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 Twitter Account: @CIJ_ICJ
Press Release
Unofficial
No. 2017/23
1 June 2017
Maritime Delimitation in the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean (Costa Rica v. Nicaragua)
Land Boundary in the Northern Part of Isla Portillos (Costa Rica v. Nicaragua)
The Court to hold public hearings from Monday 3 July to Thursday 13 July 2017
THE HAGUE, 1 June 2017. The International Court of Justice (ICJ), the principal judicial
organ of the United Nations, will hold public hearings in the case concerning Maritime
Delimitation in the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean (Costa Rica v. Nicaragua) and in the case
concerning the Land Boundary in the Northern Part of Isla Portillos (Costa Rica v. Nicaragua) from
Monday 3 July to Thursday 13 July 2017, at the Peace Palace in The Hague, the seat of the Court.
It is recalled that, by an Order dated 2 February 2017, the Court joined the proceedings in
these two cases. As stated in the Order, “such a joinder will allow the Court to address
simultaneously the totality of the various interrelated and contested issues raised by the Parties,
including any questions of fact or law that are common to the disputes presented”.
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Schedule for the public hearings
First round of oral argument
Monday 3 July 10 a.m.-1 p.m.: Costa Rica
3 p.m.-6 p.m.: Costa Rica
Tuesday 4 July 10 a.m.-1 p.m.: Costa Rica
Thursday 6 July 3 p.m.-6 p.m.: Nicaragua
Friday 7 July 10 a.m.-1 p.m.: Nicaragua
3 p.m.-6 p.m.: Nicaragua - 2 -
Second round of oral argument
Monday 10 July 10 a.m.-1 p.m.: Costa Rica
3 p.m.-4.30 p.m.: Costa Rica
Thursday 13 July 10 a.m.-1 p.m.: Nicaragua
3 p.m.-4.30 p.m.: Nicaragua
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History of the proceedings
The history of the proceedings may be found in the Annual Report of the Court for
2015-2016 (paras. 194-211), available on the Court’s website (www.icj-cij.org) under the heading
“The Court” and in Press Releases Nos. 2017/1 and 2017/8, available on the Court’s website
(www.icj-cij.org) under the heading “Press Room”/“Press Releases”.
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Multimedia
The hearings will be streamed live and on demand (VOD) on the Court’s website
(www.icj-cij.org/multimedia) as well as on UN web TV, the United Nations online television
channel. Still photographs of the event will be posted on the first day of the hearings on the ICJ and
UN Photo websites, as well as on the Court’s Twitter feed (@CIJ_ICJ). Selected high-resolution
video footage (b-roll) of the event will be available for TV use on the Court’s website the same
day. The hearings will also be covered by the United Nations television broadcasting service
(UNifeed, New York).
All the photographs and videos made available to the media by the ICJ are free of charge and
free of copyright for editorial, non-commercial use.
For information regarding the accreditation/admission procedures for these hearings as well
as the video streaming options (low and high resolution) and practical information for the media,
please see below.
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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 Parties to the case, and to members of the diplomatic
corps.
1. Members of the diplomatic corps
The Information Department requests members of the diplomatic corps who plan to attend
the hearings to notify it accordingly before midnight on Wednesday 28 June 2017 (The Hague
time), by e-mail to [email protected]. - 3 -
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 a compulsory online accreditation procedure, which will
close at midnight on Wednesday 28 June 2017 (The Hague time). Requests submitted after this
deadline will not be considered.
B. Further practical information for the media
1. Verbatim records of the hearings
Verbatim records of the oral arguments will be published daily on the Court’s website. On
the final day of the hearings, a press release will be issued presenting the submissions of the
Parties. Note that the Court’s press releases do not constitute official documents.
2. Entry to the Peace Palace
The Press Room will be open one hour prior to the start of hearings and will close one hour
after they conclude. Accredited media representatives must bring with them their personal ID and
press card, and are asked to arrive at the Peace Palace gates between 90 minutes and one hour
before the start of the hearings. Only duly accredited individuals with valid identification will
be permitted to enter the Peace Palace grounds.
3. 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 hearings live should contact the
Information Department as soon as possible to make the necessary arrangements. Satellite vehicle
technicians/drivers will be informed in due course of the access times for the Peace Palace grounds.
4. 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 first day of each round of oral argument. They will be accompanied by a member
of the Information Department.
5. Press Room
The hearings will be transmitted live on a large screen, in English and French, in a press
room equipped with a shared Internet access (Wi-Fi, Ethernet). TV crews can connect to the
Court’s PAL (HD and SD) and NTSC (SD) audio-visual system and radio reporters to the audio
system.
6. Other media services
For further practical 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”.
___________ - 4 -
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 international judicial body with an independent legal personality,
established by the United Nations Security Council upon the request of the Lebanese Government
and composed of Lebanese and international judges), 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 and Ms Joanne Moore, Information Officers (+31 (0)70 302 2337)
Mr. Avo Sevag Garabet, Associate Information Officer (+31 (0)70 302 2394)
Ms Genoveva Madurga, Administrative Assistant (+31 (0)70 302 2396)
Maritime Delimitation in the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean (Costa Rica v. Nicaragua) - Land Boundary in the Northern Part of Isla Portillos (Costa Rica v. Nicaragua) - The Court to hold public hearings from Monday 3 July to Thursday 13 July 2017