GEBRICS in support of Prof Paulo Borba Casella’s nomination for the International Court of Justice.

We are pleased to announce that Professor Paulo Borba Casella – the coordinator of GEBRICS/USP – has been nominated by the Brazilian National Group of the Permanent Court of Arbitration to complete the term of the late Judge Antônio Cançado Trindade at the International Court of Justice (ICJ). GEBRICS’ researchers enthusiastically receive the information and support the nomination because we believe that Professor Casella is in position to expand his relevant contribution to international law and peacekeeping by filling the vacancy.

Professor Borba Casella has devoted a significant part of his professional life to international law and the peaceful settlement of international disputes. He has lectured law since 1984 and he has worked as an attorney with practices in international arbitration. Fluent in English, French, Spanish, German, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, Latin and ancient Greek, Prof. Casella has widely published on international legal issues and has he lectured and spoken at conferences in Brazil and in various other countries, including at the Hague Academy of International Law, with his winter course on “International Law, History and Culture” (2020).

Casella is the full professor of Public International Law of the Faculty of Law of University of Sao Paulo. The Faculty is one of the two firsts higher education’s course of Brazil, together with the Faculty of Law of Olinda, in Recife. Since of its creation, the Faculty of Law of University of Sao Paulo has played a fundamental role for legal edification of rule of law and for the protection of human rights, during the diverse periods of Brazilian history. All along his teaching life, Prof. Casella has asserted to choose international legal field by believing in its capacity to promote peaceful relations and to improve human life’s condition, motivating students to deeper knowledge on international dimension of law as an imperative for humankind’s development. Professor Casella´s books and papers are commonly cited as relevant references in Brazilian Supreme Federal Court (STF) and in the Superior Court of Justice (STJ) case law.

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) is the principal judicial organ of the United Nations. Established in June 1945, it settles disputes between states and provides advisory opinions. Through the common language of international law, ICJ plays a major role in maintaining international peace and facilitating preventive diplomacy by fostering dialogue.

Therefore, GEBRICS/USP reinforces that Professor Casella is a skilled representative of the task and hope that international law shall constitute a strong force to keep international relations’ trajectory under peaceful and fair principles.