Significant victory for India at UN, Neeru Chadha becomes 1st Indian woman as member of ITLOS

Neeru Chadha, an international law expert, has become the first Indian woman to be appointed as a judge at the tribunal; to one of the top UN judicial bodies, that deals with disputes related to the law of the sea.

What has emerged as a significant victory to India at the United Nations, Chadha who had become the chief legal advisor in the ministry of external affairs, won the elections on Wednesday, June 14 to the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) for a nine-year term from 2017 to 2026.

Chadha secured 120 votes, the highest in the Asia Pacific group and was elected in the first round of voting itself. Other candidates from Indonesia got 58 votes, Lebanon 60 and Thailand 86.

All three candidates went to a second round of voting wherein Thailand won the other seat in the Asia Pacific group.

Seven seats were up for grabs in the elections.

Syed Akbaruddin, India's Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador, expressed gratitude for the broad support of countries that resulted in Chadha's "emphatic success" at the elections to the ITLOS.

"It reflects both an appreciation of India's global standing in matters of international law and the recognition for Chadha's expertise as a lawyer and negotiator on contemporary issues related to the Law of the Seas," said Akbaruddin.