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In the past years the University of Pretoria in South Africa has not participated in the Nelson Mandela World Human Rights Moot Court Competition in light of the fact that the Centre for Human Rights (CHR) is located at the Faculty of Law of the University of Pretoria. The CHR has, in the person of the late Professor Christof Heyns, initiated and for the past thirteen years organised the Moot Court Competition. For the last few years, the Competition has been co-organised by the CHR and the Academy on Human Rights and Humanitarian Law, Washington College of Law American University, Washington DC, with the collaboration of the United Nations Human Rights Council Branch at the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.

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The organisers of the World Moot have now been approached and asked to reconsider and allow the University of Pretoria to participate. After careful consideration, the joint organisers of the Competition have resolved to allow both the University of Pretoria and American University, Washington DC, to participate in the 2022 edition of the World Moot, if they so wish. 

While it is so that the CHR is located within the Faculty of Law at the University of Pretoria, being only engaged in post-graduate education, the CHR has no links with undergraduate students and exists in numerous respects separate from the Faculty of Law. The organisation of the Moot is also the efforts of a joint team, consisting not only of the CHR, but also the Academy on Human Rights and Humanitarian Law, Washington College of Law, American University, Washington DC, in collaboration with the United Nations Human Rights Council Branch at the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.  In addition, and in order to further dispel any perception of bias towards the team from the University of Pretoria or the American University, the organisers commits themselves to putting in place further safeguards that would adding additional layers of impartiality in addition to those already in place so as to ensure that teams are treated on an equal basis and that those advancing in the rounds do so purely on merit.

In 2021, the Fourteenth Nelson Mandela World Human Rights Moot Court Competition adopts a hybrid format, with the in-person final rounds (quarter, semi and final rounds) scheduled to take place at the Palais des Nations in Geneva, Switzerland from 18 – 21 July 2022 and the preliminary virtual rounds (online) scheduled to take place from 20 – 31 May 2022.

The deadline for registration and submission of memorials is 20 April 2022, teams that have not yet registered for the 2022 Competition are encouraged to do so.

As organisers, we strive to continue to offer not only a great educational experience but also create the opportunity for students from all over the world to engage in contemporary human rights issues from the based on a common global human rights system, but also bringing in their invaluable regional perspectives and experiences.

We look forward to yet to another successful year of the Nelson Mandela World Human Rights Moot Court Competition.


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