The Belgrade Centre for Human Rights had a distinct honour and privilege to have H.E. Professor Rosalyn Higgins DBE, QC, former President of the International Court of Justice, as the inaugural lecturer in the series of memorial lectures in honour of Professor Vojin Dimitrijević, which will be held in October each year, at the anniversary of his passing.
Professor Higgins was the first woman elected as a judge of the International Court of Justice and the first one to become its President, from 2006 to 2009. She is one of the world’s leading authorities in international law. She knew Vojin Dimitrijević well and cooperated with him on various occassions in furthering the cause of human rights and international law.
Dame Rosalyn Higgins was Professor of International Law at London University and also a practitioner at the Bar in international law and petroleum law. From 1985-1995 she was a member of the Human Rights Committee under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. She was much involved in the work of the Committee, including the preparation of new cases and the drafting of General Comments. In 1995 she was elected to the International Court of Justice and from 2006-2009 was President of the Court. This period was marked by emphasis on the efficacy of the Court’s work methods and emphasis on good relations with other international courts and tribunals. After retiring from the Court she was legal adviser to the independent enquiry into Iraq. She is presently President of the British Institute of International and Comparative Law.
Memorial Lecture for Professor Vojin Dimitrijević, »Rules, Choices, and International Law«, was held on 6 October 2014 at Aero klub in Belgrade.
