Singapore's Rena Lee wins ICJ seat as first national on court
What's new: Lee won 151 of 191 General Assembly votes and 13 of 15 Security Council votes for a term starting in February 2027.
Singapore's Ambassador for International Law Rena Lee has been elected to the International Court of Justice, becoming the first Singaporean and the first woman from Southeast Asia to join the UN court. Lee, 57, won one of five seats in voting at UN headquarters in New York, securing an absolute majority in both the General Assembly and Security Council on the first round. She received 151 of 191 votes in the assembly and 13 of 15 in the council. Her nine-year term on the 15-member court in The Hague starts on Feb. 6, 2027. The ICJ hears legal disputes between states and issues advisory opinions. Singapore has appeared before the court before, including in its 2008 Pedra Branca case with Malaysia.