Professor Dapo Akande elected to the International Law Commission
Exeter Fellow Professor Dapo Akande has been elected to the International Law Commission (ILC), a UN body of legal experts responsible for developing and codifying international law. Two other UK-backed candidates, Japan’s Professor Masahiko Asada and Kenya’s Professor Phoebe Okowa, were also successfully elected.
Professor Akande was jointly nominated by the UK, Japan, Kenya, Nigeria and Slovenia. This is the first time a candidate has been supported by countries from four different United Nations regional groups. The ILC is composed of 34 members who are voted onto the Commission by UN member states to serve five-year terms. Professor Akande’s term will start on 1 January 2023.
Rector Rick Trainor said: “On behalf of Exeter College, I would like to give my warmest congratulations to Professor Akande. His election to the highly prestigious International Law Commission is a testament to his many years of experience in, and his superlative knowledge of, international law. I have no doubt Professor Akande will be a very valuable contributor to the ILC over his five-year term.”
Professor Dapo Akande also commented: “I am thrilled, humbled and deeply honoured to have been elected to the International Law Commission. My profound thanks and gratitude to those who supported my campaign. I look forward to working with states and other members to strengthen, codify and develop international law. My profound thanks and gratitude to those who supported my campaign, especially the states that jointly nominated me: the UK, Japan, Kenya, Nigeria and Slovenia.”
“My vision for the International Law Commission is clear: the codification and progressive development of international law can strengthen the rules on which international cooperation is based and help promote a just and peaceful system of international relations. I look forward to working with other elected members and states from around the world to fulfil the vital mandate of the International Law Commission.”
The foreign secretary Liz Truss congratulated Professor Akande on his appointment, commenting that: “I am delighted that Professor Dapo Akande has been elected to the International Law Commission. With his exceptional expertise and experience, Professor Akande will make a valuable contribution to the Commission’s mandate. He is not just the best of British, he is one of the very best internationally, and will make an outstanding member of the International Law Commission.”
Professor Akande has over 25 years of legal experience. In addition to his role as a Fellow of Exeter and Professor of Public International Law at the University of Oxford, he directs the Oxford Institute for Ethics, Law and Armed Conflict. He has also written more than 60 publications and is the founder of EJIL:TALK!, the widely read blog for the European Journal of International Law.
