CEDAW Committee Elections 2008: Important Alert for Women's Rights Advocates

WUNRN

http://www.wunrn.com

 

Via International Women’s Rights Action Watch Asia Pacific (IWRAW Asia Pacific)

 

 

On 30 July 2008, official representatives of States parties to CEDAW will be electing 11 members of the CEDAW Committee that will serve from January 2009 to December 2012.

IWRAW AP has compiled information on the nominees into a table form for your easy reference.

 

We would like to call to your attention the need for women's groups and women's rights advocates to advocate for the inclusion of independent feminist experts in the CEDAW Committee.

 

It is important that women's groups get involved; otherwise conservative states might do their best to ensure that partial experts are elected to the Committee.

 

This year there are 19 persons nominated and 11 vacancies.

 

Of the 11 members of the Committee whose terms are expiring in 2008, 4 are from Asia-Pacific, 4 are from Europe, and 3 are from Latin America and the Caribbean. This will give you a rough idea as to the distribution of vacancies, and how, in this regard, more advocacy will be required in some regions.

Of the list of candidates, we can offer you the CVs of three feminist experts that have been very active in their regions as well as in the international women's movements. They are Silvia Pimentel (Brazil), Shanthi Dairiam (Malaysia) and Indira Jaising (India).

 

These candidates are ideal because of their tremendous dedication and commitment to this cause, as well as for the insights and perspectives that they will bring forth.


Further information on all other candidates to be considered this year can be found at:

http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/cedaw/elections.htm


For general information on the CEDAW Committee go to:

http://www.iwraw-ap.org/committee.htm

WHAT YOU CAN DO:


You can send via email or fax, an expression of support to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the National Women's Institute in your country, as well as to your country’s Mission in New York.

 

Let them know that women's groups and women's rights advocates globally want independent experts from all over the world to be elected to the Committee. Remind them that they are responsible for ensuring that the CEDAW Committee process continues to strengthen national efforts towards the realisation of women's rights. In some cases, it would be useful to send a letter stating what you know of the existing nominees and give reasons as to why you are recommending specific names to be considered (both in your region and in others).

If possible, you should copy your letter to the missions of Brazil, Malaysia and India in New York.

 

The contacts of the UN Permanent Missions in New York can be found at:

http://www.un.org/members/missions.shtml

 

We recommend that you attach the resume of each expert in your letter of support. 

 

Sunila Abeysekera

Executive Director

International Women's Rights Action Watch Asia Pacific
80-B Jalan Bangsar
59200 Kuala Lumpur
Malaysia
Tel: (603) 2282 2255
Fax: (603) 2283 2552
Email: iwraw-ap@iwraw-ap.org / iwraw_ap@yahoo.com
Website: www.iwraw-ap.org

 

International Women’s Rights Action Watch Asia Pacific (IWRAW Asia Pacific) is an international organisation based in the South that plays a critical role in filling the gap between the promise of women's human rights embodied in human rights treaties, and their actual realisation at the national level. This involves mobilising women's groups at all levels to draw accountability from governments on the domestic application of human rights standards. This is done primarily through the lens of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and other international human rights treaties. Established in 1993, IWRAW Asia Pacific currently works throughout South and Southeast Asia and over 100 countries globally.

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http://www2.ohchr.org:80/english/bodies/cedaw/elections.htm

Please first Click Website Link to access multiple documents

 and references on the CEDAW Committee.

 

 

 

Election of the members of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women to replace those whose terms are due to expire on 31 December 2008

The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women is composed of 23 experts of high moral standing and competence in the field covered by the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. Nominations for membership on the Committee may be made by States parties to the Convention, in accordance with article 17 of the Convention. The article states that “the experts shall be elected by State parties for a term of four years and shall serve in their personal capacity, consideration being given to equitable geographic distribution and to the representation of the different forms of civilization as well as the principal legal systems”.

The fifteenth meeting of States parties to the Convention will take place in New York on 30 July 2008. States parties will elect eleven Members of the Committee to fill the vacancies that will expire on 31 December 2008. Nominations are due by 30 April 2008.

The current members of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women and their term of office
(as of 1 March 2008)* :

Name

Nationality

Term expires

Ms. Ferdous Ara Begum

(Bangladesh)

31.12.2010

Ms. Magalys Arocha Dominguez

(Cuba)

31.12.2008

Ms. Meriem Belmihoub-Zerdani

(Algeria)

31.12.2010

Ms. Saisuree Chutikul

(Thailand)

31.12.2010

Ms. Dorcas Coker-Appiah 

(Ghana)

31.12.2010

Ms. Mary Shanthi Dairiam  (Rapporteur)

(Malaysia)

31.12.2008

Mr. Cornelis Flinterman 

(Netherlands)

31.12.2010

Ms. Naela Mohamed Gabre (Vice-Chairperson)

(Egypt)

31.12.2010

Ms. Françoise Gaspard (Vice-Chairperson)

(France)

31.12.2008

Ms. Ruth Halperin-Kaddari

(Israel)

31.12.2010

Ms. Tiziana Maiolo 

(Italy)

31.12.2008

Ms. Violeta Neubauer

(Slovenia)

31.12.2010

Ms.  Pramila Patten

(Mauritius)

31.12.2010

Ms. Silvia Pimentel

(Brazil)

31.12.2008

Ms. Yoko Hayashi

(Japan)

31.12.2010

Ms. Hanna Beate Schöpp-Schilling

(Germany)

31.12.2008

Ms. Heisoo Shin 

(Republic of Korea)

31.12.2008

Ms. Glenda P. Simms (Vice-Chairperson)

(Jamaica)

31.12.2008

Ms. Dubravka Šimonović (Chairperson)

(Croatia)

31.12.2010

Ms. Anamah Tan 

(Singapore)

31.12.2008

Ms. Maria Regina Tavares da Silva 

(Portugal)

31.12.2008

Ms. Zou Xiaoqiao 

(China)

31.12.2008

* Ms. Hazel Gumede Shelton ( South Africa) was elected at the fourteenth meeting of States parties in June 2006 to serve until 31 December 2010. Ms. Shelton resigned in 2007 and another expert will be appointed by South Africa in accordance with article 17, paragraph 7.

The nominations and biographical data, preferably in accordance to the attached form should be submitted to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, United Nations Office at Geneva, CH-1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland and in electronic version to jconnors@ohchr.org, copy to stolainimolatte@ohchr.org.

LIST OF CANDIDATES NOMINATED BY
STATES PARTIES

by 30 April 2008

Please click on candidates’ name to access the advance unedited versions of their CV

Name

Country of nationality

Fadheela Al-Mahroos

Bahrain

Nicole Ameline

France

Magalys Arocha Domínguez

Cuba

Marie Thérèse Avemeka

Republic of Congo

Violet Tsisiga Awori

Kenya

Barbara Evelyn Bailey

Jamaica

Mercedes Barquet Montané

Mexico

Niklas Bruun

Finland

Fahima Charafeddine

Lebanon

Mary Shanthi Dairiam

Malaysia

Indira Jaising

India

Madina Jarbussynova

Kazakhstan

Latifa Jbabdi (WITHDRAWN)

Morocco

Soledad Murillo de la Vega

Spain

Marie-Christine Ntagwirumugara

Burundi

Silvia Pimentel

Brazil

Victoria Popescu

Romania

Zohra Rasekh

Afghanistan

Xiaoqaio Zou

China

 

LIST OF CANDIDATES NOMINATED BY
STATES PARTIES

(after 30 April 2008)

Name

Country of nationality

Sajida Abdulvahabova

Azerbaijan

Anne-Marie Coriolan (WITHDRAWN)

Haiti

Documentation

Provisional agenda

CEDAW/SP/2008/1
A | C | E | F | R | S

Note from the Secretariat

CEDAW/SP/2008/INF.1
A | C | E | F | R

Declarations, reservations, objections and notifications of withdrawal of reservations to the Convention

CEDAW/SP/2008/2
A | C | E | F | R | S

List of candidates

CEDAW/SP/2008/3
A | C | E | F | R | S

Addendum

CEDAW/SP/2008/3/Add.1
A | C | E | F | R | S

Report of the meeting of States parties

CEDAW/SP/2008/4
A | C | E | F | R | S

Draft rules of procedure of the meeting of the States parties

CEDAW/SP/2/Rev.1
A | C | E | F | R | S