The question presented for an Advisory Opinion by a mock panel of the International Court of Justice concerned the responsibility of States under international law to address the global climate crisis for the benefit of present and future generations.

ICJ4ICJ Moot Court Problem, Court Orders

Written memorials were submitted on behalf of six regional intergovernmental organizations:

1. Association of Southeast Asian Nations (University of Cebu, Philippines)
2. Arab League (Elizabeth Haub School of Law, Pace University, New York, USA)
3. Alliance of Small Island States (William S. Richardson School of Law, University of Hawaiʻi, Honolulu, USA)
4. Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (Seoul National University, South Korea)
5. Organization of American States (Milton Campos Law School, Brazil)
6. European Parliament (Sciences Po Rennes, France)

Oral arguments presented at the Hawai’i Supreme Court on Sept. 1, 2016 (approx. 110 minutes) can be viewed here: Mock proceeding before the International Court of Justice

Our honoree called in from the Philippines to offer some moving remarks following the moot court presentation:

We are grateful to our panel of judges for this mock International Court of Justice proceeding:

1. Acting President, Chief Justice Mark Recktenwald, Hawai’i Supreme Court (USA)
2. Judge, Professor Christina Voigt, University of Oslo (Norway)
3. Judge, Professor Liza Osorio, The University of Cebu (Philippines)
4. Judge, Professor Emilie Gaillard, University of Caen (France)
5. Judge, Professor Irina Krasnova, Russian State University of Justice (Russia)

We also appreciate the extraordinary effort by law student oralists from around the world:

1. Léa Le Cam, Sciences Po Rennes, France — lead oralist, representing The European Parliament
2. Nikolas Fan, Milton Campos Law School, Brazil — lead oralist, representing The Organization of American States
3. Hooshin Kim, Seoul National University, South Korea — lead oralist, representing The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
4. Alyssa Y. H. Kau, William S. Richardson School of Law, University of Hawaiʻi, Honolulu, USA — lead oralist, representing The Alliance of Small Island States
5. Joseph D. Moravec, Elizabeth Haub School of Law, Pace University, New York, USA — lead oralist, representing The League of Arab States
6. Kristine Joy Argallon, University of Cebu, Philippines — lead oralist, representing The Association of Southeast Asian Nations

We hosted a workshop at the Hawai’i Convention Center during the IUCN Forum.

Among other things, we screened a professionally produced, edited version of the moot:

Many thanks are owed to the incredible team at Kinetic Productions (James Sereno, producer/director) for donating their time, expertise and equipment.

In addition, we invited students from each of the international teams to share their reflections about the moot:

1. Sciences Po Rennes, France — Léa Le Cam
2. Milton Campos Law School, Brazil — Nikolas Fan and Helena Sette Camara
3. Seoul National University, South Korea — Hooshin Kim and So-Hyun Park
4. William S. Richardson School of Law, University of Hawaiʻi, Honolulu, USA — Arielle Kramer, Kaily Wakefield, and Alyssa Y. H. Kau
5. Elizabeth Haub School of Law, Pace University, New York, USA — Joseph D. Moravec, Casandia Bellevue, Sarah Cinquemani, Suzy Englot, Jullee Kim, Jeshica Patel and Conor Strong
6. University of Cebu, Philippines — Kristine Joy Argallon and Carla Colaljo

A panel of international environmental experts from around the world also weighed in:

1. Justice Antonio H. Benjamin, National High Court of Brazil
2. Justice Ragnhild Noer, Supreme Court of Norway
3. Professor Dan Bodansky, Global Institute of Sustainability, University of Law, University of Arizona (USA)
4. Professor Christina Voigt, University of Oslo (Norway)
5. Professor Emilie Gaillard, University of Caen (France)
6. Professor Maxine Burkett, William S. Richardson School of Law, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
7. Professor Irina Krasnova, Russian State University of Justice (Russia)
8. Professor Liza Osorio, University of Cebu (Philippines)

We are also grateful for those who provided expert review and commentary on the draft memorial writing:

1. Professor Maxine Burkett (Honolulu, USA)
2. Shirleen Chin (The Hague, Netherlands)
3. David M. Forman (Honolulu, USA)
4. Professor Emilie Gaillard (France)
5. Professor Antonio G.M. La Viña (Philippines)
6. Dr. iur. Volker Mauerhofer (Austria)
7. Clement Yow Mulalap (Federated States of Micronesia)
8. Professor Nicholas A. Robinson (New York, USA)
9. Attorney Loren Seehase (Honolulu, USA)
10. Professor Christina Voigt (Norway)
11. Attorney Kurt Winter (London, UK)