Current Members
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Judge Bernardo Sepúlveda-Amor
(Member of the Court since 6 February 2006)
Born in Mexico City on 14 December 1941.
Law degree, National University of Mexico (1964) (magna cum laude); LL.M. (Cantab.) (1966); Diploma in International Law (Cantab.) (1965); Honorary Fellow of Queens’ College, University of Cambridge (1990); Honorary Doctorate from the University of San Diego (1982) and from the University of Leningrad (now St. Petersburg) (1987); Rockefeller Foundation Fellowship (1964-1966).
Professor of International Law and International Organizations at El Colegio de Mexico since 1967, where he was also Associate Research Fellow (1993-2006). Lecturer in a number of academic institutions: Faculty of Political and Social Sciences (National University of Mexico); Institute of Legal Research (National University of Mexico); Centro de Investigaciónes y Docencia Economíca (CIDE); Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de Mexico (ITAM); Instituto Matías Romero de Estudos Diplomáticos (Mexican Foreign Office); Hague Academy of International Law (Regional Programme, Mexico City, 2002); Institute of European Integration Studies (El Colegio de Mexico, 1994-1996).
Deputy Director for Legal Affairs, Secretary of the Presidency of the Mexican Government (1968-1970); Director of the Foreign Investment Program (1971-1975) and then Director General for International Affairs (1976-1980) at the Secretary of the Treasury. Principal Adviser on International Affairs to the Secretary of the Budget (1981).
Ambassador of Mexico to the United States of America (1982). Ambassador of Mexico to the United Kingdom and, concurrently, to Ireland (1989-1993).
Secretary of Foreign Relations of Mexico (1982-1988).President of the Mexican delegations to the General Assembly of the United Nations and to the General Assembly of the Organization of American States, as well as of other international regional and global organizations (1982-1988).
Co-Chairman of the Mexico-United States Binational Commission, together with the United States Secretary of State (1982-1988).
As Foreign Secretary, he was responsible for the Mexican participation in the Central American peace process that took place from 1982 to 1988. For those purposes and together with Venezuela, Colombia and Panama, he established the Contadora Group as a diplomatic instrument to bring peace and stability to the area.Together with the Foreign Ministers of Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Panama, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela, he took part in the creation of the Group of Eight, now the Rio Group, an institution devoted to promoting Latin American co operation; under its auspices, presidential summits have taken place since 1987.
Member of a number of Mexican delegations to United Nations conferences, where he attended, among others, the United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea, the Vienna Conference on the Law of Treaties and several United Nations conferences on disarmament. He was a member of the Mexican delegation to the 1981 Cancun Meeting of Heads of State and Government.
In 1980 he became President of the United Nations Commission on Transnational Corporations; elected Rapporteur of the Inter governmental Working Group on a Code of Conduct for Transnational Corporations (1978 1980); he was the Mexican representative to the Commission on Transnational Corporations (1977-1981).
Member of the Mexican delegations to the annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank, as well as the Group of 24 (1976-1980).
Member of the United Nations International Law Commission (1996-2005).Judge ad hoc of the International Court of Justice in the case concerning Avena and Other Mexican Nationals (Mexico v. United States of America).
Member of the Panel of Arbitrators of the International Center for Dispute Resolution (ICDR), the international division of the American Arbitration Association. Member of the Institute for Transnational Arbitration (ITA), a division of the Center for American and International Law. Member of the Commission of Arbitration of the Mexican Chamber of Commerce. President of an arbitral tribunal in an ICC case and in an ICSID case.
Member of the Executive Council of the American Society of International Law (1974-1975). President of the Mexican Branch of the International Law Association (ILA) (2000-2005).Former member of the Executive Council of Transparencia Mexicana, a non-governmental organization linked to International Transparency.
Member of the Executive Board of the Mexican Council of Foreign Relations.Member of the Editorial Board of Foro Internacional, the journal of international affairs of El Colegio de Mexico. He has written a considerable number of books and articles on the United Nations, international law, foreign policy, and international economic issues.
In 1984, he received from King Juan Carlos of Spain the Principe de Asturias Prize in the field of international co-operation. In 1985, Unesco awarded him the Simón Bolivar Prize. He is the recipient of a number of orders, decorations and medals awarded by foreign governments, which include, among others, the Knights Grand Cross of the Order of Saint Michael and Saint George; the Grand Cross, Order of Isabel la Católica; the Grand Cross, Order of General San Martin; Ribbon, Order of Kwang-Wha; the Grand Cross, Order of Cristo; Order of the Republic of Egypt, First Class; the Grand Cross of the Order of Cruzeiro do Sul; the Grand Cordon, Order of the Rising Sun; Grand Officer, Ordre de la Légion d’Honneur.
Publications
Las Naciones Unidas, el Tratado de Río y la OEA (The United Nations, the Rio Treaty and the Organization of American States (OAS)). Foro Internacional, Vol. VII, Nos. 1-2, 1967.
Las Naciones Unidas: dilema a los 25 años (The United Nations: Dilemma at 25) (co-editor). México, El de Colegio México, 1970.
Derecho del Mar: apuntes sobre el sistema legal mexicano (Law of the sea: Notes on the Mexican legal system). La política exterior de México: realidad y perspectivas. México, El Colegio de México, 1972.