Information

1-8 September 2025
Application start 21 January 2025
Application end 27 August 2025
Fee: 650 Swiss Francs

Human Rights and the Environment: Introducing Legal Regimes and Key Issues

EarthJustice   CIEL Logo 2017 STANDARD color stacked  

On 8 October 2021, the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council adopted a landmark resolution recognizing for the first time the right to a safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment as an autonomous human right. This resolution paved the way for a second formal recognition by the UN General Assembly on 28 July 2022.

In parallel, UN human rights treaty bodies have increasingly recognized the impact of environmental degradation and climate change on fundamental human rights, urging states to adopt measures that protect the rights to life, health, and housing from environmental-related harms.

Such developments illustrate the growing understanding that environmental protection and human rights are deeply interconnected, and that their enforcement relies on the collaborative efforts of multiple actors, encompassing international organizations, national governments, and civil society.

Participants in this training course – co-organized with EarthJustice and the Center for International Environmental Law – will be introduced to the major international and regional instruments for the promotion of human rights, as well as international environmental law and its implementation and enforcement mechanisms. They will also explore the key issues pertaining to human rights and the environment.

Online

The course can be followed online.

Programme

Over approximately 12h of training (4 half days) the course will cover the following issues

  • Explore the major international (both universal and regional) instruments for the promotion of human rights, as well as their implementation and enforcement mechanisms
  • Explore the major international environmental principles and multilateral environmental agreements, with the relevant compliance mechanisms
  • Identify particularly vulnerable categories of rights holders, such as indigenous people, women and migrants.

Objectives

Upon successful completion the training, participants will have the knowledge and skills to:

  • Grasp the key norms, principles and enforcement mechanisms of international human rights law and environmental law
  • Identify how basic international and regional human rights systems can be used to provide a measure of environmental protection

Methodology

The training course will be interactive and participants will be encouraged to share their own experiences and perspectives on the issues covered. The training sessions will include lectures and discussions with a wide range of experts. Sessions will be designed to enhance substantive and practical knowledge exchange with peers and facilitators.

Access to a Dedicated Community Platform

All participants in our training course have access – ahead, during and following their course – to a dedicated community platform (on Mighty Network). This community brings together all the participants to our courses who have unlimited access to the training materials and resources shared during their course and can exchange with all the alumni of the Geneva Human Rights Platform Training Hub.

Audience

This training course is designed for staff of NGOs, development and human rights institutions, UN bodies and other international organizations, business enterprises as well as representatives of governments and members of academia.

The language of instruction during the training is English. All candidates must possess a level of proficiency in English that enables them to actively participate in the training.

Certification

Participants who complete the training course receive a certificate of participation from the Geneva Academy.

Fee

The training fee is 650 Swiss Francs and includes tuition costs and course materials.

Payment

The fee is payable as soon as your place has been confirmed. As places on the training course are limited, participation can only be secured through the payment of the fee. In case of cancellation by the participant, CHF 200 won't be returned.

How to Apply

Applications must be submitted via this online application form.

Admission decisions for our training courses are made by our experienced lead trainers. They carefully evaluate each application and may offer acceptance, conditional acceptance, placement on a waiting list, or, in some cases, may need to decline the application.

If you have questions, do not hesitate to contact us: traininghub[at]geneva-academy.ch

Professors and Lecturers

Portrait of Ludovica Chiussi Curzi

Ludovica Chiussi Curzi

Senior Assistant Professor in Public International Law at the University of Bologna, School of Law

Portrait of Joie Chowdhury

Joie Chowdhury

Senior Attorney, CIEL Climate & Energy Program

Joie Chowdhury is a Senior Attorney in the Climate & Energy Program at the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL).

Sebastian Duyck

Sébastien Duyck

Senior Attorney, CIEL Climate & Energy Program

Sébastien Duyck is a senior attorney for the Center for International Environmental Law's Climate & Energy Program, and is the campaign manager for the human rights & climate change portfolio.

Picture of Yves Lador

Yves Lador

Independent Consultant and Permanent Representative of Earthjustice in Geneva

Yves Lador works as an independent consultant, and has been mandated by Earthjustice for its representation to the UN in Geneva since 1991.

Portrait of Francesca Mingrone

Francesca Mingrone

Senior Attorney for the Climate & Energy Program of the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL)

Francesca Mingrone is a Geneva-based Senior Attorney for the Climate & Energy Program for International Environmental Law (CIEL).

Access

This course will be conducted online using the ZOOM platform.

MORE ON THIS THEMATIC AREA

Cover page of the publication News

Optimizing the UN Treaty Body System

7 May 2018

Our new publication Optimizing the UN Treaty Body System outlines a series of recommendations related to the functioning of United Nations treaty bodies, considered a cornerstone of universal human rights protection.

Read more

View of the UN Human Rights Council News

A Practical Manual on the Role of UN Human Rights Mechanisms in Monitoring the SDGs that Seek to Realize Economic, Social and Cultural Rights

30 June 2020

Our new Practical Manual precisely outlines the role of UN human rights mechanisms – UN treaty bodies, the UN Human Rights Council and its Special Procedures – in monitoring the SDGs that seek to realize ESCR.

Read more

Event

Reflections on the open-ended intergovernmental working group outcomes and the potential for developing a Commentary

9 April 2025, 13:00-14:00

This event aims to evaluate the Revised Fourth Draft Instrument on private military and security companies to strengthen accountability, align with international frameworks, and explore avenues for implementation.

Read more

Universal Declaration of Human Rights Booklet Training

The International Human Rights Standards and System: Monitoring and Implementation Strategies at the National Level

7-11 July 2025

This training course will delve into the means and mechanisms through which national actors can best coordinate their human rights monitoring and implementation efforts, enabling them to strategically navigate the UN human rights system and use the various mechanisms available in their day-to-day work.

Read more

Asian workers working at technology production factory with industrial machines Training

Business and Human Rights

19-23 May 2025

This training course will examine how the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights have been utilized to advance the concept of business respect for human rights throughout the UN system, the impact of the Guiding Principles on other international organizations, as well as the impact of standards and guidance developed by these different bodies.

Read more

View of a session of the UN Human Rights Council Project

Human Rights Conversations

Started in January 2020

A series of events aimed at discussing contemporary issues and challenges related to the promotion and protection of human rights in Geneva and beyond.

Read more

Panel Discussion: Project

Treaty Body Members’ Platform

Started in January 2014

The Treaty Body Members’ Platform connects experts in UN treaty bodies with each other as well as with Geneva-based practitioners, academics and diplomats to share expertise, exchange views on topical questions and develop synergies.

Read more