Nelson Mandela World Human Rights Moot

The World Human Rights Moot was initiated by the University of Pretoria and the Regional Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in Southern Africa. Proceedings are before a fictitious world human rights court, but based on various regional and international human rights instruments. The championship final typically comprises judges and figures from various international tribunals and bodies such as the International Criminal Court, European Court of Human Rights, and International Law Commission, and is preceded by events such as the Nelson Mandela Human Rights Lecture. Originally held in Pretoria, the competition has been held at the UN headquarters in Geneva since 2015. The competition is also run in Spanish and French, and in 2021, for the first time, the championship final featured teams speaking in different languages. Due to travel restrictions brought about by COVID-19, the 2019/20 and 2020/21 editions were held online; in-person hearings resumed for the international rounds in 2021/22.

Established: 2009
Venue: Geneva
Record number of participants in international rounds: 43 teams (2019)
Subject matter: International human rights
Qualification process: Memorials, with random geographical caps
Prep window: Varies
Comp duration: 6 days, with socio-academic events included
Maximum team size: 2
Team anonymity: Yes
Format: Stand-up, 3 issues, 2 speakers, 30 minutes (including 1-speaker rebuttal for 1 side); 2 to 4 prelim rounds, knockouts from 8 to 16 with random seeding; 3,500 word (incl fn) pleadings for each side
Memorial weightage: None
Advanced round qualification priority: Random
Registration fee: Free
Repeat participation: Partly allowed
Multiple teams from same institution: Not allowed
Most championships: Norman Manley Law School (3)

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