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16th Nelson Mandela World Human Rights Moot Court Competition


The Centre for Human Rights, University of Pretoria, South Africa in the framework of its cooperation with the Commonwealth Secretariat generously offers two scholarships in the amount of 2.500 British Pounds to a team (two students) from a Commonwealth country to be used for the purposes of travel and accommodation in Geneva.

About Christof Heyns

The Christof Heyns Memorial Commonwealth Scholarship (the Scholarship) is instituted in memory of renowned human rights scholar, Christof Heyns, who was professor of human rights law at the University of Pretoria (UP) until his untimely death in March 2021. Christof was the Director of the Centre for Human Rights from 1999 to 2006; Dean of the Faculty of Law from 2007 to 2010; and was the founding Co-Director of the Institute for International and Comparative Law in Africa at UP.  He was United Nations Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions from 2010 to 2016; and was a member of the UN Human Rights Committee from 2017 to 2020. Prof. Heyns pioneered and supported numerous human rights education initiatives in the course of his life, such as establishing the African Human Rights Moot Court Competition, the National Schools Moot and the Nelson Mandela World Human Rights Moot Court Competition, including providing opportunities to deserving students to pursue human rights education.


About the Scholarship 

The Scholarship is established to continue the legacy of Prof. Heyns in expanding human rights education and giving opportunities to deserving but economically disadvantaged students from commonwealth nations to participate in the Nelson Mandela World Human Rights Moot Court Competition.  

The amount of the Scholarship is 5000 British Pounds. The amount is divided between the two students (oralists) from commonwealth countries who successfully qualify to take part in the preliminary rounds of the World Moot.


Eligibility requirements

Applicants must:

  • Be citizens of a commonwealth member state
  • Be studying at a university within a commonwealth member state
  • Demonstrate the need for economic support to participate in the world moot

How to apply

Applications must consist of:

  • A letter of motivation
  • At least two letters of support, with referees’ contact details indicated

Submit applications to Dr. Eduardo Kapapelo at, eduardo.kapapelo@up.ac.za


About the Commonwealth Secretariat

The Commonwealth Secretariat is the intergovernmental organisation that supports member countries to achieve the Commonwealth's aims of development, democracy and peace through serving as a voice for small and vulnerable states, championing young people, promote justice and human rights, address threats like climate change, debt and inequality, help grow economies and boost trade, support decision-makers to make good laws and deliver policies, help strengthen governance and build inclusive public institutions, provide technical help and training, send experts and observers to countries to give impartial advice and help solve national problems and providing systems, software and research for managing resources.

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