Solemn Declaration by H.E. Mr Giorgio Gaja (Italy), new Member of the ICJ, during a public sitting held on 12 March 2012 in the Great Hall of Justice of the Peace Palace, where the Court has its Seat.

Solemn Declaration by H.E. Mr Giorgio Gaja (Italy), new Member of the ICJ, during a public sitting held on 12 March 2012 in the Great Hall of Justice of the Peace Palace, where the Court has its Seat. The ICJ is composed of 15 judges elected to nine-year terms of office by the UN General Assembly and Security Council. In order to ensure a measure of continuity, one third of the Court is elected every three years. Judges are eligible for re-election. ICJ Judges must be elected from among persons of high moral character, who possess the qualifications required in their respective countries for appointment to the highest judicial offices, or are jurisconsults of recognized competence in international law.