The ELSA Moot Court Competition on WTO Law is a simulated hearing under the rules of the WTO dispute settlement system involving exchanges of written submissions and adversarial hearings before panellists on international trade law issues. The teams prepare and analyse a fictitious case and present their arguments both as a complainant and a respondent in front of a panel that consists of trade law experts.

This year the fictitious case covered issues concerning the relationship between trade and environment, including measures taken to address carbon emissions in the production of goods, tariff obligations and prohibited subsidies. The case was written by James J. Nedumpara, Professor & Head, Centre for Trade and Investment Law, Indian Institute of Foreign Trade.

A total of 99 teams of students from around the world participated in regional rounds held between February and April 2018 in Nairobi (Kenya), Wroclaw (Poland), Naples (Italy), Bangkok (Thailand) and Washington DC (United States). The top 25 teams qualified for the final round, which was hosted at the Graduate Institute and at WTO headquarters in Geneva. This final round provided a chance for the best students to meet their fellow students, to witness the trade law world in action and to see the opportunities available for a career in trade law.

After four days of competition, the semi-finals and the Grand Final took place on 23 June. The semi-finalists were the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies, Maastricht University, the National Law School of India University and the National University of Singapore. The Grand Final Bench was composed of distinguished panellists chaired by Ujal Singh Bhatia, the Chairman of the Appellate Body.

The team from the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies won the competition while the National Law School of India was runner-up and the best team from a developing country. Deputy Director-General Karl Brauner opened the awards ceremony while Gabrielle Marceau, counsellor at the Legal Affairs Division of the WTO, served as Master of Ceremonies. Ambassador Sunanta Kangvalkulkij, chair of the WTO Dispute Settlement Body, presided over the prize-giving. One of the prizes the winning teams received were scholarships to attend courses at the World Trade Institute in Bern.

The Grand Final was followed by a renaming ceremony for the competition. As of next year, the WTO moot court will be called the John H. Jackson Moot Court Competition, in memory of the academic founding father of both the field of international trade law and the WTO as a formally constituted international organization. Mr Jackson's family and representatives from Georgetown University, where he taught international trade law, participated in the ceremony.

The ELSA Moot Court Competition on WTO Law is an example of the WTO's broad support for capacity building. The WTO sends legal experts to the regional rounds to act as panellists. WTO staff members also advise ELSA on the academic aspects of running the competition and are integral to planning the final oral round in Geneva.

The WTO has been a technical sponsor and partner in the competition since its inception in 2002-2003. WTO staff members assist with various organisational and academic aspects of the event. Likewise, international WTO experts from private international law firms, think tanks, permanent missions, and various organizations made contributions towards sponsoring or supporting this global competition.

Furthermore, the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa and the Society of International Economic Law (SIEL), along with private and local sponsors, contributed towards the smooth running of the African Round. Academic institutions, such as the Society for International Economic Law (SIEL), the European Society of International Law, and the World Trade Institute provided support by offering prizes to the winning teams in the regional and final rounds. Georgetown University also supports the competition academically. The entire trade law community embraces the value of this competition.