The United Nations General Assembly and Security Council have elected five judges to the International Court of Justice (ICJ), including Kenyan jurist Phoebe N. Okowa, who was re-elected for a second term.

The elections took place on Tuesday, November 3, with the five judges set to serve nine-year terms beginning February 6, 2027, according to a press release issued by the Court on Wednesday.

Okowa, a Kenyan national, was re-elected alongside Jordanian judge Mahmoud Daifallah Hmoud. The three newly elected members are Dapo Akande of the United Kingdom, François Alabrune of France and Rena Lee of Singapore.

The elections will bring new members to the Court, which is composed of 15 judges elected by the General Assembly and Security Council.

The ICJ is the principal judicial organ of the United Nations, responsible for settling legal disputes submitted by states and providing advisory opinions on legal questions referred to it by authorised UN bodies.

The newly constituted Court will elect its President and Vice-President in February 2027, with the two officials serving three-year terms.

The Court is based at the Peace Palace in The Hague, Netherlands.

Uganda's Justice Julia Sebutinde serves as the Vice President of the ICJ. Elected to the position by her peers on February 6, 2024, she is the first African woman to sit on the top United Nations judicial organ, where she has been a permanent judge since March 2012.