On 6th of October, International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) held International Humanitarian Law (IHL) Role-Play Competition Regional Round at the National University of Malaysia (KLM), in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. In this Role Play, teams of three students competed how well they play designated roles in various fictional conflict scenarios. Each team is given a role, for example, ICRC representatives, military/armed group advisors, humanitarian workers, United Nations (UN) staff. They are expected to negotiate, make clear arguments while using their knowledge of IHL. The winner of the regional round will get an internship opportunity in one of the regional ICRC offices, as well as get substantive support to apply for the annual Jean-Pictet Competition: the IHL International Moot Court competition.

IHL is not widely known in Japan. It is a set of international law which all states and other conflict parties should respect during an armed conflict. IHL protects people who are not taking part in hostilities and limits choice of weapons and means and methods of warfare. Part of IHL works as customary international law. At the role-play competition, participants can learn how IHL is applied in real situations by playing different roles while using their knowledge of IHL in fictional conflict scenarios.

8 teams, which were selected through national rounds, participated in the regional competition, including teams from Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Brunei and Japan. Teams were very friendly, and participants actively engaged in communicating with each other at the venue.

The competition is comprised of two rounds. In the first round, two simulations were demonstrated. Both simulations in the first round were related to the work of ICRC. In one simulation, we had to collect information as ICRC representatives at the site bombed by the government. In another simulation, we had to give a press conference as ICRC representatives or representatives of a local ICRC mission. Two teams for the final was selected based on the performance of the first round.

In the final round, we had to make a proposal on the means and methods of warfare, from the IHL point of view, in a war council of an armed group.

The performance in the simulation is evaluated by how much participants understand basic principles of IHL and how to make an argument in applying it to the given situations. ICRC staff members and international law experts take part in the role-play and work as judges. For example, in the information collecting simulation, some judges acted as military personnel, and others as injured persons. In the press conference simulation, judges played the role of journalists.

We were overwhelmed by the performance of judges. Their acting was realistic as they are involved in real such situations. Judges seemed to have enjoyed the role-play.

What impressed me most about the competition was that all the participants were enjoying and appeared truly committed to the role-play.

The University of Tokyo team was composed of Mr. Yuki Tsujimura (second year), Miss Sara Kurashima (second year) and Miss Tong Fei (first year). The team was trained by Ai Kihara-Hunt(Associate Professor, Graduate Program on Human Security, international law). The team went through an intensive training to practice playing roles and to learn the foundation of IHL.

It was our first time participating in the competition and we were not fully confident. However, we made it to the final round by playing our roles in the first round.

Unfortunately, we lost against the team from the Singapore National University at the final round. After the competition, we received comments from the chief judge that our team’s teamwork was highly evaluated.

There is a plan for Japan national round next year. I would encourage fellow students from the University of Tokyo to actively participate in the competition.

(Article written by Yuki Tsujimura, edited by Ai Kihara-Hunt, translated by Konosuke Koshiishi)