[1] Andrés Aguilar Mawdsley studied at the Universidad Central de Venezuela, where he earned a doctorate in political and social sciences, and at McGill University in Montreal, Canada, where he earned a master's degree in civil law.
He then served as Venezuela's ambassador to the United Nations Office in Geneva from 1963 to 1965 and as permanent representative to UN headquarters in New York City from 1969 to 1972.
He was also a member of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights from 1972 to 1985, during which time he served as president on several occasions.
In November 1990, he was elected by the Security Council and the United Nations General Assembly to serve as a judge at the International Court of Justice in The Hague.
In keeping with the traditions of the Court, his compatriot Gonzalo Parra-Aranguren was elected to succeed Andrés Aguilar Mawdsley for the remainder of his term.