The Hague in the Netherlands is home to the headquarters of the International Court of Justice.
The International Court of Justice, or ICJ, is the principal judicial organ of the United Nations. It was established by the UN Charter in 1945 and began work in 1946, succeeding the Permanent Court of International Justice. Unlike a national criminal court, the ICJ mainly settles legal disputes between states and gives advisory opinions to authorized international bodies.
The court sits in the Peace Palace in The Hague, a building opened in 1913. It has fifteen judges, elected by the UN General Assembly and Security Council for nine-year terms. Judges are intended to represent the world’s principal legal systems, and no two judges may be nationals of the same country at the same time.
The ICJ is frequently confused with the International Criminal Court, which is also based in The Hague but is a separate institution. The ICC prosecutes individuals for crimes such as genocide and crimes against humanity, whereas the ICJ hears cases involving states.