CARICOM backs Patrick Robinson for ICJ election
Daraine Luton, Senior Staff Reporter
INTERNATIONAL JURIST Patrick Robinson is to be put forward by Jamaica for election to the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
The announcement was made on Tuesday by Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Minister A.J. Nicholson as he addressed diplomats during a Diplomatic Week forum in Kingston.
The election to the ICJ take place in November 2014.
"Judge Robinson, an eminent Jamaican and Caribbean jurist who has served as president of the International Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, has already received CARICOM's endorsement. It is noted that only one CARICOM national has had the honour of serving on the International Court of Justice since the court's inception almost 70 years ago," Nicholson said.
He added: "We look forward to your governments' support for this candidature, and for our bid for re-election to the UN (United Nations) World Tourism Organization in October 2013 and to the International Maritime Organization in November 2013."
The ICJ is composed of 15 judges elected to nine-year terms of office by the UN General Assembly and the UN Security Council. In order to be elected, a candidate must receive an absolute majority of the votes in both bodies.
A member of the court, when engaged on the business of the court, enjoys privileges and immunities comparable with those of the head of a diplomatic mission.
Each member of the court receives an annual compensation package consisting of a base salary (which, for 2010, amounts to US$166,596 or J$14.5 million) and post adjustment, with a special supplementary allowance of US$15,000 for the president.
On leaving the court, members receive annual pensions which, after a nine-year term of office, amount to 50 per cent of the annual base salary.
Robinson is the father of Julian Robinson, the member of parliament for South East St Andrew and the state minister in the Ministry of Science, Technology, Energy and Mining.