Challenges and Alternatives for Expanding Participation

The procedural law of international judicial institutions is largely a product of their own making. International tribunals are endowed with an inherent competence not only with regard to their own jurisdiction (compétence de la competénce), but also with regard to the interpretation of the provisions of their respective jurisdictional instruments. In this sense, the prospects for participation in the ICJ’s proceedings could be enhanced within the existing framework as well as through the amendment of the Rules and the Practice Directions of the Court (Sect. 6.1). Meanwhile, the practice of other international dispute settlement mechanisms could also inspire other ways to expand participation of non-parties before the ICJ (Sect. 6.2).