LAW, JUSTICE AND DEVELOPMENT WEEK 2020 | Justice Accelerators Programme: Youth, Social Entrepreneurship and Digital Innovation to Promote the Rule of Law

Events

LAW, JUSTICE AND DEVELOPMENT WEEK 2020 | Justice Accelerators Programme: Youth, Social Entrepreneurship and Digital Innovation to Promote the Rule of Law

November 16, 2020

VIRTUAL

The event is aimed at showcasing the ��Justice Accelerators�� Programme, launched in 2020 by the Education for Justice (E4J) Initiative of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), in partnership with American Councils for International Education (AC).

Building on the successful experiences achieved via many hackathon and STEM projects, the Justice Accelerators Programme, now in its pilot phase in Armenia and Kyrgyzstan, is a 3.5-month programme that equips upper secondary students (16+) with the skills to become social tech entrepreneurs while solving issues related to the rule of law and sustainable development.

The Programme aims at stimulating youth to develop technology solutions to rule of law issues while incorporating an innovative, entrepreneurial and development-oriented mindset. In this innovative programme, students receive training from experts on technical skills, problem solving and social entrepreneurship, as well as on rule of law challenges. Students then develop their technology solutions, reaching out to their communities for testing and record results.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the programme underwent fundamental changes to deliver its results within restrictions imposed by health concerns. This event will also discuss the impact of the pandemic on some rule of law challenges, as well as how the Justice Accelerators adapted to the context.

SPEAKERS

Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Officer
Gilberto Duarte is a Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Officer at the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). He joined UNODC in 2010 and currently leads the secondary level of the Education for Justice (E4J) initiative, which seeks to produce and disseminate education material on justice and rule of law issues. Previously, Gilberto Duarte worked at the UNODC Liaison and Partnership Office in Brazil, covering Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay in the areas of crime prevention, criminal justice, human rights and international cooperation. Gilberto has a Master��s degree in International Relations, with a focus on International Law.
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Yane Frenski

Consultant, Education for Justice (E4J) Initiative
Yane Frenski is an international consultant working for the past decade for the United Nations as an expert on technology and innovation with a strong focus on EdTech. He has contributed to the development of strategies and the implementation of innovative solutions at various UN agencies and offices (UNDP, UNDESA, UNODC) around the globe (Brussels, Vienna, New York and Praia). His educational background is in software engineering while his professional experience spreads across the private and the non-governmental sectors where he has founded and co-founded two startups and one social enterprise in the fields of EdTech and urban development.

Dagen Valentine

Country Director, American Councils
Dagen is the Country Director for American Councils in Yerevan, Armenia. Prior to joining American Councils, Mr. Valentine served as Innovation and Entrepreneurship Educator, leading state and federally funded programs across Nebraska that increase youth and community agency through STEM-rich activities with a focus on entrepreneurship. He previously spent two years as a site director for a large afterschool program in Omaha. He is an experienced teacher in dual language programs, having served as a TEFL Peace Corps Volunteer in Shinuhayr, Armenia. Mr. Valentine has published curriculum around wearable technologies; and journal articles regarding informal learning; makerspaces; and virtual reality.

Diana Mkrtchyan

Trainer/Mentor of Teams in Armenia
Diana currently serves as CTO of Armenian startup LikeLocal; creating an international tech solution for cultural exchanges. She focuses on projects and activities that create equitable value and impact for all communities. She has taught programming to youth in informal learning environments. Diana first started coding by attending a Code School in Omaha, NE, USA. Diana intentionally does not have social media accounts.

Kyzzhibek Batyrkanova

Trainer/Mentor of Teams in Kyrgyzstan
Ms. Kyzzhibek Batyrkanova is a program director at the Kyrgyz Space Program, which aims to assemble the first satellite of its country that will be launched into space. TechWomen 2019 alumna, hosted by Mozilla HQ in San Francisco Bay Area.
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Eileen Brewer (Moderator)

Director, Takween Accelerator, Iraq
Eileen Brewer is the Director of the Takween Accelerator, the first startup accelerator in Kurdistan Iraq focused on building up the startup ecosystem throughout Iraq. Before this role Ms. Brewer spent 20 years working at tech companies in Silicon Valley with a background in hardware technology. Ms. Brewer has been a mentor and trainer for the US State Department TechWomen exchange program since 2012 which includes traveling throughout Africa, the Middle East and Central Asia to advance the status of women and girls. And this is her third year supporting the UNODC E4J program.
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