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7313th meeting on the election of five members of the International Court of Justice
7313th Meeting (PM)
The Security Council, meeting independently from but concurrently with the General Assembly, today elected the final judge for the International Court of Justice. The vacancy had to be filled in February 2015, when the terms of five members would expire.
Patrick Lipton Robinson (Jamaica) was elected for a nine-year term beginning on 6 February 2015, joining those elected on 6 November from a list of eight candidates after four rounds of voting (see Press Release SC/11634).
Under the terms of the Court’s Statute, candidates must receive an absolute majority in simultaneous votes in the Council and the General Assembly.
The Court’s composition at 6 February 2015, in addition to Mr. Robinson, will be as follows (terms expire on 5 February of the year in parentheses): Peter Tomka, Slovakia (2021); Ronny Abraham, France (2018); Mohamed Bennouna, Morocco (2024); Dalveer Bhandari, India (2018); Joan E. Donoghue, United States (2024); Antônio Augusto Cançado Trindade, Brazil (2018); Giorgio Gaja, Italy (2021); Christopher Greenwood, United Kingdom (2018); James Richard Crawford (Australia) (2024); Hisashi Owada, Japan (2021); Xue Hanqin, China (2021); Julia Sebutinde, Uganda (2021); Kirill Gevorgian, Russian Federation (2024); and Abdulqawi Ahmed Yusuf, Somalia (2018).
Located in The Hague, Netherlands, the International Court of Justice is the principal judicial organ of the United Nations. Composed of 15 judges, it adjudicates disputes between States and its legal opinions are binding. The Court also issues advisory opinions when requested to do so.
The meeting began at 3:10 p.m. and ended at 3:45 p.m.