Fahim Abrar Abid
Executive Director, BSIL; Erasmus Mundus Scholar; Rapporteur, Oxford International Organizations (OUP)
Session 1Foundations and Principles of International Environmental Law
BSIL Certificate Course · November 2026
International Environmental Law
One intensive day on the law that governs environmental harm across borders, with academics, a judge and the BSIL team, ending in a negotiation exercise on a fictional environmental dispute.
6 sessionsSix 60-minute thematic sessions in one day
5 expertsAcademics from India, a judge and BSIL leaders, plus the BSIL team
15 in-personSeats at the BSIL Office, Dhaka
1 simulationNegotiation on a fictional environmental dispute In-person only
About the course
When environmental harm crosses a border, the law follows
Climate change, transboundary pollution, marine degradation and biodiversity loss raise hard legal questions about state sovereignty, due diligence, international cooperation and state responsibility.
The 2024 Advisory Opinion of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea and the 2025 Advisory Opinion of the International Court of Justice on climate change have underlined the growing importance of states' environmental obligations. Yet the law often falls short in practice, through weak implementation, limited enforcement, limited institutional capacity, gaps in scientific evidence and divergent national interests.
Through six focused sessions and a practical negotiation exercise, this course gives you a sound understanding of the governing principles, the relevant case law and the interplay between environmental protection and international trade.
Certificate of CompletionIssued by BSIL to everyone who completes the course
Negotiation exerciseApply treaty rules to a simulated dispute, in teams (in-person)
Judge Md Wahidul Islam ScholarshipOne full scholarship for in-person participation
Best Participant AwardFor outstanding legal reasoning, advocacy and negotiation (in-person)
What you will learn
Course objectives
Foundations of international environmental law
The sources, core principles and evolution of international environmental law, and the present-day framework for global environmental governance.
State obligations and contemporary challenges
The duty to prevent significant transboundary harm (due diligence, impact assessment, prior notification and cooperation), state responsibility when that duty is breached, and how environmental protection interacts with international trade obligations.
Practical legal competence
Advanced legal research, analysing environmental disputes, interpreting treaties and judicial decisions, and building sound legal arguments, applied directly in the negotiation exercise.
Resource persons
Learn from people who teach, judge and shape the field
Mahbuba Kamal
Managing Director, Bangladesh Society of International Law
Session 2Advancing International Environmental Law: Research, Advocacy and Emerging Initiatives
Dr. Nabeela Siddiqui
Assistant Professor (Senior Grade), Vinayaka Mission's Law School, India
Session 4Transboundary Environmental Harm
Dr. Masrur Salekin
Adviser, BSIL; District and Sessions Judge, Bangladesh Judicial Service
Session 5International Trade Obligations and Environmental Protection
Chhaya Bhardwaj
Associate Professor, Jindal Global Law School, India; Doctoral Researcher, Dublin City University, Ireland
Session 6State Responsibility and the Legal Consequences of Environmental Damage
Programme
Thursday, 12 November 2026
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9:00 – 9:20 AM
Registration
In-person check-in; online participants join Google Meet
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9:20 – 10:20 AM
Session 1Foundations and Principles of International Environmental Law
Fahim Abrar Abid
Sources and principles of international environmental law, sustainable development, the no-harm principle, prevention and precaution, state sovereignty and environmental responsibility, and the links between environmental law and other branches of international law.
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10:20 – 10:50 AM
Breakfast
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10:50 – 11:50 AM
Session 2Advancing International Environmental Law: Research, Advocacy and Emerging Initiatives
Mahbuba Kamal
Contemporary research, publications, legal advocacy, capacity-building initiatives and new contributions to the development of international environmental law, policy and governance.
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11:50 AM – 12:00 PM
Tea break
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12:00 – 1:00 PM
Session 3Cross-cutting Issues in Environmental Law and BSIL IEL Research Recap
BSIL Team
Cross-cutting issues in international environmental law, an overview of BSIL's research, publications and academic initiatives, and its contributions to the field through research, advocacy and scholarly engagement.
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1:00 – 2:00 PM
Lunch and Zuhr prayer
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2:00 – 3:00 PM
Session 4Transboundary Environmental Harm
Dr. Nabeela Siddiqui Joins online
Preventing significant cross-border harm, environmental due diligence, environmental impact assessment, prior notification and cooperation, protecting shared water resources, and applying the rules of prevention to the seabed and its subsoil.
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3:00 – 3:10 PM
Break
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3:10 – 4:10 PM
Session 5International Trade Obligations and Environmental Protection
Dr. Masrur Salekin
How international trade and environmental protection interact: the WTO legal framework, the environmental exceptions in GATT Article XX, non-discrimination and sustainable development, and the relevant WTO case law.
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4:10 – 4:30 PM
Break and Asr prayer
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4:30 – 5:30 PM
Session 6State Responsibility and the Legal Consequences of Environmental Damage
Chhaya Bhardwaj Joins online
Remedies for breaches of international environmental obligations, attribution and proof, cessation and reparation, the gaps the law leaves for environmental harm, and the emerging legal questions around climate-driven displacement.
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5:30 – 5:45 PM
Maghrib prayer
The online segment ends after Session 6.
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5:45 – 6:00 PM
Course Evaluation and Knowledge Assessment: briefing In-person
Briefing on the fictional dispute and allocation of team roles.
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6:00 – 6:30 PM
Assessment: team preparation In-person
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6:30 – 7:20 PM
Assessment: negotiation rounds In-person
Evaluation by the judges.
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7:20 – 7:40 PM
Closing ceremony In-person
Results, Best Participant Award, certificates, vote of thanks and group photo.
Course Evaluation and Knowledge Assessment In-person only
Participants are divided into teams, each representing a country or stakeholder in a fictional environmental dispute, with its own role and objectives. Teams must negotiate a fair solution based on the relevant treaties and principles of international environmental law. The Best Participant Award, chosen from the winning team, recognises the participant who shows the most outstanding legal reasoning, advocacy and negotiation skills.
Fees, seats and scholarship
Choose how you take part
In-person, Dhaka
BDT 2,500
- All 6 sessions at the BSIL Office
- Breakfast, lunch, tea and evening snacks
- Negotiation exercise and Best Participant Award
- Certificate of Completion
15 seats
Online, Google Meet
BDT 1,200
- All 6 sessions live online
- Certificate of Completion
Unlimited seats
Judge Md Wahidul Islam Scholarship
In-person only · not for online
Full in-person fee covered. No payment to apply.
One scholarship for a student with excellent academic achievement who cannot take part because of severe financial constraints. Open only to applicants who choose in-person participation at the BSIL Office, Dhaka.
Upload with the form: Statement of Purpose (500 words, underlining both points above), CV (2 pages), and academic transcript or gradesheet. PDF only, max 5 MB each.
Online: BDT 1,200. In-person: BDT 2,500. Scholarship: no payment. Discounts: previous BSIL course participants pay 25% less (BDT 1,875 in-person, BDT 900 online). The negotiation exercise and the Best Participant Award are for in-person participants only.
Registration
Reserve your seat
Online BDT 1,200 · In-person BDT 2,500 · Scholarship no payment · Previous participants 25% off. Pay by bKash Send Money to 01730464927, then fill in the form with your TrxID.
Registration closes 10 November 2026, 3:00 PM.
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Registration open
International Environmental Law
Thursday, 12 November 2026 · Dhaka and Online
Online BDT 1,200In-person BDT 2,500Scholarship in-person
Registration closes 10 November 2026, 3:00 PM.
Register now