Carnegie Wateler Peace Prize awarded to ICJ
In short
The Carnegie Foundation said on October 7 that it will award this year's Carnegie Wateler Peace Prize to the International Court of Justice. The foundation's citation praised the court as a stable and reliable pillar of the international legal order in a time when international cooperation faces greater difficulties. The award ceremony is to be held on November 9 at the Peace Palace in The Hague, where the court sits.
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The Carnegie Foundation, which operates the Peace Palace in The Hague, said on October 7 that it will award this year's Carnegie Wateler Peace Prize to the International Court of Justice, which sits in the same building. In its citation, the foundation said the court “continues to be a stable and reliable pillar in the international legal order in an era when international cooperation faces even greater difficulties”, according to Sankei Shimbun. The court's president is Yuji Iwasawa. Japanese outlets including Tokyo Shimbun and Nishi-Nippon Shimbun also reported the award, describing the ICJ in their headlines as a “pillar of the international legal order”. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Sankei Shimbun reported that the prize was established in 1931 under the will of the Dutch banker Wateler and that the foundation describes it as second only to the Nobel Peace Prize in history. In recent years it has been awarded every two years, the newspaper said. Past recipients cited by the report include the UN Refugee Agency and the Permanent Court of Arbitration, which is also housed in the Peace Palace. [ 3 ]
The report said the ICJ began operating after the war as the principal judicial organ of the United Nations. Among its Japanese presidents, Hisashi Owada, the father of Empress Masako, held the post from 2009 to 2012, and Iwasawa became the second Japanese to lead the court from 2025. [ 3 ]
The award ceremony is to be held on November 9 at the Peace Palace, according to the foundation's announcement. The Japanese reports, attributed to Kyodo, were published shortly after midnight local time on October 8. [ 3 ]
Why it matters
The prize comes from the foundation that operates the Peace Palace, the seat of the ICJ, and its citation frames the court as a steady point of reference at a time when, it says, international cooperation faces greater difficulties. The award ceremony on November 9 gives the court a further public moment, though the documents do not describe any practical consequences beyond the prize itself.
Key facts
- The Carnegie Foundation announced on October 7 that it will award this year's Carnegie Wateler Peace Prize to the International Court of Justice. [ 3 ]
- The foundation said the court “continues to be a stable and reliable pillar in the international legal order in an era when international cooperation faces even greater difficulties”. [ 3 ]
- Japanese outlets reported the award under headlines describing the ICJ as a “pillar of the international legal order”. [ 1 , 2 ]
- The ICJ's president is Yuji Iwasawa, the second Japanese to hold the post, according to Sankei Shimbun. [ 3 ]
- The award ceremony is scheduled for November 9 at the Peace Palace in The Hague. [ 3 ]
- The prize was established in 1931 under the will of the Dutch banker Wateler and in recent years has been awarded every two years. [ 3 ]
Confirmed by several sources
Still unclear
- Whether the ICJ or its president responded to the award. No document reports any statement or reaction from the court itself; the coverage is limited to the foundation's announcement.
- Details of the November 9 ceremony beyond its date and venue, such as the time or attendees. Only the date and the venue are given in the available documents.
- The full listing of the prize's past recipients. Sankei Shimbun names only the UNHCR and the Permanent Court of Arbitration as examples, without giving years.