MEDIA ADVISORY
JULY 2026
LAUREATES OF THE 2026 HE JUDGE CG WEERAMANTRY INTERNATIONAL JUSTICE AWARD AND 2026 HE JUDGE CG AND ROSEMARY GLOBAL FELLOWSHIP FOR INTERNATIONAL LAW ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT ANNOUNCED
The Right Honourable Ralph Regenvanu (Vanuatu), Her Excellency the Right Honourable Louise Arbour, C.C., C.M.M., C.O.M., G.O.Q., C.D. (Canada), and His Excellency Judge Professor Dire Tladi (South Africa) have been named as the distinguished global Laureates of the International Justice Award in honour of His Excellency Judge C.G. Weeramantry.
Dr Katalin Sulyok (Hungary) has been recognised as recipient of the His Excellency Judge C.G. and Rosemary Global Fellowship for International Law on Sustainable Development, with Nurul Huda Anggraeni (Indonesia) and Kyara Sofía Cascante Suárez (Costa Rica) awarded Gold Commendations.
On 10 July 2026, during the CISDL Biennial Symposium Human Rights, Sustainable Development & the Law, the Weeramantry International Justice Commission, with the blessings of the Weeramantry family, was delighted to announce the Laureates of the prestigious International Justice Award in honour of His Excellency Judge C.G. Weeramantry.
The laudatios read as follows:
The Right Honourable Ralph Regenvanu, of Vanuatu, for his outstanding leadership in advancing climate justice, governance, and the rights of vulnerable communities, and for placing the voice of small island states at the centre of international legal and political debate.
Her Excellency the Right Honourable Louise Arbour, C.C., C.M.M., C.O.M., G.O.Q., C.D., of Canada, for her exceptional service to international justice, human rights, and the rule of law, and for a career marked by integrity, courage, and unwavering public service.
His Excellency Judge Professor Dire Tladi, of South Africa, for his distinguished scholarship and juristic leadership in international law, and for advancing a rigorous, principled and humane vision of justice and sustainable development.
The Weeramantry International Justice Award is granted to distinguished senior-level jurists whose lifeworks, intellect and character offer the highest possible credit to the memory of His Excellency the late Judge Christopher Gregory Weeramantry, recipient of the UNESCO Prize for Peace Education, Right Livelihood Award Laureate and former Vice-President of the International Court of Justice. They honour His Excellency’s international legacy, including his concern for the interests of current and future generations, his commitment to international law, peace and sustainable development, and his global humanism and leadership in the law.
The ceremony was followed by the announcement of the 2026 laureate of the Global Fellowship for International Law on Sustainable Development, open to graduate students, recently graduated scholars, and early-career professionals studying or working in international law and governance related to sustainable development.
The 2026 Global Fellow is Dr Katalin Sulyok (Hungary), alongside Gold Commendation awardees Nurul Huda Anggraeni (Indonesia) and Kyara Sofía Cascante Suárez (Costa Rica), whose research agendas, with the support of the Global Fellowship, promise to make important contributions to international law and sustainable development.
NOTE: For further questions or quotes prior to the press release or blog post, please contact Professor Marie-Claire Cordonier Segger, Chair, Weeramantry International Justice Commission, at mccs2@cam.ac.uk.
ANNEX I: 2026 WEERAMANTRY INTERNATIONAL JUSTICE AWARD LAUREATES
The Right Honourable Ralph Regenvanu is Minister for Climate Change, Energy, Environment, Meteorology, Geo-Hazards and Disaster Management of Vanuatu. He is also a former Minister of Justice and Community Services, as well as a former Minister of Lands and Foreign Affairs. As Pacific Ministerial Champion for Loss and Damage leading into COP30, a key contributor to Vanuatu’s National Sustainable Development Plan, and a leader in the Commission of Small Island States which led the request for an Advisory Opinion from the International Court of Justice, he has consistently championed the rights and voices of vulnerable communities and small island developing states in global decision-making.
Her Excellency the Right Honourable Louise Arbour, C.C., C.M.M., C.O.M., G.O.Q., C.D., has had a distinguished career spanning academia, the judiciary, international criminal law, global human rights leadership and is now serving as the Governor General and Commander-in-Chief of Canada. A former United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Tribunals for the former Yugoslavia and for Rwanda, and Justice of the Supreme Court of Ontario and then for the Supreme Court of Canada, she has played a defining role in advancing international justice, accountability, and the rule of law.
His Excellency Judge Professor Dire Tladi is a Judge of the International Court of Justice and one of South Africa’s most distinguished international lawyers. He has served as Professor of International Law at the University of Pretoria, Chair of the International Law Commission, legal adviser to South Africa’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations, and Special Adviser to South African Ministers on international relations, while producing an influential body of scholarship in public international law.
ANNEX II: HE JUDGE CG WEERAMANTRY LEGACY
HE Judge CG Weeramantry International Justice Award
- The HE Judge C.G. Weeramantry International Justice Award is granted to distinguished international jurists whose lifeworks, intellect and character offer the highest possible credit to the memory of His Excellency the late Judge Christopher Gregory Weeramantry, recipient of the UNESCO Prize for Peace Education, Right Livelihood Award Laureate and former Judge and Vice-President of the International Court of Justice.
- The Award recipients honour His Excellency’s international legacy, including his concern for the interests of current and future generations; his commitment to international law, peace and sustainable development; and his global humanism and leadership in the law.
- This Award is supported by partnerships with experts and professors from academic institutions deeply linked to HE Judge C.G. Weeramantry’s legacy, including the University of Cambridge, McGill University, Universiteit Leiden, University of Colombo and Monash University, and was launched in 2020 by the Weeramantry International Centre for Peace, Education & Research (WICPER) and the Centre for International Sustainable Development Law (CISDL), with blessings of the Weeramantry family.
- Laureates of the Weeramantry International Justice Award support the Global Fellowship for International Law on Sustainable Development, advancing the legacy of HE Judge C.G. Weeramantry through their world-class professional and academic endeavours, guiding the selection of future laureates, and providing mentorship to new and emerging scholars over time.
- Previous recipients of this Award include Judge Kathy-Ann Brown, Professor Damilola S. Olawuyi SAN, and Professor James Bacchus (2024); Hon Justice Antonio Benjamin, Elizabeth Maruma Mrema, and Professor Dr Nicolaas Jan Schrijver (2022); and Hon Justice Professor Marcel Szabó, Advocate Neshan Gunasekara, and Professor Dr Marie-Claire Cordonier Segger (2020).
His Excellency Judge C.G. and Rosemary Global Fellowship for International Law on Sustainable Development
- The HE Judge C.G. and Rosemary Weeramantry Global Fellowship is open to graduate students and recently graduated scholars studying international law and governance related to sustainable development, and to early-career professionals working in relevant fields
- Nominations for the Fellowship can be made by any senior scholar, professor or practitioner in the fields of international law, governance and sustainable development, from any country worldwide.
- The maximum term of the HE Judge C.G. and Rosemary Weeramantry Global Fellowship shall be twenty-four (24) months and the Fellowship shall be tenable in any country in which the selected Global Fellow is based.
- During their tenure, the HE Judge C.G. and Rosemary Weeramantry Global Fellowship shall write a 500-word blog, to be published online by CISDL and shared internationally by the Commission members’ institutions, every four months on pressing global issues relating to international law and sustainable development. Over the course of the Fellowship, the award holder shall produce two original works on international law and sustainable development, peer reviewed by the Commission and published first as legal working papers in honour of the Judge’s legacy, then in a law journal, periodical, book or other independent publication, crediting and acknowledging the support of the Global Fellowship.
His Excellency the late Judge Christopher Gregory Weeramantry
- 2026 marks the centenary birth anniversary of Judge C.G. Weeramantry, making it a truly special occasion to celebrate his work, courage and legacy.
- In his early career as an advocate and professor, he dedicated his time to defending the voiceless and teaching young minds, including as a professor of public international law in Australia and Sri Lanka.
- He later served as a Judge of the International Court of Justice and became its Vice-President, while also founding the Weeramantry Centre for Peace Education and Research and serving as Patron Emeritus of the Centre for International Sustainable Development Law.
- He was awarded the UNESCO Prize for Peace Education and the Sri Lankabhimanya, the highest national honour of Sri Lanka.