The Hague, April 20, 2026.—The Great Hall of the International Court of Justice, headquartered in the Peace Palace in this city in the Netherlands, served as the venue for the official commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the UN’s principal judicial body.
Cuban Ambassador Eva Yelina Silva Walker attended the special celebration, which was attended by King Willem-Alexander, Antonio Guterres, UN Secretary-General, Annalena Baerbock, current President of the General Assembly, and Jamal Alrowaiei, Bahrain’s Permanent Representative to the international body, a country that is presiding over the Security Council this April.
During his remarks, Judge Yuji Iwasawa, President of the Court, stated that the Court responds to current challenges
by fulfilling its role of “interpreting and applying international law rigorously and in good faith.”
For his part, Guterres noted that international law is eroding before the eyes of the world. “The rule of law must always prevail over the law of force.”
On that occasion, the Cuban diplomat briefly spoke with judges of the Court about the criminal nature of the blockade against Cuba and the humanitarian impact of the energy blockade imposed since January 29.
The Court began its work in 1946 with two main functions: resolving disputes between states (adjudicative proceedings) and issuing legal opinions on the interpretation of international treaties (advisory proceedings). The 193 UN member states comprise the Court.
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