Rena Lee elected to International Court of Justice, becoming first Singaporean judge

SINGAPORE: Ambassador for International Law Rena Lee has been elected as a judge of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), said the Ministry of Law (MinLaw) on Wednesday (Nov 4).

She is the first Singaporean and the first woman from Southeast Asia to be elected to the court, the ministry added.

Ms Lee, 57, secured one of five seats on the 15-judge court for the 2027 to 2036 term. 

She will begin her term in February 2027.

The election was held on Tuesday at the United Nations headquarters in New York, with voting conducted in both the UN General Assembly and the UN Security Council.

Ms Lee secured an absolute majority in both bodies, receiving 151 out of 191 votes in the General Assembly and 13 out of 15 votes in the Security Council.

She received the highest number of votes in the General Assembly and the joint-highest number in the Security Council.

The Singapore government congratulated Ms Lee on her election, calling it a significant milestone for the country.

MinLaw said said the strong support reflected the international community's trust and confidence in Ms Lee, and wished her and the incoming ICJ bench a successful term.

Her candidature was first announced in 2024, and she was formally nominated in 2026.

Ms Lee also holds positions in institutions including the Permanent Court of Arbitration and the Panel of Conciliators of the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes.

As president of the UN Intergovernmental Conference on Marine Biodiversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ), Ms Lee steered five years of complex, high-stakes multilateral negotiations, leading to the adoption of the landmark BBNJ Agreement in 2023.

Foreign Affairs Minister Vivian Balakrishnan and Law Minister Edwin Tong were in New York for the election, having reiterated the government's full support for Ms Lee's candidature on Tuesday.

They also hosted a reception for her in New York on Monday evening, ahead of the vote.

Before the vote, Dr Balakrishnan  said: "Her deep expertise, strong conviction in the rule of law, and ability to understand different perspectives in resolving differences would be an asset to the ICJ."

He noted that at a time when multilateral institutions are "under growing strain", Ms Lee's candidature was one way that Singapore was seeking to support and uphold the rules-based multilateral system.

Mr Tong said that the ICJ's strength is enhanced when its bench "draws on varied legal traditions, professional experiences and perspectives". 

Ms Lee would bring such breadth to the court, together with "an unwavering commitment to fairness, integrity and the rule of law".