The Law Department at the University of Human Development actively engaged in the Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition 2026, Iraq National Round, which took place at the Kurdistan Bar Association building in Erbil from the 15th to the 17th of February 2026.

Mako Jalal Ahmed in Year 4 and Gullan Nzar Ezzat in Year 3 acted as both Applicant and Respondent in two rounds of the competition. Mako ranked 13th for being the best oralist out of 42.

Globally, more than 800 teams from nearly 100 countries participated in the 2026 competition, and participation in Iraq was the highest in all the years and the largest in the entire Middle East; 12 teams competed and presented their arguments in front of a panel of judges at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) simulation.

Participants must be active students in a law school or academic department at a recognised university. International law judges and legal experts work on a case, 'Compromis', every year, which usually involves legal disputes between two states for immediate reference to the ICJ. The legal issues have political, economic, social, cultural, and environmental dimensions, too, with consequences for regional and international peace and stability.

The 2026 Compromis is between the fictional Dominion of Alekostria and the Republic of Restovia, on the Pilemo Island in the southern hemisphere within the Gulf of Sollania, over the exploration of rare earth minerals in the Gordian Gorge in the Torngat Plateau, located in Restovia, with significant impacts on the Pilemons, who are the indigenous people in the area before the invasion of Europeans and the division of the island into two independent states, and are now spread over these two states, and the state of Sollania, which is close to the Plateau and has a sizable Pilemon population.

Restovia seeks to explore the minerals, while the other two states oppose the move. Immunity from prosecution for natural and legal persons, intervention in the court proceedings, and the free, prior, and informed consent of the indigenous people are among the main legal issues between Alekostria and Restovia.

As required by the rules of the competition, the UHD Law team submitted memorials (which means pleadings in the ICJ language but are different from normal court pleadings; a memorial is much more detailed, and legal sources are all provided) for both Applicant and Respondent and presented oral arguments in front of the judges at the court. Their performance was impressive and applauded by court spectators and monitors. The UHD team secured 6th place. It was the first-ever such experience for the team.

The medium of communication at the Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition is English; the Compromis, memorials, and oral arguments are all conducted in English.