I have the honour to deliver this statement on behalf of the United Kingdom in response to the presentation of the Annual Report of the International Court of Justice.
\n\nI thank President Iwasawa for his address and for his leadership of the Court.
\n\nAnd the judges and Registry for their dedicated service to international justice.
\n\nThis year, we mark the eighth anniversary of the Court’s inaugural sitting.
\n\nEstablished in the aftermath of devastating conflict.
\n\nThe Court embodies the conviction that the law must provide States with an alternative to coercion and force.
\n\nEighty years later, that conviction remains an urgent necessity.
\n\nAt a time of conflict, instability and growing pressure on the international legal order.
\n\nThe Court’s contribution to the peaceful settlement of disputes has rarely been more important.
\n\nIt enables States mutually to place their disagreements before an independent judicial body to be heard on an equal footing.
\nAnd to receive a determination founded in law rather than power.
The sustained demands on the Court demonstrate its impact and importance.
\n\nOver a number of years, more States have turned to the Court and participation in its proceedings has grown.
\n\nIt is crucial, therefore, that it has the resources and capacity to manage that workload effectively.
\n\nWhile maintaining the quality and rigour on which its authority depends.
\n\nThat is why the United Kingdom’s support is practical as well as principled.
\n\nWe supported additional resources to meet the Court’s staffing needs and have contributed to the trust fund for its Judicial Fellowship Programme.
\n\nHelping young jurists from developing countries to gain professional experience and contribute to the Court’s wider mission.
\n\nInvesting in the Court’s future also means ensuring that it continues to benefit from judges of the highest calibre.
\n\nDrawn from different legal traditions and equipped to address the complex questions before it.
\n\nThe United Kingdom is therefore proud to support Professor Dapo Akande for election to the Court on 3 November.
\n\nThe high number of national group nominations, with strong support across every United Nations region, is a reflection of the respect he commands across the international legal community.
\n\nAt a moment when international law is under pressure.
\n\nProfessor Akande brings the independence, legal rigour, judgement and breadth of perspective that the Court needs.
\n\nHe would make a formidable contribution to its work.
\n\nAs colleagues will know, the United Kingdom has been a steadfast supporter of the Court.
\n\nWe have accepted its compulsory jurisdiction.
\n\nAnd we again encourage States that have not yet done so to consider accepting the Court’s jurisdiction in accordance with its Statute.
\n\nBut our support for international justice does not end with this Court.
\n\nI am here today to talk about the ICJ, but I must confirm that international institutions must be able to act independently, impartially and with integrity.
\n\nAnd that is why the UK does not support sanctions against the International Criminal Court.
\n\nAttempts to impede its work weaken the wider international legal order on which all states rely.
\n\nMr President, back to the ICJ.
\n\nFor eighty years, the International Court of Justice has helped turn the Charter’s commitment to peaceful settlement into legal reality.
\n\nIts enduring significance lies not simply in the disputes it has resolved, but in the fundamental proposition it embodies:
\n\nThat relations between States must be governed by law, not merely by power.
\n\nThe United Kingdom will continue to defend that proposition, and to support the Court in carrying out its vital mandate.
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