Today, Lebanese judge Nawaf Salam was elected as the President of the International Court of Justice. Nawaf Salam is a university professor, lawyer, Lebanese diplomat, and judge at the International Court of Justice in The Hague, having previously served as Lebanon's ambassador and permanent representative to the United Nations in New York from July 2007 to December 2017.
#### Early Life and Education
Nawaf Abdullah Salim Salam was born on December 15, 1953, into a prominent Beirut family. His father was Abdullah Salam and his mother was Raqet Bihem. His paternal grandfather, Selim Salam, founded the "Reform Movement in Beirut" and was elected as a deputy representing Beirut in the Ottoman Parliament in 1912. His uncle, Saeb Salam, was known for his struggle for Lebanon's independence from the French mandate and later served as Prime Minister of Lebanon four times between 1952 and 1973. His cousin, Tammam Salam, served as Prime Minister from 2014 to 2016. He is married to journalist Sahar Baassiri, Lebanon's ambassador to UNESCO, and has two sons, Abdullah and Marwan.
Salam obtained a Doctorate in Political Science from the Institute of Political Studies in Paris in 1992, a Master's degree in Law from Harvard Law School in 1991, and a Doctorate in History from the Sorbonne in 1979.
#### Professional Life
From 1979 to 1981, Salam was a lecturer in contemporary Middle Eastern history at the Sorbonne. He left Paris in 1981 to spend a year as a visiting researcher at the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs at Harvard. Between 1985 and 1989, he was a lecturer at the American University of Beirut while also practicing law at Yusuf Taqla's office. Between 1989 and 1990, he returned as a visiting researcher to Harvard Law School and worked as a legal advisor at Edwards & Angell LLP from 1989 to 1992. He then returned to Beirut to resume his law practice at Taqla's office and teach international law and international relations at the American University of Beirut. In 2003, he became an assistant visiting professor in Political Science and then an assistant professor in 2005. He served as the Director of the Department of Political Science and Public Administration from 2005 to 2006.
Salam was elected a member of the executive board of the first Economic and Social Council in Lebanon from 1999 to 2002 and was also a member of the National Commission for UNESCO from 2000 to 2004. In 2005 and 2006, the Council of Ministers appointed him as a member of the National Commission for Electoral Law Reform, tasked with drafting a new electoral law in Lebanon, and he was elected Secretary of this commission. He is also a member of the Board of Trustees of the Lebanese Center for Studies.
Salam's tenure at the United Nations was marked by repeated interventions at the Security Council, calling for respect for Lebanon's sovereignty and ensuring its stability through the implementation of Security Council Resolution 1701, promoting a policy of neutrality regarding the Syrian conflict, and pursuing accountability through the establishment of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon regarding the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri under Security Council Resolution 1757. He steadfastly defended the national rights of the Palestinian people, including the right to self-determination and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state. Salam represented Lebanon at the Security Council after its election as a non-permanent member for 2010 and 2011, during which Lebanon held the presidency of the Council in 2010 under Salam's representation.
He served as Vice President of the 67th Session of the United Nations General Assembly from September 2012 to September 2013, and represented Lebanon at the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) in 2016 and 2017. During his time at the United Nations, Salam chaired and participated in several Lebanese delegations to international conferences and meetings, including summits on climate change (Paris 2015 and Copenhagen 2009), the International Conference on Financing for Development (Addis Ababa 2015), and the Rio+20 Summit on Sustainable Development (Rio de Janeiro 2012).
#### Honors
In 2012, Salam was awarded the French Legion of Honor at the rank of Officer.
