What is the eligibility for participation in the competition?

The competition is open to college-level students.

Where will the competition take place?

The competition will be held in Raipur, IND.

Surana & Surana JUDEX 4.0 Human Rights Law Moot Court Competition 2026

Jun 13, 2026Raipur, IndiaIn-person

Registration open

The Surana & Surana JUDEX 4.0 Human Rights Law Moot Court Competition is an academic event focused on human rights law, designed for college-level participants. Hosted in Raipur, IND, this competition provides a platform for students to engage with complex legal issues within the human rights framework. It emphasizes the practical application of legal knowledge and argumentation skills in a simulated court setting.

Country perspectives

Where the most-relevant 1 countries stand on the dominant committee topic. Click through for the full country profile.

India

Host nation and a significant contributor to human rights discourse.

Role in topic

As the host country, IND provides the geographical and legal context for the competition. Its domestic legal framework and engagement with international human rights norms offer a rich backdrop for participants to explore and apply human rights principles. The event underscores IND's commitment to fostering legal education and human rights advocacy within its academic institutions.

Topics & background

The history behind each committee topic and the states that shape it.

Contemporary Challenges in International Human Rights Law

International human rights law emerged in the aftermath of the Second World War, anchored in the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights and given binding force through the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), both adopted in 1966. Successive treaties addressing racial discrimination, torture, the rights of women, children, migrant workers, and persons with disabilities, alongside regional instruments in Europe, the Americas, and Africa, built a layered architecture of protection supervised by treaty bodies, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), and the Universal Periodic Review process at the Human Rights Council. In recent years, this framework has come under strain from challenges its drafters did not anticipate. The OHCHR's 2024 report on artificial intelligence flagged risks that automated content moderation, predictive policing, and biometric surveillance pose to freedom of expression under ICCPR Article 19, due process, and non-discrimination, prompting calls for a binding framework on algorithmic accountability and even a dedicated Special Rapporteur. In parallel, General Assembly Resolution 76/300 recognised the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment, raising urgent questions about how states must protect populations displaced by climate change, a category that falls outside the 1951 Refugee Convention. The contemporary debate centres on how to operationalise these expanding norms in a fragmented geopolitical environment. States disagree on the extraterritorial reach of human rights obligations, the responsibilities of private technology and fossil fuel corporations under the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, and the enforceability of economic and social rights. The Moot's focus on Human Rights Law invites delegates to engage with this evolving jurisprudence, drawing on treaty bodies, regional courts, and the International Court of Justice's increasing engagement with human rights questions.

Key players