WUNRN
Via IWRAW AP - International Women's
Rights Action Watch Asia Pacific
CEDAW COMMITTEE ELECTION PROCESS
The next CEDAW Committee elections will take place in June 2008.
COMMITTEE MEMBERS TERMS EXPIRING AT THE END OF 2008
The Committee members who will continue to serve until their terms
expire on 31 December 2008 include:
- Magalys Arocha Dominguez (
- Mary Shanthi Dairiam (
- Françoise Gaspard (
- Tiziana Maiolo (
- Silvia Pimentel (
- Hanna Beate Schöpp-Schilling (
- Heisoo Shin (
- Glenda P. Simms (
- Anamah Tan (
- Maria Regina Tavares da Silva (
- Xiaoqiao Zou (
TIMELINE FOR THE ELECTIONS PROCESS
· Now until March 2008: Time for women's
groups to lobby their governments and suggest names of good candidates from
their own country to be elected to the Committee. Lobbying to support good candidates to follow.
· March 2008:UN Secretary General calls for
nominations from States Parties (of their own nationals only)
· Between March-May 2008:States propose their
candidate (who must be their national) for nomination
· May 2008: Nomination list closes
· June 2008: CEDAW States Parties Meeting: Where
states parties will vote through secret ballot to either re-elect committee
members whose terms expire in 2008 or elect new members.
ABOUT
THE ELECTION PROCESS
Members of the CEDAW Committee are elected pursuant to article 17 of the
CEDAW Convention by States parties from among nationals of that country.
However, it is important to note that these members serve in their personal
capacity and not as representatives of that States party. Members are elected
for a term of four years.
Each
CEDAW Committee member has the potential of advocating for women's rights at
three levels:
1)
To uphold the notion that States are accountable to women;
2)
To continuously further rights contained in the CEDAW Convention along feminist
principles;
3)
To ensure that women's NGOs are included in CEDAW-related processes.
WHAT NGOs CAN DO
It
is very important for women's groups and women's rights advocates to continue
advocating for the inclusion of independent feminist experts in the CEDAW
Committee. As you may already know, the CEDAW Convention is the only UN human
rights treaty that focuses on gender issues. In this regard, it is important
that the twenty-three experts of the CEDAW Committee have an understanding of
the realities of women's lives.
What
to do:
For
further information about the election process, go to: http://www.iwraw-ap.org/committee/election.htm.
For
general information on the CEDAW Committee go to: http://www.iwraw-ap.org/committee.htm
IWRAW
================================================================
To leave the list, send your request by email to: wunrn_listserve-request@lists.wunrn.com.
Thank you.