Statement delivered by Ambassador Marie Jacobsson, Principal Legal Advisor on International Law, Sweden, on behalf of Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden and Denmark, at the 77th Session of the General Assembly of the United Nations. Agenda item 70: Report of the International Court of Justice. New York, 27 October 2022
M(r/s) Chair,
I have the honour to speak on behalf of the five Nordic countries, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and my own country, Sweden.
Let me first thank President Joan E. Donoghue for the report of the International Court of Justice, covering the period from 1 August 2021 to 31 July 2022.
The Nordic countries attach great importance to the International Court of Justice, the principal judicial organ of the United Nations. The Court has earned a solid reputation as an impartial institution with the highest legal standards.
The Nordic countries would like to commend the work of the Court and emphasize the importance of the Court’s role in the international legal order.
During the reporting period now under review, the Court has once again experienced a high level of activity with cases of a wide geographical spread concerning a variety of legal issues.
Cases concern topics such as jurisdictional immunities of States, the prevention of genocide, the fight against corruption and the elimination of discrimination. With sixteen pending cases at the moment, five of which were initiated in the past year, from September 2021 to September 2022, the Court’s continued contribution in carrying out peaceful settlement of disputes is clear and much needed. This development of referring cases to the ICJ reaffirms the strong commitment to the rule of law, also at the international level, among States and their support to the fundamental obligation of peaceful dispute settlement and maintenance of international peace and security.
M(r/s) Chair,
A submission of a dispute to the Court is an act to fulfil the obligation of all States to settle their disputes peacefully. In the last couple of months, an unprecedented number of declarations of interventions have been filed with the Court in the case between Ukraine and Russia concerning Allegations of Genocide under the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.
As the case concerns the interpretation of the obligations contained in the Genocide Convention, all States parties to the Convention have a direct interest in the dispute and many States parties have decided to use their right under article 63 of the Statute of the Court to intervene in the proceedings. These interventions offer an ample reflection of the importance of the Court as an institution for the promotion and protection of an international system based on the rule of law.
We urge all States to engage constructively in multilateral rules-based cooperation of which peaceful settlement of disputes form an integral and crucial part.
M(r/s) Chair,
The Nordic countries would also like to use this opportunity to reiterate the need to strive for a better gender balance in the Court. The upcoming election on 4 November 2022 gives rise to reflection on our shared efforts to achieve equal representation of women and men in the Court. We encourage all States to keep on working actively towards this goal during the preparation of the next regular election in 2023 in order for real change to take place.
Finally, the Nordic countries would like to reaffirm our continuing support to the International Court of Justice, as the principal judicial organ of the United Nations and the international legal system more generally.
We call upon States, that have not yet done so, to consider accepting the compulsory jurisdiction of the Court.
Thank you.