Applications are now open for the 16th Nelson Mandela World Human Rights Moot Court Competition. The Sixteenth Nelson Mandela World Human Rights Moot Court Competition adopts a hybrid format, with the in-person final rounds scheduled to take place at the Palais des Nations in Geneva, Switzerland from 15 – 19 July 2024 and the preliminary virtual rounds (online) scheduled to take place from 14 – 21 May 2024.
Requirements
- 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 best 10 teams from each of the five UN region are then invited to participate in the online preliminary rounds.
- The 50 teams (with the highest memorial grades) 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 and judges of international tribunals.
- The 16 best teams proceed to the in person Octo-final rounds, which is presided over by international human rights experts.
- The Competition is presented in English, French and in Spanish.
Venue of the Competition
- The ‘round of 24’, quarter-final, semi-final and final rounds – the ‘oral rounds’ – of the Competition are scheduled to be held at the UN headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland.
Language
- The Competition is held in English, French and Spanish.
The Christof Heyns Memorial Commonwealth Scholarship
The amount of the Scholarship is 5000 British Pounds. The amount is divided between the two students (oralists) from commonwealth countries who successfully qualify to take part in the preliminary rounds of the World Moot.
Eligibility Requirements
Applicants must:
- Be citizens of a commonwealth member state
- Be studying at a university within a commonwealth member state
- Demonstrate the need for economic support to participate in the world moot
Method of Application
Applications must consist of:
- A letter of motivation
- At least two letters of support, with referees’ contact details indicated
Submit applications to Dr. Eduardo Kapapelo at, eduardo.kapapelo@up.ac.za
Timeline:
- Faculty Registration
Faculty registration opens 15 December 2023
Registration closes 21 Apri 2024
- Release of the hypothetical case to be argued
15 January 2024
 - Request for clarification of facts
Submit by 15 February 2024
 - Response to requests for clarification of facts
Publicised by 11 March 2024 - Submission of memorials
Submit by 21 April 2024
 - Announcement of the 50 qualifying teams
7 May 2024 - Preliminary Rounds (online)
14 to 21 May 2024 - Quarter-finals and Semi-finals and Final Round (in person)
15 – 19 July 2024
For More Information,
Visit the Official Webpage
Application Deadline: 21 April 2024.
