Lan Anh secured the highest number of votes among candidates from the Asia-Pacific region in elections held on Thursday at the 36th Meeting of States Parties to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) at UN headquarters in New York.
Her election in the first round of voting reflects the international community’s confidence in Vietnam’s growing role and standing, and is a milestone in the country’s diplomacy and international integration.
It reflects Vietnam’s transition from participation to substantive contributions to the development, implementation, and enforcement of international norms and rules, and underscores its commitment and capacity to play a more substantial role in the rules-based global governance system.
Established under the provisions of the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and officially operational since 1996, ITLOS comprises 21 independent judges, elected by UNCLOS member states, representing different legal systems and geographical regions around the world.
At the 36th Conference of States Parties to the UNCLOS, seven new judges were elected for the 2026-2035 term. The newly elected judges from Vietnam, Ghana, Tunisia, Russia, the Netherlands, India, and Brazil will begin their terms in October 2026.
