A team from the Faculty of Legal and Social Sciences at Universidad Rafael Landívar participated in the XXIII Víctor Carlos García Moreno Competition held in Mexico in October. The event is a simulated judicial proceeding before the International Criminal Court, bringing together universities from Latin America to debate high-impact cases with global relevance.
Seventeen teams from Mexico, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, and Guatemala took part in this edition. The competition tests students’ knowledge of international criminal law and humanitarian law, preparing future lawyers for critical analysis, strategic litigation, and legal argumentation in scenarios similar to those before the court.
During the written phase, each team prepared briefs representing the positions of the Prosecutor’s Office, Legal Representation of Victims, and Defense. In the oral phase, they defended these positions before an international jury composed of experts in the field.
In the preliminary rounds, the Universidad Rafael Landívar team achieved the highest score among all participants and advanced to the finals. The delegation finished second overall behind Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (first place) and ahead of Universidad del Istmo (third place). The university also received recognition for Best Brief by Legal Representation of Victims.
The 2025 competition partnered with the Regional Delegation of the International Committee of the Red Cross for Mexico and Central America. As a result, one finalist team was selected to receive institutional and financial support to participate in the Jean Pictet Competition 2026 in Dilijan, Armenia. After elimination rounds, Universidad Rafael Landívar was chosen to represent Central America at this major international humanitarian law contest scheduled for February 2026.
According to a statement from Universidad Rafael Landívar: "The performance of our team demonstrates teaching quality, methodological strength of academic processes and our mission to train competent professionals who are conscious, compassionate, coherent and committed—capable of engaging and excelling on global legal stages."
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