We are delighted to announce that after a hard-fought campaign, Macquarie Law School's team were Runners Up in the Nelson Mandela World Human Rights Moot Court Competition, after being narrowly defeated by Oxford University in the Grand Finals of the Competition. Macquarie University was represented by two of our LLB students, Nathan Ricardo and Nessa Salvador (pictured below).
This Competition draws competitors from around the world to argue a hypothetical case dealing with pressing human rights issues, involving a written phase, from which the best teams are chosen for the oral phase held in the Palais des Nations, in Geneva, Switzerland. This year over 188 universities entered the competition, with 48 teams progressing to the rounds in Geneva. This year the competition saw our team advocating in relation to a complex scenario which included disability rights, the use of AI in justice systems, and cyber attacks and the sharing of personal data.
Our team progressed easily through the Preliminary Rounds defeating all competition, including Yale University, and progressed through the Quarter and Semi Finals with dominant performances. The only other Australian team to make it through to the rounds in Geneva was UNSW, who were eliminated in the Quarter Finals.
Our student competitors impressed an illustrious bench of judges which included Judges from the ICC and the European Court of Human Rights, members of the International Law Commission, and Albie Sachs, former justice of the Constitutional Court of South Africa, and close personal friend to Nelson Mandela. In a split decision, and with a very narrow margin, Oxford were declared the winners.
This incredible result on the world stage is a testament to the calibre and fortitude of our competitors, and the value of the Macquarie Law School experience which prepared them for the competition. A special thanks to Shireen Daft and Sonya Willis for championing moot preparation at the law school. Macquarie Law School’s mission is to deliver highly skilled law graduates who aspire to be change makers of the future. We are incredibly proud of the efforts and talents of Nessa and Nathan, two shining examples of the Macquarie spirit!
Please enjoy this video of the finalists.