Former Supreme Court judge Madan B Lokur was appointed as the chairperson of the United Nations Internal Justice Council. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres communicated the appointment to Justice Lokur in a letter dated December 19, 2024.
In the letter, Guterres expressed his pleasure in appointing Justice Lokur to the role of chairperson of the council, which includes several distinguished jurists from around the world.
Along with Justice Lokur, the other members of the Internal Justice Council are: Ms. Carmen Artigas from Uruguay, a distinguished external jurist nominated by staff; Ms. Rosalie Balkin from Australia, an external jurist nominated by management; Mr. Stefan Brezina from Austria, a staff representative; and Mr. Jay Pozenel from the United States, a management representative.
The General Assembly of the UN established the Internal Justice Council (IJC) as part of the new internal justice system in order to help ensure independence, professionalism and accountability in the administration of justice system of the United Nations.
The IJC is composed of five members consisting of a staff representative, a management representative and two distinguished external jurists, one nominated by the staff and one by management, and chaired by a distinguished jurist chosen by consensus by the four other members. The IJC members are appointed by the Secretary General.
Justice Lokur, born in 1953, served as a judge of the Supreme Court of India from June 4, 2012, until his retirement on December 30, 2018, after reaching the mandatory retirement age. His term as the chairperson of the United Nations Internal Justice Council will run until November 12, 2028.