As part of the ‘Telders Moot Court Competition’, students are given the opportunity to gain an insight into the practice of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague and conduct a simulated ICJ court hearing based on a fictitious case.
After their very successful participation in the Friendly Practice Rounds in Seville, the team from the Karl-Franzens-Universität Graz (KFU) finally made it to The Hague for the grand finale of the 47th Telders Moot Court Competition from 29 May to 1 June. For two days, the 27 participating teams from various nations competed against each other in front of selected judges before the two best-placed teams finally met in the Peace Palace.
The teams were welcomed at an official welcome dinner at the Peace Palace before the intensive negotiation rounds began the next morning at Leiden University's Wijnhaven Campus. With a team of only two (instead of the usual four) people, Natascha Gojkovic and Sophie Lutzmayr competed twice a day against colleagues from all over Europe, both on the Applicant’s side and the Respondent’s side. They proved their flexibility and their ability to completely rethink within a very short span of time. In a total of four rounds of pleading, they presented their oral arguments in front of renowned international law experts as judges and faced their challenging questions.
On the evening before the finale, the finalist teams were announced at a closing dinner in Scheveningen. During the dinner, all participating teams once more had the opportunity to get to know each other better and deepen newfound friendships, as well as to meet the judges in person.
In the Oral Rounds, the Graz team made it into the top ten of all teams on both sides: 5th place on the Applicant side and 9th place on the Respondent side. Furthermore, Natascha Gojkovic reached 22nd place in the ranking of the best speakers. In the overall rankings, the Graz team ranked 15th place despite its small size.
On the last day, the Graz team went to the Peace Palace once more to watch the exciting final round between the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy and the Comenius University Bratislava. Afterwards, the awards ceremony took place and the creator of the Case of the 47th Telders Moot Court Competition, to which the team had dedicated a whole year, was revealed: Dr. Vahid Rezadoost.
The Department of International Law and International Relations would like to take this opportunity to thank Leiden University for the organization of the International Friendly Rounds. Special thanks go to Prof. Dr. N.B. Blokker, the Supervisory Board and the Telders Organizing Office (TOO), who were mainly responsible for holding and organizing the International Friendly Rounds.
The team would also like to take this opportunity to thank the universities with which it has long-standing practical partnerships and all those involved in the preparation of the Telders Moot Court, in particular the Rectorate of the University of Graz, the REWI Dean's Office, CMHF-Infinitus and rhetoric trainer Monika Schmidt for their continued support. A special thank you also goes out to the coaches, who have accompanied the team throughout the whole year. The Graz team was coached by Prof. Dr Erika de Wet, LL.M (Harvard), Mag. Anna-Lena Hörzer, BA and Mag. Christina Seewald.
Thus, this year’s edition of the Telders Moot Court has come to an end. The Graz team cordially thanks everyone who has followed this competition with interest and excitement.