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31 March 2023

Sixteenth PCA Hague Vis Pre-Moot

 On 27-28 March 2023, the headquarters of the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in The Hague hosted its sixteenth edition of the Vis Pre-Moots at the Peace Palace for the 30th Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot.

During the PCA Hague Vis Pre-Moot, each team had the opportunity to plead before tribunals composed of international arbitration specialists from various jurisdictions and legal backgrounds, including H.E. Mario Javier Agustin Oyarzábal, Ambassador of Argentina to the Netherlands and H.E. Judith Sijeny, Deputy Head of Mission of Kenya to the Netherlands. The teams received detailed feedback on their pleadings in order to assist their preparation before the Vis Moot, which commences on 31 March 2023.

The following 21 teams, from eighteen different countries, attended the 2023 PCA Hague Vis Pre-Moot:

  1. Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo De México (Mexico)
  2. Istanbul Aydin University (Turkey)
  3. London School of Economics and Political Science (United Kingdom)
  4. Maastricht University (Netherlands)
  5. National University of Singapore (Singapore)
  6. Peking University School of Transnational Law (China)
  7. Princess Nourah Bint Abdul Rahman University (Saudi Arabia)
  8. Radboud University (Netherlands)
  9. Sciences Po (France)
  10. The University of Queensland (Australia)
  11. The University of Sydney (Australia)
  12. Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (Spain)
  13. Universidad Francisco Marroquín (Guatemala)
  14. Universidad Panamericana Guadalajara (Mexico)
  15. Universitas Indonesia (Indonesia)
  16. Université de Lausanne (Switzerland)
  17. University of Bonn (Germany)
  18. University of Illinois Chicago (United States of America)
  19. University of The State of Rio de Janeiro (Brazil)
  20. University of Warsaw (Poland)
  21. West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences (India)

During the closing reception and awards ceremony, the PCA had the pleasure of hosting Ambassadors and diplomatic delegations from Australia, Brazil, Guatemala, Indonesia, Mexico, Netherlands, Poland, Singapore and Turkey. Mr. Marcin Czepelak, PCA Secretary-General, delivered the closing remarks and noted that this edition of the Vis Moot was especially meaningful as the PCA Rules were used in the case, and hoped that the students, coaches and arbitrators would find their way back to the PCA in the future for all their dispute resolution interests and needs.

After four rounds, the University of Sydney emerged as the winner with the highest average total score. The runner-up was West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences, followed by Maastricht University in third position. The top oralist, in accordance with Vis Moot Rules, was Ms. Meghan Golden from the University of Illinois Chicago, followed by Ms. Sofia Mendes and Ms. Maya Eswaran of the University of Sydney.

The PCA would like to thank all teams, arbitrators, Ambassadors and delegates from various missions for their support and participation in the 2023 PCA Hague Vis Pre-Moot. The PCA wishes all teams the best of luck for the forthcoming competitions.