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
Website: www.icj-cij.org
Press Release
Unofficial
No. 2013/37
10 December 2013
Question of the Delimitation of the Continental Shelf between Nicaragua and Colombia
beyond 200 nautical miles from the Nicaraguan Coast (Nicaragua v. Colombia)
Fixing of time-limits for the filing of the initial pleadings
The Hague, 10 December 2013. The International Court of Justice (ICJ), the principal
judicial organ of the United Nations, has fixed time-limits for the filing of initial pleadings in the
case concerning the Question of the Delimitation of the Continental Shelf between Nicaragua and
Colombia beyond 200 nautical miles from the Nicaraguan Coast (Nicaragua v. Colombia).
By an Order of 9 December 2013, the Court fixed 9 December 2014 and 9 December 2015
as respective time–limits for the filing of a Memorial by the Republic of Nicaragua and a
Counter-Memorial by the Republic of Colombia.
The Court made the Order taking account of the agreement of the Parties. The subsequent
procedure has been reserved for further decision.
History of the proceedings
On 16 September 2013 Nicaragua instituted proceedings against Colombia with regard to a
dispute concerning “the delimitation of the boundaries between, on the one hand, the continental
shelf of Nicaragua beyond the 200-nautical-mile limit from the baselines from which the breadth of
the territorial sea of Nicaragua is measured, and on the other hand, the continental shelf of
Colombia”.
Further details can be found in Press Release No. 2013/21, available on the Court’s website
(www.icj-cij.org) under the heading “Press Room”/“Press Releases”.
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Note: The Court’s press releases 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 seat of the Court is at the Peace Palace in The Hague (Netherlands). Of the six
principal organs of the United Nations, it is the only one not located in New York. The Court has a
twofold role: first, to settle, in accordance with international law, legal disputes submitted to it by
States (its judgments have binding force and are without appeal for the parties concerned); and,
second, to give advisory opinions on legal questions referred to it by duly authorized United
Nations organs and agencies of the system. 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.
Independent of the United Nations Secretariat, it is assisted by a Registry, its own international
secretariat, whose activities are both judicial and diplomatic, as well as administrative. The official
languages of the Court are French and English. Also known as the “World Court”, it is the only
court of a universal character with general jurisdiction.
The ICJ, a court open only to States for contentious proceedings, and to certain organs and
institutions of the United Nations system for advisory proceedings, should not be confused with the
other mostly criminal judicial institutions based in The Hague and adjacent areas, such as the
International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY, an ad hoc court created by the
Security Council), the International Criminal Court (ICC, the first permanent international criminal
court, established by treaty, which does not belong to the United Nations system), the Special
Tribunal for Lebanon (STL, an independent judicial body composed of Lebanese and international
judges, which is not a United Nations tribunal and does not form part of the Lebanese judicial
system), or the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA, an independent institution which assists in
the establishment of arbitral tribunals and facilitates their work, in accordance with the Hague
Convention of 1899).
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Information Department:
Mr. Andrey Poskakukhin, First Secretary of the Court, Head of Department (+31 (0)70 302 2336)
Mr. Boris Heim, Information Officer (+31 (0)70 302 2337)
Ms Joanne Moore, Associate Information Officer (+31 (0)70 302 2394)
Ms Genoveva Madurga, Administrative Assistant (+31 (0)70 302 2396)
- Fixing of time-limits for the filing of the initial pleadings
Question of the Delimitation of the Continental Shelf between Nicaragua and Colombia beyond 200 nautical miles from the Nicaraguan Coast (Nicaragua v. Colombia) - Fixing of time-limits for the filing of the initial pleadings