Birzeit University Represents Palestine in Vienna International Commercial Arbitration Competition

A team of students from the Birzeit University Law Department participated for the first time in the International Commercial Arbitration Competition in Vienna, held from April 10-17, 2014. The contest is organized by William C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot, United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) and a selection of European and American universities.

The William C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot in Vienna is considered one of the most prestigious moot court competitions in the world. It is held each year in Vienna in the week before Easter, and a sister competition is held in Hong Kong earlier in the spring. The goal of the Moot is to foster the study of international commercial law and arbitration for resolution of international business disputes through its application to a concrete problem of a client and to train law students in methods of alternative dispute resolution. The Vis Moot brings together teams representing more than 160 universities from more than 50 countries.

The Birzeit team competed with five teams from different universities located in Western and Eastern Europe, the United States and Russia. The team demonstrated professional performance, and attended several sessions with other Middle Eastern universities’ teams, where Professor Ronald A. Brand from the University of Pittsburgh commended the Birzeit team and promised to continue supporting the Birzeit team in the coming years.