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"United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned on Friday of growing threats to international law, as he addressed a ceremony marking the 80th anniversary of the International Court of Justice (ICJ). "Moments of crisis are moments of choice. They reveal who we are and what we very much," he said, urging states to uphold the principles of the United Nations Charter. "Force of law must always prevail over the law of force," he urged. Guterres added that institutions designed to uphold justice, including the world’s top court, are increasingly being challenged. "This erosion is not happening at the margins of the international system. It is happening at its core – including by States entrusted with unique responsibilities for the maintenance of international peace and security," he said. "When the law of force replaces the force of law, instability becomes contagious. Conflicts spill across borders. Economic shocks reverberate around the world. And the most vulnerable always suffer first and suffer most." Marking the anniversary of the court’s founding, Guterres said its creation reflected a historic decision to prioritise law over power in the aftermath of global conflict. "Today we face our own moment of crisis and our own moment of choice," he said. "A choice between a future governed by the rule of law or a future driven by raw power." The ICJ was established in June 1945 by the Charter of the United Nations as the principal judicial organ of the UN, officially beginning its work in April 1946 at the Peace Palace in The Hague."
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