The International Law of Treaties is a set of international principles and rules regulating the conclusion procedure of treaties, as well as the issues of operation, amendments and modifications, termination, suspension and invalidity of treaties. For those involved in the drafting, negotiation and conclusion of international treaties, a sound knowledge of the Law of Treaties is indispensable. Efficient implementation and application of international legal norms is impossible without knowing the essentials of the International Law of Treaties. UNITAR’s course on the Law of Treaties is designed to cover both the theoretical and the practical aspects of this subject, starting with the basic notions, sources, subjects, principles, and scope of application of conventions forming the base of the Law of Treaties.

Self-Paced Track

• 6 January - 6 April 2025, Deadline 5 January 2025 - Register here
• 7 April - 6 July 2025, Deadline 6 April 2025 - Register here
• 7 July - 5 October 2025, Deadline 6 July 2025 - Register here
• 6 October 2025 - 4 Jan 2026, Deadline 5 October 2025 - Register here

Webinar Track

• Spring Edition: 26 May – 15 June 2025: Webinar Friday 13 June, 10:00 – 12:00. Deadline 18 May. Register here
• Fall Edition: 03 – 23 November 2025: Webinar Friday 21 November, 10:00 – 12:00 (tbc). Deadline: 26 October. Register here

The subject of international law brings a lot of concepts to mind, from war and settlement of disputes between States, protection of the environment, responsibilities and obligations, to human rights protection between citizens, refugees of different States and corporations. Globalization has forced us to interact with each other, making it essential to have common rules to guide and sustain relationships (of trade, investment, technology, etc.) between individuals and States from different regions and continents. Now, many of domestic laws are highly influenced and molded by the rules of international law. International law provides mandatory principles, norms and rules that regulate the relations between States as well as with other non-State actors, like international organizations and individuals.

Self-Paced Track

•  6 January - 6 April 2025, Deadline 5 January 2025 - Register here
•  7 April - 6 July 2025, Deadline 6 April 2025 - Register here
•  7 July - 5 October 2025, Deadline 6 July 2025 - Register here
•  6 October 2025 - 4 Jan 2026, Deadline 5 October 2025 - Register here

Webinar Track

• Spring Edition 24 February – 16 March 2025: Webinar on Friday 14 March, 10:00 – 12:00. Deadline 16 February. Register here
• Fall Edition: 1 – 21 September 2025: Webinar on Friday 19 September, 10:00 – 12:00 (tbc). Deadline 24 August. Register here

International organizations are playing an increasingly important role in the international legal order. They are active in virtually all fields of human activity, they regularly conclude international treaties and continuously interact with other actors of international law. Nowadays, they wield growing normative powers. For those working for or dealing with international organizations, a sound understanding of the law of international organizations thus appears indispensable.

Self-Paced Track

•  6 January - 6 April 2025, Deadline 5 January 2025 - Register here
•  7 April - 6 July 2025, Deadline 6 April 2025 - Register here
•  7 July - 5 October 2025, Deadline 6 July 2025 - Register here
•  6 October 2025 - 4 Jan 2026, Deadline 5 October 2025 - Register here

Webinar Track

• Spring Edition: 28 April – 18 May 2025: Webinar on Friday 16 May, 10:00 – 12:00. Deadline 20 April. Register here
• Fall Edition: 29 September – 19 October 2025: Webinar on Friday 17 October, 10:00 – 12:00 (tbc). Deadline 21 September. Register here

Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs) are the predominant legal method for addressing transboundary environmental problems. Adopted by States, MEAs are standard-settings instruments for effective global environmental protection. However, nowadays some States, particularly least developed and developing countries, face the challenge of implementing over 300 MEAs due to limited technical, financial and human resources. This course will provide you with the basics of International Environmental Law (IEL) by identifying its sources and fundamental principles, the law-making process, its main actors, as well as the implementation and compliance procedures needed to understand and apply Multilateral Environmental Agreements.

Self-paced Track

• 6 January - 6 April 2025, Deadline 5 January 2025 - Register here
• 7 April - 6 July 2025, Deadline 6 April 2025 - Register here
• 7 July - 5 October 2025, Deadline 6 July 2025 - Register here
• 6 October 2025 - 4 Jan 2026, Deadline 5 October 2025 - Register here

For the adequate implementation of and compliance with MEAs at a national level, there is a need to raise awareness on International Environmental Law (IEL) and develop specific capacities for its implementation at the national level. This course explores the the technical and procedural aspects of the different mechanisms made available in international environmental law to facilitate the creation and implementation of sound environmental norms; from the regulatory and economic instruments used by policy-makers, to the role of Environmental Impact Assessments and public participation in environmental decisions.

Self-paced Track

•  6 January - 6 April 2025, Deadline 5 January 2025 - Register here
•  7 April - 6 July 2025, Deadline 6 April 2025 - Register here
•  7 July - 5 October 2025, Deadline 6 July 2025 - Register here
•  6 October 2025 - 4 Jan 2026, Deadline 5 October 2025 - Register here

War remains a matter of great concern to humanity. Recent conflicts have demonstrated that the ravages of war continue to have a devastating impact especially on the civilian population. War might be the “end of the law” as one said, but International Law is not silent on armed conflicts. From its conception in 1859 on the battlefield of Solferino to contemporary warfare, modern International Humanitarian Law (IHL) has been confronted with significant challenges. Since the times of horses and bayonets to drones and other ‘Lethal Autonomous Weapons System’ (the so-called “killer robots”), the IHL has always had the purpose of regulating the means and methods of warfare in order to limit human suffering. The development and sophistication of weapons has made it paradoxically problematic to distinguish between civilians and combatants in order to better protect the former. In addition, the proliferation of non-international armed conflicts (civil wars) and the emergence of new forms of armed conflicts, i.e. the “war on terrorism”, pose new challenges to the protection of civilian persons and goods.

• Spring Edition: 3 – 30 March 2025 (tbc), Deadline 23 February 2025. Register here
• Fall Edition:13 October - 9 Nov 2025 (tbc), Deadline 5 October 2025. Register here

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. 

• 11 – 24 August 2025 (tbc), Deadline 10 August 2025. Register here