Seventeenth meeting
New York, 26 June 2012
Item 5 of the provisional agenda*
* CEDAW/SP/2012/1.
Election, in accordance with article 17, paragraphs 4 and 5, of the Convention, of 11 members of the Committee, to replace those members whose terms are due to expire on 31 December 2012
Note by the Secretary-General
Addendum
1.In accordance with article 17, paragraph 4, of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, the Secretary-General invited the States parties to the Convention to submit their nominations by 9 March 2012 for the election of 11 members of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women. Information on 20 persons nominated is contained in CEDAW/SP/2012/2. Seven additional nominations of the following persons have been received: Lawrence William Musonda (Zambia), Muna AbuSulayman (Saudi Arabia), Fatou Kiné Camara (Senegal), Sarah Al Sharji (Oman), Virginie Sheryl Nicole N’Dessabeka (Congo), Mabruka Sheriff Jabril Maidani (Libya) and Sawsan Al-Barrak (Iraq).
2.The curricula vitae of these candidates were furnished by their Governments (see annex).
3.In a note dated 10 April 2012, the Permanent Mission of Botswana to the United Nations informed the Secretariat of the decision of its Government to withdraw the nomination of Unity Dow as a candidate for election to the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women.
4.In a note dated 27 April 2012, the Permanent Mission of Zambia to the United Nations informed the Secretariat of the decision of its Government to withdraw the nomination of Lawrence William Musonda as a candidate for election to the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women.
Annex
Curricula vitae of candidates *
* Curricula vitae are issued without formal editing.
Muna AbuSulayman (Saudi Arabia)
Date and place of birth
16 May 1973, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America
Working languages
Arabic and English
Current position/function
Director at Directions Consulting (2011-present)
Directions Consulting is a boutique international consultancy firm with over 30years experience in innovative impactful philanthropy
Partner and board member, Glowork (2011-present)
Glowork is the first staffing and recruiting company of the Middle East and North Africa dedicated to women. The agency operates, and is fully functional, through both a website and physical office locations. The unique website full-service model helps women bypass logistic obstacles which they face on a daily basis, especially first-time job seekers, including cultural and familial constraints
Main professional activities
1.Advising social and non-profit sector leaders, corporate social responsibility departments, foundations and individuals on philanthropic effectiveness through:
Strategy philanthropy consulting and advising
Leadership development
Building private/public relationships
Creating, identifying, evaluating, scaling sustainable and innovative projects
Executing investments in socially driven private projects and funds
Managing private foundations for individuals, families and socially minded business owners
2.Enhancing cross-cultural understanding by:
Developing suitable academic and media projects
Developing and implementing training programmes
Work at Glowork:
Developing key strategies for business development
Promoting the company’s interests at various venues
Conducting seminars and training sessions, as needed
Educational background
Doctorate in English literature (all but dissertation), King Saud University, Riyadh (2004)
MA in English literature, George Mason University, Virginia, United States of America (1996)
BA in English literature, George Mason University, Virginia, United States of America (1995)
Other main activities in the field relevant to the mandate of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women
Work at Glowork entails ensuring that women bypass cultural constraints on finding suitable employment options, as well as providing key mentoring and training services to a strictly female clientele. Has, over the past 10 years, successfully launched and managed multiple businesses and foundations, as well as championed public and media campaigns on stopping domestic violence in the Middle East
Fatou Kiné Camara (Senegal)
[Original: French]
Date and place of birth
29 December 1964, Dakar
Working languages
French and English
Current position/function
Lecturer, Faculty of Juridical and Political Sciences, Cheikh Anta Diop University, Dakar
Supply teacher, Human Rights and Peace Institute, Cheikh Anta Diop University, Dakar
Member of the Advisory Board of the National Gender Equality Observatory, Decree No. 2011-1053, 28 July 2011
Main professional activities
Teaching undergraduate courses in private law; African human rights framework; human rights and family law; human rights and cultural diversity
Teaching master’s courses at the Human Rights and Peace Institute: women’s rights
Supervises the theses of Master’s 1 and Master’s 2 students
Educational background
1998: Doctorat d ’ Etat (doctorate) in private law, Cheikh Anta Diop University, Dakar
1988: Diplôme d ’ Etudes Approfondies (advanced university degree) in international law, specializing in private international law and international trade law, University of Paris II (Panthéon-Assas)
Diplôme d ’ Etudes Approfondies (advanced university degree) in general private law, University of Paris II (Panthéon-Assas)
1986: Master’s degree in law, specializing in international and European law, University of Paris II
Other main activities in the field relevant to the mandate of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women
Deputy Secretary-General of the Association of Senegalese Lawyers (AJS) (www.femjursen.com); member of the scientific committee of the symposium on the harmonization of the Family Code with the conventions signed by Senegal (June 2009) and of the workshop for the harmonization of the Criminal Code with the conventions to protect the rights of women and girls (November 2011); joint coordinator of the AJS free legal clinic
Secretary-General of the Senegalese Women’s Council (COSEF) (www.cosef.org); co-organizer of the gender equality and democracy campaign and its educational materials
Member of the steering committee of the International Association of Law Schools and of the committee organizing the conference from 23 to 25 October 2012, entitled “Human rights and the role of law schools” (http://isalsnet.org/meetings/index.html)
List of most recent publications in the field of discrimination against women and advancement of their human rights
“Les violences faites aux femmes et aux personnes vulnérables au Sénégal: les réformes qui s’imposent”
“La parité au Sénégal, une exigence de l’Etat de droit moderne conforme au droit constitutionnel précolonial”
“Le Code de la Famille du Sénégal ou de l’utilisation de la religion comme alibi à la légalisation de l’inégalité de genre”
“Women and the law: a critique of the Senegalese Family Code”
Sarah Al Sharji (Oman)
Date and place of birth
23 January 1982, Muscat, Oman
Working languages
Fluent in Arabic and English; conversational Swahili and Spanish
Current position/function
Assistant legal researcher and Head of Treaties and International Cooperation Division at the Ministry of Legal Affairs (as of February 2005)
Member of the National Committee on the Rights of the Child
Assistant legal adviser at the Royal Opera House, Muscat, Oman (July-December 2011)
Legal fellow at the United States Congress (office of John Conyers, Jr.), Washington, D.C., United States of America (April-May 2010)
Participant in the United Nations International Law Fellowship Programme, The Hague, Netherlands (July-August 2009)
Legal fellow at Atkin Chambers, Grey’s Inn, London, United Kingdom (July-August 2008)
Legal intern at Fulbright and Jaworski, Washington, D.C., United States of America (January-March 2006)
Main professional activities
Reviewing all draft bilateral and multilateral treaties into which Oman intends to enter
Advising the Government on entering into international conventions
Reviewing contracts imposing a financial obligation of at least 500,000 rials Omani on the Government
Preparing binding legal interpretations of current legislation
Drafting and reviewing legislation
Negotiating bilateral treaties on behalf of the Government
Following up on the work of international organizations of which Oman is a member
Assisting the relevant local authorities in dealing with issues pertaining to legal affairs and arising out of international conventions and treaties
Educational background
Master of Laws, international commercial law, from the University of Leicester, United Kingdom, in 2004
Bachelor of Laws from the University of Nottingham, United Kingdom, in 2003
Other main activities in the field relevant to the mandate of the treaty body concerned
Reviewed Oman’s first human rights report for the universal periodic review prior to submission
Prepared a simplified explanation (on leaflets and CDs) of certain aspects of the Personal Status Law pertaining to women, educating them on their legal rights (distributed by the Omani Women’s Association)
Preparing the third and fourth periodic reports on the Convention on the Rights of the Child
Participated in the Third World Congress against the Sexual Exploitation of Children and Adolescents, held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in November 2008
Participated in the annual sessions of the Asian-African Legal Consultative Organization (from 2007) and prepared a briefing paper on the position of Oman with regard to the trafficking of women and children, presented at the fiftieth session in 2011
Studied human rights law at both the undergraduate and graduate levels
Virginie Sheryl Nicole N’Dessabeka (Congo)
[Original: French]
Date and place of birth
21 April 1975, New York (Queens), United States of America
Working languages
French, English and Spanish
Current position/function
Law lecturer: Marien Ngouabi University, International University of Brazzaville and the National Police College. Courses taught: constitutional law, environmental law, administrative law, common corporate law, financial markets law, international private law, international public law, African securities regulations, human rights law, general introduction to law and creating a business and a business plan
Main professional activities
Thanks to my multidisciplinary educational background and my involvement in various associations, I have been able to play a significant role in the preparation and management of business governance and management projects. In addition, alongside my main occupation, which is teaching, I have the opportunity to act as editor within a team and legal adviser to companies and other legal entities on both public and private law
Educational background
Having been primarily trained in law, focusing on comparative law, I can cover different areas of law related to human rights and the rights of associations on both a national and an international level. I am currently writing a dissertation on the role played by the law in State-building, as exemplified by the modalities for the dissolution of marriage in the Republic of the Congo
Other main activities in the field relevant to the mandate of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women
Very active for some 12 years in the Association of Women Lawyers of the Congo, whose goal is primarily to protect and promote women’s and children’s human rights. Member, since 2009, of the Council of the International Federation of Women in Legal Careers, responsible for the health committee. First Secretary since 2011 of the Congo section of the Great Lakes Regional Women’s Forum. This forum is an organ of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region, and its mission is to advocate and lobby for specific issues concerning women covered by the Pact on Security, Stability and Development in the Great Lakes Region and other regional and international instruments on women’s rights
List of most recent publications in the field of discrimination against women and advancement of their human rights
“Situation des droits de la femme au Congo”, Actes de l ’ Atelier d ’ Umoja, Ngozi, 2010
“Le rôle de la légalité et du droit dans le dispositif de règlement des conflits (exemple du Congo)”, Actes du colloque sur “l ’ Etat de droit et la gouvernance en Afrique”, Yaoundé, 2010
“La situation des violences sexuelles basées sur le genre en République du Congo”, Les OSC: en route pour Kampala!, Kampala, 2011
“L’Historicité du genre”, Café du savoir, Brazzaville, 2012
Mabruka Sheriff Jabril Maidani (Libya)
Date and place of birth
1955, Bent Biya, Libya
Working languages
Arabic
Current position/function
Minister for Social Affairs
Main professional activities
1986-1987: Head of Department of Philosophy, Faculty of Arts Branch, Sebha. Since 2000: professor of higher education
Since 2003: founding member of Women’s Renaissance Association in the 1970s in Sebha and Coordinator of Cultural Affairs
Since 2004: member of Council of Experts in the Planning Council
2006-2007: coordinator of graduate studies in the Department of Philosophy, Faculty of Arts, University of Sebha
Educational background
PhD, philosophy (contemporary Arab thought), 1998, Mohamed the 5th University, Rabat, Morocco
Master’s degree, Islamic philosophy, 1985 Al-Fateh University, Libya
BA degree, philosophy, sociology and psychology, 1980, Faculty of Education, Sebha, Libya
Other main activities in the field relevant to the mandate of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women
Participation in the international symposium on women’s problems, held in Benghazi, including a research paper entitled “What is Women’s Liberation?”, 1986
Participation in the international symposium organized by the “Green Book Researches and Studies Centre”, Sebha branch, 2004, on Arabo-African culture, including a research paper entitled “How Arab and African intellectuals dealt with cultural globalization”
Participation in the round table of Arab professors inside and outside the Arab nation (fifteenth session) under the title “Sustainable development in the Arab region, 2005”, research paper entitled “Democracy and human rights and their role in the sustainable development”
Participation in the first philosophical conference in Garyounes University, including a research paper entitled “Criticism of Sadek Nahyoum of scholars’ methodologies: Islam against Islam — Islam in families as a model”, 2006
Participation in a symposium on political Islam organized in Benmisk Faculty of Arts, Casablanca, Morocco, from 19 to 21 December 2006, including a research paper entitled “Democracy and excess of religious authority”
Participation in the international symposium on woman’s rights and issues of social gender at Cairo University on 6 May 2008, including a research paper entitled “Woman in Libyan legislation and the difficulties of application”
Conference on marriage and divorce problems in Libyan society organized by Graduates Studies Academy, Tripoli; research paper entitled “Reading Law No. 10 (1984) regarding marriage and divorce provisions and their effects”
Participation in the symposium on the Image of woman in the prevailing popular culture, within the framework of the Strategic National Project for Promotion of Woman in Libya, organized by the University of Sebha in cooperation with the Secretariat of Woman Affairs, on 9 November 2010; research paper entitled “Image of woman in popular poetry”, “Eve poem” as nodal point.
List of most recent publications in the field of discrimination against women and advancement of their human rights
“Democracy and human rights and their role in sustained development”, accepted for publication in Studies magazine
“Democracy and challenges of globalization”
“Moral value and international changes”, accepted for publication in Studies magazine
“Multiculturalism and minority issues in the age of globalization”
“Social movements opposed to globalization”
“The culture of fear”
Sawsan Al-Barrak (Iraq)
Date of birth
24 September 1960
Working languages
Arabic and English
Current position/function
As Assistant Director General for Monitoring Performance and Rights Protection, I am responsible for organizing and follow-up on the monitoring mechanism, in addition to intensive observation of the efforts of employees through gathering information and fact-finding; immediate function encompasses information related to human rights, as set out in the two international economic and political covenants; work aimed at specifying the kind of job or measure needed to determine the gaps between globally agreed upon criteria and those contained in national legislation and between the local criteria and their actual application.
Main professional activities
Participation in preparation of annual workplan of the ministry and supervising implementation of the workplan of the Monitoring Performance and Rights Protection Directorate
Follow-up on preparation of special reports of inspection groups and monitoring the violations of, inter alia, right to work, right to health, right to learn and right to housing
Representing the ministry in joint committees and through memoranda involving other ministries, related to the rights of women and people with special needs
Consultation on projects on amendments of the laws related to economic, social and cultural rights
Preparing official responses to local and international queries, with the questioner coming to the ministry to discuss the rights, inter alia, of the child, women, minorities and people with special needs
Participation with Iraqi universities and international organizations in preparation of a national strategy or of projects to repair national legislation directed against specific persons or requiring amendments
Representative of the ministry for human rights in the membership of higher-level committees mandated to protect the family, in coordination with the United Nations Development Programme
Representative of the ministry for human rights in the committee charged with preparing the national strategy to fight violence against women, supported by the United Nations Population Fund
Educational background
BA degree in law, College of Law, Al-Turath University, Baghdad, 2011
BS degree in chemical engineering, University of Technology, Baghdad, 1984
Other main activities in fields relevant to the mandate of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women
Member of the Iraqi treaty report-writing team mandated to prepare the reports of Iraq to the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women and for the universal periodic review, 2014
Supervision and follow-up of periodical national reports related to the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Optional Protocol thereto on the involvement of children in armed conflict
List of most recent publications in the field of discrimination against women and advancement of their human rights
Preparation of the annual report on the reality faced by Iraqi women, 2009 and 2010
Research on the religious and political struggle for the rights of Iraqi women
Case report on the weak representation of Iraqi women in elections