World Moot on
International Law and
Animal Rights, Inc.

Animals are sentient beings. It is beyond doubt that many species experience pain and suffering, love and joy.

Yet, animals are subjected to abusive treatment in the form of breeding, capture, captivity, exploitation, and slaughter on a massive scale, often in manners and contexts that would be considered unlawful if done to humans. While human personhood and fundamental rights are widely recognised, protections for animals are far from adequate. In order to successfully issue adequate animal protections, the respective interests of humans, animals, and the planet must be balanced fairly.

Driven by our mission to ensure full recognition and protection for animal personhood and rights, the WMILAR equips future lawyers to effectively advocate for animal interests through an understanding of the intricacies of interdependence, competition, and conflict that exist among the inhabitants of our planet. Without such holistic understanding, solid legal arguments cannot be made and legal battles cannot be won.

The primary objective of the WMILAR is to train future generations of lawyers in animal rights research and advocacy from a globalised perspective.

The secondary objective is to highlight issues of animal rights and their interrelationship with other global concerns such as human rights and environmental protection. This can also help current and future judges get exposed to developing animal rights arguments so they are better prepared to adjudicate when the matters reach their courtrooms.

Third, the WMILAR aims to ensure the unified, rather than fragmented, development of International Animal Rights Law as an emerging field, by bringing together lawyers and law students from across the world to engage in meaningful discussions on animal rights.

Finally, the WMILAR aims at capacity-building in regions with underdeveloped or developing mooting cultures and/or Animal Law. We do the former by offering training to law students and coaches, and by encouraging easy access to moot court participation at accessible bases in geo-political regions across the world. And we do the latter by introducing Animal Law everywhere, including places where it is a new discipline, so law students can engage in the debate in the formative stages of their career.