Professor Akande kicks off campaigning as UK candidate for the International Law Commission 2021

Professor Dapo Akande, the United Kingdom’s candidate for the International Law Commission election, launched his campaign in New York this week.

With over 25 years of legal experience at top academic institutions and a prolific author, Professor Akande is exceptionally well-qualified to serve on the prestigious United Nations body.

Professor Akande is an internationally renowned expert in Public International Law, and currently teaches at the University of Oxford. As a lawyer, he has advised countries from around the globe and has appeared before many of the world’s leading legal institutions, such as the International Court of Justice, the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, the International Criminal Court and the European Court of Human Rights.

Professor Akande is also an influential member of the international legal community as the founder of EJIL:TALK! and a board member for several legal journals and scholarly societies around the world.

Professor Akande has a strong vision and if elected he has three main aims: to help the Commission solve contemporary problems of international law; to work closely with UN member states in identifying topics and developing solutions and; to ensure the highest standards of technical legal expertise.

To launch Professor Akande’s campaign, he hosted a virtual event with key multilateral decision-makers in New York, including H.E. Professor Tijjani Muhammad-Bande who confirmed Government of Nigeria’s seal of approval by co-nominating Professor Akande.

Dame Barbara Woodward, UK Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York, said:

The UK is a strong advocate of the International Law Commission. Professor Akande is an exceptional candidate who will contribute significantly to the Commission, if elected. The UK, as a force for good, supports our international partners in strengthening its valuable work.

The UK’s candidate to join the Commission, Professor Akande, said:

I am delighted and honoured to launch my campaign as the United Kingdom candidate for the International Law Commission. I am also humbled to receive a co-nomination from Nigeria where I was born, educated and started my legal journey.

It would be a privilege to be elected to the International Law Commission and I believe I can make a meaningful contribution to its work. My vision is clear: the codification and progressive development of international law can strengthen the rules on which international cooperation is based, and help promote a just and peaceful system of international relations.