Masters of the Bench

Dr Peter Tomka, a Slovak national, has been a Member of the International Court of Justice since 6 February 2003.  He has served as President of the Court since 6 February 2012 and previously served as its Vice-President from 2009-2012, and as Acting President in the case concerning Pulp Mills on the River Uruguay (Argentina v Uruguay).  President Tomka is also a Member of the Permanent Court of Arbitration and of the Curatorium of the Hague Academy of International Law.

Prior to serving on the World Court, President Tomka served in a variety of professional and diplomatic capacities, both domestically and internationally, including serving as the Director General for International Legal and Consular Affairs and Legal Adviser to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Bratislava, Slovakia and as Permanent Representative of Slovakia to the United Nations.  He is also a Former Member of the United Nations International Law Commission and the Former Chairman of the Committee of Legal Advisers on Public International Law, Council of Europe.  He holds LL.M. (summa cum laude), Doctor iuris (international law) and Ph.D. in International Law degrees from Charles University, Prague.