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
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Press Release
Unofficial
No. 2023/59
3 November 2023
Arbitral Award of 3 October 1899 (Guyana v. Venezuela)
Request for the indication of provisional measures
Public hearings to be held on Tuesday 14 November 2023
THE HAGUE, 3 November 2023. The International Court of Justice will hold public hearings
in the case concerning Arbitral Award of 3 October 1899 (Guyana v. Venezuela) on Tuesday
14 November 2023 at the Peace Palace in The Hague, the seat of the Court. It is recalled that on
29 March 2018, Guyana filed an Application instituting proceedings against Venezuela in which it
requests the Court “to confirm the legal validity and binding effect of the Award regarding the
Boundary between the Colony of British Guiana and the United States of Venezuela, of 3 October
1899” (see press release 2018/17).
The hearings will be devoted to the Request for the indication of provisional measures
submitted by Guyana on 30 October 2023. In its Request, Guyana states that “[o]n 23 October 2023,
the Government of Venezuela, through its National Electoral Council, published a list of five
questions that it plans to put before the Venezuelan people in a . . . ‘Consultative Referendum’ on
3 December 2023”. According to the Applicant, the purpose of this referendum is “to obtain
responses that would support Venezuela’s decision to abandon [the current proceedings before the
Court], and to resort instead to unilateral measures to ‘resolve’ the controversy with Guyana by
formally annexing and integrating into Venezuela all of the territory at issue in these proceedings,
which comprises more than two-thirds of Guyana” (see press release 2023/58).
Schedule for the hearings
Tuesday 14 November 2023 10 a.m.-11.30 a.m.: Oral argument (Guyana)
3 p.m.-4.30 p.m.: Oral argument (Venezuela)
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Members of the diplomatic corps, the media and the public will find practical information
regarding the organization of the hearings below.
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A. Practical information and admission procedures
There will be no parking on the Peace Palace grounds.
1. Members of the diplomatic corps
Owing to the limited number of seats available in the Great Hall of Justice, members of the
diplomatic corps who wish to attend the hearings are requested to kindly fill out an online registration
form by S
unday 12 November 2023 at the latest, indicating which session(s) (date and time) they
wish to attend. Seats in the Great Hall of Justice will be allocated on the basis of availability. On
presenting a confirmation of registration from the Information Department and a valid diplomatic ID
at the main gate of the Peace Palace on the day of the hearings, diplomats will be provided with a
badge giving access to the Great Hall of Justice.
2. M
embers of the public
A limited number of seats in the public gallery will be available for 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. Members of the public wishing to attend the
hearings are requested to present themselves at the main gate of the Peace Palace 40 minutes before
the start of the public session they wish to attend. They will be provided with a badge giving access
to the public gallery upon presentation of a valid ID. The security officers at the gate will notify those
concerned once all seats available for members of the public have been filled. Admission to the
public gallery will close 20 minutes before the start of the hearings.
3. Media representatives
Media representatives who wish to attend the hearings are subject to an online accreditation
procedure, which will close at midnight on Sunday 12 November 2023 (The Hague time). Requests
submitted after this deadline will not be considered. The Court’s Press Room can accommodate
30 people only. Accreditation requests will be considered on a first-come first-served basis.
B. Further practical information for the media
1. Entry to the Peace Palace
Only duly accredited individuals with valid identification will be permitted to enter the Peace
Palace grounds. Accredited media representatives must bring with them their personal ID and press
card. They are asked to arrive at the Peace Palace gates no later than 30 minutes before the start of
the hearings. The Press Room will be open one and a half hours before the start of the hearings and
will close one hour after they conclude.
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2. Access to the courtroom
Photographers and camera crews will only be permitted to enter the courtroom for a few
minutes before the opening of the oral argument of each Party. They will be accompanied by a
member of the Information Department. Other media representatives will not have access to the
courtroom.
3. Press Room
The hearings will be transmitted live on a large screen in the two official languages of the
Court, English and French, in a press room equipped with shared internet access (Wi-Fi and
Ethernet). TV crews can connect to the Court’s PAL (HD and SD) and NTSC (SD) audiovisual
system, and radio reporters to the audio system.
4. Multimedia
The hearings will be streamed live and on demand (VOD) in the two official languages of the
Court, English and French, on the Court’s website and on UN Web TV. High-resolution video clips
and still photos produced by the Registry during the hearings will be available free of charge and
free of copyright for editorial, non-commercial use, on the Court’s website (to download, click on
Multimedia) and X (formerly Twitter) feed (@CIJ_ICJ).
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Earlier press releases relating to this case, including the history of the proceedings, are
available on the Court’s website.
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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,
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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Information Department:
Ms Monique Legerman, First Secretary of the Court, Head of Department: +31 (0)70 302 2336
Ms Joanne Moore, Information Officer: +31 (0)70 302 2337
Mr Avo Sevag Garabet, Associate Information Officer: +31 (0)70 302 2394
Email: [email protected]
Arbitral Award of 3 October 1899 (Guyana v. Venezuela) - Request for the indication of provisional measures - Public hearings to be held on Tuesday 14 November 2023