PhD candidates in Law sweep competition prizes

The ‘Hours of Crisis’ is a 10-hour competition in which a major international crisis is simulated. Competing teams, representing governments, businesses and individuals, are given the challenge of dealing with a number of legal issues pertaining to private international law and public international law. 

This year's competition revolved around the sovereignty claims of State A for a rock lying just within its Exclusive Economic Zone, which State A had converted into a habitable island. The tasks given to competing teams included: defending the sovereignty claims and fishing rights of State A against other states and companies; written and oral defences of a state's senior officials seeking diplomatic protection in the embassy of another state; preparation of a UN Security Council Resolution and negotiation of the resolution at a meeting of the Security Council. 

Iryna and Aylin's five-member team, named ‘Grotius Busters’, received runner-up awards for ‘Best Negotiating Team’ and ‘Best Written Advice’. 

The prizes were awarded at the closing ceremony of the Winter Courses of the Hague Academy of International Law by its Secretary-General Jean-Marc Thouvenin.