The United Nations elected five new judges to the International Court of Justice on Tuesday, filling seats on the 15-member panel as the judicial body manages a historic volume of cases.
Voting took place concurrently at UN headquarters in a secret ballot. Candidates needed an absolute majority in both the General Assembly and the Security Council to win.
Dapo Akande of the United Kingdom, Francois Alabrune of France, Mahmoud Daifallah Hmoud of Jordan, Rena Lee of Singapore and Phoebe Okowa of Kenya secured the nine-year terms.
The two UN bodies initially agreed on four candidates but split on the fifth. The Security Council backed Marcelo Vazquez-Bermudez of Ecuador, whereas the General Assembly favoured Okowa, prompting extra rounds of voting.
Vazquez-Bermudez withdrew from the contest. Okowa then won the necessary backing from both chambers.
The Hague-based court consists of 15 judges from different countries who serve nine-year terms and can be re-elected. A third of the bench is renewed every three years to maintain continuity.
The election coincides with a record workload for the World Court. ICJ President Yuji Iwasawa informed the General Assembly on October 29 that 24 contentious cases are pending.
These active disputes cover territory, human rights and the interpretation of international treaties. They include South Africa’s case accusing Israel of violating the Genocide Convention during its war on Gaza.
The court has issued provisional measures regarding the conflict in Gaza, though a final ruling on whether genocide occurred has not been delivered. In October 2025, the court issued an advisory opinion detailing Israel’s obligations to the UN and humanitarian organisations operating in the occupied Palestinian territory.
Separately, the court announced on Tuesday that it will issue a judgment on November 19 in a case brought by The Gambia accusing Myanmar of genocide against the Rohingya minority.
Founded in 1945, the ICJ functions as the principal judicial organ of the United Nations. It settles legal disputes submitted by states and issues advisory opinions on international law questions.
