The Permanent Court of International Justice, based in the Peace Palace in The Hague, heard its first case a century ago. Its post-war successor, the International Court of Justice, is at the busiest point in its history, with 16 contentious cases before it, from every region of the globe. It also has recently received two requests for advisory opinions from the United Nations General Assembly: one on the legal consequences of Israel’s policies and practices in the Occupied Palestinian Territory; and one on international legal obligations in relation to climate change.

After introducing the jurisdiction of the World Court, this lecture will examine its contemporary significance by exploring various strands of criticism concerning the Court’s structure and approach to international law. It will conclude by arguing that regulatory theory offers valuable insights into the Court’s strengths, potential, and limits.

Professor Hilary Charlesworth AM FASSA FAAL is one of Australia’s most eminent and distinguished international lawyers. In November 2021, she was appointed a Judge of the International Court of Justice.

Professor Charlesworth was educated at the University of Melbourne and Harvard Law School. She is a Melbourne Laureate Professor at Melbourne Law School and Distinguished Professor and Director of the Centre for International Governance and Justice in the Regulatory Institutions Network at the Australian National University. She has held numerous visiting appointments at United States and European universities. She held an ARC Federation Fellowship (2005-2010) and an ARC Laureate Fellowship (2010-2015).

She was President of the Australian and New Zealand Society of International Law (1997-2001). She is on the editorial boards of a number of international law journals and served as Co-Editor of the Australian Yearbook of International Law (1996-2006) and a member of the Board of Editors of the American Journal of International Law (1999-2009). She was joint winner of the American Society of International Law’s 2006 Goler T Butcher Medal in recognition of ‘outstanding contributions to the development or effective realization of international human rights law’. She was elected to the Institut de Droit International in 2011.

She has worked with various non-governmental human rights organisations on ways to implement international human rights standards and was chair of the Australian Capital Territory government's inquiry into an ACT bill of rights, which led to the adoption of the ACT Human Rights Act 2004. She was appointed judge ad hoc of the International Court of Justice in 2011 for the Whaling in the Antarctic case, and in 2019 as a judge ad hoc for a case between Guyana and Venezuela.

The Myint Zan Law and Philosophy Lecture is an annual lecture made possible by the generosity of the donor, Professor Myint Zan. Each lecture will be presented by an outstanding and distinguished scholar working in law or philosophy or at the intersection of them and help to build valuable bridges across the university and beyond the academy to address fundamental challenges facing humankind. This occasion marks the inaugural Myint Zan Law and Philosophy Lecture.

A reception will follow Professor Charlesworth’s lecture. Please indicate your dietary restrictions in the registration form.

Please note that parking at ANU can be difficult. We suggest using public transport, taxi, cycling, walking or allowing plenty of time to find a park. Please refer to the map (section 4C) to find the closest parking.