International Court of Justice

• The International Court of Justice recently elected Judge Nawaf Salam (Lebanon) as President and Judge Julia Sebutinde (Uganda) as Vice-President.
• Election Process
  • The President and Vice-President are elected by the Members of the Court every three years by secret ballot.
  • The election is held on the date on which Members of the Court elected at a triennial election begin their terms of office or shortly thereafter.
  • An absolute majority is required and there are no conditions of nationality.
  • The President and Vice-President may be re-elected.

ABOUT ICJ

• The International Court of Justice (ICJ) is the principal judicial organ of the United Nations (UN).
• It was established in June 1945 by the Charter of the United Nations and began work in April 1946.
• The seat of the Court is at the Peace Palace in The Hague (Netherlands).
• Of the six principal organs of the United Nations, it is the only one not located in New York (United States of America).
• The Court’s role is to settle, in accordance with international law, legal disputes submitted to it by States and to give advisory opinions on legal questions referred to it by authorized United Nations organs and specialized agencies.
• The Court is composed of 15 judges, who are elected for terms of office of nine years by the United Nations General Assembly and the Security Council.
• It is assisted by a Registry, its administrative organ.
• Its official languages are English and French.