justice sector, select the most appropriate technologies to address them, and apply their newly internalized knowledge and skills to develop practical, deployable solutions and prototypes under the guidance of legal and technical experts.
The hackathon focuses on four priority areas: the responsible use of AI in the justice sector; providing clear, accurate and reliable legal information; leveraging technology to facilitate access to digital legal services and substantially improve their efficiency; and developing multilingual solutions to help get past barriers that may impede understanding of or access to legal information.
Assistant Undersecretary of the Ministry of Justice for State Lawsuits Affairs and Chairman of the Youth Hackathon for Justice and Innovation, Dr. Jassim Saleh Al Kuwari, said the ministry gives youth empowerment an overriding strategic priority and intends to operationalize digital transformation programs in the justice sector as part of its commitment to fostering the rule of law, elevating the efficiency of justice institutions and facilitating access to legal services in a streamlined, secure and reliable manner.
The MOJ-UNITAR partnership embodies the ministry's commitment to nationalizing legal expertise and forging partnerships that materialize the strategic objectives outlined in the executive plan of the MOJ's 2025-2030 strategy, particularly its pillar concerning training, rehabilitation and national capacity-building, Al Kuwari highlighted.
Al Kuwari said the initiative reflects several key implementation pillars of the Ministry's strategic plan, foremost among them developing capabilities, strengthening institutional partnerships, significantly enhancing the efficiency of legal services through modern technologies, entrenching a culture of innovation and continuous learning, and developing reliable digital solutions centered on beneficiaries' needs.
He added that, through organizing this regional hackathon, MOJ seeks to propel legal cooperation among GCC ministries of justice toward broader horizons, including attracting developing talent from across the GCC, fostering an interchange of knowledge and expertise, and developing practical solutions that contribute to modernizing Gulf justice systems, while upholding the principles of trust, transparency and legal accountability.
For her part, Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations and Executive Director of UNITAR Michelle Giles-McDonough said the program represents a prime opportunity to attract talent from across GCC member states and invest in human capital and regional cooperation.
She highlighted that empowering young people to turn their ambitious ideas into responsible, practical solutions would help cultivate a new generation imbued with the skills to tackle challenges, facilitate access to justice and help chart the future of justice systems.
Applications will be accepted through Dec. 31, subject to the program's eligibility criteria and established assessment and selection procedures, with due regard for balanced and equitable representation of participating countries. (QNA)