On Wednesday (4 Nov), the Ministry of Law (MinLaw) announced that Ambassador for International Law Rena Lee has been elected as a judge of the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
The ICJ is the primary judicial organ of the United Nations (UN) and plays a key role in the peaceful settlement of disputes.
This historic achievement makes Ms Lee the first Singaporean and Southeast Asian woman elected to serve the court.
The 57-year-old ambassador secured one of five seats on the 15-judge court for the 2027 to 2036 term.
Ms Lee swept the voting in both bodies, securing 151 of 191 votes in the UN General Assembly and 13 out of 15 in the Security Council.
She is set to begin her term in February 2027.
On 14 Oct 2024, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) and MinLaw first announced their intention to nominate Ms Lee as a candidate.
Ms Lee was formally nominated in July 2026.
After serving in Singapore’s Ministry of Defence and the Attorney-General’s Chambers, the ambassador expanded into international diplomacy.
She was elected to the Legal and Technical Commission of the International Seabed Authority, serving from 2017 to 2022.
Ms Lee also served as Minister-Counsellor at Singapore’s Diplomatic Office in The Hague, the Netherlands.
Notably, she gained recognition for successfully chairing five years of multilateral negotiations as president of the UN Intergovernmental Conference on the High Seas Treaty.
This led to the adoption of the landmark BBNJ Agreement in 2023, a legal agreement that sets the treatment of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction.
Ms Lee also holds positions in institutions including the Permanent Court of Arbitration and the Panel of Conciliators of the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes.
Source: IISD
In a Facebook post on 4 Nov, MFA declared that Ms Lee’s election marked a recognition of her strong credentials and represented Singapore’s longstanding commitment to upholding international law.
“We are confident that Ambassador Lee will discharge her judicial duties at the ICJ with impartiality, rigour and distinction,” MFA said.
MinLaw wished her and the incoming ICJ bench a successful term ahead.
Following her election, Ms Lee said the trust and confidence placed in her by the international community deeply honoured her.
She was grateful to see so many countries supporting her candidature.
I look forward to serving on the Court with independence, impartiality and integrity, and to contributing to its important work in the years ahead.
According to a press release from MinLaw on 2 Nov, Minister for Foreign Affairs Vivian Balakrishnan and Minister for Law and Second Minister for Home Affairs Edwin Tong were present in New York in support of Ms Lee’s candidature.
They also hosted a reception in her honour that evening, ahead of the election results.
Dr Balakrishnan declared that the Singaporean government was wholeheartedly supportive of Ms Lee’s candidature.
He believed her long-standing expertise, unwavering conviction in the rule of law, and ability to understand different perspectives were valuable assets to the ICJ.
He said: “Ambassador Lee’s candidature is one concrete way that Singapore is seeking to contribute to the continued upholding of the rules-based multilateral system.”
Mr Tong echoed this sentiment, stating that the ICJ grows its strength by “drawing on varied legal traditions, professional experiences and perspectives.”
Ambassador Lee embodies the kind of contribution Singapore seeks to make: principled, practical, attentive to different perspectives, and directed towards solutions.
In a celebratory Facebook post on 4 Nov, Dr Balakrishnan said that Ms Lee’s win marked a “remarkable achievement” that made Singapore proud.
With international law and the rules-based multilateral system under increasing strain, Ms Lee’s election emphasises “the importance of strong international institutions and the contributions that small states can make on the world stage”.
Source: Vivian Balakrishnan via Facebook
Mr Tong called it a “historic election”, adding that this breakthrough achievement “underscores the strong affirmation of the confidence in Rena”.
Having known Ms Lee since law school, he described supporting her campaign as a “privilege”.
There is something very special about seeing someone you have known for so long reach such an important milestone, especially knowing how much she has given to get here.
Source: Edwin Tong via Facebook
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Featured image adapted from Ministry of Foreign Affairs.