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IBA ICC Moot Court Competition

ICC Moot Court CompetitionOrganised by Leiden University's Grotius Centre for International Legal Studies

The Hague, The Netherlands

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Since 2017 the IBA has partnered with Leiden University’s Grotius Centre for International Legal Studies to stage the week-long IBA ICC Moot Court Competition, which attracts law students from across the globe to test and sharpen their skills for careers as international lawyers. As of 2021, a new five-year Memorandum of Understanding positions the IBA as the primary supporting partner of the event, which is now titled the IBA ICC Moot Court Competition.

Ever since its inception in 2004, the competition has expanded rapidly from 12 participating teams to a record number of 79 teams in 2021. Since 2018, the IBA has awarded scholarships to support two teams from countries participating for the first time or from countries that have not yet ratified the Rome Statute, funding their travel to and accommodation in The Hague, as well as the competition's fee. Scholarships have been awarded in the past years to teams from The Gambia, Tanzania, Kyrgyz Republic, Nepal, Sierra Leone and South Sudan. The IBA ICC Moot Court Competition consists of an extensive six-day educational and social programme, bringing together students of diverse backgrounds and cultures to The Hague to challenge their skills as future international lawyers. It is one of the most prestigious international moot court competitions and aims to improve participants’ knowledge of the ICC, the Rome Statute and international criminal law in general. The competition offers a great opportunity for participants to gain first-hand experience in articulating legal claims before distinguished expert panels. The panel comprises judges from international courts and tribunals, professors of international (criminal) law and other legal professionals, including many IBA members.

The competition’s case addresses fundamental issues of substantive and procedural international criminal law.The moot is designed with the aim of simulating ICC proceedings and introducing students to the procedure of, and some of the legal issues before, the Court. Each team takes on three roles in a hypothetical case: prosecutor, legal representative of victims, and defence counsel. Each role writes a memorial which is reviewed and judged by a legal expert, which helps determine who goes through to the next round. Participating teams are eligible to win various awards, including the IBA Best Oralist Award and the Best Memorial Award. The final round of the competition takes place at the premises of the ICC, judged by a bench including ICC judges.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the competition has successfully moved online since 2020. For more information about this year's competition see: https://iccmoot.com

Sara Hutchinson with the 2019 IBA Best Oralist Award winner from Singapore University​​​​​​​Organising Committee 2017 with Ben and Donald FerenczKeynote address 2019 edition from Judge Kimberly ProstSemi-finals 2019 between teams from Nepal and Singapore​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

From a student perspective: Team 16 from The Gambia

The team representing The Gambia in the 2018 ICC Moot Court Competition held in The Hague, the Netherlands from 27 May – 1 June, was one of the 2018 recipients of the International Bar Association (IBA) scholarships awarded to enable outstanding law students to participate in the event. Issa, Musa, Mangikey and David travelled from The Gambia to The Netherlands and documented their experience. In a short (four minutes) inspiring film, the heart, gratitude and determination of Team 16 is captured.​​​​​​​

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2021 Edition: Prosecutor V. Dragone Goodrider of Wessos

The 2021 IBA ICC Moot Court Competition was a remarkable edition! For the first time since its inception, the competition took place fully virtual. It also welcomed more teams (and judges) than ever; 80 teams from all corners of the world and more than 500 volunteering judges and memorial evaluators. The final round took place on 25 June in a hybrid format with ICC adjudicating from the ICC Courtroom and the teams pleading online. A recording can be viewed here.  

Please see the IBA ICC MCC 2021 Booklet with more information on participating teams and legal experts that made this year a success. 

Aside from the oral pleading rounds, the teams and judges had the opportunity to attend a number of side-events, especially designed for them:

2022 Edition: Prosecutor V. Agon Megor of the Republic of Ibbin

The 2022 virtual edition of the IBA ICC Moot Court Competition welcomed top law students of 76 universities from 42 countries spanning all continents. After six preliminary rounds and three elimination rounds, The Honourable Society of King’s Inns has been named winner of the 2022 edition, with China University of Political Science and Law (China) placing second, and Emory University School of Law (United States) placing third.

Like the previous year, the teams and judges had the opportunity to attend a number of academic side-events, spotlighted below:

Please see the IBA ICC MCC 2022 Booklet with more information on participating teams and legal experts that made this year an online success again. 

The IBA ICC Moot Court Manual

The IBA has developed a Moot Court Manual containing five exercises to introduce students to the work of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, The Netherlands. Student Members of the IBA can gain access to these materials and guidance notes, allowing them to stage their own small-scale moot court training. In these exercises, students are given an ICC judgment involving events that occurred during a civil war in a fictional country.

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