SDG 16. Peace and Justice Strong Institutions

• Human Rights Centre, Faculty of Law
• Research Centre in Applied Ethics, Faculty of Philosophy
• Centre for the Prevention and Control of Drugs and Criminality, Faculty of Sociology and Social Work

• Resilience and stability in polycentric governance systems. Theoretical, empirical, and applied approach
• Probation Observatory. Training and Network – PONT, Faculty of Sociology and Social Work
• Electoral rights: a rational approach
• Benefits and constraints of joint decision-making in Romania. From public participation to collaborative environmental impact assessment
• Strengthening local cooperation to combat violent extremism

According to the UB Charter (art. 72, point c), the governing structures at university level are the Senate and the Board of Administration. As such, art. 116, paragraphs 1 and 2 establish the composition of the Board of Administration:

• Rector, Vice-Rectors, Deans, Director General, Administrative Director and the students’ representative are appointed by a majority of the student members in the Senate from among their members.
• The President of the Senate, the Director of the General Secretariat Department and the representatives of the employees’ union are invited to the meetings of the Board of Administration. The labour union representative attends as an observer.
• Other persons may be invited only with the favourable opinion of the majority of the members of the Board present.

It should thus be noted that this structure includes representatives of students, teaching and non-teaching staff, auxiliary teaching and non-teaching staff and the labour union.

Article 130, paragraph 1 of the Charter establishes the composition of the Senate, which is composed of 75% teaching and research staff and 25% student representatives. All members of the Senate, without exception, are elected by universal, direct and secret ballot of all tenured teaching and research staff and of all students, respecting the representation quotas by faculty. Article 136(4) also establishes that the Senate meetings may be attended by (a) the Director of the General Secretarial Department of the University, (b) the Administrative General Director, and (c) individually, at the invitation of the Senate, depending on the agenda of the meeting, the CUDS Director, Deans and heads of the University’s functional structures and departments.

Students, teachers and labour unions are also represented in in other bodies of the University of Bucharest:

• According to art. 4.1 of the regulations of the University of Bucharest’s Commission for Evaluation and Quality Assurance (CEAC), students, teachers and the trade union have representatives in the CEAC.
• The Regulation of Organisation and Functioning of the Ethics Commission of the University of Bucharest also stipulates that the members of the Commission include full professors, emeritus professors and students (art. 5, paras. 3 and 5).
• The Council for University Doctoral Studies also has in its composition elected PhD students.

The University of Bucharest recognises students’ unions.  According to the UB Charter (art. 29, para. 1) members of the university community have the right to establish or belong to student, labour, professional and cultural, national, and international associations, and organisations, as well as legally constituted political organisations. Article 11(1) of the Code of Students’ Rights and Obligations states that students have the right to join student structures and organisations. Accordingly, 18 student associations are active at the University of Bucharest – 17 at faculty level and one at institutional level (ASUB). The student associations represent students’ interests, develop projects for students and get involved in actions that follow all dimensions of academic life.

The University of Bucharest has written policies and procedures to identify local stakeholders external to the university and engage with them.

• A central role in interacting with stakeholders, especially the labour market, high schools/colleges and potential candidates, is played by the Department of Career Counselling and Guidance (DCOC). Art. 11 of the DCOC’s Organisational and Functioning Regulation presents the main activities of the department, including those related to the interaction with various stakeholders: interaction with pre-university students, facilitating the relationship between students and graduates of the University of Bucharest and the labour market, so that they know the real opportunities and challenges of being employed from the time they graduate. Art. 12.2 presents the actions carried out by the DCOC related to increasing the employability of students and graduates, by offering services such as: establishing partnerships with representatives of the private sector with a view to placing students in internships, traineeships; labour market mediation activities; relations with alumni and others.
• The labour market is an important stakeholder for the UB, so an administrative structure has been developed to create partnerships and maintain close relations with the labour market – the Labour Market Relations Office.
• In the same direction, we also mention the relationship with UB alumni for which the Alumni Association of the University of Bucharest was created.

Within the University of Bucharest there is a Strategic Orientation and Analysis Council (COAS) whose mission is to assist in the elaboration and implementation of the University’s strategies, through the elaboration of analyses and recommendations on the strategic development directions and objectives, as well as an evaluation of the University’s previous strategic documents and actions. COAS members include personalities from Romania and abroad with extensive national and international experience in the field of management, such as former UB rectors, members of the Romanian Academy, representatives of private associations and organisations (EUA, UNICA, KPMG, BRD Romania).

The University of Bucharest is committed to fight against organised crime, corruption & bribery. In the Code of Ethics and Deontology of the University of Bucharest, art. 16, par. 1, lit. e, f and par. 2, lit. d, e, it is stated that professors and students have the responsibility “not to demand or accept favours in any form, including of a sexual nature; to refrain from any action contrary to the applicable regulations and to carry out any obligation arising from ensuring and respecting academic ethics and integrity”. The same document, art. 27, states that “the University shall sanction deviations from academic ethics and integrity, and its members shall act to prevent and combat corruption and related acts and any other intentional offences of a nature likely to harm academic prestige“.

The University of Bucharest has written policies and procedures to identify local stakeholders external to the university and engage with them.

• A central role in interacting with stakeholders, especially the labour market, high schools/colleges and potential candidates, is played by the Department of Career Counselling and Guidance (DCOC). Art. 11 of the DCOC’s Organisational and Functioning Regulation presents the main activities of the department, including those related to the interaction with various stakeholders: interaction with pre-university students, facilitating the relationship between students and graduates of the University of Bucharest and the labour market, so that they know the real opportunities and challenges of being employed from the time they graduate. Art. 12.2 presents the actions carried out by the DCOC related to increasing the employability of students and graduates, by offering services such as: establishing partnerships with representatives of the private sector with a view to placing students in internships, traineeships; labour market mediation activities; relations with alumni and others.
• The labour market is an important stakeholder for the UB, so an administrative structure has been developed to create partnerships and maintain close relations with the labour market – the Labour Market Relations Office.
• In the same direction, we also mention the relationship with UB alumni for which the Alumni Association of the University of Bucharest was created.

The University annually publishes financial data on the institutional website, as well as in various reports. Thus, financial data are found in the following documents: budget and balance statement. The Rector’s Annual Report also includes an annex presenting the UB’s financial situation (Annex 1. Financial situation of the University for the year 2022, by funding sources and types of expenditure).

• Within the University of Bucharest operates the Institutional Sustainability Service, with the Sustainability and Social Impact Office, created out of the UB’s concern for managing and promoting actions carried out for sustainable development and social responsibility. The responsibilities of the members of this office include monitoring, collecting and analysing qualitative and quantitative data necessary for the annual sustainability reports and for reporting to various international rankings. Additionally, they organize events and activities to promote the principles and objectives for sustainable development within the academic community.

The University of Bucharest provides expert advice to local, regional, and national government, especially but not limited to, provision of evidence to fundament policy decisions.

• The Center for Environmental Research and Impact Studies (CCMESI) of the University of Bucharest implements research projects in areas of interest and environmental impact, which are of relevance to decision-makers at local, regional, national and international level. Among the fields in which the CCMESI team can provide consultancy we mention: environmental education; environmental conflicts; biodiversity conservation; environmental impact assessment. In addition, CCMESI aims to develop solutions to local, regional and global environmental problems, to promote the concept of sustainable development in Romania and to develop partnerships with universities, industry and local and national authorities. The Center provides expertise to local, regional and national authorities through partnership projects. For example, the LIFE ROsalia project – Conservation of saproxylic beetles in the Carpathians – is run in partnership with the Vrancea Environmental Protection Agency, Putna-Vrancea Natural Park and the Association for Biodiversity Conservation. Another example highlighting collaboration with a national public authority – the Ministry of Environment, Water and Forests – is the project Appropriate Management of Invasive Species in Romania, in line with EU Regulation 1143/2014 on the prevention and management of the introduction and spread of invasive alien species. The reports of the Center for Environmental Research and Impact Studies (CCMESI):

– 2022 scientific report of the project Contribution of small urban green infrastructure in achieving environmental justice – can be accessed here;

– the 2022 scientific report of the project Integrating food provision in urban policies in the context of land use transformation and displacement – can be accessed here;

– the 2022 scientific report of the project Evaluating the role of nature-based innovations for healthy cities – can be accessed here.

• The Research Center in Systems Ecology and Sustainability (RCSES), of the University of Bucharest is implementing, together with other partners in Romania and abroad, the international project IDES – Improving water quality in the Danube river and its tributaries by integrative floodplain management based on Ecosystem Services. The project team aims to improve water quality management by developing and implementing a transnational integrative ecosystem services approach. According to the project presentation, “the IDES tool should enable key national stakeholders in water quality management to identify the most sustainable measures without neglecting the needs of other sectors”.
• Starting from the conclusions of the study “Trends in International Mathematical and Scientific Studies” – TIMSS 2019 for Romania, specialists in educational sciences and educational testing from the University of Bucharest formulated in 2022 a series of public policies. The proposed policies focus on Gender differences in learning mathematics and science and The relationship between bullying and school performance of students in Romania. More details can be found here.
• The Centre for Research and Advocacy of Equity in Education organised in June 2021 the conference “Inclusion and Equity. Reality or desideratum? Research results on the situation of children with disabilities and/or special educational needs (SEN)”. The event created the context for education professionals, who have assumed an important role in the inclusion process, to carry out an analysis on the school integration/inclusion of children with disabilities and/or SENs, identify services and resources for an inclusive development process and establish the needs of schools to provide access and participation to all students.

The University of Bucharest’s programmes, events and educational resources can be accessed by decision makers for training, documentation and/or policy development. We mention here the UB’s lifelong learning offer which includes postgraduate programmes and professional conversion programmes. Below we list some postgraduate programmes relevant to policy makers:

• Leadership and Management Skills;
• Applied Psychology in Diplomacy and International Relations;
• Theoretical analysis of regulations contained in the administrative code
• Educational leadership for sustainable transformation;
• E-government and public communication principles.

The University of Bucharest participates in policy-focused research in collaboration with government departments.

• The Centre for Environmental Research and Impact Studies (CCMESI) of the University of Bucharest is implementing together with the Ministry of Environment, Water and Forests the project “Appropriate management of invasive species in Romania” (2018-2022), in compliance with EU Regulation 1143/2014 on the prevention and management of the introduction and spread of invasive alien species. One of the outcomes of the project involved the development of the Strategy for the implementation of the pilot programme for public involvement in the eradication/control of invasive species (Ambrosia artemisiifolia) available here. Among the activities of this Centre, we recall the “LIFE ROsalia” project coordinated by the Vrancea Environmental Protection Agency.
• The Research Center for System Ecology and Sustainability (CESSU) is implementing the IRENES project – Exchanging knowledge and experiences for Integrating RENewable energy and Ecosystem Services in territorial environmental and energy policies – from 2019-2023. The research project is being carried out in partnership with 9 other institutions from several European countries, including the Romanian Ministry of European Funds. According to the information published on the project website “The overall objective is to exchange experience and best practices on the complementarity and synergy of renewable energy exploitation with multiple Ecosystem Services (ES) at territorial level and to introduce the results of these activities in the framework of programmes financed by structural funds and policy instruments, through action plans to be developed. Thus, IRENES aims to identify the dysfunctions in current policy instruments regarding the use of renewable energy sources with ecosystem services, including environmental, social, economic and governance issues related to the provision of ES flows. Through the active engagement of the institutions involved in the management of the ERDF, in coalition with technical partners and with the involvement of relevant stakeholders, including economic actors and local communities, IRENES will promote a multi-stakeholder social co-learning process through coordinated action planning between EU regions and study areas.” More details on the IRENES project are available here and here.
• The Centre for Research and Advocacy of Equity in Education organised in June 2021 the conference “Inclusion and Equity. Reality or desideratum? Research results on the situation of children with disabilities and/or special educational needs (SEN)”. The event created the context for education professionals, who have assumed an important role in the inclusion process, to carry out an analysis on the school integration/inclusion of children with disabilities and/or SENs, identify services and resources for an inclusive development process and establish the needs of schools to provide access and participation to all students.
• Specialists from UB, together with the Ministry of Environment, Waters and Forests, (partnership leader), the Institute of Biology Bucharest and the National Environmental Protection Agency implement between December 2019 and July 2023 the project Strengthening the institutional capacity of the Ministry of Environment and its subordinated units for improving biodiversity The overall objective of the project, according to the project team, is to “strengthen the administrative/institutional capacity of the Ministry of Environment, Waters and Forests and its subordinated structures by developing systems and standards to optimize the public policy process in the field of biodiversity protection, by implementing the Nagoya Protocol and developing the necessary guidelines for the unitary development at national level of the appropriate assessment procedure, in line with SCAP (Strategy for strengthening public administration 2014-2020).”

The University of Bucharest, based on the University Charter, is outside party political activities, politics being an area of investigation (Art. 8(2)). Whenever the national or local context requires it and to strengthen critical thinking and civic involvement, the UB launches public invitations to debate, providing a neutral and objective framework for this type of dialogue. An example of such a debate was the event  Informed and vaccinated. Valeriu Gheorghiță and UB specialists in dialogue with the community. This event proposed a dialogue between the UB specialists and doctor Valeriu Gheorghiță, coordinator of the National Anti-COVID-19 Vaccination Campaign. They answered questions from interested people about the COVID-19 pandemic and associated phenomena, the COVID-19 vaccination process, as well as the steps one should take to be safe. The event was streamed live on the University of Bucharest Facebook page and the full recording is available on the UB Youtube page and can be accessed by the general public.