The Indian Society of International Law (ISIL) was founded in 1959 and was inaugurated in the same year by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of independent India. The principal objective of the ISIL is to “foster nationwide, the study and development of International Law and to encourage the comparative study of the application of International Law in other States”. The ISIL has been publishing since its inception, which has attained a high standard and is held in great esteem the world over. It also publishes the ISIL Yearbook on Humanitarian and Refugee Laws. The ISIL runs postgraduate diploma courses on International Law & Diplomacy; Human Rights, International Humanitarian & Refugee Laws and International Trade and Business Laws. It has been actively collaborating with the ICRC in organising the Henry Dunant Memorial Moot Court since 2001.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is a private, independent humanitarian organisation, based in Geneva, Switzerland. The ICRC has been conferred a mandate by the international community to protect and assist persons affected by armed conflict. This mandate includes the promotion and development of International Humanitarian Law (IHL), including in times of peace. In the fulfilment of this responsibility, the ICRC is active in disseminating and promoting IHL in academic circles. This includes developing IHL curricula for universities, conducting university teacher training programmes in IHL and organizing events such as the Henry Dunant Memorial Moot Court Competition.
The Moot Court
In 2001, ICRC Regional Delegation for South Asia initiated the Henry Dunant Memorial Moot Court Competition, with the aim of promoting better awareness of IHL among law students at universities throughout India. This competition is named in memory of Mr Henry Dunant, the co-founder of the ICRC and the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement in 1863.
The reputation and status of the Henry Dunant Memorial Moot Court Competition have grown steadily since its inception in 2001. The National Moot Court has grown to include more than 60 teams, representing universities from across India. The success of the competition prompted the ICRC, in collaboration with its partner organisation for this activity, the ISIL, to expand the Moot Court beyond India in 2005. As a result, in 2005 the Henry Dunant Moot Court Competition was expanded to include a regional competition, drawing teams from countries across South Asia. The regional Moot Court competition will follow national and regional competitions (as applicable) that will take place in each participating country. Winning teams from each of the respective countries will participate in the regional competition, which will be held in one of the participating countries approximately one month after the completion of national-level competitions. Winners of the regional moot court competition will represent South Asia in the Asia Pacific Moot Court competition in Hong Kong.
Objectives
The principal objective of the Henry Dunant Memorial Moot Court Competition is to develop an increased awareness and interest in IHL in academic institutions throughout South Asia. A further objective is to use IHL to further academic excellence in the student community, and to develop their advocacy skills in an environment of friendly competition.
Administration and General Rules
The official name of the competition is The Henry Dunant Memorial Moot Court Competition (the "Moot Court"). The ICRC and ISIL are the official organisers of the National Moot Court competition in India. National competitions in other participating countries will be organised by the ICRC, in collaboration with partner institutions, including Kathmandu School of Law in Nepal, Dhaka University in Bangladesh and the University of Colombo in Sri Lanka etc. The South Asian Regional Moot Court competition will be organised in any of the participating countries jointly by the ICRC Regional Delegation in New Delhi, the ICRC delegation in the respective country and a partner organization.
Eligibility
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All universities, colleges, and institutions imparting legal education on a regular or evening basis in a program of study that leads to a Bachelors degree in law (LL.B / BL) or Masters in law (LL.M / ML) are eligible to participate in the Moot Court competition.
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All students enrolled on a full time or evening basis in a program of study leading to or equivalent to a Bachelors degree in law (LL.B / BL) or Masters in law (LL.M / ML), are eligible to participate.
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Students who have participated in this Moot Court competition on a previous occasion are not eligible to participate again.
Official Language
The official working language of the Moot Court is English.
Important Dates
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14 June - 25 June 2021
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19th Summer Course on International Law (Online Classes)
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09 March 2021
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Webinar on "Human Rights as the new frontier in legal practice and dispute resolution - trends towards accountability and strategic implications
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04 March 2021
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Webinar on "The Importance of the Paris Agreement: 5 Years On" by Prof. Dr. Christina Voigt, Professor of International Law, University of Oslo
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22-26 February 2021
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Tenth Winter Course on Air and Space Law
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7th January 2021
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IHL Moot Court Competition for Asia-Pacific Region
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19 - 20 December 2020
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49th Annual Conference of the ISIL
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16 October 2020
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ISIL Webinar on "VULNERABILITY PROTECTION: Covid Pandemic and Climate Change" by Prof. KATAK MALLA
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20 February 2020 - 22 February 2020
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Conference to Celebrate Completion of 60 Years of ISIL
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08 January 2020
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A Special Lecture on "Legal Regulation of Lethal Autonomous Weapons/System" by Lt. Col. John R. Cherry, Professor of Stockton Centre for International Law, US Naval War College
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30 December 2019 - 3 January 2020
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Ninth Winter Course on International Law and National Security
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20 December 2019
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One Day Workshop on Research Methodology: Domestic and International Law Perspective
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10 December 2019 at 5:15 PM
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Justice Rajindar Sachar Memorial Lecture by Hon'ble Justice Madan B. Lokur
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06 - 07 December 2019
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A Conference to Celebrate the 60 Years of the ISIL
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19 - 22 September 2019
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19th Henry Dunant Memorial Moot Court Competition 2019
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10 - 21 June 2019
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18th Summer Course on International Law
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04 - 05 May 2019
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48th Annual Conference of the ISIL
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13 - 14 April 2019
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International Symposium on International Humanitarian Law, Law on Torture and Space Law Jointly Organized by the ISIL, New Delhi and IJLIA
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01 - 05 January 2019
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Eighth Winter Course on International Migration and Refugee Law
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Team Composition
Each participating university/college/institute shall nominate only one team consisting of three student members. It is optional for the teams to be accompanied by a coach from the faculty of the university/college/institute that they represent. The 3 member composition is mandatory for participating in the competition.
Assistance to Teams
All research, writing and editing of written memorials for the Moot Court must be the exclusive product of the team members. Faculty members, coaches and team advisors of the participating team may only render external assistance to the team. During the oral presentation, consultation with coaches shall be strictly prohibited.
Implementation and Interpretation of Rules
Regarding Moot Court practice and procedures, the final decision on the interpretation and implementation of rules lies with the organisers.
Awards and Prizes
Awards and prizes will be awarded for the National and Regional Moot Court competitions, as follows:
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The Henry Dunant Memorial Moot Court Competition winners will be awarded a “Running Trophy”, medals for the three participants of the team, and certificates.
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The Runners up team will be awarded individual medals and certificates.
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There will be a Best Advocate prize. This prize will be awarded to the participant who is judged by the organising committee to have performed best during her/his oral presentations.
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There will be a Best Memorial prize. All the memorials, which are submitted to the organising committee of the competition, will be evaluated and the best memorial will be chosen among them to award this prize.
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There will be a Best Researcher prize.
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Each participant in the Henry Dunant Memorial Moot Court Competition will be given a general certificate of participation.
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The coaches and advisers of the participating teams will not be entitled to receive any kind of certificate or award.
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Since the trophy of the Henry Dunant Moot Court Competition is a "Running Trophy", it is the responsibility of the head of the institution/college/university of the winning team to ensure that the trophy is returned to the organising committee, in New Delhi, within eight months of the date of award, at the expense of the winning team's institution/college/ university.
Anonymity
To ensure the smooth functioning of the Moot Court and avoid any perception of bias during the competition, the organising committee maintains the anonymity of the college/university/institute names throughout the competition. To ensure this the organising committee will allocate a code number to each participating team in the competition. This code is to be applied by the organising committee to the participating teams during the competition, including their written memorials.
Accommodation and Travel
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The organising committee will provide accommodation and meals to members of the participating teams for the duration of the competition, where it is required.
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For the Indian National Moot Court competition and the Regional Moot Court competition, ISIL will be responsible to coordinate travel, accommodation and meals for all participating teams.
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The ICRC and its partner organisations will be responsible for coordinating all administrative arrangements, including travel, accommodation and meals, for participants in their respective national competitions.
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