This tutor-facilitated course introduces participants to the application of human rights to environmental issues and the procedural and substantive obligations relating to the environment, covering Principle 10 of the Rio Declaration, as well as the obligations relating to vulnerable groups. Through examples of constitutions that have incorporated a right to a healthy environment, good practices in procedural and substantive environmental protection, as well as good practices in the protection of groups particularly vulnerable to environmental harm, participants will understand how the relationship between human rights and environmental protection takes place in practice. 

At the end of the course, participants should be able to:

• Identify and discuss some of the major concerns related to environmental protection through IEL
• Deliberate about the potential role of human rights in efforts to protect the global environment
• Identify examples of good practices on EHRs around the world
• Explain the relevance of human rights for environmental protection
• Identify the main regional tribunals and their functions 
• Evaluate the challenges and opportunities for human rights and the SDGs in the areas of poverty and environment
• Identify the value and benefits of adopting the right to a healthy environment in domestic constitutions, including potential drawbacks
• Detail how the SDGs, EHRs and indigenous people’s rights relate
• Differentiate between anthropocentrism and ecocentrism
• Provide an overview of climate litigation and the use of human rights in this effort

Government officials, international civil servants, lawyers, judges, NGO representatives, academics and private sector professionals in the field of international law and international organizations. Overall, all stakeholders interested to learn about the main aspects of Human Rights and environmental protection can benefit from this course.