International Court of Justice
AGENDA ITEM
The Territorial and Maritime Dispute (Nicaragua v. Colombia)
USG
Melissa NAMOĞLU
melissanamoglu@gmail.com
ACAS
Deniz USTAÖMER
denizustaomerrr@gmail.com
PRESIDENT JUDGE
To Be Announced
VICE PRESIDENT JUDGE
To Be Announced
REGISTRAR
To Be Announced
Study Guide
INTRODUCTION
The International Court of Justice (ICJ), seated in The Hague, Netherlands, is the principal judicial organ of the United Nations, established in 1945 to settle legal disputes between states and provide advisory opinions.
The Territorial and Maritime Dispute (Nicaragua v. Colombia), brought before the International Court of Justice ,addresses complex questions of territorial sovereignty and maritime boundary delimitation in the Caribbean Sea. The dispute between Nicaragua and Colombia centers on the ownership of several islands and the division of surrounding maritime zones. Colombia bases its claim largely on the Esguerra–Bárcenas Treaty ,which recognizes its sovereignty over the San Andrés Archipelago. Nicaragua, however, disputes both the treaty’s scope and the maritime boundary it implies.
As a result, the case highlights key principles of international law, including treaty interpretation and maritime delimitation under frameworks such as the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea .