ALERT: OPPORTUNITY TO NOMINATE FOR NEW MEMBERS OF THE CEDAW COMMITTEE- ELECTIONS 21 JUNE 2016

Dear Friends & Colleagues,

It is time to think about nominating and re-electing members to the CEDAW Committee. The term of 11 CEDAW members will be expiring on  December 2016.

This email is to alert you that the elections will be held on 21st June 2016 in New York, at the 19th meeting of States parties to the Convention, and to  urge you to take action now.

https://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/CEDAW/Pages/Elections2016.aspx

!!March 7th 2016 is the deadline for submission of nominees by our governments to the OHCHR, for consideration by states which have ratified CEDAW in their meeting in June!!

About the elections

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.

Why should you take action?

There is still a need for women’s groups and women’s rights advocates to continue advocating for the inclusion of independent feminist experts in the CEDAW Committee. 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, is of high moral standing and has competence in the field of women’s human rights, as required by the Convention.

Thus, each CEDAW Commitee member has the potential of advocating for women’s rights at many levels,including:
1) To uphold the notion that States are accountable to women;
2) To continuously expand and further rights contained in the CEDAW Convention along feminist principles;
3) To ensure that women’s NGOs are included in CEDAW-related processes.
4) Additionally, with the existence of OP CEDAW, which creates a complaints mechanism through which
violations of the treaty can be adjudicated by the Committee, we need Committee members who have an understanding of the realities of women’s lives in order that women can use the mechanism and obtain redress for
violations to their rights under CEDAW

What can NGOs do?

1. Identify women and feminist experts with a strong understanding and experience in promoting and protecting women’s rights and who are willing and able to be Committee members
2. Start lobbying your government to nominate these women for the post.
3. Share these names with us so that we can coordinate lobbying our governments for their election onto the Committee at the elections in June 2010.

The Timeline for this process is:

1. Now until 7 March 2016: 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. You may also wish to facilitate this process by reminding the relevant office in your government of the deadline, and forwarding the form and contact details for nomination which can be downloaded here:https://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/Pages/ElectionsofTreatyBodiesMembers.aspx see Annex 3) You may also campaign for an open transparent process for selection so that any candidate faces an open process for selection to ensure their women’s human rights track record.
2. 7 March 2016: Nomination list closes. A list of candidates will appear on the website
   https://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/cedaw/elections2016.aspx.
   3. Between 7 March – 21 June 2016: Women’s groups lobby  governments and missions to vote for their candidate and candidates that best fulfill the criteria. CVs and bio details will be made available on the OHCHR website so you find out more about the other nominees. https://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/cedaw/elections2016.aspx.
3. 21 June 2016: 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.
   5. New members take office on 1 Jan 2017

Further information about the election process can be found here: https://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/Pages/ElectionsofTreatyBodiesMembers.aspx

Who are the 11 CEDAW members whose term are expiring?

1. Ameline Nicole(France)
2. Bhakita Dosari (Qatar)
3. Barbara Bailey (Jamaica)
4. Niklas Bruun (Finland)
5. Hilary Gbedemah (Ghana)
6. Nahla Haidar (Lebanon)
7. Dalia Leinarte (Lithuania)
8. Theodora Oby Nwankwo (Nigeria)
9. Silvia Pimentel (Brazil)
10. Bianca Pomeranzi (Italy)
11. Xiaoqiao Zou (China)

There are two outgoing members from the Africa region, three from the WEOG region, two from GRULAC, three from Asia group and one from EEG.

Of the remaining 12 Committee members  4 from WEOG, 2 from GRULAC,1 from EEG,2 from Africa and 3 from Asia. This may give you a sense of the current regional balance of Committee members.

We will keep you updated with information on this process. Please also keep us updated if you are campaigning for a candidate from your country.

Audrey Lee – International Women’s Rights Action Watch Asia Pacific
59200 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Tel: (603) 2282 2255

Email: iwraw-ap@iwraw-ap.org / iwraw_ap@yahoo.com
Website: www.iwraw-ap.org

https://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/CEDAW/Pages/Elections2016.aspx

COMMITTEE ON THE ELIMINATION OF DISCRIMINATION AGAINST WOMEN

19th Meeting of States parties (New York, 21 June 2016): Election of eleven members of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women to replace those whose terms are due to expire on 31 December 2016

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 Women1. Nominations for membership of the Committee can be made by States parties to the Convention, in accordance with article 17 of the Convention. Article 17 (1) states that “the experts shall be elected by State parties from among their nationals and shall serve in their personal capacity, consideration being given to equitable geographical distribution and to the representation of the different forms of civilization as well as the principal legal systems”. In accordance with article 17 (5), the members of the Committee shall be elected for a term of four years.

The nineteenth meeting of States parties will take place in New York on 21 June 2016 with the aim of electing eleven members of the Committee to replace those members whose term of office will expire on 31 December 2016. States parties to the Convention are invited to nominate their candidates by 7 March 2016.

The nominations and biographical data form (Annex III) should be submitted in electronic version (the latter in Word format) to the CEDAW Secretary, Mr. Jakob Schneider (jschneider@ohchr.org), with copy to Ms. Irene del Pilar Sandoval (idelpilarsandoval@ohchr.org).

For the text of the Convention and the current status of ratification, including reservations and declarations, please refer to the United Nations Treaties Collection on the Internet at https://treaties.un.org.

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