13th Nelson Mandela World Human Rights Moot Court Competition adopts a hybrid format with final rounds scheduled to take place at the palais des nations in Geneva, Switzerland from 14 to 16 July 2021
The 2021 Nelson Mandela World Human Rights Moot Court Competition is going ahead but in an adjusted hybrid format.
Due to the continued impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the preliminary rounds of the Nelson Mandela World Human Rights Moot Court Competition will be held online from 7 to 16 May 2021. The eight-team qualifying for the quarterfinal rounds in Geneva will be announced on 17 May 2021.
The Quarter, Semi and Final rounds of the Competition will take place in person and in Geneva from 14 to 16 July, with the eight participating teams and judges travelling to Geneva, Switzerland, for the final rounds.
The Competition is presented by the Centre for Human Rights based at the Faculty of Law, University of Pretoria, in partnership with the Academy on Human Rights and Humanitarian Law, Washington College of Law, American University and the United Nations Human Rights Council Branch (HRCB) at the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).
The Competition will be held in English, French and Spanish.
About the Competition
The World Moot is open to undergraduate and masters students from all universities in the world. Teams of two students (gender diversity is encouraged) from every university in the world are invited to submit heads of argument for a hypothetical human rights case. The 50 teams with the highest memorial grades are invited to participate in the preliminary oral rounds and present their arguments to human rights experts and judges of international tribunals at the UN headquarters in Geneva.
The Moot Court Competition is the largest gathering of students, academics and judges around the theme of human rights in Africa. The Competition is open to students around the world. A team of two students from each university – preferably one woman and one man (gender diversity is encouraged) – is invited to participate in the competition.
The best 10 teams from each UN region are then invited to participate in the pre-final, quarter-final, semi-final and final rounds of the Competition in Geneva. Teams then have to argue the two sides of the hypothetical case, representing, alternatively, both the Applicant and the Respondent before a ‘bench’ of human rights experts.
The eight best teams proceed to the quarterfinal rounds, which is presided over by judges from international courts and tribunals. The Competition is presented in English, French and in Spanish.
As part of the week-long Moot Competition, an Annual Nelson Mandela Human Rights Lecture is held. In 2019 the inaugural Annual Nelson Mandela Human Rights Lecture was held on 18 July. Retired Justice Albie Sachs – an apartheid struggle icon and former judge of the Constitutional Court of South Africa - delivered the lecture, along with H.E. Michelle Bachelet, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. In 2021 the second Annual Nelson Mandela Lecture will be presented on 15 July 2021
Organised by
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Centre for Human Rights, Faculty of Law, University of Pretoria.
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Academy on Human Rights and Humanitarian Law, American University, Washington College of Law and,
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United Nations Human Rights Council Branch (HRCB) at the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).
With the financial support of
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European Union through the Global Campus of Human Rights.
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Permanent Mission of Switzerland to the United Nations Office and to the other international organisations in Geneva.
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South African Permanent Mission to the United Nations Office in Geneva and
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The Regional Office for Southern Africa (ROSA) of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).
Important Dates
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Dates
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Events
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Faculty Registration opens
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10 February 2021
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Registration closes
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15 April 2021
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Individual Registration opens
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6 May 2021
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Individual Registration closes
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15 May 2021
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Preliminary Rounds (online)
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3 to 11 July 2021
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Release of the hypothetical case to be argued
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10 February 2021
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Request for clarification of facts
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11 March 2021
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Response to requests for clarification of facts
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1 April 2021
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Submission of memorials
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15 April 2021
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Announcement of the 50 qualifying teams
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30 April 2021
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Quarter-finals and Semi-finals and Final Round (online)
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14 - 16 July 2021
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Previous Overall Winners (English Rounds)
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2009 - None declared
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2010 - Norman Manley Law School
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2011 - Norman Manley Law School
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2012 - Norman Manley Law School
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2013 - None declared
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2014 - University of New South Wales
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2015 - University of São Paulo
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2016 - Patrick Henry College
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2017 - St Thomas University
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2018 - University of Buenos Aires
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2019 - University of Oxford
For more information, click here
