On March 2, 2026, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) announced that Iceland filed a declaration recognizing the compulsory jurisdiction of the Court under Article 36(2) of the ICJ Statute. According to the press release, Iceland deposited the declaration with the Secretary-General of the United Nations on February 26, 2026.

Article 36(2) of the ICJ Statute allows states parties to declare that they recognize as compulsory, ipso facto and without special agreement, the jurisdiction of the Court in relation to any other state accepting the same obligation. With Iceland’s declaration, seventy-five states currently recognize the Court’s compulsory jurisdiction through declarations made under Article 36.

Photo by Roman Boed