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.http://www.polity.org.za/article/united-nations-world-human-rights-moot-court-competition-9-december-2009-2009-09-11 United Nations: World Human Rights Moot Court Competition (9 December 2009). Retrieved November 12, 2019 In more recent years, the competition has been held in Geneva, where the United Nations is headquartered.
Moot format
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.http://web.up.ac.za/sitefiles/file/47/About_eng_nnn.doc WORLD HUMAN RIGHTS MOOT COURT COMPETITION. Retrieved November 12, 2009
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,http://www.caleidoscop.org/Members/Marius/news-caleidoscop-2009/world-human-rights-moot-court-competition-pretoria-south-africa-9-december-2009 World Human Rights Moot Court Competition, Pretoria, South Africa, 9 December 2009. Retrieved November 13, 2009 while Judge Mark Villiger of the European Court of Human Rights presided in the 2010 final.http://web.up.ac.za/sitefiles/file/47/World%20Human%20Rights%20Moot%20Court%202010%20Judges(4).pdf World Human Rights Moot Court Competition 2010 Judges Retrieved 17 January 2011
Previous overall winners (English rounds)
Year Winner Runner-up Best Memorial Best Oralist 2009http://web.up.ac.za/default.asp?ipkCategoryID=12520 None declared None declared None declared None declared 2010http://web.up.ac.za/sitefiles/file/47/Media%20winner.pdf Results of 2009 World Human Rights Moot Court Competition, Pretoria, South Africa. Retrieved February 18, 2010 Norman Manley Law School University of Sydney Ateneo de Manila University Norman Manley Law School 2011 Norman Manley Law School Yale University Ateneo de Manila University Yale University 2012 Norman Manley Law School University of Auckland None declared None declared 2013 None declared None declared None declared None declared 2014 University of New South Wales University of Lucerne University of New South Wales University of New South Wales 2015 University of São Paulo Yale University Symbiosis Law School University of São Paulo 2016 Patrick Henry College Moi University None declared None declared 2017 St Thomas University University of Buenos Aires Midlands State University Strathmore University 2018 University of Buenos Aires St Thomas University Midlands State University University of Oxford 2019 University of Oxford Macquarie University None declared University of Oxford 2020 (online) Strathmore University Kenyatta University National University of Singapore Army Institute of Law 2021 (online) Strathmore University Universidad Central del Ecuador Atma Jaya Catholic University of Indonesia Universidad Central del Ecuador 2022 Singapore Management University Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights University of Oxford 2023 National University of Advanced Legal Studies St Thomas University University of Bueno Aires St Thomas University 2024 University of New South Wales Singapore Management University Nelson Mandela University
See also Moot court Centre for Human Rights African Human Rights Moot Court Competition South African National Schools Moot Court Competition Mock trial
References
External links OHCHR Official site of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights CHR Official site of the Centre for Human Rights