Senior Associate Justice Leonen leads Philippine Judiciary in Dialogue with the International Court of Justice
July 17, 2023
Senior Associate Justice Marvic M.V.F. Leonen (fourth from right) and International Court of Justice (ICJ) President Joan E. Donoghue (fourth from left) pose for posterity during a courtesy visit on the ICJ on July 12, 2023 at the Peace Palace, The Hague, the Netherlands. With them are (from left) Philippine Judicial Academy (PHILJA)’s Research, Publications and Linkages Office Chief Dean Sedfrey M. Candelaria; PHILJA Chancellor and retired Supreme Court Associate Justice Rosmari D. Carandang; Philippine Ambassador to the Netherlands J. Eduardo Malaya; ICJ Registrar Philippe Gautier; Atty. Luis Jose F. Geronimo; and PHILJA’s Academic Affairs Office Chief Dean Emerito I. Enginco. (Photo courtesy of the Philippine Embassy in the Netherlands)
“This dialogue is part of the Court’s strategic road map of modernizing its procedures and system, digitizing the entire judiciary, and making it more responsive to the needs of the Filipino people.”
Thus remarked Senior Associate Justice Marvic M.V.F. Leonen of the Supreme Court of the Philippines during a courtesy visit to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and separate meetings with ICJ President Joan E. Donoghue and Registrar Philippe Gautier, ICJ Judge Iwasawa Yuji, and ICJ Judge Hilary Charlesworth, on 12 July at the Peace Palace, The Hague, the Netherlands. The ICJ is the principal judicial organ of the United Nations (UN).
Senior Associate Justice Leonen also presented ICJ President Donoghue a copy of the Philippine Supreme Court’s blueprint for judicial reform, the Strategic Plan for Judicial Innovations 2022-2027.
ICJ President Donoghue, in welcoming Senior Associate Justice Leonen, said that the visit of a delegation from the Philippines’ highest court signifies the trust of UN Member States in the work of the ICJ. “This discussion is a good opportunity to collaborate and to learn from each other on how to advance international law,” said the ICJ President.
ICJ Judge Iwasawa commended the quality of Philippine legal education and encouraged Filipino lawyers to apply for judicial fellowship at the ICJ. He added: “I am impressed by the quality of the work of Filipino law students and lawyers. I encourage young people from Asia to study international law, come to The Hague, and have hands-on experience in practicing it.”
For her part, ICJ Judge Charlesworth noted the key role of dialogue and exchanges, stressing the importance of “learning and understanding different jurisdictions, especially the Philippines.”
Joining Senior Associate Justice Leonen were Philippine Judicial Academy (PHILJA) Chancellor and retired Supreme Court Associate Justice Rosmari D. Carandang, Dean Sedfrey M. Candelaria, Dean Emerito I. Enginco, Supreme Court of the Philippines’ Atty. Luis Jose F. Geronimo, and Embassy officials First Secretary and Consul Atty. Jarie R. Osias and Third Secretary and Vice Consul Atty. Marisar Ivy C. Cabatingan.
Senior Associate Justice Marvic M.V.F. Leonen underscores that the Philippines is firm in its adherence to international law during a courtesy visit on the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on July 12, 2023, at the Peace Palace, The Hague, the Netherlands. Looking on is Philippine Judicial Academy Chancellor and retired Supreme Court Associate Justice Rosmari D. Carandang. (Photo courtesy of the Philippine Embassy in the Netherlands)
Senior Associate Justice Marvic M.V.F. Leonen (third from right) and International Court of Justice (ICJ) Judge Judge Iwasawa Yuji (fourth from right) pose for posterity during a courtesy visit on the ICJ on July 12, 2023 at the Peace Palace, The Hague, the Netherlands. With them are (from left) Philippine Judicial Academy (PHILJA)’s Research, Publications and Linkages Office Chief Dean Sedfrey M. Candelaria; PHILJA Chancellor and retired Supreme Court Associate Justice Rosmari D. Carandang; Philippine Ambassador to the Netherlands J. Eduardo Malaya; PHILJA’s Academic Affairs Office Chief Dean Emerito I. Enginco; and Atty. Luis Jose F. Geronimo. (Photo courtesy of the Philippine Embassy in the Netherlands)
Senior Associate Justice Marvic M.V.F. Leonen presents H.E. Hilary Charlesworth, ICJ Judge from Australia, a copy of the Strategic Plan for Judicial Innovations 2022-2027, the Court’s blueprint for action, after an audience with her at The Peace Palace, on July 12, 2023. With them are Philippine Judicial Academy Chancellor Justice Rosmari D. Carandang and Philippine Ambassador to the Netherlands J. Eduardo Malaya. (Photo courtesy of the Philippine Embassy in the Netherlands)