International Court of Justice
Agenda Item: Application of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (Croatia v. Serbia)
Under Secretary General: Cemil Türk
Academic Assistant: Onur Yılmaz
Introduction
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) is the principal judicial organ of the United Nations. The court consists of Advocates, Judges, the Registrar, President, and Vice President and it was established in 1945 as part of the UN Charter. Its primary function is to settle legal disputes between states in accordance with international law. The court is seated at the Peace Palace in The Hague, Netherlands.
The Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide was invoked in the case of Croatia v. Serbia at the International Court of Justice (ICJ). The case was brought before the ICJ in 1999 by Croatia, which accused Serbia of committing genocide during the Yugoslav Wars of the 1990s. Croatia alleged that Serbia had committed genocide by killing and forcibly expelling Croats from large parts of Croatia, and that it had also supported and aided the self-proclaimed Croatian Serb Republic in committing acts of genocide. In MUNSA’23 with the acting advocates of the both sides, judges will come to a conclusion as to whether Serbia’s acts can be classified as an act of Genocide or not.
