The 16th Nelson Mandela World Human Rights Moot Court Competition was launched in Geneva on Monday by President of the Human Rights Council (HRC), Morocco’s Omar Zniber.
In his welcoming remarks, Zniber, who also serves as Morocco’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative in Geneva, stressed the importance of this competition in forging a spirit of constructive criticism as well as exchanging and sharing values, the aim being to renew everyone’s commitment to human rights.
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, ranging from human rights and artificial intelligence, to terrorism and mercenaries, and other discrimination issues.
The Moroccan diplomat who highlighted the historic contribution of Nelson Mandela, an emblematic figure in the promotion and defense of human rights whose life was marked by the struggle against discrimination, told the participants in the contest “it is my sincere wish that this Moot Court Competition will serve as an important professional development experience and make you more effective advocates and lawyers.”
He said the competition should be seen as a great opportunity to “renew our individual and collective commitment to work tirelessly to build a world where every human life is of equal value, whatever happens and whatever the cost.”
The Nelson Mandela World Human Rights Moot Court Competition is answering this call to action by training the lawyers and human rights defenders of the future in the important skills they need to stand up and defend human rights for all, he argued.
“I am hopeful that your participation in this Moot Court Competition inspires you to take action to address today’s pressing human rights issues, at the national level as well as at the regional and international levels,” the diplomat stated, emphasizing the valuable contribution of the participants in the competition as advocates and future leaders in the field of human rights.
“Your passion and dedication are inspiring. The Human Rights Council relies on people like you to continue its work to promote universal respect for the protection of all human rights and fundamental freedoms for all and address situations of human rights violations,” he said.
The “Nelson Mandela” Global Human Rights Moot Court Competition is organized jointly by the Centre for Human Rights, University of Pretoria; the Academy of Human Rights Washington College of Law, American University; and the UN Human Rights Council Branch (HRCB) at the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.