First NNU Alumnus Elected as Judge of the United Nations Dispute Tribunal
On November 15, 2022, the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly elected judges of the United Nations Appeals Tribunal and the United Nations Dispute Tribunal. After the recommendations of the United Nations Internal Justice Council, Xiangzhuang Sun of the Supreme People's Court of China was elected judge of the United Nations Dispute Tribunal for a term beginning on July 1st, 2023, and ending on June 30th, 2030, and Xiaoli Gao of the Supreme People's Court of China was elected judge of the Appeals Tribunal for a term from November 15th, 2022, to June 30th, 2026.
Xiangzhuang Sun, elected as judge of the United Nations Dispute Tribunal, was a doctoral student majoring in legal theories at the School of Law at NNU and was taught by Pixiang Gong, a famous jurist and professor in the School of Law at NNU.
As one of the outstanding alumni representatives of NNU, Xiangzhuang Sun has successively served in the Jiangsu High People's Court, the Trial Supervision Tribunal of the Supreme People's Court of China, the Supreme People’s Court’s 1st Circuit Court, and the China International Commercial Court. In April 2018, Judge Xiangzhuang Sun was awarded the title of "National Adjudication Expert" by the Supreme People's Court. In November 2022, he was elected as judge of the United Nations Dispute Tribunal, the first time that a candidate from China has been elected to the organ since its establishment.
Congratulations to NNU Alumnus Xiangzhuang Sun!
About the United Nations Dispute Tribunal
The United Nations Dispute Tribunal was established in 2009 by the General Assembly Resolution 62/228 and has nine judges, based in New York, Geneva, and Nairobi. The United Nations Appeals Tribunal, also established in 2009 in Resolution 62/228, has seven judges, all of whom are based at the UN Headquarters in New York.
Both organs are important bodies of the UN internal justice system, playing a key role in safeguarding the legitimate rights and interests of UN staff members and promoting the effective functioning of the UN system based on the rule of law.