Mention any three functions of the International Court of Justice.

(1) It SETTLES LEGAL DISPUTES submitted to it by member states — disputes over treaties, boundaries and questions of international law — and its decisions are binding on the parties to the case. (2) It gives ADVISORY OPINIONS on legal questions referred to it by the General Assembly, the Security Council or other authorised organs and specialised agencies of the UN. (3) It INTERPRETS treaties and conventions, determines the reparation to be made for the breach of an international obligation, and thereby helps to develop and codify international law.

One mark per function. The examiners’ report for this year notes that several candidates could not give three — so learn them as a set: settling disputes, advisory opinions, interpreting law. The distinction being tested is that the Court hears disputes between STATES, not between individuals. Facts worth a clause: it sits at The Hague in the NETHERLANDS — the only principal organ not in New York — and has 15 judges elected for nine years.