British lawyer Dapo Akande is elected to the UN's top court, ending almost a decade without a UK judge
Professor Dapo Akande received the highest number of nominations — 43 — of any candidate in Tuesday's ICJ election, which Prime Minister Andy Burnham called a sign that "the UK is back on the world stage.Professor Dapo Akande, whose nine-year term on the ICJ runs from 2027 to 2036, was backed by Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband and British diplomats worldwide.
Professor Dapo Akande, a British-Nigerian Oxford academic and barrister at Essex Court Chambers, will serve a nine-year term from 2027 to 2036 after winning majority support from UN member states in a closely contested vote on Tuesday. The campaign was backed by Prime Minister Andy Burnham, Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband and British diplomats worldwide. The last UK judge, Sir Christopher Greenwood, lost his seat in 2017 to an Indian rival, leaving Britain without representation on the court.
Akande, Chichele Professor of Public International Law at Oxford, received 43 nominations from national groups — the highest of any candidate in this election.
Burnham declared the result 'a clear signal to our partners that the UK is back on the world stage', framing the win as a diplomatic breakthrough for his government.
The ICJ, established by the UN Charter in 1945, rules on state-to-state disputes and has recently handled high-profile cases including those involving Gaza.
