Rena Lee elected Singapore’s first ICJ judge
Lee won in the first voting round and will serve from 2027 to 2036, becoming the first woman from Southeast Asia on the court.
Singapore’s Ambassador for International Law Rena Lee won election to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Nov 3, receiving majorities in both UN voting bodies. The 57-year-old is the first Singaporean elected to the court and the first woman from Southeast Asia to join its bench.
Lee received 151 votes out of 191 cast in the General Assembly, alongside 13 votes out of 15 in the Security Council. Candidates needed at least 97 votes and eight votes respectively. Her nine-year term will run from 2027 to 2036.
Ten candidates contested the election for five seats. Britain’s Dapo Akande, France’s Francois Alabrune and Jordan’s Mahmoud Daifallah Hmoud also won seats in the opening round.
After the vote, Lee thanked countries that had backed her and said she would serve independently, impartially and with integrity. Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan said the result reflected international recognition of her legal experience and abilities.
Lee has practised international law for more than three decades. From 2018 to 2023, she presided over the UN conference whose negotiations led to the high seas treaty, which provides a binding framework for protecting marine life and regulating commercial activities in international waters.
Based in The Hague, the ICJ is the UN’s principal judicial body. Its 15 judges hear legal disputes between states, while the court also gives advisory opinions on questions referred by UN bodies and specialised agencies.
