Rena Lee secures 151 General Assembly votes in election to international court.
Ambassador for International Law Rena Lee was elected as a Judge of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) at the United Nations Headquarters in New York on 3 November 2026, becoming the first Singaporean and the first woman from Southeast Asia to serve on the United Nations’ principal judicial organ. She secured 151 votes in the General Assembly and 13 votes in the Security Council, obtaining the required absolute majority in both bodies.
The election was conducted simultaneously by the UN General Assembly and UN Security Council to fill five vacancies on the 15-member Court for the 2027–2036 term. Nine candidates contested the five positions. Ms Lee received the highest number of votes in the General Assembly, with 151 out of 191 votes cast, and was joint-highest in the Security Council, receiving 13 out of 15 votes.
She will serve a nine-year term from 6 February 2027 to 5 February 2036. The other newly elected judges for the term are from the United Kingdom, France, Jordan and Kenya.
The Singapore Government supported Ms Lee’s candidature through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) and Ministry of Law (MinLaw). Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr Vivian Balakrishnan and Minister for Law and Second Minister for Home Affairs Edwin Tong travelled to New York ahead of the election and hosted a reception for United Nations delegates on 2 November.
In a statement supporting her candidature, Dr Balakrishnan said: “Her deep expertise, strong conviction in the rule of law, and ability to understand different perspectives in resolving differences would be an asset to the ICJ.”
Ms Lee has more than three decades of experience in international law, including the law of the sea, environmental law, international humanitarian law and human rights law. From 2018 to 2023, she served as President of the United Nations Intergovernmental Conference on Marine Biodiversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ), leading five years of negotiations that culminated in the adoption of the BBNJ Agreement, also known as the High Seas Treaty, in June 2023.
In 2024, TIME Magazine included her in its list of the 100 Most Influential People. She also serves as Chairperson of the Governing Board of the National University of Singapore Centre for International Law and as a member of the Permanent Court of Arbitration.
Based in The Hague, the ICJ adjudicates legal disputes between states and provides advisory opinions on legal questions referred to it by authorised United Nations bodies and agencies. Ms Lee’s election places Singapore on the Court’s bench for the 2027–2036 term.
Source: Singapore Ministry of Foreign Affairs
