The Charter of the United Nations and the Statute of the International Court of Justice, which forms an integral part of the Charter, were signed in San Francisco on 26 June 1945 and came into force on 24 October 1945. The first Members of the Court were elected on 6 February 1946 at the first session of the General Assembly, held in London. They convened for the first time at the Peace Palace in The Hague on 3 April 1946. On 6 April 1946, the new Court elected its President, Vice‑President and Registrar. Its inaugural sitting took place on 18 April 1946.

Starting on 17 April 2026, the Court will celebrate the 80th anniversary of its inaugural sitting through various initiatives. Announcements related to these activities will be published on this page throughout the anniversary year.

Solemn sitting

A solemn sitting commemorating the Court's 80th anniversary was held on 17 April 2026 in the presence of His Majesty King Willem‑Alexander of the Netherlands, HE Mr António Guterres, Secretary‑General of the United Nations, HE Ms Annalena Baerbock, President of the United Nations General Assembly, HE Mr Tom Berendsen, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands, and HE Mr Jamal Alrowaiei, Ambassador, President of the United Nations Security Council. The full programme of the solemn sitting is available here.

Speeches were delivered by HE Judge Iwasawa Yuji, President of the Court, and by Their Excellencies Mr Guterres, Ms Baerbock, Mr Berendsen and Mr Alrowaiei. The full texts of the speeches are available on this page.

Speeches

		Address by His Excellency Judge Iwasawa Yuji, President of the Court
		Address by His Excellency Mr António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations
		Address by Her Excellency Ms Annalena Baerbock, President of the United Nations General Assembly
		Address by His Excellency Mr Tom Berendsen, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands
		Address by His Excellency Mr Jamal Alrowaiei, President of the United Nations Security Council

Videos and photos of the solemn sitting

Videos

		Address by His Excellency Judge Iwasawa Yuji, President of the Court (floor sound)
		Address by His Excellency Mr António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations (floor sound)
		Address by Her Excellency Ms Baerbock, President of the United Nations General Assembly (floor sound)
		Address by His Excellency Mr Tom Berendsen, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands (floor sound)
		Address by His Excellency Mr Jamal Al Rowaiei, President of the United Nations Security Council (floor sound)

Photos

Multimedia gallery