The United Nations General Assembly and the Security Council on Thursday elected five judges to the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

Georg Nolte from Germany, Yuji Iwasawa from Japan, Julia Sebutinde from Uganda, Peter Tomka from Slovakia, and Hanqin Xue from China were chosen to serve on the UN's top court, based in The Hague.

UN General Assembly President Volkan Bozkir tweeted his congratulations to the five jurists, who will begin their nine-year terms in February 2021.

The court, tasked with settling legal disputes between UN member states, is composed of 15 judges, with five seats coming up for election every three years.

This year, eight candidates were contesting the five positions.

Four of the chosen jurists were already ICJ members, while German judge Nolte will serve his first term on the court.

"As one of the most internationally renowned contemporary international law experts, he will bring to the court a wealth of experience and dedication to international law," Germany's ambassador to the UN, Christoph Heusgen, said of Nolte.

"I am confident that his outstanding expertise, impartiality and integrity will be a major asset for the court."

Heusgen said the pick was a signal of trust in Germany and its engagement for a rules-based international order and the strengthening of international law.

The ICJ is the UN's principal judicial organ and was established in 1945. It is the only one of the UN's six principal organs not located in New York.