On November 17 (local time), the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) held elections for judges of the United Nations Appeals Tribunal (UNAT) and the United Nations Dispute Tribunal (UNDT). Recommended by the United Nations Internal Justice Council (IJ Council), Zhang Lingling—a female judge from China, 2004 LLM alumna of Peking University Law School, and the only candidate from the Asia-Pacific region in the UNAT judge election—was elected as a Judge of the UNAT with the highest number of votes. She will assume a seven-year term starting from July 1, 2026.

Judge Zhang Lingling studied at Peking University Law School from 2004 to 2007 under the supervision of Professor Wang Hui. She has served successively in the Beijing No.2 Intermediate People's Court, Beijing Intellectual Property Court, and Beijing Higher People's Court, and currently holds the positions of Judge of the Supreme People's Court and Senior Judge of Grade III in the Third Civil Division. With years of experience in the people's court system, she has participated in the trial of thousands of cases of various types, led the drafting of several judicial interpretations, and published more than 60 academic papers and monographs on law. Possessing profound theoretical knowledge and rich practical experience, she is an outstanding representative of Chinese female judges. As a persistent pursuer of the judge's dream, Alumna Zhang Lingling has always remained true to her original aspiration and lived up to her mission. Through unremitting exploration and striving, she has demonstrated the firm political acumen, top-tier professional competence, and outstanding global perspective of Chinese judges in the new era.

To learn more about the event, please check out:

https://www.law.pku.edu.cn/xwzx/xwdt/8d8435e7db334c819b018187f6d8886d.htm