The Trusteeship Council

1. Why was the Trusteeship Council established? What does the UN Charter
authorize the Trusteeship Council to do?

The Trusteeship Council was originally established by the Charter to provide

international supervision for 11 Trust Territories placed under the administration of seven
member states, and to ensure that adequate steps were taken to prepare the Territories for
self-government or independence.

2. What happened to all Trust Territories?

The Trusteeship Council carried out this work for forty-nine years. And on 1 November
1994, the Trusteeship Council suspended operation following the independence of Palau,
the last remaining UN trust territory, on 1 October of that year.

The International Court of Justice

1. What is the International Court of Justice?

The International Court of Justice is the principal judicial organ of the United Nations.

2. Where is International Court of Justice (ICJ) based?

It is located at The Hague (The Netherlands), it is the only one of the six principal organs
not located in New York.

3. The ICJ is not open to private individuals, is it?

The Court is open to all states that are parties to its Statute, which includes all members
of the United Nations. Only states, however, may be parties in contentious cases before
the Court and submit disputes to it. The Court is not open to private persons and entities
or other international organizations. A civil tribunal, it does not have criminal jurisdiction
to prosecute individuals.

4. Who can ask the ICJ for an advisory opinion?

The General Assembly and the Security Council can ask the Court for an opinion on any
legal question. Other organs of the United Nations and the specialized agencies, when
authorized by the Assembly, can ask for advisory opinions on legal questions within the
scope of their activities.

5. Speak on the jurisdiction of the International Court of Justice.

The Court’s jurisdiction covers all questions referred to it by states and all matters provided
for in the Charter or in international treaties and conventions. States may bind themselves in
advance to accept the jurisdiction of the Court, either by signing a treaty or convention that
provides for referral to the Court or by making a declaration to that effect. Such declarations
accepting compulsory jurisdiction often contain reservations excluding certain classes of
disputes. In accordance with its Statute, the Court decides disputes by applying the
following: international conventions establishing rules expressly recognized by the
contesting states; international custom; the general principles of law recognized by nations;
etc.

6. How many Judges are there in the ICJ and how are they chosen?

The Court is composed of 15 judges elected by the General Assembly and the Security
Council, voting independently. They are chosen on the basis of their qualifications. Care is
taken to ensure that the principal legal systems of the world are represented in the Court.
Although there is no entitlement to membership on the part of any country, the Court has
always included judges of the nationality of the permanent members of the Security Council.