30 March 2021, Geneva, Switzerland - UNITAR is pleased to announce the launch of the new partnership with the British Legal Centre (BLC) to provide legal training courses and further advance the implementation of The Sustainable Development Agenda, in particular goal 4 targeting quality education. The BLC is a London-based educational center specializing in online practical law teaching and training on a global scale. Founded 11 years ago by Mr. Richard Brady, the BLC tends to the needs of international lawyers, as well as diplomats, in providing trainings on legal English. Their goal is to equip participants with the skills to excel over a variety of professions in different contexts and countries through providing trainings at an affordable price, thus reducing barriers to education. Being able to communicate effectively is of paramount importance, and particularly so when working in an international environment. This collaboration is dedicated to the promotion of courses for lawyers and other professionals to allow them to participate and compete on the global stage.
The BLC and UNITAR presented a joint webinar series, the first of which airing on 22 March 2021, to announce the initiative and ensure that both organizations’ audiences, especially from the Latin American region, may be introduced to further opportunities to advance their skills, networks, and careers. Panelists included the BLC founder Mr. Richard Brady, along with the distinguished academic and financial Prof. Marjorie Sudrow. The UN Assistant Secretary-General and Executive Director of UNITAR, Mr. Nikhil Seth, as well as Ms. Anna Sabrina Wollmann, who is leading the International Law Programme within the Division for Multilateral Diplomacy, participated on behalf of UNITAR. In his opening remarks, Mr. Nikhil Seth spoke about the importance of understanding the legal system and the ability to navigate it in an informed manner. Furthermore, Mr. Seth emphasized the concrete effort in the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goal 4, helping to reduce barriers to skills development, that delivering these courses provides.
Watch the webinar on Legal Knowledge to Lead in Latin America
Legal and International Law Courses
UNITAR
The BLC and UNITAR are delighted to announce the international legal trainings included in this collaboration, namely:
- A Contract Law course designed to help participants understand the correct use of the vocabulary through simulated scenarios which may routinely occur.
- A Contract and Legal Document Drafting course centered on the necessary skills of writing clear documents and other documents while explaining essential vocabulary.
- A Legal Writing course, covering essential vocabulary and phrases which are most often used in legal correspondence and legal documents.
- A Legal English course, covering both the law and legal vocabulary related to contract and commercial topics as well as IP Law, Banking, and Finance.
As English has become the lingua franca of international communication, the globalization and internationalization processes inevitably influenced international lawyers’ needs, as well as diplomats, within Legal English as a vehicle of communication in their profession. Knowing how to draft a contract, understanding legal English thoroughly, and navigating the difficult technicalities that contracts and other legal documents may present are valuable transferable skills which have become more accessible for all audiences through this collaboration.
In addition to its concern with international legal English education, the BLC is eager to address climate change and the law concerning the environment, as they are issues prevalent in compounding inequity. Thus, the BLC is delighted to promote with this collaboration a number of UNITAR trainings dedicated to the environment and climate change. These courses, presented by Ms. Wollmann, concern human rights and environmental law, among other topics.
- The course on International Environmental Law covers the lawmaking process, insights into law-making mechanisms, as well as defining and describing the historical evolution of environmental law.
- The second course on Techniques and Procedures in International Environmental Law, focuses on regulatory instruments, the technical application of international environmental law, and any procedure around public participation and compliance control.
- The third course on Human Rights, Environmental Protection and Climate Change addresses the nexus between the environment and human rights. This course provides a glimpse of what environmental climate change means for vulnerable groups such as indigenous peoples. Participants can go through the lessons in an asynchronous manner and write an essay graded by UNITAR’s own environmental law experts.
UNITAR is dedicated to providing quality educational and training resources and strives to reach an ever-increasing number of diverse audiences. In partnering with the BLC, UNITAR will not only expand their range in producing exceptional trainings, but also take an important step in pursuing the transfer of high-level skills and make them more accessible for a wider public. The second webinar of this series entitled Legal Knowledge to Lead in the MENA region: UNITAR and the British Legal Centre Global Partnership took place on 7 April 2021.