This record is subject to correction.Corrections should be submitted in one of the working languages. They should be set forth in a memorandum and also incorporated in a copy of the record. They should be sent within one week of the date of this document to the Editing Unit, room E.4108, Palais des Nations, Geneva.Any corrections to the records of this Meeting will be consolidated in a single corrigendum.GE.07-44419 (E) 271008 031108 UNITED NATIONS

CAT

Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment

Distr.

GENERAL

CAT/SP/SR.14

3 November 2008

ENGLISH

Original: FRENCH

MEETING OF THE STATES PARTIES TO THE CONVENTION AGAINSTTORTURE AND OTHER CRUEL, INHUMAN OR DEGRADING TREATMENT OR PUNISHMENT

Eleventh Meeting

SUMMARY RECORD OF THE 14th MEETING

Held at the Palais des Nations, Geneva,

on Monday, 8 October 2007, at 10 a.m.

Temporary Chairperson:Ms. IZE-CHARRIN(Representative of theSecretary-General)

Chairperson:Mr. FLORENCIO(Brazil)

CONTENTS

OPENING OF THE MEETING BY THE REPRESENTATIVE OF THE

SECRETARY-GENERAL

ELECTION OF THE CHAIRPERSON

CONTENTS (continued)

ADOPTION OF THE AGENDA

ELECTION OF OFFICERS OF THE MEETING

ELECTION OF FIVE MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE AGAINST TORTURE TO REPLACE THOSE WHOSE TERMS OF OFFICE WILL EXPIRE ON31 DECEMBER 2007, IN ACCORDANCE WITH ARTICLE 17, PARAGRAPHS 1 TO 5 OF THE CONVENTION

The meeting was called to order at 10.10 a.m.

OPENING OF THE MEETING BY THE REPRESENTATIVE OF THESECRETARY-GENERAL

The TEMPORARY CHAIRPERSON, speaking on behalf of the Secretary-General, declared open the Eleventh Meeting of the States parties to the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. She noted with satisfaction that since the Tenth Meeting of the States parties, held on 30 November 2005, the number of ratifications of or accessions to the Convention had increased from 140 to 145. However, there was some way to go before reaching the target of ratification of the Convention by all States. She expressed satisfaction at the recent accession of Thailand and welcomed the representatives of new States parties attending the Meeting for the first time.

Briefly reviewing the work of the Committee against Torture, she said that since its establishment in November 1987, the Committee had held 38 sessions, the first of which had taken place in April 1988. During the three sessions held since the last Meeting of the States parties in 2005, the Committee had considered 21 periodic reports and adopted concluding observations on each of them. There were currently 25 reports awaiting consideration and, in order to clear the backlog, the Committee now met twice a year for three weeks.

The Committee had continued its work on confidential inquiries under article 20 of the Convention and on communications submitted under article 22. The provisions of those two articles were optional and applied only to those States parties which had subscribed to them. In accordance with article 20 of the Convention, the Committee could open a confidential inquiry if it received reliable information indicating the systematic practice of torture in a State party. To date, the Committee had conducted six confidential inquiries, the results of which had been made public; one inquiry was under way. Fifty-six States parties had made the declaration under article 22, and, since 1988, 329 individual complaints alleging violations of the Convention had been registered.

The Committee had continued to step up its cooperation and improve its coordination with the Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment and with the Board of Trustees of the United Nations Voluntary Fund for Victims of Torture. It had welcomed the adoption of the Optional Protocol to the Convention and the accession of 34 States parties to that instrument, whose objective was to establish a system of confidential visits to places of detention. The first visit by the Subcommittee on the Prevention of Torture had taken place on 8 October 2007 and the State party chosen by lot for that purpose was Mauritius. The Committee against Torture encouraged States parties to ratify the Optional Protocol in order to provide an additional means of preventing torture.

As far as funding activities under the Convention were concerned, she recalled that the Conference of States parties held on 9 September 1992, in accordance with the procedure laid down in article 29 of the Convention, had resulted in the adoption of amendments whereby the Committee’s activities would be financed under the regular budget of the United Nations. Those amendments had subsequently been approved by the General Assembly in its resolution 47/111 and, since 1 January 1994, activities under the Convention had been charged to the regular budget. However, the amendments could not officially enter into force without the approval of two thirds of the States parties, and, thus far, only 27 States parties had notified the Secretary‑General that they endorsed the amendments. She therefore requested all States parties that had not already done so to take appropriate action so that the amendments could be put into effect.

The Eleventh Meeting of the States parties had been convened in order to elect five members of the Committee against Torture to replace those whose terms of office were due to expire on 31 December 2007. In a note verbale of 14 May 2007, the Secretary-General had invited States parties to submit their nominations by 10 August 2007. The list of candidates and the States parties that had nominated them was contained in documents CAT/SP/30 and Add.1 and 2. The lists of members whose term of office was due to expire on 31 December 2007 and the five members whose terms were due to expire on 31 December 2009 were contained in annexes I and II respectively. Biographical data on the candidates, as furnished by the States parties concerned, appeared in annex III.

ELECTION OF THE CHAIRPERSON

Ms. GOMEZ OLIVIER (Mexico) nominated Mr. Florencio (Brazil) for the office of Chairperson.

The representatives of the United States of America, Jordan and Benin seconded that nomination.

Mr. Florencio was elected by acclamation and took the Chair.

ADOPTION OF THE AGENDA (CAT/SP/31)

The CHAIRPERSON said that, if he heard no objection, he would take it that the States parties wished to adopt the provisional agenda (CAT/SP/31).

It was so decided.

The CHAIRPERSON said that, in accordance with rules 2 and 3 of the rules of procedure of the Meetings of States parties adopted by the States parties at their First Meeting on 26 November 1987 (CAT/SP/2/Rev.1), the Secretary-General, in his note of 19 September 2007, had invited the States parties to send representatives to the Eleventh Meeting and to forward the credentials of the representatives to him as soon as possible, and in any case no later than one week before the date of the Meeting. The Secretary-General had yet to receive proper credentials from some of the States parties represented at the Meeting. He therefore proposed that, in accordance with rule 3, the representatives of those States parties should be entitled provisionally to participate in the meeting, and urged them to ensure that their credentials were submitted to the Secretary-General as soon as possible.

ELECTION OF OFFICERS OF THE MEETING

The CHAIRPERSON nominated Mr. Qurimaj (Albania) for the office of Vice‑Chairperson.

Mr. Qurimaj was elected Vice-Chairperson by acclamation.

ELECTION OF FIVE MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE AGAINST TORTURE TO REPLACE THOSE WHOSE TERMS OF OFFICE WILL EXPIRE ON 31 DECEMBER 2007, IN ACCORDANCE WITH ARTICLE 17, PARAGRAPHS 1 TO 5, OF THE CONVENTION (CAT/SP/30 and Add.1 and 2)

The CHAIRPERSON said that, under article 17 of the Convention, the five members of the Committee would be elected by secret ballot from a list of persons nominated by States parties. They would serve for a term of four years beginning on 1 January 2008. The names of the candidates nominated by States parties were contained in documents CAT/SP/30 and its addenda. Annex I to document CAT/SP/30 contained the names of the five members of the Committee whose terms of office were due to expire on 31 December 2007, and annex II contained the names of the five members who would continue to serve on the Committee until 31 December 2009. Biographical data on the candidates, as furnished by the States parties concerned, appeared in annex III to document CAT/SP/30 and in the addenda.

At the invitation of the Chairperson, the representatives of Egypt and Maldives acted as tellers.

A vote was taken by secret ballot.

The meeting was suspended at 11 a.m. and resumed at 11.45 a.m.

The CHAIRPERSON announced the results of the ballot, which were:

Number of ballot papers127

Invalid ballots1

Number of valid ballots126

Abstentions17

Number of representatives voting127

Required majority64

Number of votes obtained:

Mr. Khalid S.A. AL-TAKHAYNEH (Jordan)40

Ms. María Beatriz ALTOAGUIRRE LARRAONDO (Guatemala)48

Ms. Eliane EGUE-ADOTE (Benin)48

Ms. Raquel FORTUN (Philippines)40

Ms. Felice GAER (United States of America)89

Mr. Luis GALLEGOS CHIRIBOGA (Ecuador)86

Mr. Abdoulaye GAYE (Senegal)45

Mr. Claudio GROSSMAN (Chile)83

Ms. Myrna Y. KLEOPAS (Cyprus)47

Mr. Ferguson Onyemaeze IHEME (Nigeria)37

Ms. Maria PINIOU-KALLI (Greece)39

Ms. Diana SCOBIOALA (Moldova)13

Having obtained the required majority and the largest number of votes, Ms. Gaer (UnitedStates), Mr. Gallegos Chiriboga (Ecuador) and Mr. Grossman (Chile) were elected members of the Committee against Torture for a four-year term beginning on 1 January 2008.

No other candidate having obtained the required majority, a second vote was taken by secret ballot.

The meeting was suspended at 12.30 p.m. and resumed at 12.55 p.m.

The CHAIRPERSON announced the results of the ballot, which were:

Number of ballot papers127

Invalid ballots0

Number of valid ballots127

Abstentions17

Number of representatives voting127

Required majority64

Number of votes obtained:

Ms. María Beatriz ALTOAGUIRRE LARRAONDO (Guatemala)54

Mr. Eliane Berthe EGUE-ADOTE (Benin)58

Mr. Abdoulaye GAYE (Senegal)65

Ms. Myrna Y. KLEOPAS (Cyprus)71

Having obtained the required majority and the largest number of votes, Ms. Kleopas (Cyprus) and Mr. Gaye (Senegal) were elected members of the Committee against Torture for a four-year term beginning on 1 January 2008.

The meeting rose at 1.05 p.m.