Source: School of Law
Written by: School of Law
Edited by: Wang Dongmei

From 23 to 25 November 2018, the International Committee of the Red Cross Regional Delegation for East Asia (ICRC Regional Delegation for East Asia) and Sun Yat-sen University (SYSU) School of Law jointly hosted the 12th Red Cross International Humanitarian Law Moot Court Competition (IHL Moot Court Competition) at the SYSU National Experimental Teaching Center of Law. Representatives from 34 universities, including Peking University, Renmin University of China, Fudan University, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, University of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, China University of Political Science and Law, Zhejiang University, Jilin University, and SYSU, participated in the competition, which made the record of being the largest one since its inauguration in 2007.

The IHL Moot Court Competition is a global event organized by the ICRC for the purposes of raising awareness of international humanitarian issues and promoting the spirit of humanity. The Competition consists of two major stages: written submissions and oral pleadings, all in English. The questions for the competition are prepared by ICRC legal experts, and judges who hear the oral pleadings are composed of university professors and scholars, ICRC staff, judges and prosecutors of international judicial institutions, and other legal experts.

After the intense preliminary round, quarterfinals, and semi-finals, Peking University, University of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Johns Hopkins University - Nanjing University Center for Chinese and American Studies, and SYSU stood out and successfully entered the final rounds. In the 1.5-hour-long court sessions, with their fluent English, sharp viewpoints and sophisticated oral skills, the four teams in the final rounds were highly recognized by the judges. In the end, Peking University came out at the first place. University of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Johns Hopkins University - Nanjing University Center for Chinese and American Studies, and SYSU won the second, third, and fourth places respectively.
Afterward, the closing ceremony was held in the Mock Trial Courtroom at the School of Law. Professor Yu Minbin (Deputy Secretary of SYSU Party Committee), Mr. Larry Maybee (Deputy Head of the ICRC Regional Delegation for East Asia), Professor Shinya Murase (Member of the United Nations International Law Commission), Mr. Li Mingzhang (Secretary of the Party Committee of SYSU School of Law), Professor Huang Yao (Dean of SYSU School of Law), and other judges attended the ceremony.

Deputy Secretary Yu Minbin delivered a closing speech on behalf of the University. He first expressed a warm welcome to all the judges, experts and the 34 teams of participants, and thanked the ICRC Regional Delegation for East Asia and SYSU School of Law for their hard work in making the competition a success. He then moved to introduce SYSU as adhering to the socialist orientation of higher education with Chinese characteristics and focusing on the fundamental task of nurturing students with both virtue and talent. After decades of development, the University has been equipped with a global outlook and has dedicated itself to being an institution that is “comprehensive, innovative, and open”. Yu summarized that the University is oriented toward academic frontiers, oriented toward national major strategic needs, and oriented toward national and regional economic and social development, while the coordinated development of five campuses in the three cities of Guangzhou, Zhuhai, and Shenzhen will jointly support the development of the entire University. He then highlighted that now standing at a new starting point, SYSU strives to enter both the national first-tier of universities and the ranks of world-class elite universities, building a first-class socialist university with Chinese characteristics.

After presenting all the awards, the 12th Red Cross International Humanitarian Law Moot Court Competition came to a successful end.