British lawyer Dapo Akande elected to UN International Court of Justice

Summary

British international lawyer Dapo Akande has been elected a judge of the UN's International Court of Justice (ICJ), restoring a British presence on the court. He was elected alongside France's Francois Alabrune, Singapore's Rena Lee, Jordan's Mahmoud Daifallah Hmoud and Kenya's Phoebe Okowa, from nine candidates contesting five seats. Akande, Oxford's Chichele Professor of Public International Law, will be the first British judge on the court since 2018. The court has 15 judges, and the nine-year terms begin on 6 February 2027. The election comes almost a decade after a previous British judge failed to get re-elected. Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband welcomed the result as a victory for the UK's commitment to the rule of law. Akande is expected to sit on the bench as the court decides South Africa's case accusing Israel of violating the Genocide Convention in Gaza.

Timeline

1. The Guardian

   3 Nov 2026, 21:09 UTCSource ↗

   The Guardian reports that British lawyer Dapo Akande has been elected to the UN's International Court of Justice, a big British diplomatic victory coming almost 10 years after a previous British judge failed to get re-elected.

2. Middle East Eye

   4 Nov 2026, 15:56 UTCSource ↗

   Middle East Eye reports that Dapo Akande was elected an ICJ judge alongside four others from nine candidates, restoring a British presence on the court after almost a decade, and that he has argued against the annexation of Palestinian territory.