Borders

The International Court of Justice recently heard oral arguments by Guatemala, Belize and Honduras on Guatemala’s application to intervene under Article 62 of the Statute in the case concerning Sovereignty over the Sapodilla Cayes (Belize v Honduras). Guatemala’s prima facie grounds for intervention are straightforward: it is one of the three parties (in addition to Belize and…

It is ironic that Ministers of Justice of the 46 Council of Europe (CoE) member states convened on International Human Rights Day to discuss how they might reduce the scope of their obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). Rather than a much-needed discussion about the effectiveness of the system, for the first time in…

On July 23, 2025, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) delivered its advisory opinion on the Obligations of States in respect of Climate Change (Advisory Opinion). This was the third advisory opinion on climate change obligations issued by an international judicial body, with the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) and the Inter-American Court…

The two African states of Equatorial Guinea and Gabon were the focus of recent international attention. And there is a good reason for that. On 19 May 2025, the International Court of Justice (henceforth: ICJ) delivered the merits of its long-awaited ruling in the case of Land and Maritime Delimitation and Sovereignty over Islands (Gabon/Equatorial Guinea) concerning their…