In its strides toward an international vision, Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD) has advanced its reputation through funding research that was recently awarded ‘best research paper’ by the Global Science and Technology Forum.

UBD scholar, Dr. Gubara Said Hassan, received the award at the first annual international conference on ‘Regional Studies: Asian, American, African and European’, held in Singapore last week. “This is a good indication that UBD has highly professional staff,” said Dr. Gubara. “They just need to be pushed a bit and be helped with research funding and conference funding, so they could be a good representative for UBD at international platforms”.

Following the reception of the award, Dr. Gubara was interviewed by the programme manager of the organization, where he related the work and achievements of UBD, the Institute of Policy Studies, and the Sultan Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien Centre for Islamic Studies (SOASCIS).

The paper, titled Darfur Region’s Post-Conflict Reconstruction: Basic Needs and Fundamental Challenges, is a policy-oriented paper that is highly applicable and relevant to today’s globalized world. “Although I am talking about Darfur as a case, the policy orientation is very general and can be applied to conflict-affected areas in broader Asia or beyond,” said Dr. Gubara.

The Global Science and Technology Forum, which networks over 30 partners from high-ranking institutions from East to West, has already published the peer-reviwed research without any changes. Dr. Gubara related his plans to utilize the forum’s network to further broaden his research for re-publishing in more academic journals as a way to contribute “sustainable solutions”.

Dr. Gubara related his efforts to encourage the academic community within the field of policy studies to further broaden and substantiate a globally relevant policy framework that may be used as an approach to conflict management, prevention and resolution.

Dr. Gubara’s contribution in his paper identified four ‘basic needs’ for post-conflict reconstruction: provision of security and protection; economic welfare; transitional justice and community participation; and, vitally, the coordination of humanitarian aid by donors from the domestic to international levels. The paper identifies the ‘fundamental challenges’ as: the need to create an atmosphere of trust; fostering tribal/social reconcilability; and the practice of transitional justice, which, in effect, is communal arbitration.