Peaceful conflict resolution

VLADIMIR V. GOLITSYN

President of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, Hamburg

In Germany, too, many men and women work for the United Nations at one of its 28 agencies there. The legal expert and diplomat Vladimir Golitsyn is one of them. Since autumn 2014, he has been President of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS). Based in Hamburg and situated since 2000 in the midst of park-like grounds, this specialised court is not much of a talking point among the general public. But among experts it is held in high regard for the numerous important rulings it has made over the years in maritime legal disputes.

Most of the cases are about allegations of illegal fishing or the release of impounded vessels. Sometimes countries are also ordered to pay reparations, as in the case of Guinea-Bissau in 2014 for having confiscated a Panamanian vessel – an act that the tribunal judged to be a violation of international maritime law. The now 68-year-old Russian began working as a judge at ITLOS back in 2008 and will continue as its President until the end of September 2017.

The scion of a Russian aristocratic family, Golitsyn is one of his country’s eminent legal experts. He began his career in the former Soviet Union’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, before moving to the United Nations in 1982, where he worked as a legal advisor in various departments for around 25 years. Golitsyn, who holds a PhD in law, is the author of a number of books and articles on international legal issues. During public appearances, he likes pointing out the “contribution to peaceful conflict resolution” made by the Hamburg-based court. ▪