Overview

The legal and institutional capacities of States are integral to the implementation of international environmental law at the national level and to achieving sustainable development on a global level. Strengthening national capacities is essential for the adequate implementation and timely application of multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs) at the national level.

The Diploma Course in International Environmental Law is a self-tailored distance-learning course that aims to enhance awareness and general knowledge of international environmental law. It is designed to provide environmental practitioners and stakeholders (both public and private) with a more sophisticated understanding of international environmental law so that this augmented expertise can enhance the implementation of international environmental obligations. A sample of book is available here so as to indicate how the the study materials are designed.

The course targets a variety of stakeholders involved in environmental policy, administration, and management, including government officials, NGO representatives, lawyers, judges, prosecutors, academics and students. It is carried out on a self-study basis and must be completed in 18 months.


Assignments and Grading

Each book has a corresponding assignment designed to test the knowledge of participants. Depending on the book, participants are required to prepare an essay or a practical case.

Answers should be structured according to a legal approach and follow rules of academic writing regarding structure and referencing. Assignments are submitted to UNITAR for evaluation and participants are provided with a written feedback. A sample of an assignment type is available here for information.


Requisites for Course Completion

Attaining a pass grade in at least 7 of the 9 assignments entitles the participant to submit a final essay after book 10 – Developments and Trends in International Environmental Law. To obtain UNITAR’s Diploma in International Environmental Law it is mandatory to submit the final essay.

The final essay differs from the first nine assignments. The participants must prepare a research paper on any topic of their choice, but that is related to one of the fields of international environmental law studied. The paper must discuss the implementation of international environmental law at the national level.

The topic of the paper, an outline presenting its structure, and a tentative bibliography must be submitted to UNITAR for approval. Once the topic and structure are approved the participant may commence preparing the final essay, which must contain a minimum of 10,000 words. The final essay is evaluated by UNITAR’s experts and a written feedback is provided to participants.

Participants who successfully complete the course are entitled to receive UNITAR’s Diploma in International Environmental Law. Participants that complete 9 assignments without presenting the final essay, earn a Certificate.