International Court of Justice/President
 International Court of Justice/President  ( Judge) | |
|---|---|
President of the International Court of Justice |
The President of the International Court of Justice and Vice-President are elected by the Members of the Court every three years by secret ballot.
The ICJ President presides at all meetings of the Court; he/she directs its work and supervises its administration, with the assistance of a Budgetary and Administrative Committee and various other committees, all composed of Members of the Court. During judicial deliberations, the President has a casting vote in the event of votes being equally tied.
In The Hague, where he/she is obliged to reside, the President of the Court takes precedence over the doyen of the diplomatic corps.
The President receives a special supplementary allowance of US$25,000 per annum, in addition to his/her annual salary.[1]
Contents
Current President
On 3 February 2025, Judge Yuji Iwasawa (Japan) was elected President of the International Court of Justice by his peers, further to Judge Nawaf Salam’s resignation from the presidency on 14 January 2025 (see press release No. 2025/3). It is recalled that Judge Salam’s term as President had been due to expire on 5 February 2027. In accordance with Article 14 of the Rules of Court, the Court decided to fill the vacancy for the remainder of the term.[2]
Judge Iwasawa has been a Member of the Court since 22 June 2018. Before joining the Court, he was Professor of International Law at the University of Tokyo and Chairperson of the United Nations Human Rights Committee. His full biography can be found on the Court’s website.[3]
Previous Presidents/Vice-Presidents
- Guerrero and Basdevant (1946-1949)
- Basdevant and Guerrero (1949-1952)
- Sir Arnold McNair and Guerrero (1952-1955)
- Hackworth and Badawi (1955-1958)
- Klaestad and Sir Muhammad Zafrulla Khan (1958-1961)
- Winiarski and Alfaro (1961-1964)
- Sir Percy Spender and Wellington Koo (1964-1967)
- Bustamante y Rivero and Koretsky (1967-1970)
- Sir Muhammad Zafrulla Khan and Ammoun (1970-1973)
- Lachs and Ammoun (1973-1976)
- Jiménez de Aréchaga and Nagendra Singh (1976-1979)
- Sir Humphrey Waldock and Elias (1979-1982) (Sir Humphrey Waldock died on 15 August 1981. The functions of the Presidency were thereafter exercised by Judge Elias as Acting President, by virtue of Articles 13 and 14 of the 1978 Rules of Court.)
- Elias and Sette-Camara (1982-1985)
- Nagendra Singh and Ladreit de Lacharrière (1985-1988) (Judge Ladreit de Lacharrière died on 10 March 1987. On 6 May 1987 the Court elected Judge Mbaye to be its Vice-President for the remainder of his predecessor’s term.)
- J. M. Ruda and Mbaye (1988-1991)
- Sir Robert Jennings and Oda (1991-1994)
- Bedjaoui and Schwebel (1994-1997)
- Schwebel and Weeramantry (1997-2000)
- Guillaume and Shi (2000-2003)
- Shi and Ranjeva (2003-2006)
- Higgins and Al-Khasawneh (2006-2009)
- Owada and Tomka (2009-2012)
- Tomka and Sepúlveda-Amor (2012-2015)
- Abraham and Yusuf (2015-2018)
- Yusuf and Xue (2018-2021)
- Donoghue and Gevorgian (2021-2024)
- Salam and Sebutinde (2024-2025)
Office Holders on Wikispooks
| Name | From | To |
|---|---|---|
| Yuji Iwasawa | 3 March 2025 | |
| Nawaf Salam | 6 February 2024 | 13 January 2025 |
| Joan Donoghue | 8 February 2021 | 6 February 2024 |
| Abdulqawi Yusuf | 6 February 2018 | 8 February 2021 |
