InforMEA Diploma on International Environmental Law and Governance: Get a Free UN-Backed Certification in Environmental Law

If you have ever wanted to understand how environmental treaties, climate agreements, and international laws actually work — but without paying for an expensive law degree — the InforMEA Diploma on International Environmental Law and Governance is one opportunity you should not sleep on.

Overview

Unlike single InforMEA course certificates, the InforMEA Diploma gives you a broader perspective across the six thematic areas of InforMEA, following a dedicated Learning Path for Environmental Governance that you can complete at your own pace. InforMEA itself is the United Nations Information Portal on Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs), run by UN Environment to increase understanding of environmental law and conventions and to support more coherent implementation of international environmental law worldwide. The e-learning platform is a joint effort of the UN, UNEP, FAO, UNESCO, UNECE, ECLAC, ECOLEX and UNITAR, so this is not some random online certificate — it carries real institutional weight.  

To earn the diploma, you don't take one exam. Instead, you complete a set list of mandatory courses one by one, collect each course's individual certificate, and once you've finished all of them, you can download the full InforMEA Diploma.  

Mandatory courses

To obtain this particular diploma, you must successfully complete:  

-Introduction to Environmental Governance

-Introduction to Human Rights and the Environment

-Introductory course to International Environmental Law

-Introductory course to the international legal framework on Environmental Impact Assessment

Effectiveness and Compliance

Each course is self-paced and short — for example, the Introduction to Environmental Governance course alone takes about three hours and ends with a certification.  

What you'll walk away knowing

By the end of the learning path, you'll be able to explain the principles of international environmental governance, describe how environmental agreements are made and who the key players are, explain the link between human rights and the environment, describe the architecture of a Multilateral Environmental Agreement, and understand what an environmental impact assessment is and why it matters.  

Who is it for

This diploma is open to anyone interested in learning about environmental governance regimes, the key actors involved, and the reforms needed — you don't need a legal background. It's especially useful for:  

-Sustainability, NGO, and development professionals

-Policy and governance students

-Entrepreneurs building eco-conscious or sustainable brands (fashion, agriculture, waste, etc.)

-Anyone working with or hoping to work with UN agencies, government, or international organisations

Content creators and advocates covering climate and environmental issues

Eligibility: Open globally — no country or state restriction. It's fully online, self-paced, and free.

Deadline: None. It's a rolling, self-paced programme — you enroll and study whenever it suits you. (Note: always confirm on the platform in case this changes.)

Why you should apply

-It's completely free

-It's UN-affiliated, which adds real credibility to your CV or LinkedIn

-It's self-paced, so it fits around a business or a job

-Environmental governance knowledge is increasingly valuable across grants, fellowships, and NGO work — many of the opportunities we feature on this blog value this kind of certification

How to apply

Sign up and start the mandatory courses here: https://elearning.informea.org/