The Association of Environmental Law Lecturers in Middle East and North African Universities (ASSELLMU) is a professional network of environmental law experts that — according to its constitution — promotes “dialogue and inquiry into the teaching, research, practice and implementation of environmental law as it pertains to the countries and peoples of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.”

Environmental law is key to public welfare, effective resource management, sustainable development and peace in a globalized world. Like several other regions of the world, the MENA region faces a wide range of environmental challenges that require innovative and homegrown legal solutions. To this end, ASSELLMU was formally inaugurated at a regional conference held at Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Doha, Qatar on November 5, 2018, with the aim to bring together leading environmental law scholars, practitioners, and policy leaders, to discuss legal innovations and approaches for addressing environmental including climate change impacts in the MENA region.

Through its online tools, in-person events, and publications, ASSELLMU aims to:

• (a) provide a forum for the discussion and dissemination of information on contemporary legal, governance and socio-economic issues concerning the development and implementation of environmental law in the MENA region;
• (b) mainstream environmental legal education into the curricula of universities in the MENA region;
• (c) identify and search for MENA solutions to the region’s environmental problems;
• (d) spearhead collaborative and multi-disciplinary projects to foster increased awareness for environmental problems, among students and people in MENA region;
• (e) provide a network and platform for knowledge dissemination and information exchange amongst its members; and
• (f) Support and encourage law students and emerging young lawyers who are from the MENA region and/or interested in environmental law issues in MENA countries.

ASSELLMU holds annual conferences and releases reports of the same for use of the international community. ASSELLMU members as well as members of the public are allowed to participate in the conferences. Following the inaugural conference held in Doha, Qatar in 2018, the second ASSELLMU conference was held at the Hassan the First University, Settat, (Morocco) from 4 to 5 November 2019,[5] while the third conference was held in Doha, Qatar in 2021.

ASSELLMU conferences are organized and held in partnership with international and regional collaborators and sponsors, such as the United Nations Environment Programme, Qatar National Research Fund, LexisNexis Middle East and North Africa and the Laboratory for Research on Comparative Democratic Transition amongst others.

ASSELLMU is administered by an elected Executive Council, currently under the leadership of the Founding Chair and President, Professor Damilola S. Olawuyi, SAN, FCIArb