MICC (Model International Criminal Court) – Model International Criminal Court

What is MICC?

MICC is a simulation of trials before the ICC for high-school and university students from all over the world. The International Criminal Court (ICC) is the world’s most sophisticated mechanism for the protection of Human Rights and rules of warfare. MICC is a program that aims to teach core principles of the ICC to high-school and university students. Since 2005 the Kreisau-Initiative e.V. along with its Polish partner-organisation Fundacja Krzyżowa dla Porozumienia Europejskiego (Foundation Krzyżowa for Mutual Understanding in Europe) has been organizing the Model International Criminal Court (MICC) with the goal to intensify its work in the field of Human Rights Education.

The working language of every simulation is English, and every session comprises sets of trainings, discussions, and workshops with a simulation of the ICC process – preparation, trial, and verdict. Bringing in students from all around the globe, MICC fosters intercultural dialogue and understanding among students of various national and social backgrounds. The goal of this work is to encourage students to study human rights and humanitarian law. MICC program encompasses three projects: MICC School, MICC World, and MICC University.

09.06. – 19.06.2025.

MICC 20th Anniversary Program – Berlin, Germany

The MICC 20th Anniversary Program in Berlin will gather over 150 participants from all over the world. The MICC 20th Anniversary Program is made by following activities: MICC Alumni Meeting, MICC Conference and MICC Experts Training. This activities are supported by the European Union under the Erasmus+ Programme, EVZ Foundation, Reinhard Frank-Foundation, Freya von Moltke-Foundation, Roropa e. V., and German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) – Engagement Global PRogram.

17.11. – 24.11.2025.

MICC School – Krzyzowa, Poland

The MICC School will gather overe 55 participants from Italy, Germany, United States of America and Poland. This activity is supported by the European Union under the Erasmus+ Programme, Reinhard Frank-Foundation and Freya von Moltke-Foundation.

12.01. – 19.01.2026.

MICC School – Thessaloniki, Greece

The MICC School will gather over 60 participants from Germany, Greece, Malta, and North Macedonia. This activity is supported by the European Union under the Erasmus+ Programme.

24.04. – 30.04.2026.

MICC University – Krzyzowa, Poland

The MICC University will gather over 40 participants. The open call is available on the website section: Apply. This activity is supported by the European Union under the Erasmus+ Programme, Reinhard Frank-Foundation and Freya von Moltke-Foundation.

MICC immerses the students in the sea of international justice, history and so much more. As a legal trainer, it’s very rewarding to witness their transformation from regular themselves to pretend lawyers and journalists to an MICC alumni.

Shirleen Chin, Legal Trainer of MICC School

Long-term change requires time, and with every new generation of MICC participants we’re one step closer to achieving that.

Aleksandar Milanovic, Legal Trainer of MICC WeB

MICC is the best way to teach and learn about international justice and human rights.

Franjo Jurkin, Student and Alumni of MICC School

MICC encourages participants the think critically, by giving them tools that can be applicable in their future life. Providing participants an overview of history and juristically system and how does it work! And the most important it is giving them an opportunity to meet other cultures and nations and share knowledge and experience that can influence later on their professional growth and life.

Semra Forić, Legal Trainer of MICC School

MICC offers practical experience in public speaking and argumentation, which is useful later in professional growth of each participant.

Lina Jurjević, Human Rights Trainer of MICC School

MICC is, above all, a great opportunity and for many a first chance to work in such a wonderful and open work environment. It’s a great and empowering chance for young people to learn about international criminal law, be heard, make friendships and have the experience of a lifetime.

Mila Elisabeth Larvoll, Student and Alumni of MICC School

From a teacher’s perspective I’m happy to say that I haven’t seen this type of personal growth in any other project as in MICC project.

Tobias Sechelmann, Teacher and Alumni of MICC School

MICC is an opportunity for young people to learn and freely discuss important human rights topics and challenges outside of classroom setting, in a new and creative way. It’s also a space for exchanging views, breaking stereotypes and fighting prejudice.

Maida Omerćehajić, Legal Trainer of MICC School

MICC is giving students unique chance to show their abilities and creativity all in a new and inspiring working environment. It is a chance for them to voice their opinion in a different way and leads to better understanding of history, human rights and international justice.

Zvjezdana Drašner, Teacher and Alumni of MICC School

MICC is the experience of stepping out the comfort zone on the personal and group level and it reminds us not to take peace for granted and show us what the things are at stake it we ignore atrocities committed.

Soraja Zagic, Legal Trainer of MICC School

MICC for me is meeting interesting people from all across the world, who are sharing a passion for human rights and international criminal law. It’s about getting together, sharing experiences, discussing issues, and walking in someone else’s shoes. In the end it is about realizing you have more in common than what separates you.

Jana Hermann, Student and Alumni of MICC University

Students have repeatedly said that MICC was the best educational activity in their lives. As a teacher I have learned alternative teaching methods, it has given to me the ability to teach human rights which is a much needed topic in Israel.

Linda Rosenthal, Teacher and Alumni of MICC School

There is nothing more enjoying for me as a teacher as to see my students developing emotionally and intellectually. Taking my students to Krzyzowa was one of the best experience.

Bożena Kubiak, Teacher and Alumni of MICC School

It’s been three years since I met MICC, now I can easily say that it’s became one of the most inspirational and motivational event for both me and my students. I’ve been able to observe MICC’s great impact on my students, way of looking to the international issues, and the ideas how to solve them peacefully with the real example of international justice.

Berkant Kayisoikici, Teacher and Alumni of MICC School

MICC is a project where you learn more about human rights and international criminal law, where this subjects are hardly taught in university regularly. It’s also a space for meeting different law students from all around the world with different and varied backgrounds.

Naomi Elpeleg, Student and Alumni of MICC University

MICC is a unique learning process and opportunity. Students gain valuable skills such as public speaking and research skills and it teaches them how to address delicate issues in an environment. The process is transformation and students leave more informed and more ready to make a global contribution to the world.

Paul Spencer, Teacher and Alumni of MICC School

MICC is a new and appealing approach to issues that affect the whole world in a realistic simulation. One of the greatest challenges that make you advance and exercise your own critical thinking.

Konstantinos Kirstsanis, Student and Alumni of MICC University

MICC prepares global leaders who are capable of taking ethical decisions and it’s setting up the ground for a peaceful democratic globe.

Zeina Dbank, Teacher and Alumni of MICC School

MICC School

MICC School is a project for high-school students and bringing together young people from different countries together.

MICC School aims to raise awareness for human rights and educate high-school students about methods of their protection. MICC School sets a strong focus on the international youth meeting character of the project to foster intercultural dialogue and understanding. MICC School is based on the rationale that motivating young people to invest their time and capacities in the protection of human rights needs more than just knowledge. It is the first-hand experience that creates that sort of motivation needed. This experience is offered through the trial simulations at the heart of MICC.

During the project the students explore their roles as prosecutors, members of the defense, judges, or members of the observing media in international teams. Subject to the simulations are final pleadings of historic cases that were heard before the international tribunals, namely the Nuremberg Tribunal, the ICTY, and the ICTR. In that context, students get to know more about the background of the conflicts, learn who was responsible, and also learn that a fair trial is a basis for sustainable justice and the protection of human rights.

When being admitted to the program, participants are placed in multinational teams.

Before coming to the project, they get to know each other via email and online forums already.

The simulation is embedded into a series of workshops and trainings. During their stay, the students participate in workshops on human rights, the resistance movement against the Nazi regime, and the historic background of the cases. In their teams, the participants receive legal and rhetorical training to learn about their roles and learn how to adequately argue and debate their roles and cases during the simulation.

MICC School attempts to introduce Human Rights Education to schools and curricula. We believe that human rights education is fundamental to political education. However, it is not widely spread throughout curricula. MICC, therefore, invites the accompanying teachers to take part in teachers’ workshops to explore possibilities of implementing Human Rights Education in schools.

Thus, not only knowledge on methods of Human Rights Education is spread, but also the sustainability of the project is secured – and many more students benefit from the outcomes of the project.

MICC University

Since 2006, MICC University has annually invited university students from all over the world. MICC University simulates a fictional case dealing with the current dilemmas of international criminal law.

The aim and idea are to promote knowledge about humanitarian law and human rights protection on a university level, especially in those countries where international law is an underrepresented or non-existent part of university curricula.

The core of the project is the simulation itself. For five days, students get the opportunity to learn, train and discuss the issues surrounding the case at hand with professors, trainers, and other professionals in the field. All this happens in an international environment.

A total of 50 students is admitted to the project. Once groups are accepted to the program, the students are divided into teams and composed of students from other countries and universities to foster intercultural dialogue among the participants. The teams are assigned individual tasks and roles (judges, defense, and prosecution) and asked to prepare and submit preliminary papers with their pleadings/judgments. Each team of three students has a total of 45 minutes to argue their case.

However, MICC University is more than a pure moot court. Prior to the simulation, students participate in trainings. They get the chance to prepare their pleadings and train their presentations with professional coaches that help them to argue their case in the simulation. The trainings include legal reasoning, the writing, and preparation of the final pleadings as well as hints and exercises on rhetoric and presentation.

During the project professionals from the field of international criminal law, human rights, and humanitarian law are invited to discuss current issues and give insight into their experiences and everyday work.

MICC University also incentivizes students without a legal background to participate. The MICC press team follows the project from a media’s point of view. Under the guidance of a professional trainer with a specialization in human rights reporting, they receive workshops and create a newspaper of their own.

Prior to the project, the organisers offer preparatory seminars in different parts of Europe to enable students who wish to participate in MICC University but do not have the academic recourses for preparation to take part in the project successfully.

Through its work, MICC University promotes the values of human rights and international justice and making a contribution toward intercultural understanding among young people.

MICC World

MICC World is a project inspired by the MICC School but with a broader impact. MICC World brings together high school students from different countries worldwide together.

The project aims to raise awareness for human rights and educate high-school students about methods of their protection. MICC World sets a strong focus on the international youth meeting character of the project to foster intercultural dialogue and understanding.

MICC World is premised on the rationale that motivating young people to invest their time and capacities in the protection of human rights requires more than just providing them with knowledge of the subject. In order to be truly motivated, students need to have first-hand in the workings of human rights protection. This kind of experience is offered through the trial simulations that are the heart of MICC.

During the project the students explore their roles as prosecutors, members of the defense, judges, or members of the observing media in multinational teams. The subject content of the simulations is final pleadings of historic cases that were heard before the international tribunals, namely the Nuremberg Tribunal, the ICTY, and the ICTR. In that context, students get to know more about the background of the conflicts, learn to assess responsibility, and also learn that a fair trial is a basis for sustainable justice and the protection of human rights.

After being admitted to the program, participants are placed in multinational teams. Before coming to the venue, they get to know each other via e-mail and online forums already.

The simulation is embedded into a series of workshops and trainings. During the project, the students participate in workshops on human rights, the resistance against totalitarian regimes, and the historic background of the cases. In their teams, the participants receive legal and rhetorical trainings to learn about their roles and learn how to adequately argue and debate their cases during the simulation.

MICC World attempts to introduce Human Rights Education to schools and curricula in the world. We believe that Human Rights Education is fundamental to political education. Regrettably though, it seldom forms part of the mainstream school curricula. MICC therefore invites the accompanying teachers to take part in teachers’ training workshops that explore the possibilities of incorporation Human Rights Education in the school curriculum. To this end, MICC does not merely spread knowledge of Human Rights Education, but multiplies its work across the represented nations through the agency of its immediate beneficiaries.