The MUNLawS 2026 Conference will host a simulation of proceedings before the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the principal judicial organ of the United Nations.

 

Based in The Hague, the ICJ settles legal disputes submitted by States and gives advisory opinions on legal questions referred to it by authorised UN organs and specialised agencies. The Court is composed of fifteen independent judges elected for nine-year terms by the United Nations General Assembly and the Security Council. The ICJ applies international law, including international conventions, customary international law, general principles of law, and judicial decisions and teachings of highly qualified publicists.

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Only States may be parties in contentious cases before the Court. Jurisdiction is based on the consent of the States concerned, which may be expressed through special agreements, compromissory clauses in treaties, or declarations recognising the compulsory jurisdiction of the Court under Article 36(2) of the Statute of the ICJ.

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Participants at the MUNLawS 2025 Conference may act in the role of counsel for the Applicant and Respondent States or as judges of the Court.

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