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Justice Julia Sebutinde re-elected to the International Court of Justice
Justice Julia Sebutinde
Justice Dr. Julia Sebutinde has been re-elected Judge to the International Court of Justice (ICJ), for a second term (2021-2030) at the elections that were held at the United Nations in New York on 12 November 2020.
The elections were held concurrently in the UN Security Council and the UN General Assembly. The International Court of Justice is the highest Judicial body in the world and one of the five organs of the United Nations.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Justice Dr. Sebutinde’s re-election campaign was spearheaded by His Excellency President Yoweri Museveni who strongly commended the Judge to the world leaders in his address to the UN General Assembly on 29 September 2020.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hon. Sam K. Kutesa, working with teams at the Ministry, Uganda Missions in New York, Addis Ababa and elsewhere, played a key role in the re-election campaign of Justice Dr. Sebutinde.
“We extend our congratulations to Justice Dr. Sebutinde for a well-deserved re-election. She has served the court with distinction, and ably contributed to over 40 Judgments and 65 Orders of the Court, among other accomplishments,” a press statement from the Ministry reads.
Justice Sebutinde’s victory was sealed in a second round of voting in the UN General Assembly. The five (5) Judges elected to the ICJ are as follows, Iwasawa Yuji, Japan(169 votes), George Nolte, Germany (160 votes), Xue Hanqin, China (155 votes),Peter Tomka, Slovakia (150 votes), and Ms. Julia Sebutinde, Uganda (139 votes).
Other candidates who competed in the same elections were, Emmanuel Ugirasebuja, Rwanda (87 votes), Maja Sersic, Croatia (42 votes), and Taoheed Olufemi Elias, Nigeria(31 votes).
Foreign Affairs Ministry says the successful election is also a vote of confidence in Uganda and its standing in the international system. We appreciate all those who participated in and supported this re-election campaign.
Julia Sebutinde is a Ugandan judge serving her second term on International Court of Justice following her re-election on November 12, 2020. She is also Chancellor of Muteesa I Royal University;a University owned by Buganda Kingdom.
She has been a Judge on ICJ since March 2012.She is first African woman as Judge of ICJ Before being elected to ICJ, she was a Judge of Special Court for Sierra Leone in 2007.
Born in Central Region of Uganda to a civil employee and a housewife with Semambo surname.She attended Lake Victoria Primary School in Entebbe.
Uganda in 1960s. Later joined Gayaza High School and later King’s College Budo, before entering Makerere University and obtained LL.B. degree in 1977.
Sebutinde has DLP(Diploma in Legal Practice)from Law Development Center in Kampala, Uganda in 1978. In 1991,she received LL.M. degree from University of Edinburgh;UK. In 2009,in recognition of her work and contribution to international justice, she was awarded an Hon.LL.D. degree by University of Edinburgh;UK.
Julia Sebutinde first worked in the Ministry of Justice in the government of Uganda from 1978 until 1990. After graduating from University of Edinburgh;UK in 1991,she worked in Ministry of the Commonwealth in UK.
She would later join the Ministry of Justice in Namibia,which had just attained Independence at that time.
In 1996,she was appointed Judge of High Court of Uganda, in that capacity, she presided over three commissions of inquiry related to following government departments:
Corruption in Uganda Police, Corruption in Uganda People’s Defence Force Corruption in Uganda Revenue Authority.
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