Arbitral Award of 3 October 1899 (Guyana v. Venezuela) - Conclusion of the public hearing held on Tuesday 30 June 2020 - The Court to begin its deliberation

INTERNATIONAL COURT OF JUSTICE
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Press Release
Unofficial
No. 2020/18
30 June 2020
Arbitral Award of 3 October 1899 (Guyana v. Venezuela) Conclusion of the public hearing held on Tuesday 30 June 2020 The Court to begin its deliberation
THE HAGUE, 30 June 2020. The public hearing on the question of the Court’s jurisdiction in the case concerning the Arbitral Award of 3 October 1899 (Guyana v. Venezuela) was held today. Oral arguments were presented by the Co-operative Republic of Guyana. The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela did not participate in the hearing.
In view of the current COVID-19 pandemic, some Members of the Court attended the hearing in person in the Great Hall of Justice, while others participated remotely via video link. The delegation of Guyana, led by Hon. Carl B. Greenidge, as Agent, and Sir Shridath Ramphal and H.E. Ms Audrey Waddell, Ambassador, as Co-Agents, addressed the Court by video link.
The Court will now begin its deliberation.
Submissions of the applicant Party
At the end of the hearing, Sir Shridath Ramphal made the following submissions to the Court on behalf of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana:
“On the basis of its Application of 29 March 2018, its Memorial of 19 November 2018, and its oral pleadings, Guyana respectfully requests the Court:
1. To find that it has jurisdiction to hear the claims presented by Guyana, and that these claims are admissible; and
2. To proceed to the merits of the case.”
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History of the proceedings
The history of the proceedings can be found in paragraphs 207-215 of the Court’s Annual Report for 2018-2019 and in press releases Nos. 2020/5, 2020/8, 2020/15 and 2020/17, which are available on the Court’s website (www.icj-cij.org).
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Note: The Court’s press releases are prepared by its Registry for information purposes only and 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 Court is composed of 15 judges elected for a nine-year term by the General Assembly and the Security Council of the United Nations. The seat of the Court is at the Peace Palace in The Hague (Netherlands). The Court has a twofold role: first, to settle, in accordance with international law, through judgments which have binding force and are without appeal for the parties concerned, legal disputes submitted to it by States; and, second, to give advisory opinions on legal questions referred to it by duly authorized United Nations organs and agencies of the system.
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