Sierra Leone has officially endorsed Professor Charles C. Jalloh, a world renowned lawyer, for election to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in the 2025–2027 term. This announcement was made during a high-level meeting at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation on August 29, 2025, which brought together senior Sierra Leonean diplomats.
According to senior officials at the Ministry, Sierra Leone remains firmly committed to promoting a rules-based international system, emphasising that the ICJ is central to upholding the United Nations Charter and preserving international law. They highlighted Prof Jalloh’s distinguished career as both an academic and practitioner, describing him as exceptionally qualified to contribute to the Court’s mission.
Prof. Jalloh is a Professor of International Law and the Richard A. Hausler Chair in Law at the University of Miami School of Law. Since 2017, he has served on the United Nations International Law Commission (ILC), where he is Special Rapporteur on “Subsidiary means for the determination of rules of international law” and Chair of the Working Group on Methods of Work and Procedures.
Re-elected in 2021, he is only the second Sierra Leonean to serve on the ILC, holding key roles such as Chair of the Drafting Committee (2018), General Rapporteur (2019), and Second Vice-Chair (2022). He has published over 80 scholarly works and authored or edited 15 books with leading academic presses.
Beyond academia, Professor Jalloh has practised international law at the highest levels. A Barrister-at-Law (Canada), he has represented governments and international organisations before the International Criminal Court, the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, and the International Court of Justice, where he appeared as Counsel for Sierra Leone in 2024.
He has served at the UN International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, the Special Court for Sierra Leone, and the ICC, while also advising the African Union, UN Human Rights Council, and ICC Assembly of States Parties. Educated at the University of Guelph, McGill University, Oxford (Chevening Scholar), and the University of Amsterdam (PhD, International Law), Professor Jalloh combines academic rigour with practical experience in advancing international justice.
The International Court of Justice (ICJ), established in 1945 as the principal judicial organ of the United Nations, is mandated to settle legal disputes between states and provide advisory opinions on legal questions referred by UN organs and specialized agencies. Judges of the ICJ are elected every three years through a concurrent voting process in both the UN General Assembly and the Security Council. Prof. Jalloh’s candidacy places Sierra Leone at the forefront of global efforts to advance peace and justice through international law.
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