Ugandan Judge Julia Sebutinde has been elected Vice-President of the Hague-based International Court of Justice (ICJ) for a term of three years.
Sebutinde was in the news last month when she gave a dissenting ruling as the ICJ gave preliminary orders for Israel to prevent genocide acts in Gaza.
Judge Sebutinde dissented from the majority in the ICJ Order, arguing that the dispute between the State of Israel and the people of Palestine is essentially and historically a political one, calling for a diplomatic or negotiated settlement. In her opinion, this is not a legal dispute susceptible of judicial settlement by the Court.
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) which is the principal judicial organ of the United Nations is dealing with a case filed by South Africa over genocidal acts committed by Israel in Gaza.
Established by the United Nations Charter in June 1945, the ICJ began its activities in April 1946. It is composed of 15 judges elected for a nine-year term by the General Assembly and the Security Council of the United Nations.
The Court has a two-fold role: to settle, in accordance with international law, legal disputes submitted to it by States; and, to give advisory opinions on legal questions referred to it by duly authorized United Nations organs and agencies of the system.
Earlier, Lebanese judge Nawaf Salam was Tuesday elected President of the ICJ.
Now Vice-President, Sebutinde has been a Member of the Court since 6 February 2012. Before joining the Court, Sebutinde was a judge at the Special Court for Sierra Leone from 2005 to 2011.