General Assembly: 37th plenary meeting, 80th session

Election of a member of the International Court of Justice - Item 113 (c).

General Assembly Elects Phoebe Okowa of Kenya to International Court of Justice, after Four Voting Rounds

• Categories: Meetings & Events / General Assembly
• Video Length: 01:00:16
• Production Date: 12 November 2025
• Asset Language: Arabic; English; French; Russian; Spanish; Chinese; Original
• Personal Subject: ANNALENA BAERBOCK
• Corporate Name: GENERAL ASSEMBLY; INTERNATIONAL COURT OF JUSTICE - ICJ
• Subject Topical: GENERAL ASSEMBLY; HUMAN RIGHTS; INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURTS; MEMBERS; VOTING; CRIMINAL JUSTICE; APPOINTMENT OF MEMBERS; JUDICIAL SYSTEM
• MAMS Id: 3507746
• Parent Id: 3496610
• Alternate Title: MTG GA 80 SESSION 37 PLENARY 12 NOV 2025

Description

General Assembly: 36th plenary meeting, 80th session

• Memorandum by the Secretary-General (A/80/408)
• Note by the Secretary-General (A/80/409) 

General Assembly formal voting for a replacement member on the Internatioal Court of Justice. 

After final vote resulted in a majority for Phoebe Okowan attorney in International Law from Kenya. 

The General Assembly today, acting concurrently but independently with the Security Council, elected Judge Phoebe Okowa (Kenya) as a member of the International Court of Justice, over the course of four rounds of voting, conducted during two meetings. 

Judge Okowa will begin her term today and serve the remainder of the term vacated by Judge Abdulqawi Ahmed Yusuf (Somalia), which expires on 5 February 2027. 

The candidates under consideration were Taoheed Olufemi Elias (Nigeria), Charles Chernor Jalloh (Sierra Leone), Paul Kuruk (Ghana) and Phoebe Okowa (Kenya). Judge Okowa received 106 votes in the fourth and final round of voting. 

No candidate had obtained an absolute majority of 97 votes in the first and second rounds. 

The nomination of Paul Kuruk (Ghana) was withdrawn after the first round and that of Taoheed Olufemi Elias (Nigeria) was withdrawn after the third. 

Judge Okowa had received an absolute majority in the third round, however as Charles Chernor Jalloh (Sierra Leone) had secured an absolute majority in the Security Council, the Assembly was required by the Court’s statute to continue the balloting until the same candidate had prevailed in both organs.

Related Sites and Documents

UN Meetings Coverage

A/80/408

A/80/409