Olufemi Elias

Olufemi Elias
In office September 2024 – Present
Personal details
Nationality	Nigerian
Occupation	Judge Ad Hoc of the International Court of Justice

Olufemi Elias is a Nigerian international lawyer who currently serves as a judge ad hoc at the International Court of Justice (ICJ).[1] He is a full member of the Institut de Droit International.

Early life and education

Elias studied at Corona School, and then Igbobi College, Lagos, Nigeria before obtaining a law degree from the University of Oxford, a Master of Laws from the University of Cambridge and a doctorate from University College London.[2] He was called to the Nigerian Bar in 1988.

Career

He is the President of the Administrative Tribunal of the OPEC Fund for International Development, and Chairman of the Islamic Development Bank Administrative Tribunal.[3] He is a former President and member of the Appeals' Committee of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries. [4] He advises international organizations and States on legal issues, including litigation before international courts and tribunals. He is a Member of the Panel of Arbitrators of the Hong Kong Regional Arbitration Centre of the Asian African Legal Consultative Organisation. [5]

Elias is a visiting professor in international law at the Department of Law, Queen Mary University of London[6] and has taught at the King's College London and the University of Buckingham. He is also the author of several publications in the field of International Law and was awarded the Honorary Membership Award of the American Society of International Law(ASIL) in recognition of his contributions to international law.

He was Registrar (United Nations Assistant Secretary-General), of the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (IRMCT) until 30 June 2020.[7] Elias has held several functions including being a Judge for Staff Appeals, Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL); Legal Adviser and Director, Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), The Hague; Executive Secretary (Registrar), World Bank Administrative Tribunal, Washington D.C.; Senior Legal Officer, OPCW; Special Assistant to the Executive Secretary, United Nations Compensation Commission (UNCC), Geneva and Legal Adviser, Governing Council Secretariat, UNCC. Elias was a candidate in the 2020 International Court of Justice judges election. He was not elected.[8] In early 2022, Elias was appointed by the International Monetary Fund to an external panel to strengthen institutional safeguards in the wake of a data scandal involving IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva during her time at the World Bank.[9]

Statements and speeches

Date	Statement or Speech
11 Jul 2018	[1] Registrar Elias' Address at the commemoration of the Srebrenica genocide
8 Mar 2018	[2] Registrar Elias' message in commemoration of International Women's Day 2018
17 May 2017	[3] Registrar Elias’ remarks at the Diplomatic Briefing at the Hague branch of the Mechanism

Other activities

• American Society of International Law, Former Member of the Executive Council
• International Arbitration Review, Member of the Advisory Board
• African Association of International Law, Former Secretary General
• African Journal of International and Comparative Law, Member of the Editorial Board
• International Gender Champions (IGC), Member[10]
• International Law Association, Member
• Nigerian Society of International Law, Life Member
• Igbobi College Old Boy's Association Merit Award for Professional Achievement

References

1. "Request relating to the Return of Property Confiscated in Criminal Proceedings (Equatorial Guinea v. France)".
2. "Ban Ki-Moon Appoints Nigeria's Dr. Olufemi Elias as Asst. Sec.-Gen. & Registrar of UN MICT". Bella Naija. 5 December 2016.
3. "Judges - OPEC Fund for International Development". opecfund.org. Retrieved 16 December 2023.
4. https://www.opec.org/opec_web/en/index.htm. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
5. "List of Arbitrators – AALCO".
6. "Olufemi Elias".
7. "Secretary-General Appoints Olufemi Elias of Nigeria Registrar of International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals| Meetings Coverage and Press Releases". www.un.org. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
8. "General Assembly, in Second Secret Ballot Round, Elects Five Judges to Serve Nine-Year-Long Terms on International Court of Justice | Meetings Coverage and Press Releases". www.un.org. UN News Centre. 12 November 2020. Retrieved 12 April 2021.
9. David Lawyer (4 February 2022), IMF names former Bundesbank chief to lead review panel on institutional safeguards Reuters.
10. Members International Gender Champions (IGC).