A team of law students from the Faculty of Law at the University of the West Indies St. Augustine campus participated in the Hague Inter-University Law Debate Tournament 2023. Even though this is the first time that a team from the UWI participated in this debate tournament, the team’s performance was outstanding and they advanced to the quarter final rounds of the debate tournament.

 

The competition had various Group Phases with over 100 fierce matches, involving more than 30 participating universities. The team from the UWI was represented by three students, who served as both researchers and debaters. They are Marvin Williams, Suana Sookdeo and Leanna Lutchman. The coaches were Dr. Timothy Affonso and Dr. Alicia Elias-Roberts.

 

The tournament was organised by the Corax Foundation, based in The Hague, The Netherlands. The Tournament aims to stimulate the interest of students and develop their knowledge in various fields of law, including environmental law and public international law. The format of the matches fosters the growth of argumentation, research and adaptation skills. The form of the competition further promotes students’ visibility and allows for networking with other students from around the world, employers, and other academic institutions. During the Tournament, students demonstrate and improve their oral communication skills, as well as their sense of competition.

 

The themes of the debate tournament concerned global environmental security, conflict resolution and access to justice, future tangible and intangible properties, international equality, sustainable practices, among others. The aim is to show the politico-legal-economic-environmental-societal knowledge connected with legal knowledge acquired during their studies to all the people attending the matches broadcasted online.

 

All the matches were broadcasted online. The UWI St. Augustine team was successful in several matches, against its opponents from the Dom Helder Law School, (Brazil), Tilburg University (the Netherlands), and the University of Bologna (Italy). On the 30th of May 2023 the final tournament took place on the main campus of the Hague University of Applied Sciences. The final week of the tournament was held in person, with the option for teams that couldn’t travel to the Hague to participate virtually. The overall winner of the competition was the University of Antioquia, based in Colombia.

The team from the UWI travelled to the Netherlands, to not only attend the final rounds of the competition in person, but to explore the city of Peace and Justice as well as to meet and connect with fellow teams. The Corax Foundation organised several visits to various important international organisations for all the teams that travelled to the Hague. One of the debaters from the UWI team, Leanna Lutchman, had the following to say about the amazing visit to the Hauge:

“The week spent in The Hague was filled with many edifying experiences. The beauty was highlighted by the many courts and historical buildings throughout the “City of Peace and Justice.” Our day at the Peace Palace and Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons showed the importance of international law channels and how they are used for protection. The friendly Dutch culture made the trip even more enjoyable and seeing the normalized eco-friendly practice of bicycling was a highlight.

The finals of The Hague Inter-University Competition brought a grand close to the event. This experience has edified my desire for legal studies and has opened up new perspectives within International Law.”

 

The UWI Faculty of Law extends our heartfelt congratulations to the team and coaches for their remarkable participation in the 2023 Hague Inter-University Law Debate Tournament.

 

In photo: Suana Sookdeo, Marvin Williams, Leanna Lutchman, and Dr. Alicia Elias-Roberts. Location: The UWI St Augustine Campus.

 

In photo: Dr. Timothy Affonso, Suana Sookdeo, Marvin Williams, and Leanna Lutchman. Location: The UWI St Augustine Campus.

 

In photo: Marvin Williams, Suana Sookdeo, Leanna Lutchman, and Dr. Alicia Elias-Roberts. Location: The Piarco International Airport, Trinidad and Tobago

 

In photo: Marvin Williams, Leanna Lutchman, Dr. Alicia Elias-Roberts, and Suana Sookdeo. Location: Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) Headquarters, The Hague, The Netherlands.

 

In photo: Leanna Lutchman, Marvin Williams, Dr. Alicia Elias-Roberts, and Suana Sookdeo. Location: Peace Palace (International Court of Justice), The Hague, The Netherlands.

 

In photo: Marvin Williams, Suana Sookdeo, Dr. Alicia Elias-Roberts, Leanna Lutchman, and other participants and organisers from the debate tournament. Location: International Criminal Court, The Hague, The Netherlands.

 

In photo: Marvin Williams, Leanna Lutchman and Suana Sookdeo. Location: Peace Palace Library, The Hague, The Netherlands.