President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa has congratulated Professor Dire Tladi on his election as a judge of the International Court of Justice (ICJ). Tladi is the first South African to serve on the ICJ, the principal judicial organ of the United Nations.
Tladi is a leading international law scholar and practitioner. He is currently Professor of International Law at the University of Pretoria and serves as President of the South African Branch of the International Law Association and Executive Member of the International Law Association. He has also served as Chair of the International Law Commission, an organ of the UN generally regarded as a feeder body for the ICJ.
In a statement, President Ramaphosa said that Tladi’s election is an “outstanding personal achievement in which the nation shares with great pride.” He added that Tladi’s appointment is a testament to the “confidence expressed by the United Nations in Prof Tladi’s capabilities.”
Tladi will serve a nine-year term on the ICJ. He is one of five new judges who were elected to the Court on November 9, 2023.
The ICJ settles legal disputes submitted to it by States and gives advisory opinions on legal questions referred to it by authorized United Nations organs and specialized agencies. The Court is composed of 15 judges who are elected for nine-year terms by the United Nations General Assembly and the Security Council.
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