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 fifteenth meeting of States parties to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women was held on 30 July 2008 at United Nations Headquarters in New York. The main purpose of the meeting was to elect individuals to fill the eleven positions on the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women which will become vacant on 31 December 2008.

To preside over the fifteenth Meeting of States parties, the Meeting elected Mr. Daniel Carmon (Israel) as Chairperson, as well as the following four Vice-Chairpersons: Ms. Soha Gendi (Egypt), from the group of African States; Ms. Sandra Paunksniene (Lithuania), from the group of Eastern European States; Ms. Byrganym Aitimova ( Kazakhstan) , from the group of Asian States , Ms. Maria Fernanda Espinosa (Ecuador) from the group of Latin America and Caribbean States.

The individuals elected to fill the eleven positions on the Committee were:

Ms. Nicole Ameline ( France )
Ms. Magalys Arocha Dominguez ( Cuba)
Ms. Violet Tsisiga Awori ( Kenya)
Ms. Barbara Evelyn Bailey ( Jamaica)
Mr. Niklas Bruun ( Finland)
Ms. Indira Jaising ( India)
Ms. Soledad Murillo de la Vega (Spain)
Ms. Silvia Pimentel ( Brazil)
Ms. Victoria Popescu ( Romania)
Ms. Zohra Rasekh ( Afghanistan)
Ms. Xiaoqiao Zou ( China)

Two thirds of the States parties constitute a quorum, and the persons elected to the Committee are those nominees who obtained the largest number of votes and an absolute majority of the votes of the representatives of States parties present and voting.

The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women is established under article 17 of the Convention. It is composed of 23 experts who are elected by secret ballot by States parties. The Committee is tasked with the review of the reports of States parties submitted in accordance with article 18 of the Convention. The Optional Protocol to the Convention, which entered into force in December 2000, empowers the Committee to consider communications submitted by individuals or groups of individuals alleging violations of the Convention in States parties to the Convention and the Optional Protocol. The Optional Protocol also entitles the Committee of its own motion to inquire into grave or systematic violations of the Convention in those States parties where this procedure is applicable, in accordance with articles 8 and 10.

Committee members serve in their personal capacities, and not as representatives of the States parties which present their candidature.

The following documents were issued for the fifteenth meeting of States parties: