UZ earns international recognition with Hague law debate invitation

Fidelis Munyoro

Chief Court Reporter

The University of Zimbabwe’s growing reputation in international legal advocacy has earned it an invitation to participate in the 10th edition of The Hague Inter-University Law Debate Tournament (THIULDT), to be held next year.

The invitation, extended by the Corax Foundation based in The Hague, Netherlands, comes after a strong showing by UZ law students in national and international competitions, including the 2026 Zimbabwe National International Humanitarian Law Moot Court Competition and the Willem C Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot in Vienna.

UZ emerged national champions in the International Humanitarian Law Moot in August after overcoming Midlands State University in the final, securing the opportunity to represent Zimbabwe in international competition.

The university also represented the country at the 33rd Willem C Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot in Vienna, further cementing its growing presence on the international legal advocacy circuit.

In a letter addressed to Faculty of Law Dean Dr Rogers Matsikidze, Corax Foundation Co-Director Mr Aurélien Lorange said UZ’s record in legal education, mooting and advocacy made it an outstanding candidate for the milestone 10th edition of THIULDT.

“Given the University of Zimbabwe’s distinguished tradition in legal education, its strong engagement in international mooting and advocacy and the international and human-rights orientation of its Faculty of Law, we believe UZ would be an outstanding candidate to form a first team for this milestone edition of the Tournament,” Mr Lorange said.

Dr Matsikidze welcomed the invitation, saying the faculty would immediately begin preparations to ensure the university was thoroughly prepared for the international competition.

“We are excited to be invited to such a prestigious tournament and our team will start working right now, led by our Advocate Musarurwa and the Moot Court Committee. We will be thoroughly prepared,” Dr Matsikidze said.

He said UZ’s recent successes on the international stage demonstrated the growing strength of its legal advocacy programmes, but cautioned that the university could not take its global presence for granted.

“As you can see, we have been winning big this year on the global stage, and such global presence cannot be taken for granted. We shall ensure that it is preserved and that we move ahead with this huge season of success,” he said.

Dr Matsikidze said the international recognition was also in line with the vision of UZ Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Paul Mapfumo, who has been pushing the university to gain greater recognition globally through the quality of its work and achievements.

“More importantly, such recognition is what our Vice Chancellor, Prof Dr P. Mapfumo, has been pushing for — that we must let the world recognise us and acknowledge us by what we are producing. Takanyarara zvedu asi tichiita ‘Kuziva, Kugona neKuita’,” he said.

“We really appreciate the support our university leadership is giving us and the guidance.”

The Hague-based tournament brings together university students from across the world to debate contemporary questions spanning international law, human rights, constitutional and comparative law, international relations, climate and environmental law, international trade, peace and security and global governance.

Unlike conventional moot court competitions, THIULDT places emphasis on spontaneous argument, rebuttal and the ability to defend competing positions on contemporary legal and policy questions.

The organisers said UZ’s participation would bring a distinctive Zimbabwean, Southern African and Global South perspective to the international debating platform.

“Zimbabwe has not yet been represented in THIULDT,” Mr Lorange said, adding that the 2027 edition presented UZ students with an opportunity to become the first university team from Zimbabwe to compete in the tournament.

The invitation also comes as the Corax Foundation intensifies efforts to increase Southern African representation in the competition.

The foundation said it hoped to build a regional community linking universities across Southern Africa with institutions from Europe, Asia, the Americas, the Middle East and Oceania.

For UZ, the tournament would provide another avenue for students to apply their legal research and advocacy skills beyond traditional moot court competitions.

The Faculty of Law offers courses including Public International Law, Human Rights Law, Environmental Law, International Economic and Trade Law, Private International Law, Alternative Dispute Resolution and Advocacy.

The faculty also has expertise in international human rights law, refugee law, international organisations, constitutional law, humanitarian law and international criminal law.

These areas are expected to position UZ students strongly in debates on African regional integration, constitutionalism, human rights, climate justice, international humanitarian law, trade and investment, natural-resource governance and the role of the Global South in the international legal order.

The 2027 competition will mark the 10th edition of THIULDT.

According to the Corax Foundation, the 2026 edition attracted 32 universities from around the world, with Auckland University of Technology being crowned World Champion.

The preliminary stages of the competition are conducted online, allowing participating students to compete internationally without having to travel for every round.

The organisers have encouraged UZ to disseminate the invitation among students interested in international law, human rights, humanitarian law, international trade, constitutional law, advocacy, debating and public speaking, particularly through the University of Zimbabwe Moot Society.

The invitation represents another milestone for UZ’s Moot Society and the Faculty of Law as the institution seeks to deepen its footprint in international legal competitions.

With Zimbabwe yet to feature in THIULDT, UZ students now have an opportunity not only to compete on a global platform, but potentially to write the country’s name into the tournament’s history as its first representatives.