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President Tomas Heidar

Member of the Tribunal since 1 October 2014; President of the Tribunal since 2023; Vice-President of the Tribunal 2020-2023; President of the Chamber for Fisheries Disputes 2017-2020; Member of the Special Chamber formed to deal with the Dispute concerning delimitation of the maritime boundary between Mauritius and Maldives in the Indian Ocean (Mauritius/Maldives)

Born: Reykjavik, Iceland, 10 August 1962.

Education: Cand. jur. (B.A. and LL.M.), Faculty of Law, University of Iceland (1982–1988); summer course in public international law, Hague Academy of International Law, The Netherlands (1988); courses in public international law, European Community law, competition law and intellectual property law, University of Copenhagen, Denmark (1992–1993); summer course in European Community law, the law of human rights in Europe, and law and society, Academy of European Law, European University Institute, Fiesole, Italy  (1993); Certificate in European Studies (European Community law, public international law), Europe Institute, University of Saarland, Saarbrücken, Germany (1993–1994).

Professional Experience: Attorney at Law, Law Firm of Thorolfur Kristjan Beck, Fridjon Orn Fridjonsson and Tomas Heidar, Reykjavik (1988–1992); Secretary, National Commission on High Seas Fisheries (1994–1995); UN Conference on Straddling Fish Stocks and Highly Migratory Fish Stocks (1994–1995); negotiations with Norway and Russia on Barents Sea cod fisheries (1994–1999); Deputy Legal Adviser, Ministry for Foreign Affairs (1996); Legal Adviser, Ministry for Foreign Affairs (1996-2014); Head of Delegation: negotiations with Denmark/Greenland on the delimitation of the maritime area between Iceland and Greenland (1996–1997), Preparatory Commission for the Establishment of an International Criminal Court (1996–1998), negotiations with Denmark/Faroe Islands on the delimitation of the maritime area between Iceland and the Faroe Islands (1996–2007), Annual Meeting of the North Atlantic Salmon Conservation Organization (1997), Meetings of States Parties to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (1997–2014), informal consultations for the negotiation of General Assembly resolutions on Oceans and the Law of the Sea and Sustainable Fisheries (1997–2013), UN Diplomatic Conference of Plenipotentiaries on the Establishment of an International Criminal Court (1998), meetings of the Open-ended Informal Consultative Process on Oceans and the Law of the Sea (2000–2007), consultations with the United Kingdom, Ireland and Denmark/Faroe Islands on the continental shelf in the Hatton Rockall area (2001–2014), Assembly of States Parties to the Rome Statute on the International Criminal Court (2002–2004), informal consultations of States Parties to the 1995 UN Fish Stocks Agreement (2002–2014), negotiations with Norway and Denmark/Faroe Islands on the delimitation of the continental shelf between Iceland, Norway and the Faroe Islands (2006), Review Conference of the 1995 UN Fish Stocks Agreement (2006, 2010), meetings of the Ad-Hoc Open-ended Informal Working Group to study issues relating to the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity beyond areas of national jurisdiction (2006–2014), negotiations of the FAO International Guidelines for the Management of Deep-sea Fisheries in the High Seas (2008), negotiations of the FAO Agreement on Port State Measures to Prevent, Deter and Eliminate Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing (2008–2009), coastal States negotiations on mackerel fisheries in the North-East Atlantic (2010–2012), negotiations with Denmark/Greenland on the delimitation of the continental shelf between Greenland and Iceland (2012–2013), meetings with the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf and its Subcommission established to consider the submission of Iceland (2013–2014); coastal States negotiations on Atlanto-Scandian herring fisheries in the North-East Atlantic (1996–2000);  meetings, Legal Advisers of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of the Nordic countries (1996–2014); meetings, Committee of Legal Advisers on Public International Law of the member States of the Council of Europe (1996–2013); Third to Fifth sessions, Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (1997–1999); annual meetings, North-East Atlantic Fisheries Commission (1997–2002); annual meetings, Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (1997–2002); general debate of the UN General Assembly on Oceans and the Law of the Sea (1997–2013); annual meetings, OSPAR Commission (the OSPAR Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North-East Atlantic) (1997–2012); Sixth Committee of the UN General Assembly (1997–2013); Informal Meetings of Legal Advisers at the UN (1997–2013); Lecturer, Faculty of Law, University of Iceland (1998–present); Chairman, National Commission on Continental Shelf Limits (2000–2014); FAO Conference on Responsible Fisheries in the Marine Ecosystem (2001); Annual Meetings, International Whaling Commission (2001–2003, Head of Delegation 2009–2011); Director, Law of the Sea Institute of Iceland (2002–present); Co-Director and Lecturer, Rhodes Academy of Oceans Law and Policy (2003–present); Meeting of the FAO Committee on Fisheries (2007); Chief Negotiator of Iceland on mackerel fisheries (2009–2012); Commissioner of Iceland, International Whaling Commission (2009–2012); Vice-Chairman, Negotiations Committee on Fisheries relating to the accession negotiations of Iceland with the European Union (2009–2013); various meetings with the European Union on fisheries in preparation for accession negotiations (2010–2011); guest lecturer at various universities; Ambassador (2014); Conciliator under Annex V to the Convention (2014–present); Arbitrator under Annex VII to the Convention (2014–present).

Member: National group for the purpose of nominating candidates for election to international courts and tribunals (1996–present); Editorial Board of the Nordic Journal of International Law (2000–present); Board of Leifur Eiriksson Moot Court Club (for the participation of Icelandic law students in the Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition) (2001–present); Editorial Board of the Aegean Review of the Law of the Sea and Maritime Law (2010–present); Board of the Polar Law Institute, University of Akureyri (2010–present); Advisory Board of the Centre for Arctic Policy Studies, Institute of International Affairs, University of Iceland (2013–present); Honorary Senior Fellow, British Institute of International and Comparative Law (BIICL) (2022-present).

Publications and Lectures: Author of numerous writings and publications, including: Friðhelgi ríkja og eigna þeirra gagnvart lögsögu dómstóla annarra ríkja (Jurisdictional Immunities of States and their Property) (in Icelandic), University of Iceland, 1988;  Richterliche Rechtsfortbildung im Europäischen Gemeinschaftsrecht (Lawmaking of Courts in European Community Law) (in German), Europa Institut, 1994; “Lausn deilna við nágrannaríkin á sviði fiskveiða og hafréttar” (“Settlement of Fisheries and Maritime Delimitation Disputes with Neighbouring Countries”) (in Icelandic), in: Sjávarsýn, Njördur, Iceland, 1999; “Réttarstaða landgrunnsins, réttur strandríkja til landgrunns og afmörkun íslenska landgrunnsins” (“Legal Status of the Continental Shelf and Delineation of the Icelandic Continental Shelf”) (in Icelandic), in: Líndæla, Liber Amicorum Sigurður Líndal, Hið íslenska bókmenntafélag, Iceland, 2001; “Legal Aspects of Continental Shelf Limits”, in: Legal and Scientific Aspects of Continental Shelf Limits, Martinus Nijhoff, 2004; Legal and Scientific Aspects of Continental Shelf Limits (co-ed.), Martinus Nijhoff, 2004; “Emerging UN Law of the Sea Issues”, in: Recent Developments in the Law of the Sea and China, Martinus Nijhoff, 2006; Þorskastríðin þrjú – saga landhelgismálsins 1948-1976 (The Three Cod Wars – the History of the Fisheries Zone Dispute 1948-1976) (in Icelandic) (ed.), Law of the Sea Institute of Iceland, 2006; Law, Science and Ocean Management (co-ed.), Martinus Nijhoff, 2007; Havets nye grænser (The New Ocean Boundaries) (in Danish), Rotary Norden, 2008; “The Legal Regime of the Arctic Ocean“, in: Zeitschrift für ausländisches öffentliches Recht und Völkerrecht (ZaöRV), Heidelberg Journal of International Law, Verlag W. Kohlhammer, 2009, and in: New Chances and New Responsibilities in the Arctic Region, Berliner Wissenschafts-Verlag, 2010; Changes in the Arctic Environment and the Law of the Sea (co-ed.), Martinus Nijhoff, 2010; “Delimitation of the Continental Shelf and Determination of the Outer Limits of the Continental Shelf beyond 200 Nautical Miles in Areas of Overlapping Claims: The Nordic Model”, in: Peaceful Order in the World´s Oceans, Essays in Honor of Satya N. Nandan, Brill Nijhoff, 2014; “The Legal Framework for High Seas Fisheries in the Central Arctic Ocean”, in International Maritime Economy: Law and Policy, Brill Nijhoff, 2017; “Foreword: The Rule of Law of the Sea”, in Natural Resources and the Law of the Sea: Exploration, Allocation, Exploitation of Natural Resources in Areas under National Jurisdiction and Beyond, International Law Institute, 2017; “Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity Beyond Areas of National Jurisdiction: A Third Implementing Agreement under the Law of the Sea Convention?”, in Liber Amicorum Guðmundur Eiríksson, University for Peace and O.P. Jindal Global University, 2017; “Introduction”, in Guide to the Navigation of Marine Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (in English, French and Portuguese), Editora D’Plácido, 2018; Maritime Challenges in Asia (ed.), Korea Maritime Institute, 2020; New Knowledge and Changing Circumstances in the Law of the Sea (ed.), Brill Nijhoff, 2020; “Introduction: How Does the Law of the Sea Adapt to New Knowledge and Changing Circumstances”, in New Knowledge and Changing Circumstances in the Law of the Sea, Brill Nijhoff, 2020; "The Contribution of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea to the Protection of the Marine Environment", in The Korean Journal of International and Comparative Law, 2021; "Common Heritage of Mankind" (with Fernanda Millicay), in Elgar Encyclopedia of Human Rights, Edward Elgar Publishing, 2022; International Fisheries Law: Persistent and Emerging Challenges (co-ed.), Routledge, 2025.

Numerous lectures, including, most recently: EFTA Court Lunchtime Talk, EFTA Court, Luxembourg, February 2025; Panel Discussion on Law of the Sea, UNCLOS and Colombia, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Colombia, Bogóta, February 2025 (online); ITLOS-Nippon Foundation Capacity-Building and Training Programme 2024-2025, Hamburg, March 2025; Essex Law School, University of Essex, Colchester, March 2025; International Law Association (ILA) Seminar, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, March 2025; Annual Grotius Lecture 2025, British Institute of International and Comparative Law (BIICL), London, March 2025; IMO/ITLOS Workshop, International Maritime Organization, London, March 2025; IMO International Maritime Law Institute (IMLI), Msida, April 2025; 14th Annual Conference of the Cambridge International Law Journal (CILJ), Cambridge, April 2025; ITLOS Regional Workshop, Hanoi, May 2025; 14th Ocean Dialogue, Hanoi, May 2025; University of Law, Viet Nam National University, Hanoi, May 2025; Seminar on the Law of the Sea in Light of Global Developments: Advancing the Law of the Sea – Responding to the Challenges of Climate Change and Marine Biodiversity, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Indonesia, Jakarta, May 2025; Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Timor-Leste, Dili, May 2025; Dili International Conference, Navigating Challenges: Law of the Sea and Maritime Dispute Settlement, Dili, May 2025; Conference on Legal Interests in a World of Climate Change, All Souls College, University of Oxford, Oxford, June 2025; Law of the Sea Institute of Iceland, Reykjavík, June 2025; 2025 IPDM Law of the Sea Summer School, Cascais, June 2025; Fourth IPDM Annual Conference, Sea-Level Rise and the Law of the Sea, Cascais, June 2025; 35th Meeting of States Parties to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, United Nations, New York, June 2025; Group of Friends of UNCLOS Side Event, Permanent Mission of Germany to the United Nations, New York, June 2025; Rhodes Academy of Oceans Law and Policy, 28th Session, Rhodes, June-July 2025; IFLOS Summer Academy, Hamburg, July 2025; Kadir Has International Law of the Sea Academy, Istanbul, July 2025; International Seabed Authority, Kingston, July 2025 (video); Philippine International Law of the Sea Academy (PHILSEA), Manila, July 2025 (online); Torcuato di Tella Law School, Buenos Aires, August 2025; Diplomatic Academy of Argentina, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Argentina, Buenos Aires, August 2025; ITLOS Workshop for Legal Advisers, Hamburg, September 2025.

Distinctions: Knight, First Class, of the Order of the Lion of Finland.