The National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, together with the University’s School of Law and the Athens Public International Law Centre, hosted the Nicolas Politis Annual Lecture on Friday 9 October 2026, with Judge Xue Hanqin, former Vice-President of the International Court of Justice, delivering the keynote address.

The event was held in the University’s Great Hall and opened with a welcome address by the Rector, Professor Gerasimos Siasos. Professor Konstantinos Christodoulou, Dean of the School of Law, also addressed the audience before Professor Photini Pazartzis, Director of the Athens Public International Law Centre, introduced the keynote speaker.

Judge Xue’s lecture, entitled ‘The Strength of Multilateralism: A Judicial Perspective on the Relationship Between Member States and the United Nations’, brought the event to a close.

The event was held in English.

In his welcome address, Rector Professor Siasos said:

‘I am delighted to welcome you to the “Nicolas Politis Annual Lecture”, an established and valued part of our School of Law’s academic life and an important forum for reflection and debate on international law.

It is a particular honour to welcome Judge Xue Hanqin, former Vice-President of the International Court of Justice. A leading figure in the international legal community, Judge Xue has had a distinguished career spanning academia, diplomacy and international adjudication, and has made a significant contribution to the development of international law.

It is fitting that this lecture series bears the name of Nicolas Politis.

Politis was one of the foremost figures in international law and diplomacy in the first half of the twentieth century. A legal scholar, diplomat and politician, he played an active role in shaping the institutions and ideas that defined his era.

Nicolas Politis’s legacy is especially relevant to this year’s lecture, delivered by Judge Xue and entitled “The Strength of Multilateralism: A Judicial Perspective on the Relationship Between Member States and the United Nations”.

Drawing on her many years of service at the International Court of Justice, Judge Xue provides an opportunity to explore the relationship between states and the United Nations through the lens of international law and its application in practice.’