Statute of the International Court of Justice
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Structure
The Statute is divided into 5 chapters and consists of 70 articles. The Statute begins with Article 1 proclaiming: Template:Quote The 69 Articles are grouped in 5 Chapters:
- Chapter I: Organization of the Court (Articles 2 - 33)
- Chapter II: Competence of the Court (Articles 34 - 38)
- Chapter III: Procedure (Articles 39 - 64)
- Chapter IV: Advisory Opinions (Articles 65 - 68)
- Chapter V: Amendment (Articles 69 & 70)
Article 38.1 lists sources that the court may apply to decide a case, including: treaties, customary international law, general principles of law, and (as subsidiary means) judicial decisions and academic writing. These sources are qualified by Article 59 which states that ICJ decisions are binding only to the parties in that case, and Article 38.2 which allows the court to decide a case ex aequo et bono if the parties agree thereto.
Parties to the Statute
All [[member states of the United Nations|Template:UNnum UN member states]] are parties to the Statute by virtue of their ratification of the UN Charter. Under Article 93(2) of the UN Charter, states which are not a member of the UN may become a party to the Statute, subject to the recommendation of the United Nations Security Council and approval of the United Nations General Assembly.[1]
As of 2025, neither the UN General Assembly non-member observer states, namely the State of Palestine and the Holy See, nor any other states are parties to the statute under these provisions. Switzerland (1948-2002), Liechtenstein (1950-1990), San Marino (1954-1992), Japan (1954-1956), and Nauru (1988-1999) were all parties to the Statute prior to becoming UN member states.[2][3]
Additionally, states which are not party to the Statute can also make use of the court, under Article 35(2) of the Statute, if they make a declaration accepting the court's jurisdiction and to abide by its rulings. As of 2025, Palestine has made two such declarations for different disputes.[4]
References
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External links
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- Statute of the International Court of Justice.
- Procedural history note and audiovisual material on the Statute of the International Court of Justice in the Historic Archives of the United Nations Audiovisual Library of International Law
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