Dapo Akande, Professor of Public International Law at the Blavatnik School of Government, has been elected to the International Law Commission on Friday 12 November.
Professor Akande was jointly nominated by five countries – the UK, Japan, Kenya, Nigeria and Slovenia – and this was the first time a candidate was supported by countries from four different United Nations regional groups.
The International Law Commission (ILC) is a UN body of legal experts responsible for helping develop and codify international law. It is composed of 34 members recognised for their expertise and qualifications in international law, elected by the United Nations General Assembly to serve five-year terms.
Professor Dapo Akande said: "I am thrilled, humbled and deeply honoured to have been elected to the International Law Commission. My profound thanks and gratitude to those who supported my campaign, especially the states that jointly nominated me: the UK, Japan, Kenya, Nigeria and Slovenia. I look forward to working with states and other members to strengthen, codify and develop international law.
"My vision for the International Law Commission is clear: the codification and progressive development of international law can strengthen the rules on which international cooperation is based, and help promote a just and peaceful system of international relations. I look forward to working with other elected members and states from around the world to fulfil the vital mandate of the International Law Commission."
With over 25 years of legal experience and more than 60 publications, Professor Dapo Akande is also the Director of the Oxford Institute for Ethics, Law and Armed Conflict based at the School; he's the founder of EJIL:TALK!, the widely read European Journal of International Law blog, as well as a board member for several journals, societies and civil society organisations around the world.
UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said: "I am delighted that Professor Dapo Akande has been elected to the International Law Commission. With his exceptional expertise and experience, Prof Akande will make a valuable contribution to the Commission’s mandate. He is not just the best of British, he is one of the very best internationally, and will make an outstanding member of the International Law Commission."
Professor Akande’s term at the International Law Commission will start on 1 January 2023.
