Election of Members of the Tribunal
According to article 2, paragraph 1, of the Statute, the Tribunal "shall be composed of a body of 21 independent members, elected from among persons enjoying the highest reputation for fairness and integrity and of recognized competence in the field of the law of the sea."
Article 4, paragraph 1, of the Statute of the Tribunal requires that the members of the Tribunal be elected by the States Parties to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea from a list of persons nominated by the States Parties. Each State Party may nominate not more than two persons having the qualifications prescribed in article 2 of the Statute.
In addition, pursuant to article 3, paragraph 1, of the Statute, no two members of the Tribunal may be nationals of the same State and a person who for the purposes of membership in the Tribunal could be regarded as a national of more than one State shall be deemed to be a national of the one in which he ordinarily exercises civil and political rights.
In the election of members, the Statute of the Tribunal provides in article 2, paragraph 2, and article 3, paragraph 2, that in the Tribunal as a whole the representation of the principal legal systems of the world and equitable geographical distribution shall be assured and that there shall be no fewer than three members from each geographical group as established by the General Assembly of the United Nations.
Pursuant to article 2, paragraph 1, of the Rules of the Tribunal, the term of office of members elected at a triennial election begins to run from 1 October following the date of the election.
As communicated to the States Parties by the Registrar by note verbale of 17 November 2022, the election to fill the places of seven members whose terms of office expire on 30 September 2023 will be held at the thirty-third Meeting of States Parties from 12 to 16 June 2023. The period of nominations was fixed from 4 January to 3 March 2023 at midnight (Hamburg time).
Election to fill the places of seven members of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea whose terms of office expire on 30 September 2023 - List of candidates nominated by States parties:
| Name and nationality | Nominated by |
Argentina | |
Iraq | |
Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden | |
Bulgaria, Dominica, Japan, Malta, Palau, Paraguay, Tonga | |
South Africa | |
Sierra Leone | |
Poland | |
Uruguay | |
Republic of Korea | |
Burkina Faso |