Environmental law provides the foundation for governance approaches and management policies directed towards environmental conservation and the sustainable usage of natural resources. Much of the modern body of environmental law has been developed internationally through the adoption of international conventions, but numerous agreements have also been concluded at the regional level or on a bilateral basis. All legal instruments need to be implemented at the national level through appropriate national legislation in order to ensure adequate application and compliance. Unfortunately, a multitude of states within the international system either lack corresponding national environmental legislation or the human resources needed for the implementation of multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs).

Over the past decade, UNITAR has been contributing to make the complex range of environmental agreements comprehensible to stakeholders concerned with the implementation of environmental law. Indeed, the Diploma Course on International Environmental Law started in 1997 is conducted in form of distance learning. It is carried out on a self-study basis and must be completed within a time frame of 18 months. The course provides personalized support to participants and interactive learning tools such as a website where all course materials and additional sources are available to participants (e-library, discussion fora, etc.).

The Course supplements both basic and advanced academic training in environmental law, enhancing the qualifications of all actors involved in environmental management. Designed to be global in scope, the course reaches a large number of people working for governmental and non-governmental organizations, as well as professionals and students from academic and research institutions. Special attention is given to developing countries and countries with economies in transition, where environmental legislation is not sufficiently developed and which lack adequately qualified and trained personnel to implement MEAs.