Syrian graduate Ibrahim Olabi’s continued work supporting his war-torn country has earned him the University’s Postgraduate Student of the Year alongside a growing reputation for humanitarian expertise.

Ibrahim, who completed bachelors and masters degrees at The University of Manchester, set up the Syrian Legal Development Programme during his studies to help disseminate the standards of the laws of armed conflict to those affected by the war.

As part of this work, he recruited students from his course to offer them opportunities to put their studies into practice helping with current legal conflicts. He also gave his time to speak to prospective students about the benefits of studying international law at Manchester and how knowledge can be used to help with real-world problems.

Ibrahim is now regularly consulted by many humanitarian organisations around the world. He recently attended the Geneva Syria Talks held at the United Nations in his capacity as advisor to humanitarian NGOs. In early February he received a personal invitation from the Prime Minister of the UK, the German Chancellor and other heads of States to attend the UK Syria donor conference. A few days earlier he was invited as a panellist in the UK parliament.

His continued activism on the policy front, as he tries to draw the attention of policymakers to the importance of the rule of law in conflicts like Syria, is making a difference to people around the world.

Watch Ibrahim’s story.