World leaders have recommitted themselves to the rule of law as a fundamental factor in preventing war at a United Nations summit that stressed the universality of humanitarian law and the importance of the International of Justice. Addressing the opening ceremony,  Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called on Member States to commit to the equal application of law at both national and international levels without bias, and to uphold the highest standards of the rule of law in their decision-making. Ban said: “I count on you to help forge a new, structured approach to strengthening the rule of law and delivering justice so we can achieve peace, development and human rights. Strengthening the rule of law is for every country and is in everyone’s interest.”

Ban Ki-moon says that countries must accept the jurisdiction of the Hague-based International Court of Justice, the principal UN judicial organ set up in 1945 to settle legal disputes submitted by States. The ICJ President, Peter Tomka, welcomed Mr. Ban’s call for all Member States to accept the Court’s jurisdiction: “Bringing a dispute before the court usually contributes to defusing tensions between states, in particular, in situations of competing claims to sovereignty or maritime zones.”

Mr. Tomka noted that only 67 of the UN’s 193 States – or 34 per cent, including only one permanent member of the Security Council – currently accept the ICJ’s compulsory jurisdiction. He called on all States that have not yet done so to accept the jurisdiction of the Hague-based ICJ, an independent international organization that is not part of the UN and tries those accused of the most serious crimes of international concern, such as genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes.