Singapore’s Ambassador for International Law Rena Lee has been elected as a judge of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), becoming the first Singaporean and the first Southeast Asian woman to achieve the milestone.
The 57-year-old won election on 3 November 2026 in New York. She will serve a nine-year term from 2027 to 2036.
Won Majorities in Both UN Bodies
Lee received 151 of 191 votes in the United Nations General Assembly and 13 of 15 votes in the UN Security Council, Mothership reported, citing a joint release by Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) and Ministry of Law.
Voting took place at the UN headquarters in New York, with five seats on the court up for election.
Candidates must obtain an absolute majority, meaning more than half of the votes of all members, in both the General Assembly and the Security Council to be elected.
What Does the Court Do?
Based in The Hague in the Netherlands, the ICJ is the UN’s principal judicial body.
It decides legal disputes that countries submit to it, applying international law. It also gives advisory opinions, or legal advice, on questions referred by authorised UN bodies and specialised agencies.
The court has 15 judges, each elected for nine years. Elections take place every three years to fill five seats.
Its judges serve independently. Under the court’s statute, they are elected regardless of nationality and must meet requirements concerning their character and legal qualifications.
More Than Three Decades in International Law
Lee became Singapore’s Ambassador for International Law in 2023. Her earlier roles included Ambassador for Oceans and Law of the Sea Issues and Special Envoy of the Minister for Foreign Affairs.
She has spent more than three decades advising the Singapore Government, including at the Attorney-General’s Chambers and Ministry of Defence.
Her experience covers the law of the sea, climate change, environmental law, international humanitarian law and human rights law.
One of her major assignments was chairing UN negotiations on protecting marine biodiversity beyond national jurisdiction, meaning areas outside individual countries’ jurisdiction.
She led those negotiations over five years, culminating in the agreement’s adoption by consensus in 2023.
Singapore first announced the intention to nominate Lee for the ICJ election in October 2024. Her formal nomination followed in July 2026.
Ahead of the vote, MFA and the Ministry of Law said her candidacy reflected Singapore’s support for international law and the institutions that uphold it.
