CR 2009/1
Cour internationale International Court
de Justice of Justice
LA HAYE THE HAGUE
ANNÉE 2009
Installation de nouveaux membres de la Cour
Audience publique
tenue le lundi 2 mars 2009, à 10 heures, au Palais de la Paix,
sous la présidence de M. Owada, président
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COMPTE RENDU
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YEAR 2009
Installation of new Members of the Court
Public sitting
held on Monday 2 March 2009, at 10 a.m., at the Peace Palace,
President Owada presiding
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VERBATIM RECORD
________________ - 2 -
Présents : M. Owada,président
ShiMM.
Koroma
Al-Khasawneh
Buergenthal
Simma
Abraham
Keith
Sepúlveda-Amor
Bennouna
Skotnikov
Crinçade
Yusuf
Grejugesood,
Cgoefferr,
⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯ - 3 -
Present: Presiewtada
Judges Shi
Koroma
Al-Khasawneh
Buergenthal
Simma
Abraham
Keith
Sepúlveda-Amor
Bennouna
Skotnikov
Cançado Trindade
Yusuf
Greenwood
Registrar Couvreur
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The PRESIDENT: Please be seated. The sitting is open.
This morning, the Court will hold two sittings. The present sitting will be held in the regular
composition of the Court and its purpose is for the three new Members of the Court to make their
solemn declarations. After a short pause, the Court will hold a second sitting in its composition in
the case concerning the Dispute regarding Navigational and Related Rights (CostaRica v.
Nicaragua) in order to begin hearing the oral arguments of the Parties in that case.
Vice-President Tomka has informed the Court that he will be unable to sit on the Bench in
the present hearings.
With effect from F6ebruary 2009, Messrs. Antônio Augusto Cançado Trindade,
Abdulqawi Ahmed Yusuf and Christopher Greenwood became Members of the Court. At the same
time, Judges Awn Shawkat Al-Khasawneh and Ronny Abraham were re-elected for a further term
of office. We congratulate our new colleagues, as well as those who have been re-elected, and are
very happy to have the benefit of their participation in the work of the Court.
Article20 of the Statute of the Court provides that “[e]very Member of the Court shall,
before taking up his duties, make a solemn declar ation in open court that he will exercise his
powers impartially and conscientiously”. As it is sp ecified in Article 4, paragraph 3, of the Rules
of Court, that provision does not apply to Member s of the Court whose term of office continues,
following their re-election. I shall now say a few words about each of the new Members of the
Court. I shall then invite them, in the order in which they take precedence by virtue of Article 3,
paragraph 3, of the Rules of Court, to make their declaration.
Judge Antônio Augusto Cançado Trindade, of Brazilian nationality, obtained an LL.M. and a
PhD in international law from the University of Cambridge and is a diplômé of the International
Institute of Human Rights in Strasbourg. He is a member of the Curatorium of the Hague
Academy of International Law and of the Institut de Droit International. He has enjoyed a
distinguished academic career in the field of inte rnational law and human rights, holding a number
of prestigious teaching posts, a nd has published extensively. He was Full Professor of Public
International Law at the University of Brasilia and at the Diplomatic Academy Rio Branco. He has
lectured at the Hague Academy of International Law and has also taught at the annual courses of - 5 -
the Organization of American States Inter-American Committee and at the International Institute of
Human Rights in Strasbourg. In addition to his illustrious academic career,
Judge Cançado Trindade has served as President of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, as
Executive Director of the Inter-American Institute of Human Rights and as Legal Adviser to the
Ministry of External Relations of Brazil. He has also acted as expert or representative of his
country in various United Nations bodies, incl uding the United Nations Environment Programme,
the United Nations Development Programme and th e United Nations Educational, Scientific and
Cultural Organization.
Judge Abdulqawi Ahmed Yusuf, of Somali nationality, holds a doctorate in political science,
international law, from the Graduate Institute of In ternational Studies of the University of Geneva,
and a laurea di Dottore in Giurisprudenza from the Somali National University in Mogadishu. He
is a member of the Institut de Droit Internati onal. Throughout his in ternational law career,
Judge Yusuf has combined academic positions w ith those of the practitioner advising governments
and intergovernmental organizations. He has taught in a number of institutions around the world,
in particular at the Faculties of Law of the Soma li National University and of the University of
Geneva, and at the International Development La w Institute in Rome. He is also the founding
General Editor of the African Yearbook of International Law or Annuaire Africain de droit
international.
JudgeYusuf has served as Legal Adviser to various intergovernmental organizations
including the United Nations Educational, Scien tific and Cultural Organization, and the United
Nations Industrial Development Organization. He also held the position of Assistant
Director-General at the United Nations Industrial Development Organization and various senior
positions at the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development. He represented Somalia at
the Third United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea as well as at a number of conferences
of the Organization of African Unity. JudgeYusuf has recently served as judge ad hoc of this
Court in the case concerning Certain Questions of Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters
(Djibouti v. France).
JudgeSirChristopherGreenwood, of the United Kingdom, holds an LL.B and an MA in
international law from the University of Cambridge. In his wide-ranging and distinguished career - 6 -
in the legal field, Judge Greenwood has worked both as an academic and as a practitioner. He was
Lecturer in Law at the University of Cambridge and Professor of International Law at the London
School of Economics, in addition to holding va rious visiting professorships. He has published
widely on a range of international law issues. JudgeGreenwood was appointed Queen’s Counsel
in 1999 and has acted as counsel before the Englis h courts and before a number of international
courts and tribunals, including the European Cour t of Human Rights, the International Criminal
Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, the arbitrat ion tribunals of the International Centre for
Settlement of Investment Disputes and the Unite d Nations Compensation Commission. He has
acted as a member of one of the arbitration tribuna ls of the Permanent Court of Arbitration and has
been a member of the Panel of Arbitrators under th e Law of the Sea Convention. He has appeared
on several occasions as counsel in cases before this Court.
I shall now invite each of these judges to ma ke the solemn declaration prescribed by the
Statute, and I request all those present to rise. Judge Cançado Trindade.
Juge CANÇADO TRINDADE:
«Je déclare solennellement que je remplirai mes devoirs et exercerai mes
attributions de juge en tout honneur et dévouement, en pleine et parfaite impartialité et
en toute conscience.»
The PRESIDENT: Thank you. Next, Judge Yusuf.
Juge YUSUF:
«Je déclare solennellement que je remplirai mes devoirs et exercerai mes
attributions de juge en tout honneur et dévouement, en pleine et parfaite impartialité et
en toute conscience.»
The PRESIDENT: Thank you. Judge Greenwood.
Judge GREENWOOD:
“I solemnly declare that I will perform my duties and exercise my powers as
judge honourably, faithfully, impartially and conscientiously.” - 7 -
The PRESIDENT: Thank you. Please be seat ed. The Court takes note of the solemn
declarations made by JudgesCançado Trindade , Yusuf and Greenwood and I declare them duly
installed as Members of the Court.
There will now be a very short break after wh ich the oral proceedings will begin in the case
concerning the Dispute regarding Navigational and Related Rights (Costa Rica v. Nicaragua).
I declare the sitting closed.
The Court rose at 10.10 a.m.
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Public sitting held on Monday 2 March 2009, at 10 a.m., at the Peace Palace, President Owada presiding, in the case concerning the Dispute regarding Navigational and Related Rights (Costa Rica v. Nicaragua)