Students from NYU School of Law were among the finalists at the 34^th edition of the Jean-Pictet International Humanitarian Law Competition. The team, consisting of Noelia Gravotta (JD ’21), Fasya Addina Teixeira (LLM ’20) and Erik Woodward (JD ’21), travelled to Denpasar, Bali to attend the competition from March 7-14, 2020, which may have been the last international competition to be held in person this year.

The NYU Team gets the announcement that they are moving on to the finals.

The team participates in a presidential debate in the final.

The Jean-Pictet Competition is best known for its unique concept of mixing legal knowledge and role-playing, where the objective is to take the law out of the books. Students have to demonstrate knowledge of international humanitarian law and state practice whilst taking on different roles in simulation scenarios. More than 25 teams from around the world participated in this year’s competition. Some of the legal topics that emerged throughout the competition included jus in bello, illegal transfer of weapons, the use of artificial intelligence in warfare, protection of civilians in occupied territory, and unlawful detention. Teams had to consider the legal stance and the strategic approach of various roles they inhabited, including as a regional delegation of the International Committee of the Red Cross, legal counsel to a Minister of Defense, and a human rights NGO.

The NYU Team photo (which won the best photo award at the competition).

After five days of preliminary rounds, the NYU team was among the top 12 teams selected to go to the semi-finals. The latter round comprised a mock negotiation of a cease fire, where teams represented the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the belligerent parties, laying out the basis of claims regarding war crimes and humanitarian violations and seeking remedies from opponents. Noelia, Erik and Fasya’s stellar performance led them to the final round, alongside returning champion teams from the Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights and from Essex University’s International Humanitarian Law LLM program. Interestingly, the final round was not like a typical Pictet simulation where team members worked together against another team. Rather, each team member performed individually in a simulated presidential debate, taking on the role of a presidential candidate being queried about the nation’s stance on various humanitarian legal issues.

Being a finalist was not the only achievement of the NYU Team. Noelia was also nominated for the best oralist award. Most importantly, the team won the best picture award.

Full team photo, including the coach and researcher.

Fasya, Erik and Noelia spent four months preparing for the competition, with the invaluable assistance of a coach, Yuanjun (Camille) Zhu (JD 2020) and a researcher, Wei Jin Chan (LLM 2020). For our oralists, participating in Pictet was more than just about competing or learning. They also joined a global network of students with similar career aspirations, as well as juries and mentors with years of work experience in international law and human rights. Having this competition in a curriculum vitae is a major asset for students who wish to work in IHL and related fields. Noelia, Fasya, and Erik can attest that this was an incredibly challenging, rewarding, and enjoyable experience.