●    Background
The regional Moot Court competition for Human Rights is an annual competition hosted by the Centre in order to enhance university students’ understanding of human rights principles, sources, treaties and engagement with international human rights mechanisms. This activity offers a practical, interactive platform to develop legal research, analysis, and advocacy skills, encourage dialogue on current human rights issues, and build a regional network of students committed to promoting human rights and the rule of law. The partners for the first version (2024) of this event were the Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie (AUF) and they supported the Moot Court competition to be on the rights of persons with disabilities. The competition for the first version was hosted by the University of Jordan. As for the second version (2025) of the moot court, it was organized with Dr. Ahmed Khalifa, a consultant with experience in being a law professor, specializing in all aspects related to hosting Moot Courts for university students. This version was hosted by Doha Institute for Graduate studies in Qatar. Overall, the online awareness and training sessions as well as the in-person competition benefited around 300 Law students from over 50 universities across 13 Arab countries namely: Algeria, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Yemen.

●    Goal and objectives 
In collaboration with universities in the Arab region, the organization of the moot court competition aims to enhance student engagement with international human rights mechanisms and increase knowledge of international law as well as international human rights law among university students in the Arab region. This is achieved by providing an interactive educational platform that allows them to apply legal principles in a professional environment that simulates real-world scenarios.

●    At the end of the three training sessions, the students will be able to:
o    Enhance students' understanding of treaties, conventions, and international mechanisms related to human rights.
o    Describe international human rights bodies including treaty bodies and charter-based bodies (human rights council, universal periodic review, and special procedures), their mandate and functions.
o    Describe the functions and procedures of the convention on the rights of persons with disabilities. 
o    Develop students' skills in legal research, analysis, and advocacy, and strengthen their ability to present and defend cases.
o    Encourage discussion and engagement among participants on contemporary human rights issues in the Arab context.
o    Build a regional network of youth interested in human rights to promote knowledge exchange, experience sharing, and collaboration between universities and human rights organizations.

●    Methodology and Stages of the Competition
o    The competition follows a training and practical approach, consisting of three main stages:
▪    Stage 1: Online Training Sessions 
▪    Stage 2: Written Memoranda 
❖    A memorandum on behalf of the complainant (the injured party)
❖    A memorandum on behalf of the defendant (the state)
▪    Stage 3: Oral Advocacy before the Moot Court- In-Person (September- Jordan?)
Language: Arabic will be the official language of the competition.

●    Target Audience 
The regional moot court competition targets law students from universities in the Arab region, particularly those interested in international human rights law, as well as students from related fields such as international relations or political science. This approach aims to enhance a multidisciplinary understanding of human rights issues.
Participating universities are required to form student teams, with each team consisting of two to a maximum of four students (undergraduate or graduate level). It is also possible for a larger number of students to contribute as part of a single team or within a competitive framework within each university, depending on the university's discretion.

●     Trainings till date :
-    First edition: Phase 1 (October - November 2023), phase 2 (March - April 2024), and phase 3 (Mid July 2024). The total number of participants in the online training sessions was 62 undergraduate university students, including 28 women, from the College of Law in more than twenty universities from five Arab countries namely Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, and the State of Palestine.
-    Second edition: Phase 1 (May 2025), phase 2 (May - June 2025), and phase 3 (planned for September 2025). The event brings together 185 law students from 48 universities across 13 Arab countries namely: Algeria, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Yemen.