Progress towards UN SDG 16: Peace, justice and strong institutions
Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels
Our research
The University of Glasgow’s Glasgow Open (GO) Justice Centre is a key partner in an innovative new research centre led by the University of Liverpool, aimed at responding to the public’s need and desire for fairer, safer and more inclusive societies.
The Centre for People’s Justice (CPJ) is a coalition of 45 organisations from community, business, philanthropic, cultural, artistic, charitable, legal, government and university sectors. It will work across the UK in partnership with the Universities of Glasgow, Liverpool, Sheffield, Swansea, Wrexham and Ulster and the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies London.
The CPJ includes a £4.1 million investment by the UKRI Arts & Humanities Research Council, the largest grant it has ever awarded to a Law School.
Leading the Glasgow team are Professor Nicole Busby, Glasgow convenor and equality, diversity and inclusion lead, and Professor Jacqueline Kinghan, Nicole Marshall and Cameron-Wong McDermott who will head up the CPJ’s work on clinical legal education.
The GO Justice Centre, based in the University’s School of Law, undertakes a range of activities to empower communities and individuals to use the law to access justice and achieve social and economic inclusion.
Learning & teaching
For over 300 years, the University of Glasgow’s School of Law has been at the forefront of legal education in Scotland and around the world.
We offer a range of programmes in Scots Law (for those wishing to practice in Scotland) and Common Law (for those wishing to study law in the rest of the UK, USA, Canada, Ireland and a number of other jurisdictions) including options to study law with a language or another subject.
Our graduates have gone on to work in international courts, the European Commission, banking and finance, international law firms, governments and academic institutions around the world.
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For over 300 years, the University of Glasgow’s School of Law has been at the forefront of legal education in Scotland and around the world.
University operations
As a University of Sanctuary, the University of Glasgow has made a public commitment to supporting those forcibly displaced from their homes and defending those universities who are facing geopolitical and humanitarian crisis.
We recognise that we cannot achieve this alone, and on 11 December 2024, the University hosted the ‘Reconstructing Gaza: The Post-conflict Reconstruction of Higher Education in Gaza Conference’, the first of its kind hosted at a UK Institution. The aim of this conference was to consider how through collaboration and collective action, we can support the reconstruction of the higher education sector in Gaza, providing both an immediate emergency response but also supporting the longer-term sustainability of the sector.
As seen throughout this report, our expertise is frequently sought by governments, and we have a dedicated and specialist Government Relations team who engage and connect the University, academics, practitioners and policymakers on some of the most urgent issues of our times. The University has led numerous events in the Scottish and UK Parliaments, from cross-party groups, briefings and receptions to engaging lawmakers and government on areas across learning and teaching, research and innovation.
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Civic engagement
Victims in rape and attempted rape cases will be able to access free independent legal advice as part of a new Scottish Government-funded pilot. This will give victims access to an experienced court practitioner who will help them to understand their rights and feel more prepared for giving evidence.
The service will be delivered by the Emma Ritch Law Clinic, which is based at the University of Glasgow’s School of Law.
The Emma Ritch Law Clinic provides independent legal representation to complainers in sexual violence cases. Emma Ritch was a pioneering Scottish women's rights campaigner who sadly passed away in 2021. She graduated from the University of Glasgow and the work of the clinic seeks to honour her memory.
Find out about our progress towards the 17 SDGs:
