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- Not to be confused with the International Criminal CourtInternational Court of Justice
Cour internationale de justice Established June 26, 1945 Location The Hague, Netherlands President Yuji Iwasawa Vice President Julia Sebutinde
The International Court of Justice (ICJ), or colloquially the World Court, is the international court that adjudicates general disputes between nations, and gives advisory opinions on international legal issues. It is one of the six organs of the United Nations (UN), and is located in The Hague, Netherlands.
The ICJ is composed of 15 judges elected to 9 year terms by the UN General Assembly and the UN Security Council. Although there are not a formal rule, judges are typically distributed by geographic regions on a basis of 5 for the West, 3 for Africa, 2 for Eastern Europe, 3 for Asia and 2 for Latin America. This composition gives Western interests an advantage, with nearly half of the seats being held by Western/European countries whilst Asia only has 3 seats despite having 60% of the world's population.