Biography
Alain Pellet, born January 2, 1947 in Paris, taught Public International Law (in particular International Economic Law) at the University Paris Ouest Nanterre La Défense. Director of the Centre de Droit International (CEDIN) of the University between 1991 and 2001, he was the co-head of the Master 2 (research) Laws of International Relations and of the European Union. He is the author of numerous books and articles.
Between 1990 and 2011, he was a Member of the United Nations International Law Commission and acted as Chair in 1997. He has been Counsel for numerous governments (including the French Government) and for international organisations. He has been and is counsel and advocate in about fifty cases before the International Court of Justice, the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, as well as in several arbitrations cases, in particular investment cases. From 2021 to 2023, he presides over the Institute of International Law.
He has been nominated by the French Government to the List of arbitrators under Annex VII of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and to the Panel of Arbitrators of the ICSID by the Chairman of the Administrative Council, and has been appointed Arbitrator or President in several cases.
Alain Pellet also acted as expert to the Arbitration Commission of the Peace Conference on the former Yugoslavia (“Badinter Arbitration Committee”), and as Rapporteur of the French Committee of Jurists on the Creation of an International Criminal for Former Yugoslavia (“Truche Commission”) that is at the origin of the French project of creation of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. Furthermore, he is the Legal Adviser of the World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) and he has been Independent Objector of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) for generic top level domain names (new gTLD) (2012-2015).
Academic Qualifications
Alain Pellet has got a bachelor’s degree in public law (1968 – Faculty of Law and Economics, Paris) and the diploma of the Institute of Political Studies, Paris (Sciences Po) (1968 – Section of the “Public Service”). He has obtained diplomas of advanced studies in public law and political sciences (1969 – Faculty of Law and Economics, Paris) as well as a State doctorate in public law (1974 – University of Paris II, Panthéon – Assas, Paris) and the “Agrégation” in public law and political science (1974). He has been auditor at the Academy of International Law, The Hague (public international law courses, 1967, 1969 and 1971).
Decorations and Awards
Member of the Institut de Droit international (2013) (Associate 2007)
Légion d’honneur (France) (Officer – 2017; Knight, 1998); Palmes académiques (France) (Knight, 1986; Officer – 2007)
Grand Cross of the Order of the Sun, Order of the Sun (Peru) (2016)
Knight Romanian National Order “Serviciul Credincios” (Romania) (2009)
Order of the Double White Cross (Slovakia) (2006)
Commander, Ordre de la valeur (Cameroon) (2003)
Officer, Order of merit (Chad) (1995)
Gold Star of Nahouri (Burkina Faso) (silver medal – 1987)
Manley Hudson Medal (American Society for International Law, 2014)
Doctor honoris causa (University Estácio de Sá, Rio de Janeiro, 1998; Miskolc University (Hungary, 2000); Rusian Foreign Trade Academy (Moscow, 2002) and Pantheion University, Athens (2013)
Member of the Institute of International Public Law and International Public Law and International Relations of Thessaloniki (Greece, 2001)
René Maheu Prize for the International Civil Service, Special Award (1995)
Medal of the Faculty of Law of Granada (Spain, 1992) and of the Universidad del Rosario, Bogotá (Colombia, 2004)
Lemonon Prize from the Institut de France (Academy of Moral and Political Sciences) for the book The Charter of the United Nations (with J.-P. Cot) (1986)
