In the framework of the EUI Widening Europe Programme, this lecture presented by judge Bogdan Aurescu will focus on the contemporary role of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) within the international community.
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) plays an increasingly important role within the international community amid a more dynamic and unpredictable global environment. The political importance of the World Court is mounting since, when accomplishing its mandate in strict accordance with the UN Charter, its Statute and its Rules, it also contributes, to a large extent, to the preservation and restauration of international peace and security, in the context of more and more cases being brought before the Court, along with more and more requests for advisory opinions aiming at clarifying important legal issues of interest for the international community. Is ICJ progressively becoming a 'Constitutional Court' of the UN Charter or of the international community?
To answer this question, the lecture will first present the increased caseload of the Court since the new composition of the Court started to work at the beginning of 2024, which stresses the need inter alia for more resources and backing from the UN institutions and Member States, followed by an analysis of the causes of its growing docket and of its comparative advantages. Then, the lecture will focus on the interaction between the Court and the Security Council, its political counterpart among the UN principal organs with which it shares the responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security, while stressing the risks of competition and the benefits of increased cooperation between them. The presentation will conclude by making proposals for putting to value the cooperative complementarity between the Court and the Security Council.
This event is funded by the EUI Widening Europe Programme. The EUI Widening Europe Programme initiative, backed by contributions from the European Union and EUI Contracting States, is designed to strengthen internationalisation, competitiveness, and quality in research in Widening countries, and thus foster a more cohesive European Higher Education and Research area.
This event is associated with the EUI 50th anniversary celebrations.
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