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| The Hague Debating Series | |
|---|---|
| Name | The Hague Debating Series |
| Founded | 2009 |
| Location | The Hague, Netherlands |
The Hague Debating Series is an international intercollegiate debating competition held annually in The Hague that attracts teams from universities, colleges, and debating societies worldwide. The Series emphasizes public speaking, parliamentary procedure, and adjudication standards aligned with major debating traditions, drawing participants and adjudicators linked to institutions and organizations across Europe, North America, Asia, Africa, and Oceania. The Series has become a fixture alongside other prestigious events and venues associated with international law and diplomacy.
The Hague Debating Series convenes teams in a format influenced by British Parliamentary and World Universities Debating Council practices, aiming to foster links between debating communities at University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, Harvard University, Yale University, Stanford University, University of Toronto, University of Melbourne, University of Cape Town, National University of Singapore, University of Tokyo, Humboldt University of Berlin, Sciences Po, London School of Economics, University College London, Trinity College Dublin, McGill University, University of Amsterdam, Leiden University, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, King's College London, University of Edinburgh, University of Glasgow, Monash University, University of Sydney, University of Auckland, Peking University, Tsinghua University, Seoul National University, University of São Paulo, Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, University of Nairobi, American University of Beirut, Aarhus University, KU Leuven, University of Zurich, ETH Zurich, University of Vienna, Charles University, Masaryk University, University of Warsaw, Jagiellonian University, University of Helsinki, Stockholm University, Utrecht University, Radboud University Nijmegen, Erasmus University Rotterdam, TU Delft, Delft University of Technology, Technical University of Munich, LMU Munich, University of Bologna, Sapienza University of Rome, University of Barcelona, Complutense University of Madrid, Autonomous University of Madrid, University of Lisbon, University of Porto, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, Tel Aviv University, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, University of Belgrade, University of Zagreb, University of Ljubljana, University of Bratislava, University of Iceland, Istanbul University, Boğaziçi University, Middle East Technical University, University of Tehran, Auckland University of Technology, University of Pretoria, Stellenbosch University, Makerere University, University of Ghana.
The Series was established in 2009 by alumni from Leiden University and The Hague University of Applied Sciences in response to growing international exchange among debating unions tied to World Universities Debating Council, European Universities Debating Championship, World Universities Debating Championship, Oxford Union, Cambridge Union Society, Berkeley Debate Society, Yale Political Union, Harvard College Debating Union, Canadian University Society for Intercollegiate Debate, Australian Intervarsity Debating, South African Universities Debating Championship, Asian Universities Debating Championship, and regional federations. Early rounds featured adjudicators with affiliations to International Court of Justice, Hague Academy of International Law, International Criminal Court, Permanent Court of Arbitration, United Nations, European Commission, Council of Europe, NATO Parliamentary Assembly, European Court of Human Rights, and civic organizations in The Hague. Growth in participation paralleled increased cooperation with debating organizations such as World Schools Debating Championships and networks like AIESEC and Model United Nations delegations.
The Series employs parliamentary-style rounds with speaking times and points-of-information structures similar to British Parliamentary debate practice and adjudication rubrics endorsed by bodies like World Universities Debating Council and European Universities Debating Championship. Preliminary rounds lead to elimination stages including octo-finals, quarter-finals, semi-finals, and a grand final judged by panels drawn from experienced adjudicators affiliated with Cambridge Union Society, Oxford Union, Harvard College Debating Union, Yale Political Union, Berkeley Debate Society, Asian Universities Debating Championship, and international legal scholars from Leiden University, University of Amsterdam, Maastricht University, Utrecht University, and the Hague Academy of International Law. Speaker scoring, team points, and tallying methods follow transparent protocols similar to those used at World Universities Debating Championship and regional championships.
Eligible entrants include university teams, student societies, and invited independent adjudicators associated with institutions such as University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, London School of Economics, University of Edinburgh, King's College London, Sciences Po, HEC Paris, Bocconi University, IE University, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, and international student organizations including AIESEC, Rotaract, and multiple national debating unions. The Series offers open and invitational slots, and provides wildcard entries to teams recommended by national associations like English-Speaking Union, Debating Association of South Africa, DebatingSA, Chinese Debating Federation, Japanese Debating Federation, Korean Debating Federation, and continental coordinators for Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Americas.
Final rounds have featured teams and speakers later affiliated with institutions and events such as Nobel Prize laureates' institutions, alumni who became policymakers at European Commission, United Nations, International Criminal Court, International Court of Justice, and leaders in NGOs including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Oxfam, Care International, Médecins Sans Frontières, Transparency International, Greenpeace, and think tanks like Chatham House, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Brookings Institution, Council on Foreign Relations, Royal United Services Institute, and RAND Corporation. Winning teams have often hailed from University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, Harvard University, Yale University, University of Sydney, University of Cape Town, National University of Singapore, Peking University, Tsinghua University, University of Tokyo, McGill University, University of Toronto, University of Amsterdam, Leiden University, KU Leuven, ETH Zurich, University of Zurich, University of Milan, Bocconi University, Sciences Po.
The Series has influenced debating pedagogy and adjudication standards practiced at World Universities Debating Championship, European Universities Debating Championship, regional championships, and national competitions in countries including the United Kingdom, United States, Australia, Canada, South Africa, India, China, and Japan. Alumni networks have contributed to career paths at institutions like International Criminal Court, International Court of Justice, European Parliament, Parliament of the Netherlands, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Netherlands), United Nations Development Programme, UNICEF, World Bank, International Monetary Fund, OECD, and major law firms and NGOs. The Series also fostered collaborations with academic conferences at Leiden University, The Hague University of Applied Sciences, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Maastricht University, and policy forums hosted in The Hague.
Organizational oversight is provided by a student-led committee in partnership with academic sponsors from Leiden University, The Hague University of Applied Sciences, University of Amsterdam, Erasmus University Rotterdam, and professional partners including legal chambers, international law firms, and NGOs such as Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, International Crisis Group, Transparency International, and corporate sponsors from firms based in The Hague and Rotterdam. Financial and in-kind support has come from cultural institutions, municipal bodies including Municipality of The Hague, and international foundations connected to diplomacy and legal education.
Category:Debating competitions