The International Court of Justice, also called the World Court, is the only international court that adjudicates general disputes between nations, and gives advisory opinions on international legal issues. It is one of the six organs of the United Nations (UN), and is located in The Hague, Netherlands.
The Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court is the treaty that established the International Criminal Court (ICC). It was adopted at a diplomatic conference in Rome, Italy on 17 July 1998 and it entered into force on 1 July 2002. As of November 2023, 124 states are party to the statute. Among other things, it establishes court function, jurisdiction and structure.
A United Nations Security Council resolution (UNSCR) is a United Nations resolution adopted by the fifteen members of the Security Council (UNSC); the United Nations (UN) body charged with "primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security".
United Nations Security Council resolution 446, adopted on 22 March 1979, concerned the issue of Israeli settlements in the "Arab territories occupied by Israel since 1967, including Jerusalem". This refers to the Palestinian territories of the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip as well as the Syrian Golan Heights.
United Nations Security Council resolution 1422, adopted unanimously on 12 July 2002, after noting the recent entry into force of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, the Council granted immunity from prosecution by the International Criminal Court (ICC) to United Nations peacekeeping personnel from countries that were not party to the ICC.
The International law bearing on issues of Arab–Israeli conflict, which became a major arena of regional and international tension since the birth of Israel in 1948, resulting in several disputes between a number of Arab countries and Israel.
The International Court of Justice has jurisdiction in two types of cases: contentious cases between states in which the court produces binding rulings between states that agree, or have previously agreed, to submit to the ruling of the court; and advisory opinions, which provide reasoned, but non-binding, rulings on properly submitted questions of international law, usually at the request of the United Nations General Assembly. Advisory opinions do not have to concern particular controversies between states, though they often do.
The United States is not a state party to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, which founded the International Criminal Court (ICC) in 2002.
The states parties to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court are those sovereign states that have ratified, or have otherwise become party to, the Rome Statute. The Rome Statute is the treaty that established the International Criminal Court, an international court that has jurisdiction over certain international crimes, including genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes that are committed by nationals of states parties or within the territory of states parties. States parties are legally obligated to co-operate with the Court when it requires, such as in arresting and transferring indicted persons or providing access to evidence and witnesses. States parties are entitled to participate and vote in proceedings of the Assembly of States Parties, which is the Court's governing body. Such proceedings include the election of such officials as judges and the Prosecutor, the approval of the Court's budget, and the adoption of amendments to the Rome Statute.
United Nations Security Council Resolution 1593, adopted on 31 March 2005, after receiving a report by the International Commission of Inquiry on Darfur, the Council referred the situation in the Darfur region of Sudan to the International Criminal Court (ICC) and required Sudan to co-operate fully. It marked the first time the council had referred a situation to the court, and also compelled a country to co-operate with it.
United Nations Security Council Resolution 102 was adopted on 3 December 1953. In it, the Security Council recommended to the General Assembly that Japan be allowed to become a party to the Statute of the International Court of Justice if the following conditions were met:
- acceptance of the provisions of the Statute of the ICJ,
- acceptance of all the obligations of a Member of the United Nations under Article 94 of the Charter, and
- undertaking to contribute to the expenses of the Court as the General Assembly shall assess from time to time, after consultation with the Japanese Government.
United Nations Security Council Resolution 103 was adopted on 3 December 1953. In it, the Security Council recommended to the General Assembly that San Marino be allowed to become a party to the Statute of the International Court of Justice if the following conditions were met:
- acceptance of the provisions of the Statute of the ICJ,
- acceptance of all the obligations of a Member of the United Nations under Article 94 of the Charter, and
- undertaking to contribute to the expenses of the Court as the General Assembly shall assess from time to time, after consultation with the San Marinese Government.
United Nations Security Council resolution 1487, adopted on 12 June 2003, after noting the recent entry into force of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, the Council granted a one-year extension for immunity from prosecution by the International Criminal Court (ICC) to United Nations peacekeeping personnel from countries that were not party to the ICC, beginning on 1 July 2003.
United Nations Security Council Resolution 137, adopted on May 31, 1960, noted with regret the death of Judge Sir Hersch Lauterpacht on May 8. The Council then decided that in accordance with the Statute of the Court the resulting vacancy in the International Court of Justice would be resolved by an election in the General Assembly that would take place during the fifteenth session of that body.
The Statute of the International Court of Justice is an integral part of the United Nations Charter, as specified by Chapter XIV of the United Nations Charter, which established the International Court of Justice.
United Nations Security Council Resolution 272, adopted on October 23, 1969, regarding the General Assembly including an item relating to the amendment of the Statute of the International Court of Justice on the agenda of its 24th session, the Council has authority to make recommendations to the Assembly regarding the participation of nations party to the Statute but not members of the UN and decided to do so.
United Nations Security Council resolution 600, adopted unanimously on 19 October 1987, recommended to the General Assembly that Nauru be allowed to become a party to the Stature of the International Court of Justice if they met the following conditions;
United Nations Security Council resolution 955, adopted on 8 November 1994, after recalling all resolutions on Rwanda, the Council noted that serious violations of international humanitarian law had taken place in the country and, acting under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter, established the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR).
Amendments to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court must be proposed, adopted, and ratified in accordance with articles 121 and 122 of the Statute. Any state party to the Statute can propose an amendment. The proposed amendment can be adopted by a two-thirds majority vote in either a meeting of the Assembly of States Parties or a review conference called by the Assembly. An amendment comes into force for all states parties one year after it is ratified by seven-eighths of the states parties. However, any amendment to articles 5, 6, 7, or 8 of the Statute only enters into force for states parties that have ratified the amendment. A state party which ratifies an amendment to articles 5, 6, 7, or 8 is subject to that amendment one year after ratifying it, regardless of how many other states parties have also ratified it. For an article 5, 6, 7, or 8 amendment, the Statute itself is amended after the amendment comes into force for the first state party to ratify it. Amendments of a purely institutional nature enter into force six months after they are approved by a two-thirds majority vote in either a meeting of the Assembly of States Parties or a review conference.
The 2018 International Court of Justice election was held on 22 June 2018 at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City. The General Assembly and the Security Council concurrently elected Yuji Iwasawa (Japan) to the International Court of Justice until 5 February 2021. He served the remainder of the nine-year term of office that had been held by Hisashi Owada (Japan), whose resignation from the Court took effect on 7 June 2018.
