The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), in cooperation with the International Law Association of the Republic of Moldova, is pleased to announce the launch of the 2025 edition of the Student Essay Competition on contemporary challenges in international humanitarian law (IHL). The competition aims to encourage students to critically reflect on current issues arising in the context of armed conflicts, to analyze how IHL is applied in practice, and to develop well-reasoned arguments proposing legal and humanitarian solutions.
The competition is open to bachelor’s and master’s students enrolled at universities in the Republic of Moldova, in the fields of law, international relations, political science, military studies, or other related disciplines.
The proposed essay topics are as follows:
- War in cities and the protection of civilians;
- New technologies of warfare;
- International humanitarian law and the protection of the natural environment;
- International humanitarian law and social media.
Essays may address any relevant aspect related to the above topics and must be between 1,000 and 3,000 words, excluding footnotes and bibliography.
Submissions may be written in Romanian, Russian, or English, and should be sent to a.dreptinternational.rm@gmail.com, with a copy to CHS_Chisinau_Mailbox@icrc.org, no later than 15 October 2025.
Additional information is available on the ICRC website https://www.icrc.org/en/article/moldova-2025-ihl-essay-competition and the ICRC Moldova Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/ICRCmd.
