Prof. Gudmundur Eiriksson

Prof. Gudmundur Eiriksson

Professor and Executive Director, Centre for International Legal Studies, JGLS and Advisor, International Office and Global Initiatives

B.A.; B.S. (Rutgers);

LL.B. (Hons.) (King’s College London);

LL.M. (Columbia University)

: geiriksson@jgu.edu.in : ++91 1303053018

Since 2014 Professor and Executive Director, Centre for International Legal Studies, Jindal Global Law School and Advisor, International Office and Global Initiatives, O.P. Jindal Global (Institution of Eminence Deemed To Be University). Professor Eiriksson served with the United Nations in New York from 1974 to 1977. He then joined the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Iceland and served as Assistant Legal Adviser, Legal Adviser and Ambassador of Iceland in Ottawa (2003 – 2005), Pretoria (2008 – 2009) and New Delhi (2009 – 2014). He was a member of the United Nations International Law Commission from 1987 to 1996 and a Judge at the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea from 1996 to 2002. He was a member of Icelandic delegations in numerous international forums, including the Council of the North Atlantic Salmon Conservation Organization where he served as President from 1984 to 1988.

Professor Eiriksson has lectured on international law at 40 Universities, worldwide, including from 1987 to 1996 at the University of Iceland, from 1994 to 1995 at the University of New Mexico School of Law and from 2001 to 2003 and 2005 to 2008 at the University for Peace, where he co-founded and co-directed the Programme on International Law and Human Rights. Professor Eiriksson is the author of The International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (Nijhoff, 2002) and numerous articles on the law of the sea, legal education, international criminal law, international organizations, international relations, disarmament and human rights. He holds an A.B. degree and a B.S. degree (Civil Engineering) from Rutgers, an LL.B. (Hon.) degree from King’s College, London and an LL.M. degree from Columbia Law School. He is a Fellow of King’s College, London.

  • Gudmundur Eiriksson, “The Work of the International Law Commission at its 41st Session”, Nordic Journal of International Law, 1989, Vol. 58, pp. 287–320.
  • Gudmundur Eiriksson, “The Law of the Sea, Ocean Management and Confidence-building”, in United Nations, ed., Naval Confidence-buildinng Measures, United Nations Department for Disarmament Affairs, Disarmament Topical Paper No. 4, 1990, pp. 127–136.
  • Gudmundur Eiriksson, “The Work of the International Law Commission at its 42nd Session”, Nordic Journal of International Law, 1990, Vol. 59, pp. 204–227.
  • Gudmundur Eiriksson, “The Legal and Political Position of NAMMCO”, in Report of the Inaugural Meeting of the Council of NAMMCO, App. III (10 September 1992).
  • Gudmundur Eiriksson, “The Work of the International Law Commission at its 43rd Session”, Nordic Journal of International Law, 1992-1993, Vol. 61/62, pp. 319–372.
  • Gudmundur Eiriksson, “The Work of the International Law Commission at its 44th Session”, Nordic Journal of International Law, 1992-1993, Vol. 61/62, pp. 373–388.
  • Gudmundur Eiriksson, “The Work of the International Law Commission at its 45th Session”, Nordic Journal of International Law, 1994, Vol. 63, pp. 245–300.
  • Gudmundur Eiriksson, “Future Challenges for International Management of Ocean Resources”, Marine Pollution Bulletin, 1994, Vol. 29, pp. 552–555.
  • Gudmundur Eiriksson, “The Work of the International Law Commission at its 46th Session”, Nordic Journal of International Law, 1995, Vol. 64, pp. 59–128.
  • Gudmundur Eiriksson, “The Work of the International Law Commission at its 47th Session”, Nordic Journal of International Law, 1995, Vol. 64, pp. 169–201.
  • Gudmundur Eiriksson, “The Work of the International Law Commission at its 48th Session”, Nordic Journal of International Law, 1997, Vol. 66, pp. 369–392.
  • Gudmundur Eiriksson, “The Role of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea in the Peaceful Settlement of Disputes”, Indian Journal of International Law, 1997, Vol. 37, pp. 347–355.
  • Gudmundur Eiriksson, “The Special Chambers of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea”, Indian Journal of International Law, 1998, Vol. 38, pp. 429–446.
  • Gudmundur Eiriksson, “The Working Methods of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea”, in Myron H. Nordquist and John Norton Moore, eds., Oceans Policy: New Institutions, Challenges and Opportunities, Martinus Nijhoff Publishers, 1999, pp. 111–131.
  • Gudmundur Eiriksson, The International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea , Martinus Nijhoff Publishers, 2000.  (Reviewed by: Bernard H. Oxman, American Journal of International Law, 2001, Vol. 95, pp. 731–734; Robin Churchill, British Year Book of International Law, 2001, Vol. 72, p. 394; Myron H. Nordquist and Daniel Sansom, International Journal of Marine and Coastal Law, 2003, Vol. 18, pp. 147–150; Alan Boyle, International and Comparative Law Quarterly, 2001, Vol. 50, pp. 741–742; and ASIL Newsletter, January 2001.)
  • Gudmundur Eiriksson, “Prompt Release of Vessels and Crews in Accordance with Article 292 of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea”, 2000, Cuardernos de Derecho Pesquero, Vol. 1, pp. 19–34.
  • Gudmundur Eiriksson, “Comments on the origins and purposes of ITLOS”, in Myron H. Nordquist and John Norton Moore, eds., Current Marine Environmental Issues and the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, Martinus Nijhoff Publishers, 2001, pp. 57–62.
  • Gudmundur Eiriksson, “The special chambers of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea”, in P. Chandrasekhara Rao and Rahmatullah Khan, eds., The International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea: Law and Practice, Kluwer Law International, 2001, pp. 93–108.
  • Gudmundur Eiriksson, “Settlement of Disputes II; International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea”, in United Nations, DOALOS/UNITAR Briefing on Developments in Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea 20 Years after the Conclusion of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, United Nations, 25–26 September 2002, accessed at
  • http://www.un.org/Depts/los/convention_agreements/convention_20years/briefingmaterial.htm
  • Gudmundur Eiriksson, “The Case of Disagreement Between a Coastal State and the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf”, in Myron H. Nordquist, John Norton Moore and Tomas H. Heidar, eds., Legal and Scientific Aspects of Continental Shelf Limits (Proceedings of 27th Annual Conference of the Center for Oceans Law and Policy, University of Virginia School of Law, Reykjavik, 25–27 June 2003), Martinus Nijhoff Publishers, 2004, pp. 423–429.
  • Gudmundur Eiriksson, “Democracy in the year 2054 – the supporting role of the international community”, in Ruedi Baur, curator, “Le lointain n’existe plus”, Abstract, 2005, No. 20.
  • Gudmundur Eiriksson, “An Interview with Gudmundur Eiriksson. A Supplement to the Position Papers by John Norton Moore & William L. Schachte Jr. and Doug Bandow”, interviewed by Katherine Hill and Zachary Wales, Journal of International Affairs, 2005, Vol. 59, pp. 43–51. (The interview contains Judge Eiriksson’s comments on papers by United States scholars on the question of whether the United States should become a Party to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.)
  • Gudmundur Eiriksson, “Complementary International Standards: The Legally Binding Option”. High Level Seminar on Racism and the Internet and Complementary International Standards. Geneva, 16–27 January 2006. Expert Report submitted during the fourth session of the Intergovernmental Working Group of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights on the effective implementation of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action.
  • High Seas Task Force, Closing the Net: Stopping Illegal Fishing on the High Seas. Final Report of the Ministerially-Led Task Force on Illegal, Unreported or Unregulated Fishing on the High Seas. Governments of Australia, Canada, Chile, Namibia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom, WWF, IUCN and the Earth Institute at Columbia University, 2006.  (Judge Eiriksson was closely associated with the Task Force since its establishment as Coordinator of its Expert Group on Legal Questions.)
  • Gudmundur Eiriksson, “Commentary on articles 23 to 27 and 115 to 123”, in P. Chandrarsekhara Rao and Ph. Gautier, eds., The Rules of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea: a Commentary, Martinus Nijhoff Publishers, 2006.
  • Gudmundur Eiriksson, “The state of international law: some reflections on the Judgment of the International Court of Justice in the Genocide Case and on the contributions of Professor Louis Sohn”, Georgia Journal of International and Comparative Law, 2007, Vol. 35, pp. 538–544.
  • Gudmundur Eiriksson, “The University for Peace”, in Max Planck Encyclopedia of Public International Law, 2007.
  • Gudmundur Eiriksson, “Strategies to combat terrorism and human rights: the judicial role”, in Juan Carlos Arjona and Christina Hardaga, eds., Terrorismo y derechos humanos, Fontamara, 2008, pp. 425–432.
  • Gudmundur Eiriksson, “The Developing Relationship Between Law and Politics in the United Nations Human Rights Council”, in Ola Engdahl and Pål Wrange, eds., Law at War: The Law as it Was and the Law as it Should BeLiber Amicorum Ove Bring(International Humanitarian Law Series; Vol. 22), Martinus Nijhoff Publishers, 2008, pp. 101–104.
  • Gudmundur Eiriksson, “Relationships in fisheries governance”, Océanis, 2009, Vol. 35, pp. 107–108.
  • Gudmundur Eiriksson, “Challenges in the Law of the Sea”, in “Panel I: Challenges in International Law and the United Nation (Conference Proceedings: The Challenges We Face: A Conference Honoring Professor Richard N. Gardner’s Retirement from Teaching)”, Columbia Journal of Transnational Law, 2012, Vol. 50, pp. 555–558.
  • Gudmundur Eiriksson, “Recent Developments in the Law of the Sea”, Seminar on Recent Developments in International Law (A Tribute to the Late Professor R. P. Anand), Faculty of Legal Studies, South Asian University and Centre for International Legal Studies, School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, 11 February 2013.
  • https://southasiacanteen.wordpress.com/2013/02/11/speakers-note-his-excellency-gudmundur-eiriksson-on-recent-developments-in-the-law-of-the-sea/
  • Gudmundur Eiriksson, “Dispute Settlement under UNCLOS”, in AALCO, Verbatim Record of the Legal Experts Meeting to Commemorate the 30th Anniversary of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), New Delhi, 5 March 2013, pp. 23–30.
  • Gudmundur Eiriksson, “Satya N. Nandan’s role in Drafting the Informal Single Negotiating Text: Aspects of the Preparatory Work for UNCLOS”, in Michael W. Lodge and Myron H. Nordquist, eds., Peaceful Order in the World’s Oceans: Essays in Honor of Satya N. Nandan, Martinus Nijhoff Publishers, 2014, pp. 37–50.
  • Gudmundur Eiriksson, “The Bay of Bengal case before the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea”, in Lilian del-Castillo Laborde, ed., Liber Amicorum Judge Hugo Caminos: Law of the Sea – From Grotius to the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, Martinus Nijhoff Publishers, 2014, pp. 512–528.
  • Gudmundur Eiriksson“The Decision of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea in the Bay Of Bengal Case”, The A38 Blog (6 July 2015) <http://blog.athirtyeight.com/2015/07/the-decision-of-international-tribunal.html>
  • Gudmundur Eiriksson, “Reflections on Forty Years of the Law of the Sea”, in Stress Testing the Law of the Sea: Dispute Resolution, Disasters and New Challenges. Proceedings of a Conference Co-Sponsored by The Transnational Law Institute, King’s College London and The Law of the Sea Institute, University of California Berkeley Law School, London, 30 September – 1 October 2016 (Brill Publishers, 2018 (expected)
  • Public International Law (in particular Law of the Sea, International Criminal Law, International Humanitarian Law, International Institutions)