EuroWire, THE HAGUE: United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres warned on Friday that the international system is being weakened by open violations of international law, telling a ceremony marking the International Court of Justice’s 80th anniversary that global stability is at risk if coercion overtakes legal obligation. Speaking in the Great Hall of Justice at the Peace Palace, Guterres said the court was created from the conviction that “the force of law must always prevail over the law of force.”
Guterres said the strain on the international legal order is no longer confined to isolated disputes, but is visible across major crises and in the conduct of states with special responsibilities for international peace and security. He said violations of international law are “unfolding before our eyes,” with military operations breaching the rules of conflict, humanitarian obligations being ignored, and institutions created to deliver justice increasingly challenged at a time of widening geopolitical tension.
He said the International Court of Justice remains a central guarantor that sovereignty and equality are not just principles on paper, and stressed that its decisions, including provisional measures, are binding on the parties to a case. Respect for those rulings, he said, is not optional but a duty under the United Nations Charter. The anniversary commemorates the court’s inaugural sitting on April 18, 1946, as the principal judicial organ of the United Nations took shape in the aftermath of World War II.
International Law Pressure Reflects Global Strains
International Court of Justice President Yuji Iwasawa said the court’s answer to current pressures is to continue interpreting and applying international law rigorously and in good faith. The court is handling one of the busiest periods in its history, with cases and advisory proceedings tied to the war in Ukraine, allegations involving Myanmar, a long-running border dispute between Guyana and Venezuela, and legal questions related to climate change. The breadth of that docket has made the anniversary more than a ceremonial milestone.
Established in 1945 and seated in The Hague, the court adjudicates disputes between states and issues advisory opinions when requested by authorized United Nations organs and agencies. All 193 United Nations member states are parties to the court’s statute, although they do not all automatically accept its jurisdiction in contentious cases. When the court held its first sitting in 1946, it had 51 member states. That comparison was highlighted on Friday as officials reflected on the institution’s expanded reach and workload over eight decades.
Rule Of Law Message At 80 Years
Guterres used the anniversary to cast the moment as a choice between a system governed by law and one driven by raw power, saying the distinction carries immediate consequences beyond courtrooms and diplomatic statements. When force replaces law, he said, instability spreads across borders, economic shocks reverberate globally, and the most vulnerable suffer first and most. He added that adherence to international law matters even more in periods of shifting power relations because it provides states with a common framework for resolving disputes peacefully.
He called on governments to recommit to the peaceful settlement of disputes, to respect the judgments of the International Court of Justice, and to follow through on its advisory opinions. For the United Nations, he said, strengthening international law is inseparable from protecting global stability at a time of deep strain on the multilateral system. The ceremony underscored both the court’s history and the pressure now bearing on the rules it was created to uphold.