Whaling in the Antarctic (Australia v. Japan: New Zealand intervening) - The Court to deliver its Judgment on Monday 31 March 2014 at 10 a.m.

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. 2014/13
4 March 2014

Whaling in the Antarctic (Australia v. Japan: New Zealand intervening)

The Court to deliver its Judgment on Monday 31 March 2014 at 10 a.m.

THE HAGUE, 4 March 2014. On Monday 31 March 2014, the International Court of
Justice (ICJ), the principal judicial organ of the United Nations, will deliver its Judgment in the
case concerning Whaling in the Antarctic (Australia v. Japan: New Zealand intervening).

A public sitting will take place at 10 a.m. (The Hague time) at the Peace Palace, The Hague,
the seat of the Court, during which the President of the Court, Judge Peter Tomka, will read the

Court’s Judgment.

It is recalled that the judgments of the Court have binding force and are without appeal for
the parties concerned.

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History of the proceedings

The history of the proceedings can be found in the Annual Report of the Court 2012-2013
(paragraphs 150-164), which can be downloaded from the Court’s website (www.icj-cij.org), under
the heading “The Court”, “Annual Reports”.

*

Admission procedures have been established for members of the public and the press, and
various video streaming options (low and high resolution) will be made available.

A. Admission procedures

Owing to the limited number of seats available in the Great Hall of Justice, priority access
will be given to representatives of the States that are parties to the case, and members of the
diplomatic corps. - 2 -

1. Members of the diplomatic corps

The Information Department requests members of the diplomatic corps who plan to attend
the reading of the Judgment to notify it accordingly before midnight on Wednesday
26 March 2014, by e-mail to [email protected].

2. Members of the public

A number of seats will be allocated to 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.

3. Media representatives

Media representatives are subject to an online accreditation procedure, which will close at
midnight on Wednesday 26 March 2014. For full details (timetable, technical facilities, etc.), see
the section below entitled “Further practical information for the media”.

B. Video streaming

1. Live HD video streaming for the use of the televised media (H264, 1080p)

Live video images of the reading of the Judgment will be made available, remotely, to the
televised media by means of a high-definition streaming service, set up in co-operation
with the Television Section (UNTV) of the United Nations Department of Public Information
(UNDPI). These images (16/9 ratio) will be available in H264 high-definition format (1080p,

full HD). Media wishing to obtain these images are requested to send an e-mail to
[email protected] no later than 12 noon on Thursday 27 March 2014. A technician
will provide assistance in establishing and testing the necessary connection.

2. Live and on-demand video streaming for the general public (web streaming)

It will be possible to watch the reading, either live or later on demand (VOD), on two
channels: (1) the Court’s website (Multimedia Gallery); and (2) the United Nations online

television channel (webtv.un.org), either under “Live Now”, or in VOD under “Meeting &
Events/ICJ”.

C. Further practical information for the media

1. Entry to the Peace Palace

Media representatives must bring with them their personal ID and press card. They are
asked to arrive at the Peace Palace gates between 8.30 and 9 a.m. Only duly accredited individuals
with valid identification will be permitted to enter the Peace Palace grounds. The Press Room will
be open from 8.30 a.m. to 6 p.m.

2. Parking at the Peace Palace, satellite vehicles

No parking is allowed in the Peace Palace grounds apart from satellite vehicles. Media

wishing to park satellite vehicles are requested to fill in the appropriate fields in the online
accreditation form. Televised media wishing to broadcast the sitting live should read
paragraph B.1 above carefully and contact the Information Department as soon as possible to make
the necessary arrangements. - 3 -

3. Access to the courtroom

Photographers and camera crews will only be permitted to enter the room for a few minutes
at the start of the sitting. They will be accompanied by Registry staff members and must keep to
the right-hand side of the room. Journalists will be able to follow the reading of the Judgment from
the Press Room.

4. Press Room

The reading of the Judgment will be transmitted live on a large screen, in English and

French, in a press room equipped with Internet access (Wi-Fi, Ethernet). TV crews can connect to
the Court’s PAL (HD and SD) and NTSC (SD) audio-visual system (see also paragraph B.1
above), and radio reporters to the audio system.

5. Other media services

For further information (on requests for interviews, TV stand-up positions, audio and video
outputs available, etc.), please visit the Court’s website. Click on “Press Room”, and then on

“Media Services”.
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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)