What is the eligibility level for participants in the All Boys Debating Championship?

The championship is open to high-school level participants, providing a platform for young debaters to showcase their skills.

Where is the All Boys Debating Championship held?

The championship takes place in the city of Johannesburg, ZAF.

What is the format of the All Boys Debating Championship?

The event is structured as a debating championship, focusing on competitive argumentation and public speaking skills.

2027 All Boys Debating Championship

Mar 5–7, 2027Johannesburg, South AfricaIn-person

Registration open

The All Boys Debating Championship, scheduled for early in the year, is a high-school level competition hosted in Johannesburg, South Africa. This event brings together young debaters for several days of rigorous intellectual exchange and skill development. Participants will engage in structured debates, honing their public speaking, critical thinking, and argumentation abilities within a competitive yet supportive environment.

Committees & topics

Security Council 1 (UNSC)
The Situation in Sudan
Security Council 2 (UNSC)
Cybersecurity and the Protection of Critical Infrastructure
Committee on Digital Affairs & Sovereignty
Digital Sovereignty, Cross-Border Data Flows, and Platform Governance
Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC)
Sovereign Debt Restructuring and Financing for Sustainable Development
UNESCO
Protection of Cultural Heritage in Armed Conflict and the Ethics of AI
UN Environment Programme (UNEP)
A Global Treaty to End Plastic Pollution
World Health Organisation (WHO)
Implementing the Pandemic Agreement and Strengthening Global Health Security
Human Rights Council (HRC)
Human Rights, Artificial Intelligence, and the Right to a Healthy Environment

Why it matters

Debate competitions like this championship are crucial for fostering essential diplomatic skills in young leaders. The ability to articulate complex ideas, engage in respectful disagreement, and understand multiple perspectives is fundamental for effective international relations. By participating, students develop the confidence and rhetorical prowess necessary to navigate future challenges, whether in academic, professional, or diplomatic spheres.

Furthermore, the championship's location in Johannesburg, ZAF, adds a unique dimension, exposing participants to a significant global hub and its diverse perspectives. ZAF's history and contemporary role in African and global affairs provide a rich backdrop for discussions, potentially influencing the topics debated and the viewpoints presented by participants. This geographical context can broaden the debaters' understanding of international issues and the nuances of global diplomacy.

Such events also serve as a platform for networking and cultural exchange among high school students from various backgrounds. Building these connections early can contribute to a more interconnected and understanding global community in the future. The skills acquired, from logical reasoning to persuasive communication, are transferable and invaluable for any aspiring diplomat or global citizen.

How to prepare

Participants should focus on developing a robust understanding of current global affairs, with particular attention to issues relevant to the African continent, given the event's location in ZAF. Researching various international organizations, geopolitical dynamics, and socio-economic challenges will provide a strong foundation for debate topics. Utilizing resources such as the Council on Foreign Relations can offer in-depth analysis of these subjects.

Mastering debate formats and argumentation techniques is equally important. Students should practice constructing compelling arguments, identifying logical fallacies, and delivering speeches with clarity and conviction. Lessons on topics such as "Dynamic Analysis" and "Engagement Strategies" can provide valuable frameworks for approaching complex debate propositions. Understanding different perspectives, as explored in "Gender Dynamics Across Cultures," will also be beneficial for nuanced argumentation.

Finally, preparation should include honing research skills and the ability to synthesize information rapidly. Debaters often face topics with limited preparation time, requiring quick critical thinking and the ability to adapt. Practicing impromptu speaking and collaborative brainstorming with teammates will be key to success in this high-stakes environment.

Country perspectives

Where the most-relevant 4 countries stand on the core issues in play. Click through for the full country profile.

South Africa

As the host nation, ZAF provides the cultural and political backdrop for the championship, influencing potential debate topics and offering a unique regional perspective.

Role in topic

ZAF's role as a prominent African nation with a complex history and active participation in international forums means its perspectives on global issues, development, and human rights are likely to feature prominently in debates. The host city of Johannesburg further grounds the event in a significant economic and cultural center.

United States

The USA's global influence and diverse foreign policy interests make its perspectives relevant to a wide array of debate topics.

Role in topic

The United States often plays a central role in international discussions, from economic policy to security challenges. Debaters might explore US foreign policy, its impact on developing nations, or its approach to global governance, drawing on its status as a major world power.

China

China's growing economic and geopolitical presence ensures its policies and international relations are frequent subjects of debate.

Role in topic

China's Belt and Road Initiative, its economic ties with African nations, and its stance on international trade and human rights are all potential areas for debate. Understanding China's diplomatic approach and its impact on global dynamics is crucial for participants.

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom's historical ties and contemporary diplomatic efforts offer another significant lens through which to view international issues.

Role in topic

The UK's post-Brexit foreign policy, its role in international security, and its historical influence in various regions, including parts of Africa, provide rich material for debate. Its perspective on multilateralism and global challenges is often distinct and important.

Topics & background

The background behind each topic and the actors that shape it.

Security Council 1 (UNSC)

The Situation in Sudan

Sudan has been engulfed in civil war since April 2023, when long-simmering tensions between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) under General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) under Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo ('Hemedti') erupted in Khartoum. The fighting derailed a fragile civilian-led transition that had begun after the 2019 ouster of Omar al-Bashir and the 2021 military coup. The conflict has produced what UN agencies describe as the world's largest displacement crisis, with more than ten million people uprooted, famine conditions declared in parts of Darfur, and credible reports of ethnically targeted atrocities by the RSF in West Darfur reminiscent of the 2003-2005 genocide. The Security Council has struggled to translate its concern into action. Resolution 1591 (2005) established a Darfur sanctions regime and arms embargo that remains poorly enforced, while external actors — including the UAE, Egypt, Russia (through Wagner/Africa Corps networks), and Iran — have been accused of supplying arms or financing to the belligerents. Jeddah-track talks brokered by Saudi Arabia and the United States, and parallel efforts by the African Union and IGAD, have repeatedly collapsed. The ICC retains an open Darfur mandate, but referrals and accountability remain politically charged. Today the Council is debating how to widen the arms embargo beyond Darfur to all of Sudan, secure humanitarian corridors, and prevent regional spillover into Chad, South Sudan, and the Red Sea littoral.

Key players

Security Council 2 (UNSC)

Cybersecurity and the Protection of Critical Infrastructure

State and state-aligned cyber operations against critical infrastructure — power grids, hospitals, water systems, financial networks, and undersea cables — have escalated sharply over the past decade. Landmark incidents including NotPetya (2017), the Colonial Pipeline ransomware attack (2021), repeated intrusions targeting Ukrainian energy infrastructure during the war with Russia, and disruptive operations attributed to North Korean and Iranian actors have demonstrated that cyberspace is now a routine domain of inter-state coercion. The dual-use nature of digital infrastructure and the difficulty of attribution complicate the application of existing international law. Within the UN, two parallel processes — the Group of Governmental Experts (GGE) and the Open-Ended Working Group (OEWG) on ICTs — have produced consensus reports affirming that international law, including the UN Charter, applies in cyberspace, and have endorsed eleven voluntary norms of responsible state behaviour. The OEWG's 2021-2025 cycle has focused on confidence-building measures, capacity building, and a permanent UN cyber mechanism, but states remain divided on whether a new legally binding treaty is required (a position advanced by Russia and China) or whether existing law and voluntary norms suffice (the position of most Western states). The Council is now considering whether attacks on civilian critical infrastructure should be treated as threats to international peace and security under Chapter VII, and how to reconcile sovereignty claims over data with cross-border incident response.

Key players

Committee on Digital Affairs & Sovereignty

Digital Sovereignty, Cross-Border Data Flows, and Platform Governance

The idea of 'digital sovereignty' — a state's claim to regulate the data, infrastructure, and online services that affect its citizens — has moved from rhetoric to policy. The EU's GDPR, Digital Services Act, Digital Markets Act, and AI Act; China's Cybersecurity Law, Data Security Law, and Personal Information Protection Law; India's Digital Personal Data Protection Act; and a wave of African and Latin American data protection statutes have created overlapping, often conflicting regimes. Data localisation requirements, content takedown orders, and restrictions on foreign platforms have proliferated, while undersea cables, cloud regions, and AI compute have become objects of geopolitical competition. The UN's 2024 Global Digital Compact, adopted alongside the Pact for the Future, set out shared principles on an open, inclusive internet, human rights online, and AI governance, including a new Independent International Scientific Panel on AI. But it left unresolved the harder questions: how to reconcile sovereign regulation with the global, interoperable architecture of the internet; whether to treat large platforms as quasi-public utilities; and how to prevent digital fragmentation along geopolitical lines (the so-called 'splinternet'). The committee is now tasked with translating the Compact's principles into operational arrangements on cross-border data flows, platform accountability, and digital public infrastructure that does not entrench either Big Tech monopolies or state surveillance.

Key players

Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC)

Sovereign Debt Restructuring and Financing for Sustainable Development

Developing economies face the worst debt crunch in a generation. The combined shocks of COVID-19, the 2022 commodity price spike, and sharp interest-rate increases in advanced economies have pushed dozens of low- and middle-income countries into or near debt distress, with debt servicing in many African states now exceeding spending on health or education. Sri Lanka, Zambia, Ghana, and Ethiopia have undergone or are undergoing restructurings, but the G20 Common Framework — launched in 2020 to coordinate official and private creditors — has been criticised for slowness, opaque comparability-of-treatment rules, and the absence of meaningful private-creditor participation. The creditor landscape has also shifted: China is now the largest bilateral official lender to many developing countries, alongside traditional Paris Club creditors and a growing share of private bondholders. African and Latin American states, supported by UNCTAD and the UN Secretary-General's SDG Stimulus, are pushing for a UN-led sovereign debt workout mechanism, building on the agenda set at the 2025 Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD4) in Seville. In parallel, ECOSOC is examining how digital public infrastructure, fair international taxation (including the UN Framework Convention on International Tax Cooperation negotiated since 2024), and reform of multilateral development banks can close the estimated multi-trillion-dollar annual SDG financing gap.

Key players

UNESCO

Protection of Cultural Heritage in Armed Conflict and the Ethics of AI

UNESCO's dual mandate over cultural heritage and the ethics of science and technology has been stress-tested by simultaneous crises. The destruction or damage of heritage sites in Ukraine, Gaza, Syria, Yemen, Mali, and Sudan has revived debate over the 1954 Hague Convention and its Protocols on the protection of cultural property in armed conflict, including the question of when attacks on heritage sites constitute war crimes — as confirmed by the ICC in the Al Mahdi case (2016) concerning Timbuktu. Illicit trafficking of antiquities continues to fund armed groups, and reconstruction debates increasingly intersect with restitution claims from former colonial powers. At the same time, UNESCO's 2021 Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence — the first global standard-setting instrument on AI — is moving from principle to implementation through Readiness Assessment Methodologies in dozens of states. Member states are negotiating how AI affects education, scientific integrity, linguistic and cultural diversity, and the integrity of the information environment, particularly in light of generative AI's capacity to produce synthetic media at scale. The committee is examining how these two strands intersect: digitisation and AI as tools to safeguard endangered heritage and languages, but also as vectors of new harms to cultural and epistemic diversity.

Key players

UN Environment Programme (UNEP)

A Global Treaty to End Plastic Pollution

In March 2022, UNEA-5.2 adopted Resolution 5/14, mandating the negotiation of a legally binding international instrument to end plastic pollution, including in the marine environment, by the end of 2024. The Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) held five formal sessions between 2022 and 2024, culminating in INC-5 in Busan, where states failed to reach consensus on the most contentious provisions and agreed to reconvene. A 'high-ambition coalition' led by Norway, Rwanda, the EU, and small island states has pushed for binding global caps on primary plastic polymer production and bans on the most hazardous chemicals and problematic products. A group of major oil- and petrochemical-producing states — including Saudi Arabia, Russia, Iran, and to varying degrees the United States — has resisted production-side measures, favouring a focus on waste management and recycling. The issue sits at the intersection of climate, biodiversity, and health: plastics account for a rising share of fossil fuel demand, microplastics are now documented across human and ecological systems, and waste exports disproportionately burden developing economies. The treaty is widely viewed as a test case for whether the multilateral environmental system can deliver a Paris-style instrument on a global pollutant. UNEP is also tracking parallel obligations under the Global Biodiversity Framework, the Minamata Convention on mercury, and the new science-policy panel on chemicals, waste, and pollution.

Key players

World Health Organisation (WHO)

Implementing the Pandemic Agreement and Strengthening Global Health Security

The COVID-19 pandemic exposed systemic failures in global health security: inequitable access to vaccines, slow pathogen surveillance and information sharing, weak supply chains, and politicised cooperation. In response, the World Health Assembly launched two parallel processes: amendments to the 2005 International Health Regulations (adopted in 2024) and the negotiation of a new WHO Pandemic Agreement, which was adopted in May 2025 after three years of difficult talks led by the Intergovernmental Negotiating Body (INB). The Agreement establishes commitments on prevention, preparedness, and response, including a Pathogen Access and Benefit-Sharing (PABS) system intended to ensure that countries sharing pathogen samples receive equitable access to resulting vaccines, therapeutics, and diagnostics. It also addresses technology transfer, supply chain transparency, and One Health approaches linking human, animal, and environmental health. However, key operational details — including PABS percentages, geographically diversified manufacturing, and financing — were deferred to subsequent negotiations, and the United States announced its withdrawal from the WHO in early 2025, complicating implementation. The Assembly is now focused on operationalising the Agreement, integrating it with revised IHR obligations, and confronting parallel threats including antimicrobial resistance, mpox, H5N1 in livestock, and the ongoing burden of non-communicable diseases targeted by the 2025 High-Level Meeting on NCDs.

Key players

Human Rights Council (HRC)

Human Rights, Artificial Intelligence, and the Right to a Healthy Environment

The Human Rights Council, established by GA Resolution 60/251 in 2006 to replace the discredited Commission on Human Rights, has increasingly grappled with rights challenges that transcend traditional state-society relationships. Two interlocking agendas now dominate: the human rights implications of artificial intelligence, and the operationalisation of the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment recognised by the General Assembly in Resolution 76/300 (2022). On AI, OHCHR's 2021 and 2024 reports identified serious risks to privacy (ICCPR Article 17), freedom of expression (Article 19), non-discrimination, due process, and the rights to work and social security. Member states are debating whether to create a Special Rapporteur on AI and human rights, how to apply the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights to AI developers and deployers, and how to address mass surveillance, biometric identification, and algorithmic content moderation. On the environment, climate-driven displacement, loss and damage, and the rights of environmental defenders — who are killed at record rates, particularly in Latin America — have become focal points, alongside the 2024 ICJ and ITLOS advisory opinions on states' climate obligations. The Council is also navigating contested country situations, the Universal Periodic Review cycle, and persistent debates over the universality of rights versus invocations of cultural relativism and sovereignty.

Key players

Resources

News, lessons, and country profiles to prep for 2027 All Boys Debating Championship.

Recent reporting to ground your prep

US Job Openings at 6.7M

Trump's Economic Reset

Supreme Court's Voting Rights Impact on 2026

Mifepristone Ruling Sparks 2026 Political Tug

Lessons

Bite-sized lessons to build the basics

Hidden Stakeholders

Engagement Strategies

Dynamic Analysis

Stakeholder Mapping Workshop

Courses

Guided courses that go deeper on the topic

Advanced Negotiation

Multilateral Negotiation

Policy Brief Writing

Conflict Resolution

Frequently asked questions

Free account

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2027 All Boys Debating Championship

Mar 5–7, 2027Johannesburg, South AfricaIn-person

Registration open

Committees & topics

Security Council 1 (UNSC)
The Situation in Sudan
Security Council 2 (UNSC)
Cybersecurity and the Protection of Critical Infrastructure
Committee on Digital Affairs & Sovereignty
Digital Sovereignty, Cross-Border Data Flows, and Platform Governance
Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC)
Sovereign Debt Restructuring and Financing for Sustainable Development
UNESCO
Protection of Cultural Heritage in Armed Conflict and the Ethics of AI
UN Environment Programme (UNEP)
A Global Treaty to End Plastic Pollution
World Health Organisation (WHO)
Implementing the Pandemic Agreement and Strengthening Global Health Security
Human Rights Council (HRC)
Human Rights, Artificial Intelligence, and the Right to a Healthy Environment

Why it matters

How to prepare

Country perspectives

Where the most-relevant 4 countries stand on the core issues in play. Click through for the full country profile.

South Africa

As the host nation, ZAF provides the cultural and political backdrop for the championship, influencing potential debate topics and offering a unique regional perspective.

Role in topic

United States

The USA's global influence and diverse foreign policy interests make its perspectives relevant to a wide array of debate topics.

Role in topic

China

China's growing economic and geopolitical presence ensures its policies and international relations are frequent subjects of debate.

Role in topic

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom's historical ties and contemporary diplomatic efforts offer another significant lens through which to view international issues.

Role in topic

Topics & background

The background behind each topic and the actors that shape it.

Security Council 1 (UNSC)

The Situation in Sudan

Key players

Security Council 2 (UNSC)

Cybersecurity and the Protection of Critical Infrastructure

Key players

Committee on Digital Affairs & Sovereignty

Digital Sovereignty, Cross-Border Data Flows, and Platform Governance

Key players

Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC)

Sovereign Debt Restructuring and Financing for Sustainable Development

Key players

UNESCO

Protection of Cultural Heritage in Armed Conflict and the Ethics of AI

Key players

UN Environment Programme (UNEP)

A Global Treaty to End Plastic Pollution

Key players

World Health Organisation (WHO)

Implementing the Pandemic Agreement and Strengthening Global Health Security

Key players

Human Rights Council (HRC)

Human Rights, Artificial Intelligence, and the Right to a Healthy Environment

Key players

Resources

News, lessons, and country profiles to prep for 2027 All Boys Debating Championship.

Recent reporting to ground your prep

US Job Openings at 6.7M

Trump's Economic Reset

Supreme Court's Voting Rights Impact on 2026

Mifepristone Ruling Sparks 2026 Political Tug

Lessons

Bite-sized lessons to build the basics

Hidden Stakeholders

Engagement Strategies

Dynamic Analysis

Stakeholder Mapping Workshop

Courses

Guided courses that go deeper on the topic

Advanced Negotiation

Multilateral Negotiation

Policy Brief Writing

Conflict Resolution

South Africa High School March 2027

By committee

Frequently asked questions

Free account

Save conferences, research any topic with AI, build position papers, and keep your daily prep streak — free.

Create free account

Already a member? Log in

2027 All Boys Debating Championship

Committees & topics

Why it matters

How to prepare

Country perspectives

Topics & background

The Situation in Sudan

Cybersecurity and the Protection of Critical Infrastructure

Digital Sovereignty, Cross-Border Data Flows, and Platform Governance

Sovereign Debt Restructuring and Financing for Sustainable Development

Protection of Cultural Heritage in Armed Conflict and the Ethics of AI

A Global Treaty to End Plastic Pollution

Implementing the Pandemic Agreement and Strengthening Global Health Security

Human Rights, Artificial Intelligence, and the Right to a Healthy Environment

Resources

Frequently asked questions

2027 All Boys Debating Championship

Committees & topics

Why it matters

How to prepare

Country perspectives

Topics & background

The Situation in Sudan

Cybersecurity and the Protection of Critical Infrastructure

Digital Sovereignty, Cross-Border Data Flows, and Platform Governance

Sovereign Debt Restructuring and Financing for Sustainable Development

Protection of Cultural Heritage in Armed Conflict and the Ethics of AI

A Global Treaty to End Plastic Pollution

Implementing the Pandemic Agreement and Strengthening Global Health Security

Human Rights, Artificial Intelligence, and the Right to a Healthy Environment

Resources

Vaal Italian Podcast High School Debate Competition 2026

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National Tournament 2027

Frequently asked questions

Vaal Italian Podcast High School Debate Competition 2026

2026 High School National Debating Championship

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Committees & topics

Why it matters

How to prepare

Country perspectives

Topics & background

Resources

Frequently asked questions

Committees & topics

Why it matters

How to prepare

Country perspectives

Topics & background

Resources

Related conferences

Vaal Italian Podcast High School Debate Competition 2026

2026 High School National Debating Championship

National Tournament 2027

Frequently asked questions

Related conferences

Vaal Italian Podcast High School Debate Competition 2026

2026 High School National Debating Championship

National Tournament 2027