1.8. The International Court of Justice

♤ The International Court of Justice is the principal judicial organ of the United Nations. It was established in June 1945 by the Charter of the United Nations and began work in April 1946.

♤ The Court is composed of 15 judges, who are elected for terms of office of nine years by the United Nations General Assembly and the Security Council.

♤ Its seat is at the Peace Palace in The Hague (Netherlands). It is the only one of the six principal organs of the United Nations not located in New York (United States of America).

♤ The Court’s functions are twofold.

o First, it decides, in accordance with international law, cases that are submitted to it by states.♤ States entitled to appear before the Court fall into three categories: