Top: Judge Silvia Fernández de Gurmendi
Bottom row, L-R: Sternford Moyo, Dr Mark Ellis, Kate Orlovsky, Dr Carsten Stahn, Professor Michael P Scharf

Judge Silvia Fernández de Gurmendi, President of the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) Assembly of States Parties (ASP), spoke of the need for the ICC to ‘demonstrate its worth’ during a keynote address on Sunday 8 May 2022 at the online opening ceremony of the International Bar Association (IBA) ICC Moot Court Competition, organised by the Grotius Centre for International Legal Studies of Leiden Law School.

Watched by nearly 200 legal scholars and professionals, the speech, given by the President of the ASP - the management oversight and legislative body of the ICC - touched on issues related to the contemporary relevance of the Court, its governance and gender equality. Audience questions followed the address. Click here to view the full speech.

ASP President Fernández de Gurmendi said: ‘This is a very important event, and I am extremely pleased to see so much interest and participation of so many universities of various regions of the world. Interest and participation of the younger generation is exactly what we need to promote the rule of law and the course of justice. We live now in particularly distressing and challenging times; however, it is not a time to despair but rather to redouble efforts to demonstrate the worth of the institutions that we have already created to fight evil and impunity. It is indeed a moment for the ICC to demonstrate its worth. I can assure that this is exactly what the Court and the community around it are trying to do. Both the Court and the community are involved in important initiatives to make sure that the Court can deliver on its crucial accountability measures.

The opening ceremony also featured remarks from IBA President Sternford Moyo; IBA Executive Director Dr Mark Ellis; Dr Carsten Stahn, Professor of International Criminal Law and Global Justice at Leiden University; and Professor Michael P Scharf, Dean of Case Western Reserve University School of Law and Chair of the IBA ICC Moot Court Competition Board of Advisors.

The three-week IBA ICC Moot Court Competition is designed to enhance law students’ knowledge of the Rome Statute – the treaty that established the ICC in 2002 – and proceedings of the Court. Each year, the competition aims to create a moot problem that illustrates relevant and pending issues before the ICC, and to familiarise student participants with the law and practice of trials held at the Court’s premises in The Hague, the Netherlands.

This year, a total of 76 student teams from 42 countries will simulate ICC proceedings, acting as counsel for the prosecution, defendant, or victims, with almost 500 legal experts volunteering their time either scoring memorials or judging the oral rounds.

Mr Moyo commented: ‘I am proud of the IBA ICC Moot Court, which provides students from around the world the opportunity to learn from the best international criminal lawyers in the field. The Grotius Centre and the organising committee have again done a fantastic job in creating a full and exciting schedule of Moot Court pleadings and academic activities. I would also like to thank the many IBA members who are participating as volunteer judges this year, without whom this competition would not be possible.’

Dr Ellis stated: ‘Like the Court itself, this competition represents the international community coming together. The ICC has a unique place in the legal order and at this moment, it is more urgent than ever to have an effective and well-supported ICC. The students who participate in the IBA ICC Moot are the future practitioners who will carry the fight against impunity into the next generation. The IBA is honoured to support them, and by doing so, support better knowledge and understanding of international criminal law and the Rome Statute system.

Over the course of the competition, the students will be assessed on their pleading structure, knowledge and use of rules and principles of law, persuasiveness and rebuttals. Virtual academic events for students and volunteering judges will also take place. On 27 May, the final round of the competition will feature a hybrid pleading with judges adjudicating in an ICC courtroom and the students connected online. This will be streamed live via the ICC’s website. During the closing ceremony on 28 May, the achievements of participants and teams will be recognised in a number of categories. Dr Ellis and IBA ICC & International Criminal Law (ICC & ICL) Programme Director Kate Orlovsky will present awards including for the Best Non-Native English-Speaking Team, Best Newcomer Team, Best Oralist and Best Memorial.

As with previous years, the IBA offered scholarships to teams in the form of fee waivers. During the 2022 edition, fee waivers are awarded to the teams from Bangladesh, Brazil, the Kingdom of Cambodia, Hong Kong, Iran, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan, Sierra Leone, Turkey and Uganda.

ENDS