Hearings on the merits

 

INTERNATIONAL COURT OF JUSTICE 
Peace Palace, Carnegieplein 2, 2517 KJ  The Hague, Netherlands
Tel.: +31 (0)70 302 2323   Fax: +31 (0)70 364 9928
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Press Release 
Unofficial

No. 2024/62 

19 August 2024

Land and Maritime Delimitation and Sovereignty over Islands (Gabon/Equatorial Guinea)

Public hearings on the merits to be held from
Monday 30 September to Friday 4 October 2024

THE HAGUE, 19 August 2024. The International Court of Justice will hold public hearings
on the merits in the case concerning Land and Maritime Delimitation and Sovereignty over Islands
(Gabon/Equatorial Guinea) at the Peace Palace in The Hague, the seat of the Court, from Monday
30 September to Friday 4 October 2024. 

It is recalled that proceedings were instituted on 5 March 2021 by way of a Special Agreement 
between Gabon and Equatorial Guinea, which was signed in 2016 and entered into force in March
2020 (see press release 2021/10). 

In the Special Agreement, the Parties request the Court  
“to determine whether the legal titles, treaties and international conventions invoked by
the Parties have the force of law in the relations between the Gabonese Republic and
the Republic of Equatorial Guinea in so far as they concern the delimitation of their
common maritime and land boundaries and sovereignty over the islands of
Mbanié/Mbañe, Cocotiers/Cocoteros and Conga”. 
By an Order dated 7 April 2021, the Court fixed 5 October 2021 and 5 May 2022 as the 
respective time-limits for the filing of a Memorial by Equatorial Guinea and a Counter-Memorial by
Gabon. Those written pleadings were filed within the time-limits thus fixed. 
By an Order dated 6 May 2022, the President of the Court fixed 5 October 2022 and 6 March
2023 as the respective time-limits for the filing of a Reply by Equatorial Guinea and a Rejoinder by
Gabon. Those pleadings were filed within the time-limits thus fixed. 


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Schedule for the hearings  
Monday 30 September 2024 
10 a.m.-1 p.m.: First round of oral argument



(Equatorial Guinea) 
3 p.m.-5 p.m.: First round of oral argument



(Equatorial Guinea) 
Wednesday 2 October 2024 
10 a.m.-1 p.m.: First round of oral argument (Gabon) 

3 p.m.-5 p.m.: First round of oral argument (Gabon) 
Thursday 3 October 2024 
3 p.m.-6 p.m.: Second round of oral argument



(Equatorial Guinea) 
Friday 4 October 2024 
3 p.m.-6 p.m.: Second round of oral argument (Gabon) 

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Members of the diplomatic corps, the public and the media will find below practical
information regarding the organization of the hearings. 

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A. Practical information and admission procedures 
There will be no parking on the Peace Palace grounds. 
1. Members of the diplomatic corps 
Members of the diplomatic corps who wish to attend the hearings are kindly requested to fill
out an online registration form by midnight (The Hague time) on Thursday 26 September 2024. Seats
in the Great Hall of Justice will be allocated on the basis of availability. On presenting confirmation
of registration from the Information Department and valid diplomatic ID at the main gate of the Peace
Palace on the day(s) of the hearings, diplomats will be given a badge providing access to the Great
Hall of Justice. 
2. Members of the public 
Only 15 seats will be available in the public gallery for members of the public on a first-come
first-served basis. There will be no advance registration procedure, and admission requests submitted
beforehand will not be considered. Members of the public wishing to attend the hearings are
requested to present themselves at the main gate of the Peace Palace 40 minutes before the start of
the hearings at the latest. They will be given a badge providing access to the public gallery upon 
presentation of valid ID. The security officers at the gate will notify those concerned once all 
available seats have been filled. 
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3. Media representatives 
Media representatives who wish to attend the hearings are kindly requested to fill out an online
accreditation form by m
idnight (The Hague time)
on Thursday 26 September 2024. Requests 
submitted after this deadline will not be considered. The Court’s press room can accommodate only
a limited number of people. Accreditation requests will be considered on a first-come first-served
basis. No requests received by phone or email will be accepted. 
B. Further practical information for the media 
1. Entry to the Peace Palace 
Only duly accredited individuals with valid identification will be permitted to enter the Peace
Palace grounds. Accredited media representatives must bring with them their personal ID and press
card. They are asked to arrive at the Peace Palace gates no later than 30 minutes before the start of
the hearings. The press room will be open one and a half hours before the start of the hearings and
will close one hour after they conclude. 
2. Access to the courtroom 
A limited number of professional photographers and camera operators will be permitted to
enter the courtroom for a few minutes before the opening of the oral argument of each Party. They
will be accompanied by members of the Information Department. Other media representatives will
not have access to the courtroom. 
3. Press Room 
The hearings will be transmitted live on a large screen in the two official languages of the
Court, English and French, in a press room equipped with shared internet access (Wi-Fi and
Ethernet). TV crews can connect to the Court’s PAL (HD and SD) and NTSC (SD) audiovisual
system, and radio reporters to the audio system. 
4. Multimedia 
The hearings will be streamed live and on demand (VOD) in the two official languages of the
Court, on the Court’s website and on UN Web TV. High-resolution video clips and still photos
produced by the Registry during the hearings will be available free of charge and free of copyright
for editorial, non-commercial use, on the Court’s website (to download, click on Multimedia)
and X feed (@CIJ_ICJ). 

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Note: The Court’s press releases are prepared by its Registry for information purposes only
and do not constitute official documents.

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The International Court of Justice (ICJ) is the principal judicial organ of the United Nations.
It was established by the United Nations Charter in June 1945 and began its activities in April 1946.
The Court is composed of 15 judges elected for a nine-year term by the General Assembly and the
Security Council of the United Nations. The seat of the Court is at the Peace Palace in The Hague
(Netherlands). The Court has a twofold role: first, to settle, in accordance with international law,
legal disputes submitted to it by States; and, second, to give advisory opinions on legal questions
referred to it by duly authorized United Nations organs and agencies of the system.

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Information Department: 
Ms Monique Legerman, First Secretary of the Court, Head of Department: +31 (0)70 302 2336
Ms Joanne Moore, Information Officer: +31 (0)70 302 2337 
Email: [email protected]