S.K. Vemmer/Department of State

U.S. Ambassador Hans Klemm, Coordinating Director of Rule of Law and Law Enforcement and Ken Yamashita, Mission Director, USAID, pose with students and advisor from Balkh University, the winners of the 2012 Jessup Moot Court Competition at the Supreme Court in Kabul, Afghanistan on Wednesday, January 11, 2012.

Students from Herat, Balkh, Al Biruni, and Nangarhar Universities competed in the USAID-funded Afghan National Round of the Jessup International Moot Court Competition in Kabul today for a chance to represent Afghanistan at the international finals in Washington D.C. in March. 

The students showcased their  written and oral advocacy skills as they debated in English on three key issues: the legality of the destruction of a cultural site, who may represent a nation after a coup d’etat, and government responsibility for military action. The judges’ panel was made up of prominent international and Afghan legal experts. High-ranking representatives of from the governments of Afghanistan and the United States attended the final awards ceremony and presented the awards to the winning team from Balkh University. 

“All of the competitors today are winners, for all of you have used this intensive competition to hone your skills in legal writing, analysis and public speaking,  which will serve you and your country well as Afghanistan’s future jurists,” – said U.S. Ambassador Hans G. Klemm, Coordinating Director for Rule of Law and Law Enforcement. 

The Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition is the world's largest moot court competition, with participants from over 500 law schools in more than 80 countries.  The Competition, now in its 53rd year, poses a fictional dispute between countries before the International Court of Justice. 

Each year that Afghanistan has participated in this international competition, it has brought home a prize. In past years, Afghan students have won the ”Spirit of Jessup” award and have also been ranked among the “Top 100 Oralists” in the competition.  Last year, Team Administrator Ghulam Reza Mohammady won the Steven M. Schneebaum Outstanding National Administrator Award, which recognized his efforts in successfully organizing Afghanistan’s national competition. 

USAID's Rule of Law Stabilization Program, Formal Component, which facilitated this event, is designed to develop the human and institutional capacity of the justice sector, increase the public's access to justice, and promote the public's demand for robust rule of law environment in Afghanistan.

2012 01 11 Press Release Jessup Moot Court Competition FINAL (English)

2012 01 11 Press Release Jessup Moot Court Competition FINAL (Pashto)

2012 01 11 Press Release Jessup Moot Court CompetitionFINAL (Dari)