SINGAPORE – Ambassador for International Law Rena Lee has become the first Singaporean to join the bench of the world’s top court.
Lee, 57, was elected to the International Court of Justice on Nov 3 after she secured an absolute majority of votes in both the 193-member UN General Assembly and 15-member UN Security Council in the first round of voting.
She received 151 of 191 votes in the General Assembly and 13 of 15 votes in the Security Council.
The polls, for five seats on the International Court of Justice (ICJ), took place overnight at the United Nations headquarters in New York.
Lee is only the second candidate from Southeast Asia to be elected into the world court based in the Hague, Netherlands, since its founding in 1945.
The last Southeast Asian to serve on the bench of the ICJ was Judge Cesar Bengzon of the Philippines, whose term ended in 1976, more than five decades ago.
With her successful election, she will serve a nine-year term on the ICJ from 2027 to 2036.
The ICJ plays a critical role in helping states resolve disputes through international law. The principal judicial organ of the UN, it holds elections every three years to fill five seats on its 15-judge panel.
In this election, Lee was one of 10 candidates, with the others from the United Kingdom, France, Nigeria, Jordan, Peru, Sierra Leone, Kenya, South Korea, Ecuador.
The other three candidates elected to the court in the first round of voting are the United Kingdom’s Dapo Akande, France’s Francois Alabrune and Jordan’s Mahmoud Daifallah Hmoud.
Judges were elected by secret ballot in simultaneous meetings of the General Assembly and Security Council, and had to obtain at least 97 and eight votes in the respective bodies to win.
Minister for Foreign Affairs Vivian Balakrishnan and Minister for Law Edwin Tong were both in New York in support of Lee’s candidature.
Balakrishnan said that Lee’s candidature is a concrete way that Singapore is contributing to upholding the rules-based multilateral system.
“As a small state, Singapore has always been a stalwart advocate and defender of the rule of law, which underpins the international rules-based system,” he said in a statement on Nov 3 before the election.
“We have been a beneficiary of this system since our independence. It is precisely at a time when multilateral institutions are under growing strain that we must do our part to support and strengthen them.”
Tong, meanwhile, emphasised the court’s value as a universal institution, adding: “Its strength is enhanced when its bench draws on varied legal traditions, professional experiences and perspectives, with each judge exercising independent judgment.”
An international law practitioner with over three decades of experience, Lee has expertise in areas such as the law of the sea, environmental law, international humanitarian law, and human rights law, among others.
She was president of the UN Intergovernmental Conference on Marine Biodiversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) from 2018 until 2023, during which she successfully steered complex, high stakes negotiations which culminated in the adoption of the landmark high seas treaty.
The treaty, known as the BBNJ agreement, establishes a legally binding framework to protect marine life and regulate commercial activities in international waters.
She also holds positions in the Permanent Court of Arbitration and the Panel of Conciliators of the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes.
As a government lawyer, she has also previously held stints at the Attorney-General’s Chambers, Ministry of Defence, and the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore, where she was chief executive.
The ICJ was established by the founding charter of the United Nations in 1945 as the principal judicial organ of the international body, and marked the 80th anniversary of its inaugural sitting this year.
Over the decades, it has heard cases on sovereignty, maritime and territorial boundaries as well as human rights violations, among other issues, from across the globe.
Landmark decisions in recent years include a unanimous opinion in July 2025 that governments are responsible under international law for harms inflicted by their carbon emissions on the planet and vulnerable nations.
This is regardless of whether the polluting country is a party to climate treaties, such as the Paris Agreement.
Singapore has been involved in a case before the court, in a territorial dispute with Malaysia over Pedra Branca. Both countries mutually agreed to bring the case to the ICJ.
In 2008, the court awarded sovereignty of Pedra Branca to Singapore and Middle Rocks to Malaysia. It also ruled that sovereignty over South Ledge belongs to whoever owns the territorial waters it sits in.
Besides adjudicating legal disputes, the court also issues advisory opinions on legal questions submitted by other UN organs and and specialised agencies.