Emeritus Professor Georges Abi-Saab was recently awarded the Hague Prize for International Law jointly with Professor Sir Elihu Lauterpacht from the University of Cambridge.

The jury recognized Professor Abi-Saab's distinguished carreer as an academic, author and counsellor as having inspired several generations during his lengthy and fruitful years at the Graduate Institute from 1963 to 2000. Moreover, the prize rewarded him for his efforts as a judge and arbitrator in many international disputes, such as the border dispute between Egypt and Israel (Taba).

Professor Lauterpacht received the award for his significant contribution to international law and its dissemination through the International Law Reports and the foundation of the Lauterpacht Centre for International Law at the University of Cambridge.

Delivered at the Peace Palace in the Hague, the Prize was established in 2002 to recognize outstanding contributions to the development of international law and to the advancement of the rule of law. Previous recepients include Shabtai Rosenne (2004), Cherif Bassiouni (2007), Dame Rosalyn Higgins (2009) and Paul Lagarde (2011). This constitutes the first joint award.

Photo credit: The Hague Prize for International Law.