JEAN-PIERRE COT

Judge, International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (2002 to present)

Judge Jean-Pierre Cot has had an academic career. Professor of international law and Dean of the Amiens law school (1966-1969), then Professor at the University of Paris I Panthéon-Sorbonne (1969-1999), he has written extensively in international law and political science, and edited a Commentaire de la Charte des Nations Unies article par article, now in its 3rd edition.

Member of the Assemblée Nationale (1973-1981), he went into government as Minister for Overseas Development (1981-1982). In that capacity, he chaired the 1st United Nations Conference on Lesser Developed Countries (L.D.C.). After a year as member of the Executive Council of UNESCO, Jean-Pierre Cot was elected to the European Parliament (1984-1999), where he chaired the Budgets Committee, the Parliamentary Group of the European Socialists, then was elected Vice-President of the European Parliament.

Professor Cot appeared before the International Court of Justice of The Hague as advocate and counsel for Burkina Faso, Chad, Namibia, Cameroon and Malaysia. He appeared for France before an arbitral tribunal involving UNESCO. He chaired, among other activities, an arbitral panel in a case concerning the European Development Fund.

Appointed as ad hoc judge to the International Tribunal of the Law of the Sea in 2001, Judge Cot was elected to the Tribunal as a permanent member in 2002. He has also been appointed as ad hoc judge to the International Court of Justice by Romania in a case concerning maritime delimitation in the Black Sea.

When Dr. Bernard Kouchner, Member of the IIGEP, was appointed as Minister of Foreign Affairs of France, Judge Cot was proposed by the European Union to replace him in the IIGEP and was invited by the President of Sri Lanka to serve as Member.

Born in 1937, educated in Paris and Geneva, Judge Cot is married to Ms. Raymonde Dury, former Member for Belgium of the European Parliament and present chairperson of the International Centre for Prevention of Criminality. He has 4 children.