Last fall, the Ohio Northern University Center for Democratic Governance and Rule of Law received a $2 million grant from the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs of the U.S. Department of State to organize and administer the Afghanistan Philip C. Jessup Moot Court Program for 2017 and 2018.

On Jan. 19-25, more than 90 Afghan law students and 18 faculty coaches gathered in Kabul, Afghanistan, to participate in the Jessup competition.

Through written and oral presentations, the teams were tested by expert panels of international law judges on their understanding and knowledge of international law. Teams competed for the opportunity to represent Afghanistan in Washington, D.C. at the Jessup International Rounds Competition.  

Students from both final teams, Balkh University and Kandahar University, and from a third special exhibition team, Takhar University, will travel to Ohio Northern University in April for an intense week of advocacy skills training and practice before traveling onward to Washington, D.C. to take part in the 58th Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition.

The Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition, organized by the International Law Students Association, is the largest and oldest international law advocacy competition for law students in the world.

Currently, 550 law schools from 87 countries throughout the world participate.

The success of the Afghanistan Jessup competition, amidst the daunting challenges of the country’s conflicts and struggles, affirms both the commitment of ONU to the international rule of law and the confidence of the U.S. Department of State in the University’s capacity to manifest that commitment in Afghanistan.