The United Kingdom will have a judge on the International Court of Justice (ICJ) again after Professor Dapo Akande’s election ended a gap of nearly a decade, the government said Tuesday. Akande received support from a majority of United Nations (U.N.) member states and will serve a nine-year term, the announcement said.
The UK government credited Prime Minister Andy Burnham, ministers and diplomats around the world with supporting Akande’s campaign. Burnham said the election signaled Britain’s readiness to contribute to global stability and the rule of law, and praised Akande’s integrity and legal expertise. Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband said Akande’s independence and commitment to international law would benefit the court and the wider international community.
Akande’s academic posts include a professorship in public international law and a fellowship at All Souls College, Oxford. He is also an elected member of the U.N. International Law Commission. The government said his work in academia and legal practice spans almost 30 years; he first qualified as a lawyer in Nigeria.
His advisory work has reached governments across all five U.N. regional groups, as well as the United Nations and African Union. Akande has served as counsel, adviser and expert in cases at the ICJ and other international courts and tribunals, the government said.
Akande said he was grateful to the states that supported his election. He said he would decide cases independently and apply the law impartially, and hoped to help resolve disputes peacefully through the court.
