Meeting of the States P arties
Fourth Meeting
New York
3 December 2009
Election of nine members of the Committee on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families to replace the five members whose terms will expire on 31 December 2009 as well as four additional members, in light of the entry into force of the Convention for the forty-first State party on 1 July 2009
Note by the Secretary-General
1.In pursuance of article 72, paragraph 4, of the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families, the Fourth Meeting of States Parties to the Convention will be convened by the Secretary-General at United Nations Headquarters on 3 December 2009 to elect nine members of the Committee on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families to replace the five members whose terms are due to expire on 31 December 2009 (see annex I) as well as four additional members, in light of the entry into force of the Convention for the forty-first State party on 1 July 2009. The names of the five members who will continue to serve on the Committee until 31 December 2011 appear in annex II.
2.In accordance with article 72, paragraph 3, of the Convention, the Secretary-General, in a note verbale dated 1 July 2009, invited the States parties to submit their nominations for the election of nine members of the Committee by 4 September 2009. Listed below in alphabetical order are the nominees, with the States parties which have proposed them indicated in parentheses:
Mr. José Brillantes (Philippines)
Mr. Francisco Carrión Mena (Ecuador)
Mr. Miguel Ángel Ibarra González (Guatemala)
Mr. Prasad Kariyawasam (Sri Lanka)
Ms. Andrea Miller-Stennett (Jamaica)
Mr. Mehmet Sevim (Turkey)
3.Biographical data of the nominees, as furnished by the States parties concerned, are contained in annex III.
Annexes
Annex I
Members of the Committee on Migrant Workers whose terms are due to expire on 31 December 2009
Mr. José Serrano B rillantesPhilippines
Ms. Anamaría D ieguez Aré valoGuatemala
Mr. Prasad K ariyawasamSri Lanka
Mr. MehmetSevimTurkey
Mr. Azad T aghizadeAzerbaijan
Annex II
Members of the Committee on Migrant Workers whose terms are due to expire on 31 December 2011
Mr. FranciscoA lbaMexico
Ms. Ana ElizabethC ubias MedinaEl Salvador
Mr. Ahmed HassanE l-BoraiEgypt
Mr. AbdelhamidE l JamriMorocco
Ms. MyriamP oussiBurkina Faso
Annex III
Biographical data of the nominees, as furnished by the States parties concerned
José S. Brillantes (Philippines)
Date and place of birth: 4 February 1938, Manila, Philippines
Working languages: English, Filipino, some German, some Spanish
Current position/function
Currently an elected member (and Vice Chairman) of the Committee (CMW) and Ambassador to Canada tasked with representing the interests and upholding the rights and welfare of approximately 500,000 Filipino workers in Canada;, has initiated 4 MOUs between Canadian provinces and the Philippines protecting and promoting migrant workers’ rights.
Main professional activities
A lawyer by profession and training, a law practitioner for 11 years and a respected diplomat for almost 40 years, presently Ambassador (AEP) to Canada and having served at Philippine embassies in Bonn, Washington D.C. and Kuala Lumpur, he pursues campaigns to protect the welfare of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) on land and sea, by extending to them all possible consular and legal assistance; represents the Philippines in international, regional, multilateral and bilateral dialogues, meetings, seminars and conferences; is resource speaker on migrant workers’ affairs and concerns in symposiums and forums drawing on his background and experience as former Labour Minister, as former Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, former Ambassador to Malaysia and having attended the UN session that passed the Convention for the Protection of the Rights of all Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families in New York, 1988–1989.
Educational background
Doctor of Laws (honoris causa) Lyceum University, Dagupan City, Philippines, 2005; Bachelor of Laws, Ateneo de Manila University, Manila, Philippines (1956–1960); Graduate Studies in Public Administration; Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada (1975–1976).
Other main activities in the field relevant to the mandate of the treaty body concerned
As current member of the CMW Committee, examines reports of States parties; attend inter-committee meetings, all towards the pursuit of the Committee’s objectives. As a diplomat and a CMW Committee member, has spoken as resource person on migration and development in the Philippines and in international fora, e.g. the 2nd Global Forum in Migration and Development Manila, 2008; Lima Declaration, Peru 2006; Ministerial Conference for Countries of Origin, Colombo Sri Lanka 2003; 1st Conference on Diaspora States, Mexico City 2004; advocates the promotion and protection of migrant workers as one of the 3 pillars of Philippine foreign policy, and oversees the implementation of MOUs with Canadian provinces, including job site visitation.
List of most recent publications in the field
“Politicas y mecanismos Filipinos en torno a la migración y el empleo en el extranjero”, México City, November 2006.
“Migration and development, opportunities and obstacles” prepared for Dag Hammarskjold Day, Asian Institute of Management Manila, October 2005.
Francisco Carrión Mena (Ecuador)
Date and place of birth: 8 April 1953, Quito, Ecuador
Working languages: Spanish, English and French
Current position/function
Research Associate at FLACSO (Latin American Faculty of Social Sciences), Ecuador; Chief Coordinator of the Andes Monitoring Centre for Foreign Policy (OBANPEX); private consultant on international affairs; columnist for the Quito newspaper “El Comercio” and the magazine “Vistazo”.
Main professional activities
Minister for Foreign Affairs (2005–2007); Ambassador to Spain (2000–2005); Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs (1998–2000). Served as professor at the Central University of Ecuador and at the Diplomatic Academy. Negotiator of the agreement on migration flows between Ecuador and Spain, 2002. Was a member of the Committee on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families (2004–2008); Member of the Advisory Board of MTML (Committee on Migrant Workers, Ecuador). Author of, among others: “Política Exterior Ecuatoriana: Evolución, Teoría y Práctica” (Ecuadorian Foreign Policy: Trends, Theory and Practice); “Consideraciones Teóricas sobre la Política Exterior del Ecuador” (Theoretical considerations on the foreign policy of Ecuador); “Ecuador y Perú: de la paz al desarrollo (Ecuador and Peru: from peace to development); and guest lecturer at home and abroad. Has written numerous articles and essays on migration and conflict resolution. Member of the Ecuador-Colombia Binational Dialogue Group sponsored by the Carter Center and the United Nations.
Educational background
Doctor of international law, specialization in diplomatic law, Central University of Ecuador;
Bachelor’s degree in political and social sciences, Central University of Ecuador;
Specialized courses in Chile, France, Italy and the United Kingdom.
Other main activities in the field relevant to the mandate of the treaty body concerned
Participant in various seminars on migration, particularly in relation to Colombia-Ecuador.
Speaker on the panel on “Public safety in border areas”, FLASCO, Ecuador, March 2009.
Interviewed on the subject of Ecuadorian migrant workers in Europe in the press, on radio and on television in Ecuador, and abroad.
Most recent publications in the field
“Dinámicas y problemáticas en zonas de frontera” (Dynamics and problems in border areas), article in “Entretierras”, journal on migration policy and human rights, Quito, April 2009.
Foreword to the book “Migración: mitos, propuestas y desafios” (Migration: myths, proposals and challenges), coordinated and compiled by Richard Salazar: IOM, Esquel Foundation, Quito, 2007.
Various articles on migration for the newspaper “El Comercio”, Quito.
Miguel Ángel Ibarra González (Guatemala)
Date and place of birth: Tiquisate, Escuintla (Guatemala), 25 September 1948
Working language: Spanish
Current position/function
Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs, responsible for the Migrant Support Centre, Guatemalan consular policy and the operation of Guatemalan consulates abroad. Participant in intergovernmental forums and public, national and international meetings on migrants.
Main professional activities
Formulation of public policy to support Guatemalan migrants. Coordination of implementation of technical, administrative and political programmes and activities of the Directorate General of Consular and Migratory Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Responsible for mobile consulates which provide institutional support to Guatemalan migrants and facilitate communication between citizens and the authorities. Support for migrants’ communities of origin. Monitoring and supervision of the implementation of conventions, treaties and agreements signed and ratified by the State of Guatemala on migratory or consular issues.
Educational background
Bachelor’s degree in business administration from the National Polytechnic Institute of Mexico (Instituto Politécnico Nacional de México). Graduate in Political Science from the Latin American Centre for Democratic Studies (Centro de Estudios Democráticos de América Latina), Costa Rica. Studied international politics in Venezuela and Spain and studied theology at the Central American Theological Centre (Centro Teológico de Centro América).
Other main activities in the field relevant to the mandate of the treaty body concerned
Promotion of a national prevention campaign on the risks of undocumented migration. Active participation in the National Support Council for Guatemalan Migrants (Consejo Nacional de Atención al Migrante de Guatemala (CONAMIGUA)), a multisectoral State body chaired by the Minister for Foreign Affairs. Monitoring of the public information campaign “No mas Trata de Personas” (No More People Trafficking), in order to prevent trafficking in persons.
Prasad Kariyawasam (Sri Lanka)
Date and place of birth: 21 March 1954, Galle, Sri Lanka
Working Languages: English and Sinhala
Current positions/functions
Additional Foreign Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Sri Lanka.
Responsibilities include multilateral affairs, human rights, migration matters, bilateral affairs of the South Asian region.
Experience on human rights issues, especially in the context of the UN System
The Alternate Representative of Sri Lanka at the fifty-third, fifty-fourth and fifty-fifth Sessions of the UN Commission for Human Rights (CHR) held in Geneva and led the observer delegation of Sri Lanka to the fifty-seventh and fifty-eighth Sessions of CHR. At the fifty-ninth Session of the UN Commission on Human Rights in Geneva, elected as a Vice-Chairperson and served in the Expanded Bureau of the fifty-ninth CHR. From 2005 to 2008 was Chairperson of the United Nations Special Committee to Investigate Israel Practices Affecting the Human Rights of the Palestinian People and Other Arabs of the Occupied Territories .
Professional activities in relation to the protection of the rights of migrant workers
President of the Council of the International Organization for Migration in the years 2001–2002, and gained both practical and conference experience pertaining to issues with regard to migration and protection of migrant workers. Deputy Head of Mission in the Embassy of Sri Lanka in Riyadh from 1989 to 1992 and observed first-hand, travails of the migrant worker population living in the Middle East. The first Chairperson of the Committee on Migrant Workers and held this post until 2008, during the initial formative stages of the Committee on Migrant Workers and leading the evolution and consolidation of working methods and procedures of the committee, as well as the advocacy of the Convention. Chair of the Meetings of the Chairpersons of Human Rights Treaty Bodies and Inter-Committee Meetings for the year 2004.
Other activities relevant to the Convention
Keynote Speaker at the Public Conference on Migrant Workers and Human Rights organized by the Irish Human Rights Commission and the Law Society of Ireland held in Dublin, Ireland on 15 October, 2005.
Keynote Speaker at the 8th International Conference on National Institutions for the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights held in Bolivia on 24 October, 2006.
Keynote Presentation on Globalization, Migration and Human Rights at the Seminar for Members of Parliamentary Committees Working on Human Rights and other Committees Addressing Migration Issues held at the Inter Parliamentary Committee (IPU) Headquarters in Geneva, on 24h October, 2007.
Represented Sri Lanka as well as the Committee on Migrant Workers at the Global Forum on Migration and Development International Conference held in Philippines on 27–30 October 2008.
Andrea Miller-Stennett (Jamaica)
Date and place of birth: 3 July 1967, St. James, Jamaica
Working languages: English
Current position/function
Director, Manpower Services
Functions: to direct and control activities to facilitate the placement of Jamaicans in employment opportunities overseas, and to monitor the activities of private employment agencies
Main professional activities
Contribute to the development of the policies governing the operations of the overseas employment programme
Supervise activities to recruit and prepare migrant workers for overseas employment
Liaise with overseas liaison services to ensure the welfare of overseas workers and to address problems
Direct activities which are implemented to provide support to migrant workers and their families
Educational background
Master of Arts in Development Studies, Employment and Labour Studies, Institute of Social Studies, The Hague
Bachelor of Science in Geography with the Social Sciences, University of the West Indies, Jamaica
Other main activities in the field relevant to the mandate of the treaty body concerned
Ensure that matters concerning wages, health, accommodation and other factors which impact on worker welfare are addressed by the relevant liaison service overseas
Undertake interventions to give necessary assistance to the families of migrant workers
Respond to complaints and conduct investigations with respect to issues affecting migrant workers
Ensure that workers receive injury benefits, gratuity payments and other entitlements when necessary
Mehmet Sevim (Turkey)
Date and place of birth: 5 June 1964, Dörtdivan, Turkey
Working languages: English
Current position/function
Head of Department for International Organisations
Ministry of Labour and Social Security
General Directorate of External Relations and Services for Workers Abroad
Working on the issues of the United Nations, Council of Europe, OECD, ILO, OSCE and other bilateral and multilateral instruments on social policy as well as rights of migrants
Main professional activities
Management personnel of a company at private sector (1987–1989);
Deputy Attaché for Labour and Social Security, Consulate General of the Republic of Turkey in Deventer (the Netherlands) (1993–1997);
Expert for External Relations and Services for Workers Abroad, Ministry of Labour and Social Security General Directorate of External Relations and Services for Workers Abroad (1997–2001);
Attaché for Labour and Social Security, Consulate General of the Republic of Turkey in Rotterdam (the Netherlands) (2001–2005);
Expert for External Relations and Services for Workers Abroad, Ministry of Labour and Social Security; General Directorate of External Relations and Services for Workers Abroad (2005–2006);
Head of Department at the Ministry of Labour and Social Security (2006 - …)
Educational background
Middle East Technical University, Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences, Department of Political Sciences and Public Administration;
Various programmes in the field of social policy, rights of migrants, bilateral and multilateral instruments of the United Nations, ILO, Council of Europe and European Union
Other main activities in the field relevant to the mandate of treaty body concerned
Member of the Committee of Migrant Workers (CMW) (2005–2009)
As a labour and social security attaché, I was responsible for protecting and developing the rights of Turkish migrants within the territory of hosting country or the rights arising from previous employment abroad of emigrant Turks within the framework of the bilateral or multilateral agreements, including the United Nations, Council of Europe and ILO instruments as well as the agreements made between Turkey and the EU, in the fields of human rights, rights of migrants, labour and social security.
List of most recent publications in the field
Several articles on the rights and obligations of migrants, namely rights in the field of labour and social security, social protection, family unification, work and residence permits, published in the national weekly or monthly newspapers and magazines concerning Turkish citizens residing in the Netherlands.