The Nelson Mandela World Human Rights Moot Court Competition

The Nelson Mandela World Human Rights Moot Court Competition is the only global moot court competition explicitly dedicated to human rights. It is co-organised by the Centre for Human Rights, University of Pretoria, the Academy on Human Rights, 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 Nelson Mandela Moot Court Competition is an annual event in which students from around the world come together in Geneva to argue a hypothetical human rights case.

Each year a new case is carefully developed, drawing on current global human rights issues – these range from human rights and artificial intelligence, over terrorism and mercenaries, to the right to not be discriminated against on the grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity.

To participate in the Nelson Mandela World Moot Court Competition students can apply by submitting heads of argument for the hypothetical case, which are assessed by a panel of experts.  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, Switzerland. Once in Geneva, teams 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 two best teams advance to the final round, which is presided over by judges from international courts and tribunals.

The Nelson Mandela Moot Court Competition is held in English, French and Spanish, and is open to both undergraduate and master's degree students, with each team consisting of two students.

The 15th Nelson Mandela World Moot Court Competition is taking place at the Palais des Nations in Geneva from 17 to 21 July 2023.