Peter Tomka

Peter Tomka ( born June 1, 1956 in Banská Bystrica ) is a Slovak lawyer and diplomat. He was from 1986 in various positions at the Czechoslovak, active from 1993 for the Slovak Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Among other things, he served as Ambassador and Representative of Slovakia to the United Nations (UN ) and various UN bodies, including from 1999 to 2003 as a member of the International Law Commission. Since 2003 he has been a judge at the International Court of Justice. From 2009 to 2012, he held while the Office of the Vice President since February 2012, he is President of the Court.

Life

Peter Tomka was born in 1956 in Banská Bystrica and graduated in law at the Charles University in Prague, where he 1979 a LL.M. degree and two years later a Doctor iuris acquired. In 1985 he received his doctorate in the field of international law. After completing his studies he worked at Charles University from 1980 to 1984 as a lecturer until 1991 and as a lecturer in international law. In addition, he worked among others in 1982 at the University of Kiev, 1984/1985 at the University of Nice, 1985 at the Institute for International Law and International Relations of Thessaloniki and in 1988 at the Hague Academy of International Law. In the years 1998 and 1999 he taught at the Institute of International Relations of the Comenius University in Bratislava.

From 1986 to 1991 he worked in the Czechoslovak Foreign Ministry, including in 1990/ 1991 as Head of the Department of International Law. From 1991 to 1992 he was Legal Adviser to the Permanent Mission of Czechoslovakia to the United Nations. Subsequently, he was from 1993 to 1994 Deputy Permanent Representative of Slovakia to the UN from 1994 to 1997, acting Permanent Representative of Slovakia to the UN. In 1997 he joined the State Department in his home country, where he as Managing Director of the Department of International Law took over and was from 1998 to 1999 Director General for International Law and Konsularsangelegenheiten. From 1999 to 2003 he again served as Permanent Representative of Slovakia to the UN.

In addition, he worked from the mid-1980s several times as a delegate of Czechoslovakia or Slovakia, as well as chairman, vice chairman and president at various UN committees or meetings of UN bodies and international conferences. From 1999 to 2003 he was a member of the International Law Commission of the United Nations, including in 2000 as second vice chairman of the commission and in 2001 as Chairman of the Committee for draft contracts ( Drafting Committee). Between 1993 and 2003 he represented Slovakia in a court case before the International Court of Justice ( ICJ) in The Hague. Since 2003 he is honorary president of the Slovak Society for International Law.

Peter Tomka belongs since 1994 to the Permanent Court of Arbitration. Since February 2003 he has been a judge at the International Court of Justice, his term of office expires, after his reelection in November 2011, as scheduled until February, 2021. In February 2009, he was elected for three years as Vice President of the Court. On February 6, 2012 he was elected president.