International Law Commission International Law Commission

Last update: November 2, 2016

Documentation

Membership

2011 Election of the International Law Commission

The term of office of the thirty-four members of the International Law Commission for the 2007-2011 quinquennium expired at the end of 2011. The election of the members of the Commission for a five-year term beginning on 1 January 2012 (until 31 December 2016) took place, by secret ballot, at the 59th meeting of the General Assembly at its sixty-sixth session, held on 17 November 2011.

The Statute of the International Law Commission, as adopted by the General Assembly in resolution 174 (II) of 21 November 1947 and as thereafter amended, provides in article 2 that the International Law Commission shall consist of thirty four members who shall be persons of recognized competence in international law, with no two members being nationals of the same State and that in case of dual nationality a candidate shall be deemed to be a national of the State in which he ordinarily exercises civil and political rights.

Pursuant to the decision taken by the General Assembly, at its 35th plenary meeting, on 17 October 2011, the following is a consolidated list of candidates nominated by the Governments of States Members of the United Nations for election to the International Law Commission (see document A/66/514, including nominations received after the nomination deadline.

The results of the election are indicated next to each candidate. A breakdown by regional group is provided further below.

Candidates (Nationality) Nominated by Outcome
Adoke, Mohammed Bello (Nigeria) Nigeria Elected
Al-Marri, Ali Mohsen Fetais (Qatar) Qatar Elected
Arguello Gómez, Carlos (Nicaragua) Nicaragua Not elected
Caflisch, Lucius C. (Switzerland) Switzerland Elected
Candioti, Enrique J. A. (Argentina) Argentina Elected
Cissé, Yacouba (Côte d’Ivoire) Côte d’Ivoire Not elected
Comissário Afonso, Pedro (Mozambique) Mozambique Elected
Daoudi, Riad (Syrian Arab Republic) Syrian Arab Republic Not elected
del Luján Flores, María (Uruguay) Uruguay Not elected
Droushiotis, James C. (Cyprus) Cyprus Not elected
El-Murtadi Suleiman Gouider, Abdelrazeg (Libya) Libya Elected
Escobar Hernández, Concepción (Spain) Spain Elected
Ferrero Costa, Eduardo (Peru) Peru Not elected
Fomba, Salifou (Mali) Mali Not elected
Forteau, Mathias (France) France Elected
Galicki, Zdzislaw W. (Poland) Poland Not elected
Gevorgian, Kirill (Russian Federation) Russian Federation Elected
Gómez-Robledo, Juan Manuel (Mexico) Mexico Elected
Hassouna, Hussein A. (Egypt) Egypt Elected
Hmoud, Mahmoud D. (Jordan) Jordan Elected
Huang, Huikang (China) China Elected
Jacobsson, Marie G. (Sweden) Sweden
Denmark
Finland
Iceland
Norway
Elected
Kamto, Maurice (Cameroon) Cameroon Elected
Kittichaisaree, Kriangsak (Thailand) Thailand
Japan
Elected
Laraba, Ahmed (Algeria) Algeria Elected
Limon, Ewald W. (Suriname) Suriname Not elected
Maluwa, Tiyanjana (Malawi) Malawi Not elected
McRae, Donald M. (Canada) Canada
Australia
New Zealand
Elected
Murase, Shinya (Japan) Japan
Burundi
Kenya
Palau
Thailand
Elected
Murphy, Sean D. (United States of America) United States of America Elected
Niehaus, Bernd H. (Costa Rica) Costa Rica Elected
Nolte, Georg (Germany) Germany Elected
Noor Farida, Ariffin (Malaysia) Malaysia Not elected
Park, Ki Gab (Republic of Korea) Republic of Korea Elected
Perera, A. Rohan (Sri Lanka) Sri Lanka Not elected
Peter, Chris M. (United Republic of Tanzania) United Republic of Tanzania Elected
Petric, Ernest (Slovenia) Slovenia Elected
Saboia, Gilberto V. (Brazil) Brazil Elected
Salgado Espinoza, Carlos Oswaldo (Ecuador) Ecuador Not elected
Singh, Narinder (India) India Elected
Šturma, Pavel (Czech Republic) Czech Republic Elected
Subedi, Surya P. (Nepal)* Nepal
Tladi, Dire D. (South Africa) South Africa Elected
Tungo, Muaz Ahmed Mohamed (Sudan) Sudan Not elected
Valencia-Ospina, Eduardo (Colombia) Colombia Elected
Vasciannie, Stephen C. (Jamaica) Jamaica Elected
Wako, S. Amos (Kenya) Kenya
Japan
Elected
Wisnumurti, Nugroho (Indonesia) Indonesia Elected
Wood, Michael (United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland) United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Elected
Wouters, Jan M. F. (Belgium) Belgium Not elected

Each State Member of the United Nations could nominate not more than four candidates, of whom two could be nationals of the nominating State and two nationals of other States (articles 3, 4 and 7). Members of the Commission are elected for five years and are eligible for re-election (article 10).

The thirty-four members of the International Law Commission were elected according to the pattern set up in paragraph 3 of resolution 36/39 of 18 November 1981. Thus, the allocation of seats on the Commission for the five-year term beginning on 1 January 2012 will be as follows:

Nominations arranged by regional group

African States (9 seats)

Candidates (Nationality) Nominated by No of votes Outcome
Hussein A. Hassouna (Egypt) Egypt 156 Elected
Dire D. Tladi (South Africa) South Africa 150 Elected
Ahmed Laraba (Algeria) Algeria 144 Elected
Maurice Kamto (Cameroon) Cameroon 141 Elected
S. Amos Wako (Kenya) Kenya
Japan
138 Elected
Mohammed Bello Adoke (Nigeria) Nigeria 135 Elected
Chris M. Peter (Tanzania) Tanzania 124 Elected
Pedro Comissário Afonso (Mozambique) Mozambique 114 Elected
Abdelrazeg El-Murtadi Suleiman Gouider (Libyan Arab Jamahiriya) Libya 113 Elected
Tiyanjana Maluwa (Malawi) Malawi 108 Not elected
Salifou Fomba (Mali) Mali 104 Not elected
Yacouba Cissé (Côte d’Ivoire) Côte d’Ivoire 103 Not elected
Muaz Ahmed Mohamed Tungo (Sudan) Sudan 92 Not elected

Asia-Pacific States (8 seats)

Candidates (Nationality) Nominated by No of votes Outcome
Shinya Murase (Japan) Japan
Burundi
Kenya
Palau
Thailand
152 Elected
Huang Huikang (China) China 139 Elected
Mahmoud D. Hmoud (Jordan) Jordan 136 Elected
Ki Gab Park (Republic of Korea) Republic of Korea 135 Elected
Narinder Singh (India) India 134 Elected
Nugroho Wisnumurti (Indonesia) Indonesia 131 Elected
Ali Mohsen Fetais Al-Marri (Qatar) Qatar 128 Elected
Kriangsak Kittichaisaree (Thailand) Thailand
Japan
128 Elected
A. Rohan Perera (Sri Lanka) Sri Lanka 117 Not elected
Noor Farida Ariffin (Malaysia) Malaysia 111 Not elected
James C. Droushiotis (Cyprus) Cyprus 102 Not elected
Riad Daoudi (Syrian Arab Republic) Syrian Arab Republic 49 Not elected
Surya P. Subedi (Nepal) Nepal –*

Eastern European States (3 seats)

Candidates (Nationality) Nominated by No of votes Outcome
Ernest Petric (Slovenia) Slovenia 169 Elected
Kirill Gevorgian (Russian Federation) Russian Federation 147 Elected
Pavel Šturma (Czech Republic) Czech Republic 145 Elected
Zdzislaw W. Galicki (Poland) Poland 90 Not elected

Latin American and Caribbean States (6 seats)

Candidates (Nationality) Nominated by No of votes Outcome
Gilberto V. Saboia (Brazil) Brazil 159 Elected
Stephen Vasciannie (Jamaica) Jamaica 126 Elected
Juan Manuel Gómez-Robledo (Mexico) Mexico 123 Elected
Enrique Candioti (Argentina) Argentina 108 Elected
Eduardo Valencia-Ospina (Colombia) Colombia 102 Elected
Bernd H. Niehaus (Costa Rica) Costa Rica 95; 98** Elected
Eduardo Ferrero Costa (Péru) Péru 95; 94** Not elected
Carlos Arguello Gómez (Nicaragua) Nicaragua 90 Not elected
Ewald W. Limon (Suriname) Suriname 88 Not elected
María del Luján Flores (Uruguay) Uruguay 73 Not elected
Carlos Oswaldo Salgado Espinoza (Ecuador)* Ecuador 57 Not elected

Western European and other States (8 seats)

Candidates (Nationality) Nominated by No of votes Outcome
Georg Nolte (Germany) Germany 175 Elected
Marie G. Jacobsson (Sweden) Sweden
Denmark
Finland
Iceland
Norway
166 Elected
Concepción Escobar Hernández (Spain) Spain 163 Elected
Mathias Forteau (France) France 161 Elected
Donald M. McRae (Canada) Canada
Australia
New Zealand
158 Elected
Sean D. Murphy (United States of America) United States of America 158 Elected
Sir Michael Wood (United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland) United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 154 Elected
Lucius C. Caflisch (Switzerland) Switzerland 149 Elected
Jan M.F. Wouters (Belgium) Belgium 134 Not elected

* Withdrew prior to election

** A second round of voting was held, restricted to the two candidates who had tied for the last seat in the regional group on the first round.