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I. Organizational, administrative and other matter

Election of five members of the International Court of Justice

In accordance with Articles 3 and 4 of its Statute, the International Court of Justice consists of 15 members elected by the General Assembly and the Security Council. Under Article 13 of the Statute, members of the Court are elected for a term of nine years and may be re-elected. A regular election of five judges is held every three years.
The present membership of the International Court of Justice (decision 60/408) is as follows:
President:
           Rosalyn Higgins (United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland)*
Vice-President:
           Awn Shawkat Al-Khasawneh (Jordan)*
Judges:
           Ronny Abraham (France)*
           Mohamed Bennouna (Morocco)***
           Thomas Buergenthal (United States of America)***
           Kenneth Keith (New Zealand)***
           Abdul G. Koroma (Sierra Leone)**
           Hisashi Owada (Japan)**
           Gonzalo Parra-Aranguren (Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela)*
           Raymond Ranjeva (Madagascar)*
           Bernardo Sepúlveda-Amor (Mexico)***
           Shi Jiuyong (China)**
           Bruno Simma (Germany)**
           Leonid Skotnikov (Russian Federation)***
           Peter Tomka (Slovakia)**
 

*  Term of office expires on 5 February 2009
**  Term of office expires on 5 February 2012
***  Term of office expires on 5 February 2015

At its sixty-third session, the General Assembly, together with the Security Council, will need to fill the seats of five members whose term of office expires on 5 February 2009. Those members are: Mr. Abraham, Mr. Al-Khasawneh, Ms. Higgins, Mr. Parra-Aranguren and Mr. Ranjeva.

The election will proceed on the basis of a list of persons nominated by national groups of States parties to the Statute of the International Court of Justice.

The Secretary-General has requested that nominations should reach him by 30 June 2008. The list of candidates containing nominations made by that date will be circulated to the General Assembly and to the Security Council. Any withdrawals of candidates will be circulated in addenda to that document. The curricula vitae of the candidates will be circulated separately.

In addition, the Assembly and the Council will have before them a memorandum by the Secretary-General on the procedure to be followed in the elections.
The election will take place in accordance with the following:

  1. The Statute of the International Court of Justice, in particular Articles 2 to 4 and 7 to 12;
  2. Rules 150 and 151 of the rules of procedure of the General Assembly;
  3. Rules 40 and 61 of the provisional rules of procedure of the Security Council. Those candidates who obtain an absolute majority of votes both in the General Assembly and in the Security Council will be considered as elected.

Documents:

  References for the sixtieth session (agenda item 111 (c))

Related links :

 

Source: A/63/100