Elsa Kelly

Elsa Kelly, 2010

Elsa Rosa Diana Kelly (born February 28, 1939 in Buenos Aires ) is an Argentine lawyer and professor of international law . Since October 2011 she has been a judge at the International Tribunal for the Sea .

Education and academic career

Kelly studied law at the Universidad de Buenos Aires and graduated in 1960. From 1962 to 1966 she worked as a research assistant at the chair of Ambrosio Gioja , where she obtained her doctorate in law in 1967 . In 1973 she received a teaching position for philosophy from her alma mater . In 1978 she also took over the lectureship in the field of Introduction to Law . Kelly has been a professor of international law since 1984.

Diplomatic service and political activity and work as a judge

In 1962, Kelly joined the diplomatic service in her home country. In addition to positions at the embassies in Chile , Italy and Austria , she was the Argentine ambassador to UNESCO and the FAO . Kelly also took part in the 3rd UN Conference on the Law of the Sea as deputy head of the Argentine delegation and held numerous positions in national ministries. From 1992 to 1995 Kelly was a member of the House of Representatives in the Argentine Parliament . In 1996 she took part in a conference to draft the first municipal constitution for Buenos Aires.

Kelly has been a judge at the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea in Hamburg since October 1st, 2011 . She is the first woman in this office.

On February 4, 2013, she was appointed to a five-member arbitration tribunal under the Convention on the Law of the Sea . Together with Aun Schaukat al-Chasauneh , Thomas Mensah , Bernard H. Oxman and Bruno Simma , she was supposed to decide on a dispute under maritime law between Argentina and Ghana .

Memberships and honors

Knight of the Ordre des Palmes Académiques
Member of the Consejo Argentino para las Relaciones Internacionales

Publications (selection)

Las Malvinas y el derecho de descolonización . Instituto de Estudios Latinoamericanos, Buenos Aires 1984.

Web links

ITLOS - Judge Elsa Kelly biography on the website of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (English, with picture)
CV on the occasion of the election to the UNESCO Executive Committee (PDF; 94 kB)

Individual evidence

personal data
SURNAME	Kelly, Elsa
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	Kelly, Elsa Rosa Diana
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	Argentinian lawyer and professor of international law
DATE OF BIRTH	February 28, 1939
PLACE OF BIRTH	Buenos Aires

[1] Press release No. 170 of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea of October 1, 2011 (PDF; 86 kB)

[2] Press release No. 189 of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea of February 5, 2013 (PDF; 26 kB)

[3] Press release of the Permanent Court of Arbitration from August 8, 2013 (PDF; 107 kB)