World Human Rights Moot Court Competition

Last updated
Fletcher International Insolvency Law Moot
WORLD HUMAN RIGHTS MOOT COURT COMPETITION.jpg
Established2009
VenueGeneva
Subject matter International human rights
ClassInternational [1]
Record participation43 teams (2019)
QualificationRegional rounds
Most championships Norman Manley Law School (3)
Website https://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/HRC/Pages/NelsonMandelaWorldHRMootCourt.aspx

The Nelson Mandela World Human Rights Moot Court Competition is a moot court competition on international human rights law. In 2009, the University of Pretoria Faculty of Law's Centre for Human Rights, with the assistance of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, organised the inaugural edition. Previously, the oral rounds of the competition were held annually in Pretoria, the administrative and de facto capital of South Africa. [2] [3] In more recent years, the competition has been held in Geneva, where the United Nations is headquartered. [4]

Contents

More than pure aspirations, human rights are real rights that can be tested in courts of law. The World Human Rights Moot Court Competition is an exciting way for students from around the world to deepen their knowledge of rights and learn from each other.

Navi Pillay,
United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights [5]

Moot format

A select number of teams are chosen from each UN World Region World Regions.JPG
A select number of teams are chosen from each UN World Region
The earlier editions of the moot were held at the University of Pretoria Faculty of Law University of Pretoria Faculty of Law.jpg
The earlier editions of the moot were held at the University of Pretoria Faculty of Law

The moot involves a written round after which teams are selected for the oral round. Teams argue a hypothetical case on issues of international human rights law in English, Spanish, or French as if it will be adjudicated by a hypothetical International Human Rights Court, on the basis of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other applicable (such as regional) human rights instruments. [6]

The regional rounds are judged by distinguished legal academics and legal professionals from around the world. In the final for the international rounds, the panel is made up of eminent jurists and judges from international tribunals and bodies such as the different regional human rights courts and UN human rights treaty bodies. The inaugural presiding judge was Navi Pillay, [7] [8] while Judge Mark Villiger of the European Court of Human Rights presided in the 2010 final. [9]

Previous overall winners (English rounds)

YearWinnerRunner-upBest MemorialBest Oralist
2009 [10] None declaredNone declaredNone declaredNone declared
2010 [11] Norman Manley Law School University of Sydney Ateneo de Manila University Norman Manley Law School
2011 [12] Norman Manley Law School Yale University Ateneo de Manila UniversityYale University
2012 [13] Norman Manley Law School [14] University of Auckland None declaredNone declared
2013 [15] None declaredNone declaredNone declaredNone declared
2014 [16] University of New South Wales [17] University of Lucerne University of New South WalesUniversity of New South Wales
2015 [18] University of São Paulo Yale University Symbiosis Law School University of São Paulo
2016 [19] Patrick Henry College [20] Moi University None declaredNone declared
2017 [21] St Thomas University University of Buenos Aires Midlands State University Strathmore University
2018 [22] University of Buenos AiresSt Thomas UniversityMidlands State University University of Oxford
2019 [23] University of Oxford Macquarie University None declaredUniversity of Oxford
2020 (online)Strathmore University Kenyatta University National University of Singapore Army Institute of Law
2021 (online)Strathmore University
2022 Singapore Management University Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights
2023 National University of Advanced Legal Studies St Thomas UniversitySt Thomas University

See also

Related Research Articles

Moot court is a co-curricular activity at many law schools. Participants take part in simulated court or arbitration proceedings, usually involving drafting memorials or memoranda and participating in oral argument. In many countries, the phrase "moot court" may be shortened to simply "moot" or "mooting". Participants are either referred to as "mooters" or, less conventionally, "mooties".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Law University, Jodhpur</span> Law university in Rajasthan, India

National Law University, Jodhpur (NLUJ) is a public law school and a National Law University established under the National Law University, Jodhpur, Act, 1999 enacted by the Rajasthan State Legislature. The university was established for the advancement of learning, teaching, research and diffusion of knowledge in the field of law. It is one of the autonomous law schools in India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NALSAR University of Law</span> Public law school

The National Academy of Legal Studies and Research (NALSAR), is a public law school and a National Law University located in Shamirpet, Hyderabad, Telangana, India. It is among the first universities to offer the five-year integrated undergraduate law degree, postgraduate law degree and doctorate law degree. The university is known for its highly competitive admissions, and has an acceptance rate of 0.16 %. It has an intake of around 132 students selected from a pool of around 80,000 students in its undergraduate law programme.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National University of Advanced Legal Studies</span>

The National University of Advanced Legal Studies (NUALS) / NLU Kochi is a public law school and a National Law University located in Kochi, India. It is the first and only National Law University (NLU) in the State of Kerala and is one of the 26 NLUs in India. Admissions to the university are done on the basis of the Common Law Admission Test (CLAT) which is one among the Top 10 hardest entrance examinations of India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Navi Pillay</span> Lawyer, judge and human rights activist

Navanethem "Navi" Pillay is a South African jurist who served as the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights from 2008 to 2014. A South African of Indian Tamil origin, she was the first non-white woman judge of the High Court of South Africa, and she has also served as a judge of the International Criminal Court and President of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda. Her four-year term as High Commissioner for Human Rights began on 1 September 2008 and was extended an additional two years in 2012. She was succeeded in September 2014 by Prince Zeid bin Ra'ad. In April 2015 Pillay became the 16th Commissioner of the International Commission Against the Death Penalty. She is also one of the 25 leading figures on the Information and Democracy Commission launched by Reporters Without Borders.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Faculty of Law, University of Delhi</span> Law School of the University of Delhi

The Faculty of Law, University of Delhi is the law department of the University of Delhi. It has the unique distinction of producing the largest number of sitting judges of the Supreme Court of India.

The University of Pretoria Faculty of Law was established in 1908. It consists of six academic departments, six centres, two law clinics, and the Pretoria University Law Press (PULP). This faculty ranked best in Africa for the fourth year in a row with leading Departments of Jurisprudence; Mercantile Law; Private Law; Procedural Law; Public Law; and Centre for Human Rights. The faculty offers the undergraduate LLB degree, and postgraduate LLM/MPhil and LLD/PhD degrees. 

Yvonne Mokgoro is a former justice of the Constitutional Court of South Africa.

Johann van der Westhuizen (born 26 May 1952 in Windhoek, South West Africa is a former judge of the Constitutional Court of South Africa. Before his judicial appointment, he was a professor at the University of Pretoria Faculty of Law and the founding director of its Centre for Human Rights.

The African Human Rights Moot Court Competition is an international moot court competition with a special focus on human rights in Africa. The competition is organised by the Centre for Human Rights, based at the University of Pretoria Faculty of Law in South Africa. Each year, the competition is hosted by a Law Faculty from a different African country. Since its inception in 1992, the competition has had 845 participant teams originating from 125 universities from 45 African countries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of Pretoria</span> Public university in South Africa

The University of Pretoria is a multi-campus public research university in Pretoria, the administrative and de facto capital of South Africa. The university was established in 1908 as the Pretoria campus of the Johannesburg-based Transvaal University College and is the fourth South African institution in continuous operation to be awarded university status. The university has grown from the original 32 students in a single late Victorian house to approximately 53,000 in 2019. The university was built on seven suburban campuses on 1,190 hectares.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Centre for Human Rights</span> Organisation promoting human rights in Africa

The Centre for Human Rights at the University of Pretoria Faculty of Law, South Africa, is an organisation dedicated to promoting human rights on the continent of Africa. The centre, founded in 1986, promotes human rights through educational outreach, including multinational conferences, seminars and publications such as Human Rights Law in Africa, The African Human Rights Law Journal, the African Human Rights Law Reports and The Constitutional Law of South Africa. The centre, which was founded during Apartheid, assisted in adapting a Bill of Rights for South Africa and contributed to creating the South African Constitution. In 2006, the centre received the UNESCO Prize for Human Rights Education, particular recognising for the LLM in Human Rights and Democratisation in Africa and the African Human Rights Moot Court Competition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christof Heyns</span> South African academic (1959–2021)

Christoffel Hendrik Heyns was a Professor of Human Rights Law, Director of the Institute for International and Comparative Law in Africa at the University of Pretoria and a member of the United Nations Human Rights Committee. He served as United Nations Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions from 2010 to 2016. Heyns was a visiting professor at American University Washington College of Law's Academy on Human Rights and Humanitarian Law (2006–2012).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South African National Schools Moot Court Competition</span>

The South African National Schools Moot Court Competition is an annual moot court competition established in 2011 aimed at creating greater consciousness and understanding in South African schools and communities about the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa and the values embodied by it through the active participation of learners in a moot court competition.

Dire Tladi is a professor of international law at the Department of Public Law and the Institute for International and Comparative Law in Africa at the University of Pretoria. He is also extraordinary professor at the Public Law Department of the University of Stellenbosch. He has served as the Principal State Law Adviser for International Law for the South African Department of International Relations and Cooperation and Legal Counsellor to the South Africa Mission to the United Nations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Price Media Law Moot Court Competition</span>

The Price Media Law Moot Court Competition or Price Moot in short, is an annual international moot court competition. Described as a competition "for raising the profile of freedom of expression by bringing informed and effective debate and discussion on significant issues of information flows and technology to many parts of the world", the Price Moot focuses on international media law and related human rights such as freedom of expression, freedom of religion, freedom of association, and various facets of privacy. The main sources of law engaged include the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, European Convention on Human Rights, and the International Covenant of Civil and Political Rights. Recurring topics include online hate speech and the responsibility of internet intermediaries. With more than a hundred teams taking part annually, the Price Moot is the world's largest competition in its field and is considered one of the grand slam or major moots.

Dhayanithie Pillay is a South African judge of the Labour Court and KwaZulu-Natal High Court.

Louis Theodor Christian Harms is a South African former deputy president of the Supreme Court of Appeal and Professor Extraordinary for Intellectual Property Law at the University of Pretoria.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ruvimbo Samanga</span> Zimbabwean scholar and lawyer

Ruvimbo Samanga is a Space Policy Analyst, currently working for Access Partnership and sits on the Board of the Space Arbitration Assocciation. Ruvimbo has supported a number of international initiatives in policy, business, outreach, and education geared towards the advancement of space and satellite applications for sustainable development. She currently serves as an Ambassador for the MILO Space Science Institute, and previously served a 2-year term as the National Point of Contact for Zimbabwe in the Space Generation Advisory Council, the latter which is in support of the United Nations Program on Space Applications.

References

  1. "International - International Moots". Archived from the original on 2021-07-24. Retrieved 2021-07-24.
  2. "The first World Human Rights Moot Court Competition organized in South Africa". Archived from the original on 2016-11-01. Retrieved 2023-03-08.
  3. http://www.polity.org.za/article/united-nations-world-human-rights-moot-court-competition-9-december-2009-2009-09-11 [ dead link ] United Nations: World Human Rights Moot Court Competition (9 December 2009). Retrieved November 12, 2019
  4. "OHCHR | HRC the Nelson Mandela World Human Rights Moot Court Competition".
  5. http://web.up.ac.za/sitefiles/image/47/moot_poster_1.jpg World Human Rights Moot Court Competition. Retrieved November 12, 2009
  6. http://web.up.ac.za/sitefiles/file/47/About_eng_nnn.doc Archived 2011-07-17 at the Wayback Machine WORLD HUMAN RIGHTS MOOT COURT COMPETITION. Retrieved November 12, 2009
  7. "GLOBAL: World's first Human Rights Moot Court". University World News. Retrieved 2022-01-10.
  8. http://www.caleidoscop.org/Members/Marius/news-caleidoscop-2009/world-human-rights-moot-court-competition-pretoria-south-africa-9-december-2009 [ dead link ] World Human Rights Moot Court Competition, Pretoria, South Africa, 9 December 2009. Retrieved November 13, 2009
  9. http://web.up.ac.za/sitefiles/file/47/World%20Human%20Rights%20Moot%20Court%202010%20Judges(4).pdf Archived 2012-09-29 at the Wayback Machine World Human Rights Moot Court Competition 2010 Judges Retrieved 17 January 2011
  10. http://web.up.ac.za/default.asp?ipkCategoryID=12520 Archived 2012-09-18 at the Wayback Machine
  11. http://web.up.ac.za/sitefiles/file/47/Media%20winner.pdf Archived 2012-09-29 at the Wayback Machine Results of 2009 World Human Rights Moot Court Competition, Pretoria, South Africa. Retrieved February 18, 2010
  12. "Jamaica Observer Limited". Jamaica Observer. Retrieved 2019-06-19.
  13. Pienaar, Lourika. "2012". Centre for Human Rights. Retrieved 2021-09-21.
  14. "Four in a row for Norman Manley Law School". jamaica-gleaner.com. 2013-12-11. Retrieved 2022-01-10.
  15. Pienaar, Lourika. "2013". Centre for Human Rights. Retrieved 2022-01-10.
  16. Pienaar, Lourika. "2014". Centre for Human Rights. Retrieved 2021-09-21.
  17. Law, Survive (2014-12-22). "UNSW Wins International Human Rights Moot". survivelaw. Retrieved 2021-09-21.
  18. Pienaar, Lourika. "2015". Centre for Human Rights. Retrieved 2021-09-21.
  19. Pienaar, Lourika. "2016". Centre for Human Rights. Retrieved 2021-09-21.
  20. "Congressional Record, Volume 162 Issue 133 (Tuesday, September 6, 2016)". www.govinfo.gov. Retrieved 2021-09-21.
  21. Pienaar, Lourika. "2017". Centre for Human Rights. Retrieved 2021-09-21.
  22. Pienaar, Lourika. "2018". Centre for Human Rights. Retrieved 2021-09-21.
  23. Pienaar, Lourika. "2019". Centre for Human Rights. Retrieved 2021-09-21.