Meeting of States Parties
Twenty-fourth meeting
New York, 30 November 2011
Item 5 of the provisional agenda
Election of nine members of the Committee
on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination
to replace those whose terms of office will
expire on 19 January 2012, in accordance
with article 8, paragraphs 1 to 5, of the
Convention (CERD/SP/74)
Election of members of the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination to replace those whose terms will expire on 19 January 2012, in accordance with the provisions of article 8 of the Convention
Note by the Secretary-General
1.In pursuance of article 8, paragraph 4, of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, the twenty-fourth Meeting of States Parties to the Convention will be convened by the Secretary-General at United Nations Headquarters on 30 November 2011 to elect nine members of the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination to replace those whose terms are due to expire on 19 January 2012 (see annex I). The names of the other nine members who will continue to serve on the Committee until 19 January 2014 appear in annex II.
2.In accordance with article 8, paragraph 3, of the Convention, the Secretary-General, in a note verbale dated 11 July 2011, invited the States parties to submit their nominations for the election of nine members of the Committee within two months. Thirteen nominations had been received by 12 September 2011. Nominations and biographical data of persons that may be received by the secretariat after 12 September 2011 will be brought to the attention of the States parties in addenda to this note. Listed below in alphabetical order are the nominees, with the States parties that have proposed them.
Candidate Nominated by
Mr. Mohamed Bin Saif Ali Al Saif Al KuwariQatar
Mr. Alexei S. AvtonomovRussian Federation
Candidate Nominated by
Mr. José Francisco Calí TzayGuatemala
Ms. Fatimata-Binta Victoire Dah Burkina Faso
Mr. Ion DiaconuRomania
Mr. Yasir Sidahmed Elhassan Yousif Sudan
Mr. Huang Yong’anChina
Mr. Rovshan IsmayilovAzerbaijan
Mr. Dilip LahiriIndia
Mr. LukaMađerićCroatia
Mr. Pastor Elias Murillo MartínezColombia
Mr. Chris Maina PeterUnited Republic of Tanzania
Mr. Carlos Manuel Vázquez United States of America
3.Biographical data of the nominees, as furnished by the States parties concerned, are contained in annex III.
Annexes
Annex I
List of the nine members of the Committee whose terms of office expire on 19 January 2012
Member Country of nationality
1.Mr. Alexei S. AvtonomovRussian Federation
2.Mr. Jose Francisco Calí TzayGuatemala
3.Ms. Fatimata-Binta Victoire DahBurkina Faso
4.Mr. Ion DiaconuRomania
5.Mr. Huang Yong’anChina
6.Mr. Dilip LahiriIndia
7.Mr. Pastor Elias Murillo MartínezColombia
8.Mr. Chris Maina PeterUnited Republic of Tanzania
9.Mr. Pierre-Richard ProsperUnited States of America
Annex II
List of the nine members of the Committee whose terms of office expire on 19 January 2014
Member Country of nationality
Mr. Nourredine AmirAlgeria
Ms. Anastasia CrickleyIreland
Mr. Régis de GouttesFrance
Mr. Kokou Mawuena Ika Kana EwomsanTogo
Mr. Anwar KemalPakistan
Mr. Gün KutTurkey
Mr. José Augusto Lindgren AlvesBrazil
Mr. Waliakoye SaidouNiger
Mr. Patrick ThornberryUnited Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Annex III
Biographical data of the nominees
Mr. Mohamed Bin Saif Ali Al Saif Al Kuwari (Qatar)
Date and place of birth: 1 January 1957, Qatar
Working languages: Arabic, English
Current position/function
Dr. Al-Kuwari currently serves as an Assistant Undersecretary for Standardization in Ministry of Environment and was formerly Director General of the Qatar General Organization for Standards and Metrology (QGOSM) during the period 2002–2008.
Main professional activities
Assistant Head of Public Housings Division – Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Agriculture (MMAA) during the period 1988–1996, Doha-Qatar
Head of Central Materials and Laboratory – Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Agriculture (MMAA) during the period 1995–2002, Doha-Qatar
Director General of Qatar General Organization for Standards and Metrology (QGOSM) during the period 2002–2008
Assistant Undersecretary for Standardization in Ministry of environment
Educational background
Bachelor’s in Civil Engineering, Cairo University, Egypt (1980)
Master’s in Civil Engineering, Ain Shams University, Egypt (1992)
Ph.D. in Civil Engineering, Cairo University, Egypt (1997)
Diploma in languages, languages Institute of Qatar and Swandeen school, UK (1986)
Other main activities in the field relevant to the mandate of the treaty body concerned
Investigation and Follow up Department – Place of Detention, January 2011
Emergency Section in General Hamad Hospital – Place of Health – January 2011
Al shamal Police Station – Place of Detention, January 2011
Psychiatry Hospital – Place of Health – January 2011
Department of Juvenile Welfare – Place of correction – February 2011
Qatar Foundation to Combat Trafficking in Persons – Place of correction – March 2011
Companies-camps/Residential Areas of workers – April 2011
General Hamad Hospital – Place of Health – April 2011
Ermaila Hospital – Place of Health – May 2011
Drug Enforcement Administration – Place of Punishment and Correction – June 2011
The central Prison with Head of International Committee of the Red Cross – June 2011
Dr. Al-Kuwari visited more than 10 Institutions and Government authorities to monitor the Human Rights situation and prepare detailed reports and comprehensive so that during 2011. He also participated in the preparation of Qatar’s the national plan to promote and protect of human Rights in the country.
List of most recent publications in the field
Preparation of National Standards of Human Rights for punishment and correction authority and Detention places
Preparation of a comparative study between Universal Declaration of Human Rights articles and Islamic Law and Qatari constitution – 2011
“Municipal Council, Freedom and View” Supreme Council for Family Affairs Qatar (15–19 March 2003)
Mr. Alexei Avtonomov (Russia)
Date and place of birth: 9 March 1959, Moscow
Working languages: Russian, English, French, Spanish
Current position/function
Member of the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination since 2003
Chief Research Fellow of the Institute of State and Law (Russian Academy of Science) since 1994
Director of the Centre for Comparative Law in Higher School of Economics since 2007
Lawyer – Attorney-at-Law (official status since 2011)
Editor-in-Chief of the legal scientific journal “State and Law” since 2007
Main professional activities
Country rapporteur in the majority of CERD sessions
Member of the CERD Working group on early warning and urgent measures
Classes for Law Department undergraduate and graduate students in the Higher School of Economics
Research work in human rights and international law
Conferences and workshops for academics and practitioners in law, NGO activity and human rights
Writing of articles and books
Obligations of an Editor-in-Chief of a legal journal
Legal consultations for persons and entities
Legal representation in courts
Legal Opinions for Russian and foreign courts
Educational background
Higher Legal Education from the International Law Department of the Institute for International Relations in 1981
LLD from the Institute for International Relations in 1984
Doctor Habilitatus from the Institute of State and Law (Russian Academy of Science) in 1999
Degree of Professor of Law from the Moscow State University named after M. Lomonosov in 2003
Salzburg Seminar, session 292 “Transnational Law and Institutions” in 1992
Other main activities in the field relevant to the mandate of the treaty body concerned
Participation in workshops and seminars, organised by the Anti-Discrimination Unit of the OHCHR
Participation in drafting a UN Model Law on Juvenile Justice, organised by the UNODC
Member of the Moscow Civil Society Consultative Council (Commission on Ethnic and Migration Policy)
Cooperation with NGOs of Russian small in number indigenous peoples
Participation in working groups and symposia on intellectual property of indigenous people, organised by the WIPO
Extra-staff expert of several committees of the Russian State Duma and the Federation Council
Organisation of summer schools for students in comparative and international law
Expert in several TACIS projects (actually on human rights assessment for Russian Ombudsman)
Participation as an independent expert in drafting laws on NGOs and HR institutions by the Moscow Government
Member of the Association of International Law
List of most recent publications in the field
Constitutional Law of Foreign Countries (textbook in Russian), Moscow, 2011 (416 p.)
European Crossroads and Contradictions in Global Policy Forum, May, 16, 2011 (pp. 14–15)
Human Rights, Their Protection and Law Enforcement (monograph in Russian), Moscow, 2009 (448 p.)
Juvenile Justice (textbook in Russian), Moscow, 2009 (186 p.)
Federation and Ethnic Relations in Russia in Ethnic Issue and State Building (in Russian), Moscow, 2001 (pp. 29–35)
Mr. José Francisco Cali Tzay (Guatemala)
Date and place of birth: 27 September 1961, Tecpán Guatemala, Guatemala
Working languages:Spanish and English
Current position/function
Ministry of Foreign Affairs Human Rights Director
Main professional activities
Independent Expert, first indigenous person to be member of CERD (Periods 2004–2008 and 2008–2012)
2007 Consultant to the Vice presidency of the government of Guatemala with regard to the indigenous issues and the implementation of international commitments
2003–2006: Presidential Commissioner in charge of International Affairs and cooperation Unit in the Presidential Commission against Discrimination and Racism against Indigenous Peoples in Guatemala (CODISRA)
2003: President of the National Program of Reparation, appointed by the President of the Republic of Guatemala
1995–2003: Founder and coordinator, Indigenous Rights Programme of the Human Rights Legal Action Centre (CALDH)
1995: Consultant-rapporteur for the first consultation organized in Guatemala on the American Draft Declaration of the Rights of the Indigenous Peoples of the Organization of the American State, and free lance consultant to the Guatemalan Indigenous Peoples Coordinator (COPMAGUA)
Educational background
Bachiller en Ciencias y Letras (Bachelor in Sciences and letters)
Closed pensum on Law and Social Sciences of the University of Mariano Galvez of Guatemala, pending consideration for examination to obtain the title of Lawyer and Advocate
Other main activities in the field relevant to the mandate of the treaty body concerned
1986–1995: liaison between Guatemalan peasant movement and the international community; responsibility for peasant projects in the Centre for Integrated Studies and Community Development (CEIDEC)
1982–1985: Various kinds of work, Vancouver, Canada
October 1991 to April 1993: Political adviser to Nobel Peace Prizewinner Rigoberta Menchú Tum
1985 to date: Advocacy work with the Working Group on Indigenous Populations, the Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights and the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, United Nations
1987–1993: Alternate for Rigoberta Menchú, member of the Presiding Officers of the International Indian Treaty Council (IITC)
1997 to 2000: Vice-Chair, Presiding Officers of IITC
2000: Chair, Presiding Officers of IITC
1996 to 2001: Coordinator, Standing Committee on Constitutional Reform for Indigenous Peoples
Founder of two indigenous/peasant organizations:
Unión del Pueblo Maya de Guatemala (UPMAG, Union of Mayan People of Guatemala) (1995)
Comité Campesino del Altiplano (CCDA, Altiplano Peasants’ Committee) (1982)
Founding Member of the Human Rights Legal Action Centre (CALDH)
Member:
Board of Management, Centre for Integrated Studies and Community Development (CEIDEC)
Board of Management, Cholsamaj Foundation
Lobbied Governments of Guatemala and Mexico to sponsor resolution on the appointment of a Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights and fundamental freedoms of indigenous people
Responsible for lobbying political parties in connection with proposal for constitutional reforms on indigenous peoples
List of most recent publications in the field
Discrimination against indigenous peoples: The Latin American context. UN Chronicle. 2007
Ms. Fatimata-Binta Victoire Dah (Burkina Faso)
Date and place of birth: 18 August 1945, Tougan, Burkina Faso
Working languages: English, French, Spanish, Chinese, Fulani and Dioula
Current position/function
Career diplomat, Senior Minister Plenipotentiary, retired; Vice-Chairperson of CERD
Main professional activities
At the head of the Africa Department
Follow-up of all African issues and participation in meetings at the subregional and continental level, in particular:
The birth of West African integration organizations such as the West African Economic Community (CEAO), Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS); the environmental protection organization established in response to the severe drought of the 1970s, Permanent Inter-State Committee on Drought Control in the Sahel (CILSS)
Upper Volta-Mali border dispute issues
Sessions of the Council of Ministers and summits of the Organization of African Unity (OAU)
As Director of the Department of International Cooperation
Initiation and follow-up of bilateral cooperation with partners from the northern hemisphere (France, Germany, Netherlands, Scandinavian countries, European Union, Japan), partners from the southern hemisphere (African, Asian and Latin American countries) and international organizations
Negotiation of framework cooperation agreements; involvement in regular meetings of joint commissions
As Secretary-General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Supervision and coordination of the work of the central and external services of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
As First Counsellor and Minister Counsellor
Responsibility for political and consular affairs at the diplomatic mission
Participation in major international meetings
Most of the sessions of the General Assembly of the United Nations between 1972 and 1980 and 1987 and 1989
As diplomatic adviser to the President
Submission of reasoned opinions on diplomatic issues to the President of Burkina Faso
Drafting of diplomatic correspondence, messages, certain speeches of the Head of State
Participation in official visits and summits
Career diplomat, Senior Minister Plenipotentiary
Educational background
Diplomatic training: 1970–1971, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Geneva (Switzerland), Graduate Institute of International Studies in Geneva (Switzerland), African Institute of Geneva, placements with international organizations based in Geneva
Study tours in European capitals
Bonn (Federal Foreign Office), Brussels (European Commission), Budapest (Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Hungary), Paris (Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Institut Rue Monsieur, Institut international d’administration publique), Vienna (Diplomatic Academy)
Higher education: 1964–1970
Institute of Political Studies at the University of Paris, France, and Faculty of Law of Paris/Assas, France
Diplomas
1957: Certificat d ’ Études Primaire Élémentaire (Certificate of Elementary Primary Studies) (CEPE)
1961: Brevet d ’ Études du Premier Cycle (Lower Secondary School Certificate) (BEPC)
1964: Diploma in political science, specializing in international relations
1970: Maîtrise en droit public (Master’s degree in public law)
1971: Diplôme de formation diplomatique (Diploma in diplomatic training)
Other main activities in the field relevant to the mandate of the treaty body concerned
Member of the Special Commission that prepared the preliminary draft of the 1978 Constitution of Upper Volta
Member of the Commission of Experts for the settlement of the first border dispute between Mali and Upper Volta
1998–2002: Third Vice-Chairperson of the African Women Committee on Peace and Development created jointly by the Secretary-General of OAU and the Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA)
This independent advisory body to the two senior officials of OAU and ECA sought to involve African women in the prevention and resolution of conflicts and promote conditions for sustainable development in Africa
February 2004 to January 2008: First term as a member of CERD, United Nations; Vice-Chairperson from February 2006 to January 2008
February 2008 to the present: Second term as a member of CERD
February 2008 to January 2010: Chairperson of CERD
Mr. Ion Diaconu (Romania)
Date and place of birth: 23 October 1938, Stejari, Gorj, Romania
Working languages: French, English, Russian
Current position/function
2008–2012, member of the Committee for the Elimination of Discrimination, rapporteur of the Committee
October 2010 to present, professor associate at the University Spiru Haret of Bucharest, teaching “Juridical protection of human rights”, “Diplomatic and consular relations”, as well as for post-graduate studies “European and Euroatlantic Organizations”
Main professional activities
1960–1979: Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), Legal Department; Department for Security and Cooperation in Europe
1979–1980: counsellor with the Romanian Embassy, Brussels
1981–1986: counsellor and minister-counsellor with the Romanian Permanent Mission to the United Nations, New York
1986–1990: deputy director of the International Organizations and Legal Department, MFA
1990–1993: director and director general of the Legal and Consular Department, MFA; professor of international law at the National School of Political and Administrative Studies and several private universities, Bucharest
1993–1997: Ambassador of Romania to Denmark, and 1994–1997 to Iceland (non-resident)
1997–2001: Ambassador of Romania to the Russian Federation
1993–2001: lectures on human rights issues in Copenhagen, Oslo, Lund, Stockholm and Moscow
2001–2004: Secretary-General of the MFA, in charge of legal and consular affairs
2005–2008: counsellor with the Commission on Foreign Policy of the Chamber of Deputies of the Romanian Parliament
2001–2006: professor of international law at the National School of Political and Administrative Studies, at the Diplomatic Academy of the Romanian MFA, at the University of Bucharest (Faculty of History) and at the “Dimitrie Cantemir” University (Bucharest)
2006–2008: lecturer at the Spiru Haret University, teaching “Juridical Protection of Human Rights” and for the post-graduate studies “European and Euro-Atlantic Organizations”
2008–2010: professor-lecturer at the University Spiru Haret of Bucharest, teaching “Juridical protection of human rights”, “Diplomatic and Consular Law” and “International Relations in Modern and Contemporary Times, as well as for post-graduate studies “European and Euro-Atlantic Organizations”
Educational background
1956–1960: Faculty of Law, University of Bucharest, Romania
1965–1968: University of Geneva, Ph.D. studies
1971: Ph. D. in International Law at the University of Geneva, Switzerland
Other main activities in the field relevant t the mandate of the treaty body concerned
1963: Vienna, Conference for the codification of consular law
1972–1975: Helsinki and Geneva, Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe
1978: Belgrade, General meeting of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe
1980: Madrid, General meeting of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe
1964, 1981–1985: sessions of the UN General Assembly and other UN bodies in New York
1985: Ottawa, Meeting on Human Rights, Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe
1986: Vienna, General Meeting of the Conference on Security and Cooperation
1988: session of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights
1996: Copenhagen, World Conference on Social Development
1999: Sankt Petersburg, United Nations meeting, Decade of International Law
2001: Durban World Conference against racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance
2009: Geneva Review Conference on the implementation of Durban documents
Membership of international legal bodies
1988–1991: member of the UN Sub commission for the Protection of Minorities and the Prevention of Discrimination
1991–2002: member of the Committee for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination
1988–2002: member of the Permanent Court of Arbitration
2002–2003: chairman of the Committee for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination
2008–2012: member of the Committee for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, rapporteur of the Committee
List of most recent publications in the field
Imperative Norms of International Law (Jus Cogens), 1971 (French), 1977 (Romanian)
Handbook on Public International Law, 1993 (Romanian), 1995 second edition, third edition 2010
Human Rights (Romanian), 1993
Human Rights in the Contemporary International Law (2001 – Romanian)
Human Rights in the Contemporary International Law, theory and practice (Romanian), 2010
Juridical Protection of Human Rights, 2007 and 2010 – Romanian
Minorities – Status and Prospects, 1996 – Romanian
Minorities – Identity and Equality, 1998 – Romanian
Minorities in the Third Millennium, 1999 – Romanian
Minorities in International Law, 2001 – English
Minorities from Non-Discrimination to Identity, 2004 – English, published with financial support of UNESCO
Minorities in the Contemporary International Law, 2009 – Romanian
European and Euroatlantic Organizations, 2009, second edition 2011 – Romanian
International Relations in Modern and Contemporary Times, 2008 – Romanian
Treaties of international law, vol. I (Introduction and Sources), 2002 – Romanian; vol. II (Representation, Spaces and Population), 2003 – Romanian; vol. III (Economic Relations and Ways and Means of International Cooperation), 2005 – Romanian
The International Criminal Court – a new stage, 2002 – English
Racial Discrimination, 2005 – Romanian; 2007 – English, published by the UNDP Office of Bucharest; 2011 – English, published by Eleven Publishers, The Hague
More than 100 studies and articles on different issues of international law and human rights in Romanian and foreign publications and books, in Romanian, English and French
Mr. Yasir Sidahmed El Hassan Yousif (Sudan)
Date and place of birth:4 August 1961 at Shandi City Republic of The Sudan
Working languages:Arabic, English, with ability to work in French fairly with documentation
Current position/function
Senior legal Advisor at the Ministry of Justice, Head Ministerial Executive Office of the Minister of Justice, Editor’s manager of the quarterly Adjudicated Law Journal “Al-Adell” The Justice, the official Law journal of the ministry of Justice with contributions from Law professors, law-practitioners and Justices.
Main professional activities
Provide legal opinions on the issues of international relations including human rights issues and humanitarian law, with active participation in local, regional and international Human Rights Fora
Ex-rapporteur and present member of the Advisory Council for Human Rights
Elected Member to the Executive Council of the Sudanese Red Crescent Association
Trainers and resource person for many NGOs on Human Rights issue specially on the African Human Right Mechanism
Educational background
L.L.B University of Khartoum (U Of K) 1985. Bar Examination Certificate. 1987. Post Graduate Diploma, (Islamic Law) (U. of K.) 1987. L.L.M (Islamic Law), (Part One)(U of K). Certificate De Specialization En Diplomatic Multilatérale (I.U.H.E.I) Geneva, Switzerland, 1997. Certificate on Islamic Penal Legislations (With Distinction), Arabic Center for Security Studies & Training. Saudi Arabia 1990. Training Certificate, On Aspects of Industrial Property, World Intellectual Property Organization (W.I.P.O) – Geneva, Switzerland & (C.E.I.P.I) – France, Zimbabwe, South Africa 1994.
Other main activities in the field relevant to the mandate of the treaty body concerned
Current Member and ex-Rapporteur of the Advisory Council for Human Rights (national institution for promotion and protection of human rights), and Chairperson of Committee of Eradication of Abduction of Women and Children (C.E.A.W.C), 2001 2004. Founder and the first Rapporteur of the National Committee on International Humanitarian Law, (national focal point for implementation of the international humanitarian law), 2002–2004 and active Members of many NGOs having consultative status with U.N and Other regional Bodies. Being an ex-elected member and Deputy Chairperson of The African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, (A.C.H.P.R.) 2001–2007, and entrusted by the (ACHPR) with others, to develop Guide Lines on Economic Social & Cultural Rights and also conceptual paper on Abolition of Death Penalty in Africa, made me an expert and resource person for NGOs and research Centers on the African Human rights system and I wrote several articles on Human Rights Themes published in The Quarterly (The Justice) The Minster of Justice Periodic Journal. Training provider in the field.
List of most recent publications in the field
The Regional Human Rights Mechanisms to which Sudan is a Party, and its duties towards them. Legal Article published in the Quarterly, The Justice “Al-Adel” In Arabic, Special Edition, December, 2010. The African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights. Legal Article published in the Quarterly, The Justice “Al-Adel” In Arabic, Special Edition, December, 2010. Sudan Governments hesitating status towards the Ratification of the Rome Statute of International Criminal Court. Legal Article published in the Quarterly, The Justice “Al-Adel” In Arabic, Special Edition, December, 2010.
Mr. Huang Yong’an (The People’s Republic of China)
Date and place of birth:July 1945, in China
Working languages: Chinese and English
Current position/function
Member of the UN Committee on Elimination of Racial Discrimination
Member of the Executive Board of the United Nations Association of China
Member of the Board of China Asia-Africa Development and Exchange Society
Main professional activities
2003–2006 Ambassador of China to Eritrea
1999–2003 Permanent Representative of China to UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), attended the 56–59th sessions of ESCAP
1996–1999 Counsellor, Department of International Organizations and Conferences, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China
1992–1996 Alternate Permanent Representative of China to the United Nations and Other International Organizations in Vienna
Participated in sessions and meetings on Disabled Person, Aging, Women, Narcotic Drugs, Social Development, Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, etc.
1989–1992 Director in charge of human rights and other social issues of the United Nations in the Chinese Foreign Ministry
Educational background
1991: Studied in Raoul Wallenberg Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law, Lund of Sweden, took part in the Advanced International Programme of Human Rights organized by the Swedish Government
1969: Graduated from the Beijing University of International Studies, China
Other main activities in the field relevant to the mandate of the treaty body concerned
As head of the Chinese delegation, attended the 9th Workshop on Regional Cooperation for the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights in Asia-Pacific Region
Attended the Seminar on Trafficking: Using Legal Instruments to Combat Trafficking concerned: in Women and Children
Attended the Regional Consultation for the 2nd World Congress against Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children
As deputy head of the Chinese delegation, attended the 13th Asia Regional Meeting of ILO
Attended the International Congress: In Pursuit of a Drug-Free ASEAN, held in Bangkok, Thailand
As Alternate Representative of the Chinese delegation, attended the 3rd World Conference on Human Rights which was held in Vienna
Attended the UN 9th Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Treatment
Attended the 3rd Committee meetings of the UN General Assembly
Mr. Rovshan Ismayilov (Azerbaijan)
Date and place of birth:May 8, 1971, the Republic of Azerbaijan
Working languages:Azerbaijani (mother tongue), English, Russian, basic proficiency in Turkish and Ukrainian
Current position/function
Judge, Constitutional Court of the Republic of Azerbaijan
Associate Professor of Constitutional Law, Baku State University
Main professional activities
June 2010 to present – Judge, Constitutional Court of the Republic of Azerbaijan
September 2000 to present – Human Rights Section Coordinator, Legal Clinic, Baku State University
September 1994 to present – Baku State University, Department of Constitutional Law, Lecturer, Senior Lecturer, Associate Professor of Constitutional Law (Courses taught: Constitutional Law, Human Rights Law, Constitutional Adjudication)
Educational background
2000 – Candidate of Legal Sciences (equivalent to PhD), Dissertation title: The Institution of Citizenship of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Defended at Odessa National Law Academy, Ukraine
1994 – Baku State University, Diploma in Laws with Honors of the First Class (equivalent to L.L.M.)
January–August 2005 – visiting scholar at Indiana University, USA, Fellow of Fulbright Program
February–June 2002 – visiting scholar at Indiana University, USA, Fellow of Baku State–Indiana University Linkage Program
Other main activities in the field relevant to the mandate of the treaty body concerned
January 2008 to present – Member in respect of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the European Commission Against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) of the Council of Europe
October 2003 to December 2003 – Member, Working Group for drafting Law on Gender Equality, Milli Mejlis of the Republic of Azerbaijan
1996–2001 – Board Member, European Human Rights Center/Baku
1995 – Member, Working Group for drafting a new Constitution of the Republic of Azerbaijan
List of most recent publications in the field
The Institution of Citizenship of Azerbaijan Republic. Baku, 2004 (monograph)
Acquisition of a Citizenship by Descent: jus sanguinis or jus soli, 15–16 Law 80 (1998), [Baku]
The Principle of Equality in the New Azerbaijani Legislation on Citizenship, 5–6 Law 74 (1999), [Baku]
The Problem of Recognition of Azerbaijani Citizenship, State and Law, 165–172, (Kiev, 2000)
Concept of Nationality and Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 4 Law Herald, 80 (1998), [Odessa]
Mr. Dilip Lahiri (India)
Date and place of birth:July 9, 1945, New Delhi, India
Working languages: English, Spanish and French (passive)
Current position/function
Former diplomat
Visiting Fellow, Observer Research Foundation
Member, Experts and Eminent Persons Group, ARF
Main professional activities
Ambassador to France 2004–2005
Ambassador to Spain 2001–2004
Additional Secretary (International Organizations)
Ministry of External Affairs (1998–2001)
Dean, Foreign Service Institute (1997–1998)
Head of Divisions dealing with the Asia-Pacific and later the Americas (1992–1997)
Ambassador to Peru and Bolivia (1989 to 1992)
Served in various capacities in the Government of India and Indian Missions in the US, Bangladesh, Philippines and Kenya (1967–1989)
Educational background
M.A. (Delhi University)
Other main activities in the field relevant to the mandate of the treaty body concerned
Member of CERD since 2008; Leader of the Indian Delegation to the Rome conference establishing the International Criminal Court
Long experience of multilateral diplomacy in the UN, the Nonaligned Movement and the Commonwealth covering security and disarmament, international law, human rights and social issues, climate change and environment
Participated in several sessions of the UNGA and the erstwhile Commission on Human Rights
Representative of India in the Fourth Committee, the Special Committee against Apartheid and Committee of 24
Supervised the preparation of India’s national reports to the monitoring bodies of various UN human rights instruments
Participation in the process of amending domestic laws to conform to UN human rights instruments to which India became party
List of most recent publications in the field
Indian Foreign Policy: An agenda for the 21st century 1997
India and Spain: 2000 years of interaction (Spanish) 2002
Has delivered talks at international meetings and written articles for newspapers and journals on nuclear and security policy, climate change, the International Criminal Court etc.
Mr. Luka Mađerić (Croatia)
Date and place of birth:13 October 1975, Croatia
Working languages: English
Current position/function
Head of the Office for Human Rights and National Coordinator for Suppression of Trafficking in Human Beings
Main professional activities
Responsible for the development of the system for protection and promotion of human rights and suppression of trafficking in human beings in the Government of the Republic of Croatia
Educational background
Postgraduate scientific studies “Strategic management” MS in strategic management, Indiana University
Master of Business Administration, International Graduate Business School for Business Administration
Graduated at Diplomatic Academy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration of the Republic of Croatia
BA in Law, Law Faculty, University of Zagreb
Other main activities in the field relevant to the mandate of the treaty body concerned
Project leader of the EU Project Progress: Support to Anti-discrimination Act, 2008
Project leader of the EU Project IPA 2009: Establishing a comprehensive system of protection against discrimination, 2011
Leader of the working group for preparation of national documents on combating trafficking in human being, 2004–2009
Leader of the Working Group of the National Programme for the Protection and Promotion of Human Rights for the period 2008–2011, 2007
Head of the Croatian delegation for defense of the Croatian report on the implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination for the period 2001–2006, 2009
Leader of the Working Group for Action Plan for implementing the National Plan against Discrimination for the period 2011–2013, 2011
List of most recent publications in the field
Expert Article on Importance of human rights protection in working relations in the journal of Labor Law, 2007
Suppression of trafficking in human beings, 2008
Mr. Pastor Murillo Martínez (Colombia)
Date and place of birth: 8 August 1963, Andagoya – Chocó
Working languages: Spanish
Current position/function
Independent expert, United Nations Committee for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD), 2008–2012. International consultant on human rights issues
Main Professional activities
Worked from November 1994 to May 2009 at director and adviser levels in the government. Was Deputy Director and, on two occasions, Director of Negro, Race and Palenquera Community Affairs at the Ministry of the Interior and Justice, with a permanent seat on the Council for Economic and Social Policy (CONPES), from where he coordinated the drawing-up of public policies for the said groups. Worked for nine years as human rights adviser to Colombia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Multilateral Economic, Social and Environmental Affairs Division. In his capacity as member of the negotiating team for the Free Trade Agreement between Colombia and the United States, was part of the delegation which promoted the country’s interests on the question of protecting the rights of migrant workers and their families. Alternate to the head of the Colombian delegation to the Third World Conference on Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and other related forms of Intolerance, held in 2001 in Durban, South Africa, and the preparatory Regional Conference in Santiago, Chile, amongst other relevant conferences. Author of the initiative which resulted in Article 113 in Law 50 of 1990, which guaranteed a retirement pension for more than 750 former workers of the company Metales Preciosos del Chocó. Member of the governmental work group which drew up Andean Decision 391 relating to access to genetic resources and derivatives thereof, and of the group of experts which formulated Law 70 of 1993, the law governing the Rights of Negro Communities as an Ethnic Group.
Educational background
Lawyer with a specialisation in environmental law, and diploma in human rights
Other main activities in the field relevant to the mandate of the treaty body concerned
Author of the initiative which resulted in United Nations General Assembly Resolution 64/169, promoted by Colombia, whereby 2011 was declared International Afro-Descendents Year. Attached to the Racial Equality, Cultural Differences, Environmental Conflicts and Racism in the Americas – IDCARAN – Research Group at the Centre for Social Studies, National University of Colombia. Awarded the José Hilario López Military Merit Medal in Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law by the Armed Forces of Colombia General Command, September 2007. In recent months has given lectures in Geneva, Peru, Guatemala, Panama, Washington, Colombia and Honduras.
List of most recent publications in the field
Reinforcing Racial Impartiality Organisations. Integration Magazine No. 5, Andean Community Cultural Policies, Lima, Peru, February 2010. Affirmative Action Measures or Special Measures for Redressing Historical Injustices and Discrimination, in “Revista El Otro Derecho”, No. 41, Latin American Institute for an Alternative Law and Society, July 2010.
Mr. Chris Maina Peter (United Republic of Tanzania)
Date and place of birth: 14April 1954, Shinyanga, Tanzania
Working languages: English, Swahili
Current position/function
Professor of Law – University of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Main professional activities
Teaching: Public International Law; Human Rights; Refugee Law; International Humanitarian Law; Law of the Sea; and Investments Law
Member, United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD), United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Geneva, Switzerland – January, 2008 to date
President, East African Civil Society Organisations Forum (EACSOF), Arusha, Tanzania – July, 2009 to date
Chairperson and Trustee, Zanzibar Legal Services Centre (ZLSC), Zanzibar, July, 2009 to date
Member, Open Society Institute East Africa (OSIEA) Board, Nairobi, Kenya, 2011 to date
Member, Editorial Board, International Journal on Minority and Group Rights, 2007 to date
Member, Editorial Advisory Board, African Yearbook of International Law, Paris, 2002 to date
Member, Board of Editors, Yearbook on International Humanitarian Law, The Hague, The Netherlands, 1996 to date
Member, International Advisory Board, East African Journal of Peace & Human Rights, Kampala, Uganda, 1994 to date
Educational background
Dr. Jur.University of Konstanz, Germany, 1989.
LL.M.University of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, 1984.
LL.B.University of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, 1980.
Diploma in Higher Education, University of Kassel, Germany, 1990.
Other main activities in the field relevant to the mandate of the treaty body concerned
Public International Law; Human Rights; Refugee Law; indigenous and Minority Groups; International Humanitarian Law; Good Governance and Rule of Law; Constitutionalism; Law of the Sea; and Investment Law
Institute of Legal Practice and Development (ILPD), Nyanza, Rwanda, Visiting Lecturer, October, 2010
China University of Political Science and Law (CUPL), Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law, Visiting Professor, July, 2010
Central European University (CEU), Legal Studies Department, Budapest, Hungary, Visiting Professor, May, 2010
University of Bayreuth, Germany, Visiting Research Professor, Institute of African Studies, October–December, 2007
Raul Wallenberg Institute (RWI), Lund, Sweden, Visiting Professor of International Law and Human Rights, September, 2006–February, 2007
University of Hamburg, Visiting Professor and Researcher, Special Research Programme Sonderforschungsbereich), Hamburg, Germany, March–June, 2003
List of most recent publications in the field
Books and Monographs
The Protectors: Human Rights Commissions and Accountability in East Africa, Kampala: Kituo Cha Katiba and Fountain Publishers, 2008
Searching for Sense and Humanity: Civil Society and the Struggle for a Better Rwanda, (Edited with Edith Kibalama) Kampala: Fountain Publishers Ltd, 2006
Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerances in Tanzania, African Association of Political Science, Volume 6 No. 2 Occasional Paper Series, 2002
Fundamental Rights and Freedoms in Tanzania (edited with Ibrahim H. Juma), Dar es Salaam: Mkuki na Nyota Publishers, 1998 (ISBN 9976 973 42 X (Soft Cover))
Human Rights in Tanzania: Selected Cases and Materials, Cologne, Germany: Rüdiger Köppe Verlag, 1997 (ISBN: 3-89645-320-3 (Hard Cover))
Chapters in books
“Justice and Dignity for All: The State of Human Rights in Tanzania,” in GASTORN, Kennedy, Harald Sippel and Ulrike Wanitzek (eds.), Justice and Dignity for All: Current Issues of Human Rights in Tanzania, Dar es Salaam: Tanzania-German Centre for Postgraduate Studies in Law and Dar es Salaam University Press, 2010, p. 7
“Mufti Act of Zanzibar and the Fundamental Rights and Freedoms of Muslims in the Isles,” in ELLIESIE, Hatem (ed.), Islam and Human Rights [Volume 26 Leipziger Beitrage zur Orientforshung], Frankfurt Am Main: Peter Lang, 2010, p. 173
“Mwalimu Nyerere and the Challenge of Human Rights,” (With Helen Kijo-Bisimba) in CHACHAGE, Chambi and Annar Cassam (eds.) Africa ’ s Liberation: The Legacy of Nyerere, Oxford and Kampala: Pambazuka Press and Fountain Publishers, 2010, pp. 149–159. [See also Issue No. 452 Pambazuka News, 13th October, 2009 [http:/pambazuka.org/en/category/features/59511]
Articles in International Journals
“The African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child,” (With Ummy Ally Mwalimu), Volume VII Analele Universitatii Spiru Haret (Seria Stiinte Juridice)(Bucharest, Rumani), 2009, p. 127
“The International Criminal Court and International Criminal Tribunals – Their Role and Relevance in Africa,” Volume 10 No. 2 Law in Africa (Recht in Afrika) – Zeitschrift der Gesellschaft fur afrikanisches Recht, 2007 (Cologne, Germany), pp. 253–263.
“Human Rights of Indigenous Minorities in Tanzania and the Courts of Law,” Volume 14 No. 4 International Journal of Group and Minority Rights, 2007, p. 455–487.
“Rights and Duties of Refugees under Municipal Law in Tanzania: Examining a Proposed New Legislation,” Volume 41 No. 1 Journal of African Law (London: UK), 1997, pp. 81–99.
Mr. Carlos Manuel Vázquez (United States of America)
Date and place of birth: 22 January 1958; Havana, Cuba
Working languages: English, Spanish, French
Current position/function
Visiting Professor of Law, Harvard Law School, July 2011–present
Professor of Law, Georgetown University Law Center, 1991–present
Main professional activities
Research and writing on a wide range of legal and human rights topics, including International Law; International Human Rights; Treaties in U.S. Law; Conflict of Laws, International Civil Litigation, Foreign Relations Law, and U.S. Civil Rights
Teaching courses to law students; current courses include Treaties in U.S. Law and Federal Courts and the Federal System
Georgetown Law Human Rights Institute, Director, 2005–2006
American Law Institute, Member, 2003–present
Association of American Law Schools (AALS)
Chair, Federal Courts Section, 2011–present
Member, Executive Committee, Section on Federal Courts, 1999–2002
Hispanic National Bar Association
Member, Latino Law Professors Committee, 1990–2003
American Society of International Law
Board of Editors, American Journal of International Law, 2007–present
Educational background
Columbia University School of Law, J.D., 1983
Yale University, B.A., 1979
Other main activities in the field relevant to the mandate of the treaty body concerned
As a member of Inter-American Juridical Committee of the Organization of American States from 2000 to 2003, and its Vice-Chairman from 2002–2003, addressed various questions relating to human rights and racial discrimination, including the relation between human rights and democracy and the desirability of concluding an Inter-American Convention for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination
At Georgetown, created and administered the International Human Rights Workshop, including supervising student research and writing relating to discrimination on the basis of race and gender
At Georgetown, created and administered the International Human Rights Colloquium, which brought scholars from across the United States to Georgetown to present papers on topics in the area of international human rights
As a private lawyer before joining academia, litigated on a pro bono basis cases involving allegations of racial discrimination
As lawyer in private practice and later as a Professor of Law, wrote and submitted amicus briefs in cases involving refugee matters, including claims regarding discrimination on the basis of race and national origin in refugee policy
List of most recent publications in the field
Customary International Law as U.S. Law: A Critique of the Revisionist and Intermediate Positions and a Defense of the Modern Position,85 Notre Dame L. Rev. ___ (forthcoming 2011)
Treaties as Law of the Land: The Supremacy Clause and the Judicial Enforcement of Treaties, 122 Harv. L. Rev. 599 (2008)
Sosa v. Alvarez-Machain and Human Rights Claims Against Corporations Under the Alien Tort Statute, in Linking Trade and Human Rights: Framework and Case Studies, Oxford University Press (2006)
Direct vs. Indirect Obligations of Corporations Under International Law, 42 Colum J. Transnat’l L. 927 (2005)
Trade Sanctions and Human Rights: Past, Present, Future,6 J. Int’l Econ. L. 797 (2003)
The Four Doctrines of Self-Executing Treaties, 89 Am. J. Int’l L. 695 (1995)
Treaty-Based Rights and Remedies of Individuals, 92 Colum. L. Rev. 1081 (1992)