All Souls College Fellow and Law Professor Dapo Akande has been elected to the International Court of Justice (ICJ). Akande will sit on the world’s highest judicial body following his election by the United Nations General Assembly and Security Council.
The British-Nigerian professor will serve for nine years, bringing experience from his tenure as an advocate, advisor, counsel, and expert in international tribunal court cases. On the court, he will tackle cases such as South Africa’s accusation of genocide against Israel.
He is the first British judge on the court in nine years. His appointment was celebrated by UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham, who said in a press release that “Professor Akande will bring integrity, legal rigour and independent expertise to the International Court of Justice and I am incredibly proud that he is representing the UK”. Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband added that Akande’s election was a “victory for the UK’s commitment to the rule of law and our ability to stand up for our values on the world stage”.
Akande currently acts as the oldest chair in Public International Law within England as a Chichele Professor of Public International Law, a role he has held since 2014. He also holds a fellowship at All Souls College, a role he was elected to due to his extensive academic profile.
Aside from serving as a lecturer, Akande is also the co-director of the interdisciplinary research programme: The Oxford Institute for Ethics, Law and Armed Conflict (ELAC) at the Blavatnik School of Government.
Akande is the second All Souls Fellow to be elected to the ICJ, after British justice Humphrey Waldock. The Warden of All Souls, Professor Sir John Vickers, told Cherwell: “The college feels very honoured that one of our fellows has been elected to this position. All Souls is strong in law, both academically and with a UK Supreme Court Justice, Andrew Burrows, a Court of Appeal judge and David Pannick KC. They’re all fellows here.
This chair in public international law is a very important part of that. We’ll be very sorry to lose Dapo, but what he’s moving on to is the absolute pinnacle of his profession. We’re therefore honoured and delighted on his behalf.”
Founding Dean of the Blavatnik School, Professor Ngaire Woods, told Cherwell: “Dapo Akande has been an outstanding colleague at the Blavatnik School of Government, and the world is lucky to have such a voice of reason and fairness serve on the ICJ.”
Awaiting Akande’s arrival at the court in February 2027 are regional case conflicts between Belize and Guatemala, as well as between Belize and Honduras.
Cherwell have approached Dapo Akande for comment.
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