Human Rights Council Advisory Committee - Membership

On 23 March 2011, at the Council's sixteenth session, the Council elected seven experts to the Human Rights Council Advisory Committee. As the number of candidates for each regional group corresponded to the number of seats to be filled (see A/HRC/16/19[1] and A/HRC/16/19/Add.1 [2]), Mr. Dheerujall Baramlall Seetulsingh, Mr. Obiora Chinedu Okafor , Mr. Ahmer Bilal Soofi, Ms. Purificacion Quisumbing, Mr. Latif Huseynov, Ms. Anantonia Reyes Prado and Ms. Laurence Boisson de Chazournes were elected as members of the Advisory Committee by consensus.

Following the demise of Ms. Purification Quisumbing in December 2011, a vacancy from the Group of Asian States needs to be filled. On 12 December 2011, a note verbale was sent in this regard to the Permanent Mission of Japan, in its capacity as the regional coordinator for Asian States. The Human Rights Council will elect the new member at its nineteenth session (see report below).

Election of members of the Human Rights Council Advisory Committee

A/HRC/19/81
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A/HRC/16/19
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A/HRC/16/19/Add.1
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Background: In accordance with resolution 5/1 and decision 6/102 of the Human Rights Council, the 18 members of the Advisory Committee were elected on 26 March 2008, at the seventh session of the Council. As set out in resolution 5/1, the geographical distribution of members is as follows: five each from African and Asian States; three each from Latin American and Caribbean States, and Western European and other States; and two from Eastern European States.

Members shall serve for a period of three years and shall be eligible for re-election once. In accordance with resolution 5/1, the staggering of terms of membership of the Advisory Committee members was determined by drawing lots immediately after the election. Hence, in the first term, one-third of the experts will serve for one year and another third for two years. The list of members of the Advisory Committee and their respective terms of office are set out below.