CNA Explains: Why Singapore’s historic bid for a seat on the International Court of Justice matters

Experts say the decision to enter the race reflects Singapore’s record of championing the rule of law through multilateralism, the peaceful settlement of international disputes, and the observance of international law.

Singapore’s candidate Rena Lee, seen here presiding over an intergovernmental conference on marine biodiversity in March 2023, is one of 10 candidates vying for five contested seats on the Peace Palace bench in The Hague for the 2027 to 2036 term. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong, file)

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SINGAPORE: When the United Nations convenes in New York on Tuesday (Nov 3) to elect judges to the International Court of Justice (ICJ), Singapore will be watching keenly with unprecedented interest.

For the first time since joining the UN as a newly independent nation in 1965, the Republic has fielded a candidate – Ms Rena Lee, 57 – for the world’s highest judicial bench.

The bid is seen as far more than an individual milestone for Singapore. Securing a seat on the 15-judge ICJ, also known as the World Court, goes to the core of its foreign policy and security as a small island nation.

“For small states, governance by international law is not a matter of choice but one of survival,” Minister for Law and Second Minister for Home Affairs Edwin Tong said at the UN headquarters in New York on Oct 29, a few days ahead of the ICJ vote.

Addressing the 193-member UN General Assembly (UNGA), Mr Tong said upholding international law and the UN Charter is paramount to ensure that “might does not make right” in an increasingly contested world, especially for small states.

“All states, big or small, old or young, are treated as sovereign equals before the court,” he said, referring to the ICJ.

In that light, the coming vote for a coveted spot on the ICJ is one to watch, analysts told CNA.

Singapore’s candidate Lee, who is also the country’s Ambassador for International Law, is one of 10 candidates vying for five contested seats on the Peace Palace bench in The Hague for the 2027 to 2036 term.

Her candidature was first announced in 2024, and she was formally nominated in 2026.

Should she win, she would make history as the first female ICJ judge from Southeast Asia and one of the first women from a small nation to serve on the court.

"This (outcome would be) a very significant — and, from my perspective, a welcome, if not historic, development," said Associate Professor Vincent-Joël Proulx from the National University of Singapore’s faculty of law.

The decision to enter the race reflects Singapore’s record of championing the rule of law through multilateralism, the peaceful settlement of international disputes, and the observance of international law, observers said.

"By providing its expertise in international law and dispute resolution through its candidate, Singapore would not only further champion peaceful dispute resolution and a rules-based multilateral community of states, but also contribute to enhancing the consistency, stability, and predictability of international law," said Assoc Prof Proulx.

Singapore’s willingness to participate in ICJ’s electoral process, despite the considerable campaigning and lobbying resources involved, shows the country’s confidence in international law institutions, he added.

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What does the International Court of Justice do?

As the UN's principal judicial organ, the ICJ adjudicates legal disputes between sovereign states that they agree to submit to the ICJ, and may give advisory opinions to the General Assembly or Security Council, involving international law, said senior lecturer Michael Ng from the School of Law at the Singapore University of Social Sciences.

The ICJ is distinct from the International Criminal Court, which prosecutes individuals for international crimes like genocide and war crimes.

Established in 1945 under the UN Charter, the 15-judge ICJ deals principally with settling legal disputes submitted by states and issuing advisory opinions on legal questions referred to it by authorised UN bodies and agencies .

In other words, the ICJ serves as a rules-based dispute mechanism allowing UN member states to resolve international disagreements peacefully through law, rather than through conflict and coercion.

Singapore has previously participated in proceedings before the court. In 2008, the ICJ resolved a long-standing territorial dispute with Malaysia over Pedra Branca .

The ICJ awarded sovereignty over Pedra Branca to Singapore and Middle Rocks to Malaysia, while ruling that South Ledge belonged to whichever state's territorial waters it falls within. Malaysia subsequently sought revision and interpretation of the judgment in 2017, but withdrew both proceedings in 2018.

More recently, the court has addressed prominent disputes and questions involving armed conflict, climate change, and states’ obligations under international law.

Judges walk to their seats before reading the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice on what Israel must do to ensure humanitarian aid reaches Palestinians in Gaza and the occupied West Bank, in The Hague, Netherlands, on Oct 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong, file)

Why does it matter for a Singaporean to be a World Court judge?

For a start, having a national representative on the World Court bench does not mean that ICJ rulings will be skewed in the nation’s favour – they are neither delegates or advocates for individual countries as established by institutional design and legal practice.

According to the ICJ Statute, which governs how the court functions, every judge must make a solemn declaration to act “impartially and conscientiously”.

While judges are bound by impartiality, experts said representation on the bench is reflective of the ICJ’s broader institutional legitimacy.

After all, Article 9 of the statute states that the 15-member body, as a whole, is meant to represent “the main forms of civilisation and of the principal legal systems of the world”.

Yet, the entire region of Southeast Asia is historically underrepresented on the court, with only former Philippines Chief Justice Cesar Fernando Cabrera Bengzon serving in the ICJ from 1967 to 1976.

Such a severe lack of regional representation makes it a significant achievement should Ms Lee win the vote, especially given the upward trajectory of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) as an international organisation and regional economic hub, said Assoc Prof Proulx.

“Second, such a nomination aims at enhancing diversity of small states and island states on the ICJ’s bench.

"If elected to the ICJ, Ambassador Rena Lee would thus be the first female judge hailing from Southeast Asia and from an island or small State," said Assoc Prof Proulx.

Out of all elected ICJ judges who have served since the World Court began its work in 1946, only 20 came from small states.

For instance, previous judges from small states include Patrick Robinson of Jamaica, Julia Sebutinde of Uganda and Abdulqawi Yusuf of Somalia.

A successful election for Singapore’s candidate will be symbolic in cementing Singapore’s record in championing the rule of law and highlighting its commitment to international institutions, said Assoc Prof Proulx.

It would also bolster its ongoing support of international law and peaceful dispute settlement in “a more direct fashion”, including contributions to the development of international law jurisprudence, he added.

Doing so would mean that Singapore is directly enhancing “the consistency, stability, and predictability of international law”, he said.

The flag of the United Nations flutters during the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) at the UN headquarters in New York, US, on Sep 21, 2026. (Photo: Justin Tang/The Canadian Press via AP)

How are candidates nominated?

While each of the 15 judges are elected for a nine-year term, not all will end their terms at the same time as the elections are staggered, said senior lecturer Michael Ng from the School of Law at the Singapore University of Social Sciences.

Five seats come up for election every three years, with judges whose terms are expiring allowed to seek re-election, Mr Ng said.

Before the election swings around, countries begin the nomination process to find the most suitable candidate to be put up.

The process is a complex one, said Mr Ng, as the state cannot directly nominate candidates.

Instead, each country has a “national group” - of up to four people who are senior jurists or legal experts - which nominates potential ICJ candidates to the UN.

Each national group can nominate up to four candidates, no more than two of whom may be of its own nationality.

When a candidate who has already been nominated is also nominated by national groups from other countries, these additional nominations are commonly referred to as "co-nominations".

In this year's election, the United Kingdom’s Dapo Akande received 43 national-group nominations, followed by France’s François Alabrune with 40, Singapore’s Ms Lee with 33, Kenya’s Phoebe Okowa with 26, and South Korea’s Jin-Hyun Paik with 21.

According to publicly available UN documents, Ms Lee’s co-nominations span all five UN regional groupings: the Asia-Pacific Group, the African Group, the Latin American and Caribbean Group, the Western European and Others Group, and the Eastern European Group.

Singapore’s Rena Lee presiding over the Intergovernmental Conference on Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) and being congratulated for the successful conclusion of the BBNJ treaty. (Photo: Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Singapore)

Who is Rena Lee and is she what UN member states are looking for?

As Singapore’s oceans ambassador from 2018 to 2023, she successfully concluded negotiations on a new global agreement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction.

She was then appointed Singapore’s Ambassador for International Law , a role she still serves, after spending more than three decades working in international law, diplomacy and government.

For her efforts at the global high seas treaty talks, Time Magazine named her in its 100 most influential people of 2024.

Law Minister Edwin Tong said in his Oct 29 address to the UNGA that Ms Lee is an "eminently qualified" international law practitioner, government legal advisor and diplomat, with expertise in the law of the sea, climate and environmental law, humanitarian law and human rights.

Will this list of credentials and accolades appeal to the UN electors, given her career as a diplomat and negotiator but not as a judge?

To this, Assoc Prof Proulx said experience as a government legal adviser, representing a state before international tribunals or the UN, or participating in international law-making conferences, are all relevant.

Under Article 2 of the ICJ Statute, voters should look for judges who are independent and of "high moral character" and who either have the qualifications required for appointment to the highest judicial offices in their respective countries or are recognised experts in international law.

In practice, countries consider a candidate’s legal credentials, professional reputation and experience when deciding how to vote, Assoc Prof Proulx said.

“The candidates’ curriculum vitae are studied meticulously to ascertain a candidate’s expertise in, and experience with the practice of, international law,” he said.

As for who else is in the running, there are nine other candidates from other countries standing for elections

Dapo Akande from the UK

Francois Alabrune from France

Taoheed Olufemi Elias from Nigeria

Mahmoud Daifallah Hmoud from Jordan

Luz del Carmen Ibanez Carranza from Peru

Charles Chernor Jalloh from Sierra Leone

Phoebe N Okawa, from Kenya

Jin-Hyun Paik, Republic of Korea

Marcelo Vazquez-Bermudez, Ecuador

Assoc Prof Proulx noted that while regional representation is an established practice in electing the court's judges, a single seat is expected to be filled by a candidate from the Asia Pacific region.

"This race for the ‘Asian seat’ involves three excellent candidates, including Ambassador Lee," he said, adding that this three-way race involving Jordan, South Korea and Singapore is expected to be highly competitive .

Ms Lee's two principal competitors for the informal “Asian seat” have more direct judicial experience: Jordan’s Mahmoud Hmoud is a sitting ICJ judge, while South Korea’s Jin-Hyun Paik is a former judge and president of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea.

Despite the competition, Ms Lee’s extensive experience with international law and negotiating experience provides transferable skills to the bench.

"This considerable achievement convincingly establishes her favourable track record as an apt negotiator and chair – with demonstrable neutrality and consensus-building abilities – as those negotiations required tactful and competent leadership to bridge sometimes sharp disagreements," he said.

CNA has reached out to Ms Lee for comment.

What is needed to win the election?

While national groups pick who stands for elections, it falls to governments of UN member states to cast the ballot.

But to win the election, candidates must secure an absolute majority in both the UNGA and the UN Security Council (UNSC). That means a candidate needs 97 out of 193 possible UNGA votes, and eight out of 15 UNSC votes.

"The dual-voting system which requires an absolute majority in both the UNGA and UNSC might also pose a potential obstacle,' said Assoc Prof Proulx.

Securing a minimum number of 97 votes in the UNGA requires global appeal, while securing at least eight votes in the UNSC requires tactful navigation of the powerful P5 States’ strategic interests, he said. P5 refers to the five permanent UNSC members – China, France, Russia, the UK and the US.

"As a result, a candidate can convincingly secure the requisite number of votes within one body while falling short in the other, thereby forcing repeated voting rounds, ” said Assoc Prof Proulx.

As it is not expressly forbidden, experts said that member states could also conduct reciprocal voting arrangements, also known as “logrolling”.

In such arrangements, a country can support another country’s candidate in exchange for reciprocal support in a different election within the UN system, such as for other bodies like the International Criminal Court or even the UNSC.

While such horse-trading of support is believed to be common with UN elections, it is not easily proven how frequently they occurred in ICJ elections.

These arrangements can extend beyond the same election , said Assoc Prof Proulx. For example, a country seeking support for an ICJ candidate could agree to back another country’s bid for a seat on a different UN body in return.

Assoc Prof Proulx said such reciprocal support arrangements were typically negotiated diplomatically and managed by foreign ministries, including on the sidelines of UN meetings or during diplomatic visits.

On the day of the elections, electors will vote for up to five contenders.

If fewer than five candidates secure an absolute majority, further rounds are held for the remaining seats. If more than five cross the threshold, established practice dictates that the ballot is scrapped and a fresh vote across all candidates is held, Mr Ng said.

Once both the UNSC and UNGA independently settle on five candidates, their lists are compared.

Only candidates appearing on both slates are officially elected, while any unmatched seats trigger repeated rounds of separate voting in each body.

If the two organs remain deadlocked after three meetings, the ICJ Statute allows for a joint conference to resolve the impasse, though Mr Ng noted this fallback mechanism has never been invoked despite past stalemates.

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专家表示，新加坡决定参加此次竞赛，体现了其在多边主义、和平解决国际争端和遵守国际法方面倡导法治的记录。

新加坡候选人李丽娜（图中为她于2023年3月主持海洋生物多样性政府间会议）是角逐海牙和平宫五个席位的十位候选人之一，任期为2027年至2036年。（美联社照片/彼得·德容，资料照片）

这段音频由人工智能工具生成。

新加坡：联合国将于周二（11月3日）在纽约召开会议，选举国际法院法官，新加坡将以空前的兴趣密切关注此次选举。

自 1965 年作为新独立的国家加入联合国以来，共和国首次推出候选人——57 岁的雷娜·李女士——竞选世界最高司法机构。

对新加坡而言，此次申办意义远不止于一个个人里程碑。对于这个小岛国来说，在拥有15名法官的国际法院（也称世界法院）中获得一席之地，关乎其外交政策和安全的核心。

“对于小国而言，按照国际法进行治理不是一种选择，而是一种生存问题，”律政部长兼内政部第二部长唐振辉于10月29日在纽约联合国总部表示，当时距离国际法院投票还有几天时间。

汤先生在由 193 个成员国组成的联合国大会上发表讲话时表示，维护国际法和《联合国宪章》至关重要，以确保在一个竞争日益激烈的世界中，“强权不代表正义”，尤其对于小国而言更是如此。

“所有国家，无论大小、新旧，在法庭上都被视为主权平等，”他指的是国际法院。

分析人士告诉中央社，鉴于此，即将举行的国际法院法官这一令人垂涎的席位的投票值得关注。

新加坡候选人李显龙同时也是新加坡的国际法大使，他是角逐海牙和平宫2027年至2036年任期内五个席位的10名候选人之一。

她的候选资格于 2024 年首次公布，并于 2026 年正式获得提名。

如果她胜选，她将成为东南亚首位国际法院女法官，也是首批来自小国的国际法院女法官之一，创造历史。

“这将是一个非常重要的——而且，从我的角度来看，即使不是历史性的，也是一个值得欢迎的发展，”新加坡国立大学法学院副教授 Vincent-Joël Proulx 说。

观察人士表示，新加坡决定参加此次竞赛，体现了其在多边主义、和平解决国际争端和遵守国际法方面倡导法治的立场。

“新加坡通过其候选人提供国际法和争端解决方面的专业知识，不仅将进一步倡导和平解决争端和基于规则的多边国家共同体，而且还将有助于提高国际法的连贯性、稳定性和可预测性，”普鲁克斯副教授说。

他补充说，尽管涉及大量的竞选和游说资源，新加坡仍愿意参与国际法院的选举进程，这表明该国对国际法律机构充满信心。

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国际法院是做什么的？

新加坡社会科学大学法学院高级讲师吴明表示，作为联合国的主要司法机关，国际法院裁决主权国家之间同意提交国际法院审理的法律争端，并可就国际法向联合国大会或安全理事会提供咨询意见。

国际法院与国际刑事法院不同，后者负责起诉犯有种族灭绝罪和战争罪等国际罪行的个人。

国际法院于 1945 年根据《联合国宪章》成立，由 15 名法官组成，主要负责解决各国提交的法律争端，并就联合国授权机构和机关提交的法律问题发表咨询意见。

换句话说，国际法院是一个基于规则的争端解决机制，它允许联合国成员国通过法律和平解决国际争端，而不是通过冲突和胁迫。

新加坡此前曾参与国际法院的诉讼程序。2008年，国际法院解决了新加坡与马来西亚之间关于白礁岛（Pedra Branca）的长期领土争端。

国际法院裁定白礁岛（Pedra Branca）主权归新加坡所有，中岩礁（Middle Rocks）主权归马来西亚所有，同时裁定南礁（South Ledge）归属其所在国的领海。马来西亚随后于2017年寻求对该判决进行修订和解释，但于2018年撤回了这两项诉讼。

最近，该法院处理了涉及武装冲突、气候变化和国家在国际法下的义务等重大争端和问题。

2025年10月22日，在荷兰海牙，法官们走向各自的座位，准备宣读国际法院关于以色列必须采取哪些措施以确保人道主义援助能够送达加沙和被占领的西岸巴勒斯坦人的咨询意见。（美联社照片/彼得·德容，资料照片）

为什么新加坡人担任世界法院法官如此重要？

首先，在国际法院法官席上拥有国家代表并不意味着国际法院的裁决会偏向该国——根据制度设计和法律实践，他们既不是各个国家的代表，也不是各个国家的辩护人。

根据规范法院运作的《国际法院规约》，每位法官都必须郑重声明“公正尽责地”行事。

专家表示，虽然法官必须保持公正，但法官席上的代表性反映了国际法院更广泛的制度合法性。

毕竟，该规约第9条规定，由15名成员组成的机构作为一个整体，旨在代表“世界主要文明形式和主要法律体系”。

然而，东南亚地区在国际法院的代表性历来不足，只有菲律宾前首席大法官塞萨尔·费尔南多·卡布雷拉·本松曾在 1967 年至 1976 年期间担任国际法院法官。

普鲁克斯副教授表示，鉴于东盟作为国际组织和区域经济中心的上升趋势，如果李女士赢得选举，那么区域代表性的严重不足将是一项重大成就。

“第二，这样的提名旨在增强国际法院法官席位中小国和岛屿国家的多样性。

“如果当选为国际法院法官，雷娜·李大使将成为第一位来自东南亚岛国或小国的女法官，”普鲁克斯副教授说。

自1946年国际法院成立以来，所有当选的国际法院法官中，只有20名来自小国。

例如，来自小国的法官包括牙买加的帕特里克·罗宾逊、乌干达的朱莉娅·塞布廷德和索马里的阿卜杜勒卡维·优素福。

普鲁克斯副教授表示，新加坡候选人的当选将具有象征意义，巩固新加坡在倡导法治方面的记录，并凸显其对国际机构的承诺。

他还补充说，这将以“更直接的方式”加强其对国际法和和平解决争端的持续支持，包括为国际法判例的发展做出贡献。

他表示，这样做意味着新加坡正在直接增强“国际法的连贯性、稳定性和可预测性”。

2026年9月21日，在美国纽约联合国总部举行的联合国大会上，联合国旗帜迎风飘扬。（图片：Justin Tang/加拿大通讯社，经美联社发布）

候选人是如何提名的？

新加坡社会科学大学法学院高级讲师吴迈克尔表示，虽然15名法官的任期均为九年，但由于选举错开进行，并非所有法官的任期都会同时结束。

吴先生表示，每三年将有五个席位进行选举，任期即将届满的法官可以寻求连任。

在选举临近之前，各国都会启动提名程序，以找到最合适的候选人。

吴先生表示，这个过程很复杂，因为州政府不能直接提名候选人。

相反，每个国家都有一个“国家小组”，由最多四名资深法学家或法律专家组成，负责向联合国提名国际法院的潜在候选人。

每个国家团体最多可以提名四名候选人，其中最多只能有两名是本国籍人士。

当一名候选人已被提名，而其他国家的民族团体也提名他时，这些额外的提名通常被称为“联合提名”。

在今年的选举中，英国的达波·阿坎德获得了 43 个国家团体提名，其次是法国的弗朗索瓦·阿拉布鲁内（40 个），新加坡的李女士（33 个），肯尼亚的菲比·奥科瓦（26 个），以及韩国的白镇铉（21 个）。

根据联合国公开文件，李女士的联合提名涵盖了联合国所有五个区域集团：亚太集团、非洲集团、拉丁美洲和加勒比集团、西欧和其他国家集团以及东欧集团。

新加坡外交部长李丽娜主持了关于国家管辖范围以外生物多样性问题的政府间会议（BBNJ），并因成功缔结BBNJ条约而受到祝贺。（图片：新加坡外交部）

雷娜·李是谁？她符合联合国成员国的期望吗？

2018 年至 2023 年，她担任新加坡海洋大使，成功完成了根据《联合国海洋法公约》就国家管辖范围以外区域海洋生物多样性的养护和可持续利用达成的一项新的全球协议的谈判。

随后，她被任命为新加坡国际法大使，并在国际法、外交和政府领域工作了三十多年，至今仍担任这一职务。

因其在国际公海条约谈判中所做的努力，《时代》杂志将她评为 2024 年全球最具影响力的 100 人之一。

律政部长唐振辉在10月29日向联合国大会发表讲话时表示，李女士是一位“资历深厚”的国际法从业者、政府法律顾问和外交官，在海洋法、气候和环境法、人道主义法和人权方面拥有专业知识。

鉴于她曾担任外交官和谈判代表，而非法官，这份资历和荣誉清单能否吸引联合国选举人？

对此，普鲁克斯副教授表示，担任政府法律顾问、代表国家在国际法庭或联合国出庭、或参与国际立法会议的经验都具有相关性。

根据《国际法院规约》第2条，选民应寻找独立且“品德高尚”的法官，这些法官要么具备在其各自国家担任最高司法职务所需的资格，要么是公认的国际法专家。

普鲁克斯副教授表示，在实践中，各国在决定如何投票时，会考虑候选人的法律资格、职业声誉和经验。

他说：“我们会仔细研究候选人的简历，以确定候选人在国际法方面的专业知识和实践经验。”

至于还有哪些候选人，还有来自其他国家的九名候选人参加竞选。

来自英国的达波·阿坎德

来自法国的弗朗索瓦·阿拉布鲁内

来自尼日利亚的陶希德·奥卢费米·埃利亚斯

来自约旦的马哈茂德·戴法拉·哈穆德

Luz del Carmen Ibanez Carranza（来自秘鲁）

来自塞拉利昂的查尔斯·切尔诺·贾洛

来自肯尼亚的菲比·N·奥卡瓦

韩国的白镇铉

马塞洛·巴斯克斯-贝穆德斯，厄瓜多尔

普鲁克斯副教授指出，虽然区域代表性是选举法院法官的既定做法，但预计会有一个席位由来自亚太地区的候选人填补。

“此次‘亚洲席位’的竞争涉及三位优秀的候选人，其中包括李大使，”他说道，并补充说，约旦、韩国和新加坡之间的这场三方竞争预计将非常激烈。

李女士的两位主要竞争对手，即非正式的“亚洲席位”的候选人，拥有更直接的司法经验：约旦的马哈茂德·赫穆德是国际法院的现任法官，而韩国的白镇铉是国际海洋法法庭的前任法官和庭长。

尽管竞争激烈，但李女士在国际法和谈判方面的丰富经验，为法官工作提供了可迁移的技能。

他说：“这一重大成就充分证明了她作为一名优秀的谈判者和主席的良好记录——她展现了出色的中立性和共识建立能力——因为这些谈判需要巧妙而称职的领导来弥合有时尖锐的分歧。”

中央社已联系李女士征求意见。

赢得选举需要什么？

虽然各国团体可以选出参选人，但最终由联合国成员国政府投票表决。

但要赢得选举，候选人必须在联合国大会和联合国安理会都获得绝对多数席位。这意味着候选人需要获得联合国大会193个席位中的97个，以及联合国安理会15个席位中的8个。

普鲁克斯副教授表示：“联合国大会和安理会都需要绝对多数票才能通过的双重投票制度也可能构成潜在的障碍。”

他表示，要在联合国大会上获得至少97票需要全球影响力，而在安理会获得至少8票则需要巧妙地权衡五个常任理事国（P5）的战略利益。P5指的是安理会五个常任理事国——中国、法国、俄罗斯、英国和美国。

“因此，候选人可能在一个机构中获得足够的选票，但在另一个机构中却未能获得足够的选票，从而迫使进行多轮投票，”普鲁克斯副教授说。

由于没有明确禁止，专家表示，成员国也可以进行互惠投票安排，也称为“利益交换”。

在这种安排下，一个国家可以支持另一个国家的候选人，以换取在联合国系统内其他选举中的互惠支持，例如国际刑事法院甚至安理会等其他机构的选举。

虽然人们普遍认为这种幕后交易在联合国选举中很常见，但很难证明这种行为在国际法院选举中发生的频率。

普鲁克斯副教授表示，这些安排可以跨越同一场选举。例如，一个寻求支持国际法院候选人的国家可以同意支持另一个国家竞选联合国其他机构的席位，以此作为回报。

普鲁克斯副教授表示，此类互惠支持安排通常通过外交谈判达成，并由外交部管理，包括在联合国会议期间或外交访问期间。

选举当天，选民将投票选出最多五名候选人。

吴先生表示，如果获得绝对多数票的候选人不足五人，则剩余席位将进行多轮投票。如果超过五人获得绝对多数票，按照惯例，本次投票作废，所有候选人将重新投票。

一旦安理会和联合国大会分别独立确定了五名候选人，就会比较他们的名单。

只有同时出现在两个候选名单上的候选人才能正式当选，任何未匹配的席位都会在每个机构中引发多轮单独投票。

如果这两个机构在三次会议后仍然陷入僵局，《国际法院规约》允许召开联席会议来解决僵局，但吴先生指出，尽管过去也出现过僵局，但这一后备机制从未被启用过。

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