Program
- 10:00-10:05: Welcome, Stian Oby Johansen, leader of the Norwegian Society for International Law
- 10:05 -11:00: Interview with Judge Tladi, by Gentian Zyberi
- 11:00-11:30: Questions and answers
The Role and Contribution of the ICJ to Dispute Settlement and International Law
The discussion will examine the Court’s contribution to the humanization of international law and its navigation of complex legal issues in an increasingly polarized global environment. The interview will touch upon three key thematic areas, namely to ICJ’s role and contribution to contemporary international dispute settlement, to developing and interpreting international law, and to ensuring respect for international law. The discussion will include mainly cases that have been resolved by the Court, avoiding going into a discussion on the merits of those cases that are pending.
The interview will be conducted by Professor Gentian Zyberi, Head of Department of the Norwegian Centre for Human Rights (University of Oslo) and Member of the Permanent Court of Arbitration.
International dispute settlement
This interview will address the Court’s handling of high-stakes disputes between States, including legal proceedings regarding the Genocide Convention, Convention against Torture, and racial discrimination in situations of active armed conflict. We will also discuss the increasing importance of advisory opinions in addressing broad legal questions of concern to the international community, such as State obligations regarding climate change, the legal consequences of prolonged occupation, and obligations vis-à-vis humanitarian organizations and third States.
Developing and interpreting international law
In discussing the ICJ’s contribution to developing and interpreting international law, this interview will explore the Court’s interpretive role in defining rigorous evidentiary standards, highlight the Court’s approach to interpreting international law, including core human rights treaties like the ICCPR, ICESCR, CAT, CERD and others, and its relationship with specialized UN treaty monitoring bodies.
Ensuring respect for international law
In discussing the Court’s role in ensuring respect for international law, the interview will delve into the concept of obligations owed to the international community as a whole, which allow any State to have a legal interest in protecting fundamental rights. We will discuss the mechanisms for invoking State responsibility when peremptory norms, such as prohibitions against aggression or genocide, are breached. Finally, the discussion will address the Court’s role in ensuring that the “fog of war” does not provide a shield for accountability, helping efforts to maintain global respect for international humanitarian law.
Short bio
Dire Tladi is a Judge of the International Court of Justice, in The Hague. Prior to that, Tladi was Professor of international law and holder of the NRF SARChI Chair in International Constitutional Law at the University of Pretoria. He was previously Chair and member of the UN International Law Commission and its Special Rapporteur on Peremptory Norms of General International Law (Jus Cogens). He was President of the South African Branch of the International Law Association. He was also Special Adviser to the South African Foreign Minister. He was legal adviser to the South African Foreign Ministry and the legal counsel to the South African Mission to the United Nations in New York. He has published widely in international law. Dire Tladi is also the author of two works of fiction.