Concept:
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) is the principal judicial organ of the United Nations (UN). It was established to settle legal disputes submitted by nation-states and to offer advisory opinions on complex legal questions referred by authorized UN organs and specialized agencies.
Detailed Historical Timeline:
• The ICJ was officially established in
June 1945 by the Charter of the United Nations.
• It was designed to succeed the Permanent Court of International Justice (PCIJ), which had been created under the League of Nations.
• The court began its actual judicial operations shortly thereafter, holding its inaugural inaugural session in April 1946 at the Peace Palace in
The Hague, Netherlands, which remains its permanent seat.
• Since its foundational establishment is legally tied directly to the birth of the United Nations at the conclusion of World War II, its establishment year is historically recorded as
1945.
Analysis of Options:
• Option (A) is correct because 1945 is the historical year the UN Charter was signed, establishing the ICJ as its primary judicial branch.
• Option (B) is incorrect because 1955 is a decade after the court's actual formation.
• Option (C) is incorrect as it does not correspond to the postwar establishment era of international judicial frameworks.
• Option (D) is incorrect because 1975 is completely unrelated to the founding history of the principal UN organs.