This year's Nelson Mandela World Human Rights Moot Court Competition saw 44 teams (39 English-language and 5 Spanish-language teams) participating for the coveted eight quarter-finalists positions places. Although the Competition is open to French-language teams, regrettably, only two teams submitted its memorials (Ecole Superieure des sciences de Pierre Elliot Trudeau (Esseget) and Catholic University of Bakavu).

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Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this year's Moot has a number of unique features: 

• For the first time ever, the preliminary rounds were conducted virtually.  
• Teams argued once as applicants and once as respondents (and not twice for each side, as previously) during the preliminary rounds. 

World Moot Preliminary Rounds Anoucnement Ceremony (25 September 2020)

QUARTER-FINALS, SEMI-FINALS AND FINAL ROUND

The four quarter-final rounds, two semi-final rounds and final round will all take place virtually in 2020

The eight qualifying quarter-finalist teams for 2020 are from four of the five UN regions. With three universities among the eight quarter-finalists (University of Malaya (Malaysia), National University of Singapore (Singapore) and Army Institute of Law (India)), the Asia region is best represented. Africa (with Strathmore University and Kenyatta University, both in Kenya) and Latin America (with Ponitifical Catholic University of Parana, in Brazil, and the Universidad Católica San Pablo – Unidad Acdemicá Regional Cochabamba) produced two quarter-finalist teams each. The total of eight is completed by a team from the "West European and Other" region (University of Oxford). 

The quarter-final round will take place on 2 and 4 November 2020, according to the following draw:

On 2 November:
Teams 5 (Applicant) v 15 (Respondent); and 38 (A) v 11 (R)

On 4 November:
Teams 2 (Spanish, Applicant) v 20 (Respondent); 1 (A) v 23 (R) 

The winners of each of the four knock-out rounds will advance to the semi-final round, on 18 November. 

The Final Round will take place on 10 December 2020 at 11:00 CET. 

ENGLISH LANGUAGE ROUNDS 

Ten best memorials

Teams qualify for participation based on their written memorials. The highest marks for memorials were awarded to the following teams:

1. Army Institute of Law (India)
2. University of Buenos Aires (Argentina)
3. Maharashtra National Law University (MNLUM) (India)
4. Ruhr-University Bochum (Germany)
5. Gujarat National Law University (India)
6. Belarusian State University (Belarus)
7. Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law (Switzerland)
8. University College Roosevelt (Netherlands)
9. Brac University (Bangladesh)
10. RML National Law University Lucknow (India)

Ten best oralists

1. Jerald Tan (National University of Singapore, Singapore)
2. Thean Ern Chew (University of Malaya, Malaysia)
3. Omvir Singh (Army Institute of Law, India)
4. Sushrut Royyuru (University of Oxford, United Kingdom)
5. Eugene Kanyugo (Strathmore University, Kenya)
6. Saradha Lakshmi Hariharan (University of Malaya, Malaysia)
7. Lívia Feitosa Dantas (Pontifical Catholic University of Paraná, Brazil)
8. João Gabriel Archegas (Pontifical Catholic University of Paraná, Brazil)
9. Vanaj Vidyan (RML National Law University Lucknow, India)
10. Ariel Tan (National University of Singapore, Singapore)

Ten best teams in preliminary rounds 

1. University of Malaya (Malaysia)
2. National University of Singapore (Singapore)
3. Pontifical Catholic University of Paraná (Brazil)
4. University of Oxford (United Kingdom)
5. Strathmore University (Kenya)
6. Army Institute of Law (India)
7. Kenyatta University School of Law (Kenya)
8. Centro Universitário de Curitiba (Brazil)
9. Gujarat National Law University (India)
10. Liberty University (USA)

SPANISH LANGUAGE ROUNDS 

Three best memorials 

The highest marks for memorials were awarded to the following teams:

1. Universidad Católica San Pablo – Unidad Académica Regional Cochabamba (Bolivia)
2. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata (Argentina) & Faculdad de Derecho y Ciencias – Universidad Nacional del Este (Paraguay) (tie between the two teams)

Five best oralists

1. Christopher Lara (Universidad Central del Ecuador, Ecuador)
2. Maria Laura Baya Penaloza (Universidad Católica San Pablo/Cochabamba, Bolivia)
3. Alan Rene Dominguez Larrosa (Universidad Nacional del Este, Paraguay)
4. Ramiro Rodriguez (Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata, Argentina)
5. Lucia Serrano Rocabado (Universidad Católica San Pablo/Cochabamba, Bolivia)

Three best teams in preliminary rounds 

1. Universidad Católica San Pablo – Unidad Académica Regional Cochabamba (Bolivia)
2. Universidad Central del Ecuador (Ecuador)
3. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata (Argentina)

THANK YOU!

As in previous years, the Nelson Mandela World Human Rights Moot Court Competition is organised by the Centre for Human Rights, Faculty of Law, University of Pretoria, in 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).

Professor Frans Viljoen, the Director of the Centre, said: "To all the participating teams and those who supported you: Thank you for being part of making history by participating in the first-ever virtual global human rights moot court competition! At the Centre for Human Rights: Much appreciation and congratulations to Eduardo Kapapelo, World Moot-organiser-in-chief, and his team. I would like to single out the drafter of the intriguing and challenging hypothetical case, Dr Thompson Chengeta."

For more information, please contact:

Eduardo Kapapelo
Project Coordinator: Nelson Mandela World Human Rights Moot Court Competition
Centre for Human Rights, Faculty of Law, University of Pretoria
[email protected]
www.chr.up.ac.za/worldmoot

Ana Teresa Corzanego Khatounian
Project Assistant: Nelson Mandela World Human Rights Moot Court Competition
Centre for Human Rights, Faculty of Law, University of Pretoria
[email protected]
www.chr.up.ac.za/worldmoot