Meeting of States parties to the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination

Twenty-sixth meeting

New York, 25 June 2015

Item 5 of the provisional agenda

Election, in accordance with article 8, paragraphs 1 to 5, of the Convention, of nine members of the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination to replace those whose terms of office will expire on 19 January 2016

Election of nine members of the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination to replace thosewhose terms of office will expire on 19 January 2016

Note by the Secretary-General

1.In accordance with article 8 of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, the twenty-sixth meeting of the States parties to the Convention is to be held at United Nations Headquarters on 25 June 2015 for the purpose of electing nine members of the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination from a list of candidates nominated by States parties (sect. II), to replace those whose terms will expire on 19 January 2016 (sect. I). Nine members will continue to serve on the Committee until 19 January 2018 (sect. III).

I.Members of the Committee whose terms will expire on19 January 2016

Name of member	Country of nationality
Mr. Alexey Avtonomov	Russian Federation
Mr. José Francisco Calí Tzay	Guatemala
Ms. Fatimata-Binta Victoire Dah	Burkina Faso
Mr. Ion Diaconu	Romania
Mr. Huang Yong’an	China
Ms. Patricia Nozipho January- Bardill	South Africa
Mr. Dilip Lahiri	India
Mr. Pastor Elías Murillo Martínez	Colombia
Mr. Carlos Manuel Vázquez	United States of America

II.Candidates nominated by States parties

2.In accordance with article 8 (3) of the Convention, the Secretary-General, in a note verbale dated 11 December 2014, invited States parties to submit, within two months, their nominations for the election of nine members to the Committee. All curricula vitae received by 6 April 2015 are included in the present document (see annex).

3.Listed below, in alphabetical order, are the names of the persons nominated for election to the Committee, and the States parties that nominated them.

Name of candidate	Nominated by
Mr. Alexey Avtonomov	Russian Federation
Mr. José Francisco Calí Tzay	Guatemala
Ms. Fatimata-Binta Victoire Dah	Burkina Faso
Mr. Ion Diaconu	Romania
Mr. Michael Karayanni	Israel
Ms. Yanduan Li	China
Mr. Nicolás Marugán	Spain
Ms. Gay Mcdougall	United States of America
Mr. Pastor Elias Murillo Martinez	Colombia
Ms. Salomé Ndayisaba	Burundi
Ms. Verene Albertha Shepherd	Jamaica
Mr. Mario Jorge Yutzis	Argentina

III.Members of the Committee whose terms expire on19 January 2018

Name of member	Country of nationality
Mr. Noureddine Amir	Algeria
Mr. Marc Bossuyt	Belgium
Ms. Anastasia Crickley	Ireland
Ms. Afiwa-Kindena Hohoueto	Togo
Mr. Anwar Kemal	Pakistan
Mr. Melhem Khalaf	Lebanon
Mr. Gün Kut	Turkey
Mr. Jose A. Lindgren Alves	Brazil
Mr. Yeung Kam John Yeung Sik Yuen	Mauritius

Annex *

Alexey Avtonomov (Russian Federation)

Date and place of birth: 9 March 1959, Moscow

Working languages: English, French, Russian, Spanish, Portuguese, Polish, Italian, Bulgarian, German, Serbian, Finnish

Current position/function

1994–present: chief research fellow and head of a section of the Institute of State and Law (Russian Academy of Science)

2007–present: Director of the Comparative Law Centre of the Higher School of Economics (Russia)

2007–present: Editor-in-Chief, “Gosudarstvo i Pravo” (“State and Law”), the oldest Russian Law journal

2011–present: Attorney-at-Law (practicing lawyer, advocate)

Editor-in-Chief of other journals: “Voprosy Yuvenalnoy Yustitsii” (“Juvenile Justice Issues”), “Grazhdanskoye Obshchestvo” (“Civil Society”)

Main professional activities

Member of the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination since 2003 (chairperson in 2012–2014, vice-chairperson in 2008–2010 and in 2014–2016, head of the Working Group on Early Warning and Urgent Action in 2014–2016, earlier member of this Group, country rapporteur in the majority of sessions).

Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office on Combating Racism, Xenophobia and Discrimination, also focusing on Intolerance and Discrimination against Christians and members of Other Religions in 2014 (appointed by Switzerland) and in 2015 (appointed by Serbia).

Research work in human rights and international law

Writing of articles and books

Conferences and workshops for academics and practitioners in law, NGO activity and human rights

Scientific consulting

Legal consultations for persons and entities

Legal representation in courts

Legal Opinions for Russian and foreign courts

Obligations of an Editor-in-Chief of legal journals

Educational background

1981 – graduated from the Moscow State Institute for International Relations, the International Law department

1984 – LLD from the Moscow State Institute for International Relations

1999 – Doctor Habilitatus in Law from the Institute of State and Law (Russian Academy of Science)

2003 – Degree of Professor of Law from the Moscow State University named after Lomonosov

2008 – Degree of Professor of Law from the University named after Kunaev (Almaty, Kazakhstan)

Other main activities relevant to the mandate of the treaty body concerned

Participation in workshops and seminars, organized by the Anti-Discrimination Unit of OHCHR

Member of the Moscow Civic Chamber

Cooperation with NGOs of Russian small in number indigenous peoples

Participation in events on intellectual property of indigenous people, organized by WIPO

Member of the Association of International Law

Extra-staff expert of several committees of the Russian State Duma and the Federation Council

Training members of the staff of the Human Rights Commissioner of Russian Federation (federal ombudsperson)

Training members of staff of regional human rights commissioners

Advising the Human Rights Council attached to the President of Russian Federation

Member of the Moscow Qualification Collegium of Judges in 2003–2009

List of most recent publications in the field

“Procedural Gaps Preventing Full and Adequate Implementation of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination” in: Journal of European Studies and international Relations, Vol. IV, Issue 1/2013 (p. 9–14).

“Individual Communications Consideration by the Treaty Bodies in the UN System” (in Russian) in: Mezhdunarodnoye Pravosudiye (International Justice), n. 3(7) 2013 (p. 78‒94).

“International Law Protection of Small in Number Indigenous Peoples Living in the North” (in Russian), chapter in collective monograph “Actual Situation and Ways of Development of Small in Number Indigenous Peoples Living in the North, in Siberia and in the Far East of Russian Federation”, 2d. Edition, Moscow, 2013 (p. 153–165).

“Urgent Legislation Drafting Technique Tasks in the Rule of Law Making in Contemporary Russia” in: “Regulatory Reforms. Implementation and Compliance” Prof. Dr. L. Mader/S. Kabyshev, Nomos, Baden-Baden, 2014 (p. 62–80).

“Social Projects Assessment” (in Russian) (co-author N. Khananashvili), Moscow, 2014, 2d. Edition 2015 (240 p.).

José Francisco Calí Tzay (Guatemala)

Date and place of birth: Tecpán Guatemala Chimaltenango, 27 September 1961

Working languages: Kaqchikel, Spanish and English

Current position/function

Independent consultant; consultancy with civil society organizations, Guatemalan Government and at international level; consultancy on topics of indigenous peoples and combating racial discrimination.

Main professional activities

Advising civil society organizations and State bodies on indigenous peoples’ rights, human rights in general and combating racial discrimination; running workshops at the national level; lecturer at the universities of Oklahoma and New Mexico in the United States and Bluefields Indian and Caribbean University in Nicaragua.

Educational background

Self-taught on subjects of indigenous peoples and human rights; diploma in legal and social sciences pending professional examination for qualification as lawyer and notary; first degree in legal and social sciences, Mariano Gálvez University, Guatemala.

Other main activities relevant to the mandate of the treaty body concerned

Currently Chairperson of the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination; as independent consultant publicizes the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination in Latin American countries in order to promote understanding and use of the Convention among civil society organizations and, on request, in States themselves.

List of most recent publications in the field

“Notas sobre el Convenio 169 y la Lucha contra la Discriminación” (Compendio sobre el Convenio 169 de la OIT, Los desafíos de su implementación en América Latina a 25 años de su aprobación, Lima, Peru, November 2014).

Fatimata-Binta Victoire Dah (Burkina Faso)

Date and place of birth: 18 August 1945, Tougan (Burkina Faso)

Working languages: French (Excellent); English (Excellent); Spanish (Good); Fufuldé (Excellent); Dioula (Excellent)

Current position/function

Retired Career Diplomat (Minister Plenipotentiary at exceptional class)

Current Member and Former Chair of the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD)

Main professional activities

Member of CERD (2004-Present): Chair of CERD (2008-2009); Vice-Chair of CERD (2006–2007); has represented CERD at the United Nations General Assembly, in 2008, in New York

1998–2002: 3e Vice-Chair, OAU/ECA African Women Committee For Peace and Development

1994–2001: Diplomatic Adviser to the President of Burkina Faso

1991–1994: Secretary-General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs: coordination and supervision of central and external services

1990–1991: Director for International Cooperation, Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Initiation and follow-up on issues of bilateral cooperation with country partners from the North and the South as well as with international organizations; negotiation of agreements; meetings of joint-commissions for bilateral cooperation

1987–1989: Minister Counsellor, Permanent Mission in New York (participation to the work and meetings of the Fifth Committee of the General Assembly)

1981–1987: First Counsellor, Burkina Faso Embassy in Beijing, China

1972–1976: Director, Department for Africa, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (participation to Non-Aligned Summits and to various other summits organized by the OAU, ECOWAS and Western African Countries Organization)

1977–1981: Technical Adviser to the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Burkina Faso

1972: Chief, Asia/Oceania Division, Direction of political affairs: participation to the session of the United Nations General Assembly (4th commission)

Educational background

1964–1970

Institut d’études politiques de Paris and Law Faculty of Paris/Assas (France)

Diplôme de Sciences politiques /option Relations internationales (Diploma in political sciences/International relations specialization) and Maîtrise de Droit Public (Master’s Degree in Public Law)

1970– 1971

Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Graduate Institute of International Studies, African Institute, Genève, Suisse

Diploma of Diplomatic Training

Internships with international organizations in Geneva. Study Trips at Bonn (Foreign affairs), Bruxelles (European Commission), Budapest (Foreign affairs), Paris (Foreign affairs) and Vienna (Diplomatic Academy)

Other main activities in the field relevant to the mandate of the treaty body concerned

As Chair of CERD, has lead the delegation of the Committee to the Durban Review Conference in Geneva, in 2009; has participated to various meetings of the Inter-Committee of human rights treaty bodies

Has chaired the Meeting of the Chairpersons of the United Nations human rights treaties bodies; has been member of the delegation of the treaty bodies experts in New York in the context of consultations on the treaties bodies strengthening process; has represented CERD at the session of the United Nations Ad Hoc Committee on complementary standards; has represented CERD at various panels, seminars and colloquia, at United Nations level, on human rights issues, including on the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination

Member of the Special Commission that had prepared the draft Constitution of Upper Volta in 1978

Member, Expert Commission on the border dispute settlement between Mali and Upper Volta

Ion Diaconu (Romania)

Date of birth: 23 October 1938

Educational background

1956–1960: Faculty of Law, University of Bucharest, Romania

1965–1968: University of Geneva, Ph.D. studies

1971: Doctorate in International Law, University of Geneva, Switzerland

Main professional activities

1960–1965: Legal Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs

1968–1979: Legal Department and Department for Security and Cooperation in Europe, Ministry of Foreign Affairs

1979–1980, Counsellor, Romanian Embassy, Brussels

1981–1986, Counsellor and Minister-Counsellor, Permanent Mission of Romania to the United Nations, New York; representative on the Sixth Committee

1986–1990, Deputy Director, International Organizations and Legal Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs

1990–1993, Director and Director-General, Legal and Consular Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs

1990–1993, Professor of international law, National School of Political and Administrative Studies and several private universities, Bucharest

1993–1997, Ambassador of Romania to Denmark, Copenhagen

1994–1997, Ambassador of Romania to Iceland (non-resident)

1997–2001, Ambassador of Romania to the Russian Federation, Moscow

1993–2001, classes on human rights, universities of Copenhagen, Oslo, Lund, Stockholm and Moscow

2001–2004, Secretary-General for legal and consular affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs

2001–2005, Lecturer in international law, National School of Political and Administrative Studies, Diplomatic Academy of the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, University of Bucharest Faculty of History and Dimitrie Cantemir University, Bucharest

2005–2008, Counsellor, Commission on Foreign Policy, Chamber of Deputies

October 2006-October 2010, Lecturer in legal protection of human rights, diplomatic and consular law, international relations and, at postgraduate level, European and Euro-Atlantic organizations, Spiru Haret University, Bucharest

October 2010 to date, Associate lecturer in legal protection of human rights, diplomatic and consular law and, at postgraduate level, European and Euro-Atlantic organizations, Spiru Haret University, Bucharest

2013 to date, Associate lecturer in the law of fundamental freedoms and public international law, Spiru Haret University, Bucharest; and, at postgraduate level, responsibility of States in international law, University of Bucharest

Major international conferences

1963: United Nations Conference on Consular Relations, Vienna

1964: United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, Geneva

1972–1975: Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe, Helsinki and Geneva

1978: Follow-up meeting of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe, Belgrade

1980: Follow-up meeting of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe, Madrid

1981–1985: United Nations General Assembly

1985: Meeting on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe, Ottawa

1986: Follow-up meeting of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe, Vienna

1988: United Nations Commission on Human Rights

1995: World Summit for Social Development, Copenhagen

1999: United Nations meeting, Decade of International Law, Saint Petersburg

2001: World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance, Durban

2009: Durban Review Conference, Geneva

Membership of international law bodies

1988–1991: Member, United Nations Sub-Commission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities

1991–2002: Member, Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination

1988–2002: Member, Permanent Court of Arbitration

2002–2003: Chairperson, Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination

2008–2015: Member and Rapporteur, Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination

2013–2015: Member, Council of Europe Committee of Experts of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages

Informations complémentaires sur les activités scientifiques du candidat *

Activités scientifiques

Contribution à une étude sur les normes impératives en droit international (jus cogens), 1971, en français

Les normes impératives en droit international, 1977, en roumain

Cours de droit international public, 1993 (première édition)

1995 (deuxième édition) en roumain

Droits de l’homme, 1993, en roumain; Droits de l’homme selon le droit international contemporain, 2001, en roumain; Droits de l’homme selon le droit international contemporain, théorie et pratique, 2010, en roumain

Les minorités – statut en perspectives, 1996, en roumain

Les minorités – identité et perspectives, 1996, en roumain

Les minorités – identité et égalité, 1998, en roumain

Les minorités au troisième millenium, 1999, en roumain

Les minorités selon le droit international, 2001, en anglais

Traité de droit international, vol. I (Introduction, Sources et Sujets), 2002, vol. II (Représentation, Espaces et Population), 2003, en roumain

Vol. III (Rapports économiques internationaux, Voies et moyens pour réaliser la coopération internationale), 2005, en roumain

La Cour Pénale Internationale – une nouvelle étape, 2002, en anglais

Discrimination raciale, 2005, en roumain

Discrimination raciale, 2007, en anglais, publié par l’Office du PNUD de Bucharest

Discrimination raciale, 2011, en anglais, publié par Eleven Publishers, The Hague

Manuel de droit international public, 2006, en roumain, deuxième édition 2007; troisième édition 2010

La culture et les droits de l’homme, 2012, en Roumain, Ed. Pro Universitaria

La responsabilité internationale en droit international, 2013, en Roumain, Ed Pro Universitaria

Introduction en droit international public, 2014, en Roumain, Ed. Pro Universitaria; Speaking different-living together, linguistic rights, Ed. Al Ata, 2015

Plus de 100 études et articles sur divers sujets de droit international et sur les droits de l’homme, publiés dans des revues et des livres de spécialité, en roumain, en anglais et en français

Michael Karayanni (Israel)

Date of birth: May 24, 1964

Working languages: Arabic, Hebrew and English

Current position/function

Full Professor, Bruce W. Wayne Chair in International Law, Faculty of Law, Hebrew University of Jerusalem

Incumbent, Academic Director Center for the Study of Multiculturalism and Diversity, Hebrew University of Jerusalem

Visiting Professor of Law, Georgetown Law Center, Georgetown University, Washington, DC, USA (Fall, 2015)

Main professional activities

I teach three courses at the Faculty of Law at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and engaged in three main research projects: the first deals with the liberal dilemma associated with the accommodation of religious minorities in nation states given that liberalism will work to back such an accommodation but should also be attuned to vulnerable minority members such as women and children; the second deals with the extraterritorial application of access to justice rights; and the third deals with the history and nature of the recognition accorded to the Palestinian-Arab religious communities in Israel. I also supervise the work of one post-doc student and four doctorate students.

Educational background

University of Pennsylvania, SJ D, 2003, Philadelphia, USA, Honors : Fulbright Fellowship; Rothschild Fellowship

Hebrew University of Jerusalem, LLD, 2000, Jerusalem, Israel, Honors : s umma cum laude; Bronfman Prize

George Washington University, LLM, 1994, Washington, DC, USA, Honors: The Israeli Arab Scholarship Program; Bar- Ilan Universit y, LLB, 1990, Ramat Gan, Israel

Other main activities in the field relevant to the mandate of the treaty body concerned

I have been engaged with different issues of human rights, especially group rights and multiculturalism, both in my academic work and extra-academic activities. I have also initiated the establishment of a research centre with the explicit agenda of looking into inter-group relations in Israel – first of its kind in the academic realm in Israel. I will be listing major academic publications in the field as proof of my research achievements. As to my extra-academic activities I would like to list the fact that I was a member of the board of ACRI — Association for Civil Rights in Israel — the country’s major human rights association, and since 2009 serve as a member of the committee awarding the Emil Grunzweig Human Rights Award to organizations and individuals whose work made a significant contribution in the field of human rights in Israel. I have also served as a member in the School of Peace, located in Naveh Shalom – Wahat El Salam that engages in different co-existence activities.

List of most recent publications in the field

Conflicts in a Conflict: A Conflict of Laws Study on Israel and the Palestinian Territories (OUP, 2014) (with S. Hasson)

Barriers on the Road to Equality (Floersheimer, 2006) (Hebrew); The Availability of Israeli Court to Palestinian Plaintiffs, in Private International Law and Global Governance 211–241(OUP, 2015)

The Acute Multicultural Entrapment of the Palestinian-Arab Religious Minorities, in Mapping the Legal Boundaries of Belonging 225–251(OUP, 2014)

Two Concepts of Group Rights for the Palestinian-Arab Minority under Israel’s Constitutional Definition as a ‘Jewish and Democratic’ State, 10 I. Con. 304–339 (2012)

Yanduan Li (China)

Date and place of birth: 23 January 1955, Beijing, China

Working languages: Chinese, English, Russian

Current position/function

2013–present Ambassador of China to the Independent State of Samoa

1993–present Member of China’s Society of International Law

2011–present Member of China’s Society of Diplomatic Affairs

Main professional activities

2011–2013 Special Representative of Ministry of Foreign Affairs of P.R. China for Climate Change Negotiations

2006–2010 Deputy Consul-General of P.R China in Sydney, Australia

2001–2005 Head of Legal Division, Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of P.R. China in Hong Kong Special Administrative Region

1994–2000 Director, Counselor, Department of Treaty and Law, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of P.R. China

1990–1994 the Second and First Secretary of Permanent Mission of P.R. China to the United Nations (Legal Office)

1985–1990 the Third and Second Secretary, Division of Human Rights, Department of Treaty and Law, MFA, P.R. China

1980–1984 Attaché, Division of Treaties, Department of Treaty and Law, MFA, P.R. China

1975–1980 Staff Member, General Office, MFA, P.R. China

Educational background

1985 – LL.M, Columbia Law School in New York

1980 – B.A, China Foreign Affairs University (Department of International Law ) in Beijing, China

1975 – B.A, Beijing University of Foreign Languages (School of Russian Literature)

Other main activities in the field relevant to the mandate of the treaty body concerned

2011–2013 As Deputy Head or the Head of Chinese Delegation to the UNFCCC, taking part in COP 17 and 18 Conferences in Durban and Doha, AWG-KP 16 and 17, as well as other relevant negotiation meetings and consultations concerning the Kyoto Protocol

1994–2001 AsHead or Deputy Head of Chinese delegation, taking part in all negotiation meetings of Ad Hoc Committee on Establishment of International Criminal Court, PreparatoryCommittee on Establishment of International Criminal Court,United NationsDiplomatic Conference of Plenipotentiaries on the Establishment of an International Criminal Court, as well as the Preparatory Commission

1990–1994 As the Alternate Delegate or Delegate of Chinese Delegation to 45th, 46th, 47th and 48th sessions of the General Assembly of the United Nations, taking part in the meetings of Sixth Committee, Third Committee, Special Committee of the Charter of the United Nations, the Committee on Relations with the Host Country, and some Security Council meetings concerning legal matters

1986–1990 As the Alternate Delegate of Chinese Delegation to the 41st session of the General Assembly of the United Nations, taking part in the Third Committee; As the Delegate of Chinese delegation to 43rd, 44th and 45th sessions of the Commission on Human Rights, taking part in the meetings of the Commission and negotiation meetings of WG on rights of child, WG on rights of migrant workers and WG on rights and dignity of persons with disabilities

List of most recent publications in the field

Co-author of “Commentary on Charter of the United Nations” in Chinese language, published in Shanxi, China.

Nicolás Marugán (Spain)

Date and place of birth: Madrid, 30 June 1970

Working languages: English, Spanish

Current position/function

Starting 1 December 2014 I am on unpaid leave from the public sector. I am working on development issues with specialized NGOs.

Main professional activities

May 2009–November 2014, Director, Spanish Racism and Xenophobia Monitoring Centre, Ministry of Employment and Social Security (formerly Ministry of Labour and Immigration), which analyses developments in racism and xenophobia in Spain; promotion of equality and non-discrimination; representing Spain in several United Nations procedures (universal periodic review, Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination); national liaison officer for Spain with the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights; national contact point for integration of immigrants, European Migration Network (EMN); national contact point at the Tolerance and Non-Discrimination Unit, Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, OSCE/ODHIR

During that time my team and I drafted and coordinated the preparation of the Comprehensive Strategy against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and related Intolerance that was approved by the Government

Since 1999 I have held other positions in the public sector, in the areas of employment and housing

Educational background

1988–1993: First degree in law, Universidad Complutense, Madrid

2008/2009: Migration and development studies, Carlos III University, Madrid

Other main activities relevant to the mandate of the treaty body concerned

I have worked as a volunteer for two NGOs, Amnesty International in Madrid (4 years, reporting on Israel and human rights violations in the occupied territories) and the Spanish Red Cross (4 years, helping children living with HIV)

List of most recent publications in the field

Estrategia integral contra el racismo, discriminación racial, xenofobia y otras formas de intolerancia (2011) – drafting coordinator

Spain, Ministry of the Interior and Ministry of Employment and Social Security, Training manual for security forces for identifying and recording racist and xenophobic incidents (2012). Used in training more than 20,000 police officers

“La xenofobia y la discriminación. Desafíos y políticas públicas en España”, Migration Policy Practice (International Organization for Migration (IOM), 2012)

“La lucha contra el racismo, la xenofobia y otras formas relacionadas de intolerancia y discriminación”, Anuario de la Inmigración en España, 2011 (CIDOB, Diputació de Barcelona y Fundación Ortega-Marañón, 2011)

Publications in English and Spanish of the Observatorio Español del Racismo y la Xenofobia can be found at: http://explotacion.mtin.gob.es/oberaxe/

Gay Mcdougall (United States of America)

Date and place of birth: August 13, 1947; Atlanta, GA

Working languages: English

Current position/function

Distinguished Scholar-in-Residence at Leitner Center on International Law and Justice, Fordham University Law School

Main professional activities

United Nations Independent Expert on Minority Issues (2005–2011)

Expert Member, United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (1998–2001)

Executive Director, Global Rights (1994–2006)

Director, Southern Africa Project of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights under Law (1980–1994)

Educational background

L.L.M., London School of Economics and Political Science; London, England. Focus: Public International Law (1978)

J.D., Yale Law School; New Haven, Connecticut (1972)

B.A., Bennington College; Bennington, Vermont (1969)

Honorary Doctor of Law degrees from Georgetown University Law Center, the University of Witwatersrand (South Africa), the School of Law of the City University of New York and Agnes Scott College

Other main activities in the field relevant to the mandate of the Human Rights Committee

Mulligan Distinguished Visiting Professor of International Law, Fordham Law School (2013)

Visiting Professor in Human Rights, Georgetown University Law Center (2011‒2012)

Convener, United Nations Forum on Minority Issues (2007–2011)

Distinguished Scholar in Residence, American University Washington College of Law (2006–2008)

Member, Independent Electoral Commission of South Africa (1994)

Expert Member (Alternate), United Nations Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights (1997–2000)

List of select publications

Forward to Minority Rights Group International, State of the World’s Minorities, 2009: The Right of Minorities to Education (2009)

Roma in Europe: Racism is Alive and Well, Edinburgh Journal, November 22, 2008

Minorities, Poverty and the Millennium Development Goals: Assessing Global Issues, 14 International Journal on Minority and Group Rights 333 (2007)

Preface to Minority Rights Group International, State of the World’s Minorities, 2006 (2006)

Preface to Minority Rights Group International, Minority Rights in Kosovo under International Rule (2006)

Decade of Human Rights Struggles, 11 Human Rights Brief 12 (Spring 2004)

The World Conference Against Racism: Through a Wider Lens, 26 Fall Fletcher J. World Aff. 135 (2002)

Racial Discrimination as a Violation of International Law: International Standards and Mechanisms, Chapter 15 in Beyond Racism: Race And Inequality In Brazil, South America, And The United States (Charles V. Hamilton et al., eds., 2001)

Toward a Meaningful Regime: The Domestic Relevance of International Efforts to Eliminate All Forms of Racial Discrimination, 40 Howard L. J. 571 (1996‒1997)

Pastor Elias Murillo Martinez (Colombia)

Date and place of birth: Andagoya – Istmina, Chocó, Colombia, 8 August 1963

Working language: Spanish

Current position/function

Adviser to the Deputy Minister of the Interior for Participation and Equal Rights (Colombia); member, United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination; honorary adviser to Global Alliance of Mayors and Leaders from Africa and of African Descent.

Main professional activities

Author and sponsor, draft General Assembly resolution on the decade for people of African descent, which resulted first in resolution 64/169, proclaiming 2011 the International Year for People of African Descent, and later resolution 68/237, on the Proclamation of the International Decade for People of African Descent; rapporteur, general recommendation No. 34 of the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, on racial discrimination against people of African descent; co-author, Andean Community Decision No. 391 Establishing the Common Regime on Access to Genetic Resources. In 2014, member of the Organization of American States (OAS) election observer mission to Peru, and prepared several studies for OAS. Deputy head of the Colombian delegation to the Santiago and Durban conferences and member of the negotiating team on the free trade agreement with the United States.

Educational background

First degree in law, Universidad Autónoma de Colombia, Bogotá, 1994; postgraduate studies in analysis of social problems from a human rights perspective, University of la Rioja, Spain, 2013; postgraduate studies in environmental law, Incca University, Bogotá, 1995; diploma in human rights, Ombudsman, Bogotá, 1999; leadership training, Department of State of the United States of America, 2007.

Other main activities relevant to the mandate of the treaty body concerned

In charge of formulating and coordinating public policy on the Afro-descendant population. Twice Director of Afro-Colombian Affairs, Ministry of the Interior. Former adviser and Director, Human Rights Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Responsible for drafting text of article 113 of Act No. 50 of 1990, guaranteeing a retirement pension to more than 750 former workers from Metales Preciosos del Chocó.

List of most recent publications in the field

Columnist with Razón Pública daily newspaper. Articles include “Los discursos de odio y la penalización del racismo”, 8 December 2014, “A propósito de las curules usurpadas: ¿quiénes somos ‘afrodescendientes’?”, 4 August 2014, “Los afrodescendientes: incluidos en el deporte pero excluidos de la política”, 14 July 2014, “Discriminación racial: comprendiendo el problema para enfrentarlo”, 20 January 2014.

Salomé Ndayisaba (Burundi)

Date and place of birth: 25 November 1974, Kabogo-Giteranyi

Working language: French

Current position/function

Married woman and public official with the title Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Burundi, currently Director-General of the Diplomatic Inspectorate, the Diaspora and Communication.

Main professional activities

Planning the work of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and international cooperation

Evaluating implementation of the Ministry plan of action

Evaluating the work of the diplomatic missions of Burundi abroad

Encouraging the Burundian diaspora to support the development of their country, Burundi

Providing information on Burundi to the country’s diplomatic missions and consulates abroad and to accredited diplomatic missions and consulates in Burundi

Educational background

University studies in social sciences

Three-month courses in gender studies and international law

Three-month course in diplomacy and international relations

Other main activities relevant to the mandate of the treaty body concerned

Representative of the Government of Burundi, regional committee of the 12 nations of the Great Lakes region on prevention and punishment of crimes against humanity and all forms of discrimination

Ministry focal point on gender equality issues

List of most recent publications in the field

No publications in the field other than relevant reports

Verene Albertha Shepherd (Jamaica)

Date and place of birth: 16 April 1951, St. Mary, Jamaica

Working languages: English, Spanish (good facility in reading, functional in speaking)

Current position/function

Professor of Social History at the University of the West Indies, Jamaica, focussing on subaltern history

University Director of the Regional Institute for Gender & Development Studies, University of the West Indies

Member (and former Chair) of the United Nations Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent

Member of the Board of Atlantic Studies; Slavery & Abolition; International Journal of African Renaissance Studies

Member of the International Women’s Forum & Radio Host of “Talking History” (Nationwide 90 FM, Jamaica)

Main professional activities

My main position is University Director of the Institute for Gender & development Studies. This requires supervising staff on the 3 main campuses of the University of the West Indies (UWI), administering a Graduate Programme in the Regional Coordinating Unit of the Institute for Gender & Development Studies and overseeing the development of a Gender Policy for the University that fits within the Strategic goals of the Institution. I am engaged in research and publications, Human Rights Outreach activities and serve on the Advisory Board of the Police Staff College in Jamaica. I also participate actively in the work and mandate of the United Nations Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent (WGEPAD), of which I am the representative of the Latin American and Caribbean States Group (GRULAC) & immediate past Chair.

Educational background : Academic Record

1988: Ph.D (History), University of Cambridge

1985: M.Phil (History), University of the West Indies

1976: B.A. (History), University of the West Indies

I also have formal training in Teacher Education

Other main activities relevant to the mandate of the treaty body concerned

Currently, my main human rights /anti-racial discrimination work is as a member of the Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent (WGEPAD). Our mandate relates directly to anti-discrimination as well as the fight against xenophobia and related intolerance. We are actively involved in the fight against racial discrimination, especially Afrophobia. Our country visits provide us with opportunities to review the human rights records of various countries and ascertain best practices and challenges in the area of racial discrimination. I am affiliated with the work of two non-governmental organizations, Jamaicans for Justice and Jamaica’s 51% Coalition, that lobby for gender justice in leadership positions. I use my radio programme to focus on human rights issues. I also participate in radio interviews and documentaries (locally, regionally and internationally) that focus on racial discrimination and subaltern studies; and deliver numerous public lectures that intersect with the mandate of the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) and the WGEPAD. I also participated in the Vienna+20 Conference in Austria, in June 2013.

List of most recent publications in the field

2011: Verene A. Shepherd (ed.), Engendering Caribbean History: Cross-cultural Perspectives (Kingston: Ian Randle)

2007: Verene A. Shepherd, I Want to Disturb My Neighbour: Lectures on Slavery, Emancipation & Postcolonial Jamaica (Kingston: Ian Randle)

2006: Verene Shepherd/Hilary Beckles, Freedoms Won:Caribbean Emancipations, Ethnicities, and Nationhood (Cambridge UP)

2004: Beckles/Shepherd, Liberties Lost: Caribbean Indigenous Societies and Slave Systems (Cambridge UP)

2002: Verene A. Shepherd, Maharani’s Misery (Kingston: UWI Press)

Mario Jorge Yutzis (Argentina)

Date and place of birth: Buenos Aires, 26 July 1936

Working languages: Spanish, French, English, Italian, Portuguese

Current position/function

Emeritus professor and member of the assessment board, Higher Evangelical Institute for Theological Studies (ISEDET)

Vice-President and coordinator, International Movement against All Forms of Discrimination and Racism (IMADR)

Main professional activities

Higher Evangelical Institute for Theological Studies (ISEDET):

Former Professor of Philosophical Anthropology, of Hermeneutics and of Latin American Reality (international relations perspective). Former member, Faculty Council, former Secretary of Research Programmes

Director-designate, course on alternative conflict resolution, peace and reconciliation (proposed)

Educational background

Licenciatura(Master’s degree) in theology, José C. Paz Lutheran School of Theology, Buenos Aires.

Doctorate in Religious Science, University of Strasbourg, France.

Other main activities relevant to the mandate of the treaty body concerned

Expert, Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson, Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, 1984–2008

Format liaison person for CERD to the Commission on Human Rights

Member, CERD contact group with the United Nations Commission on Human Rights for the organization of the World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance

CERD representative to the Durban World Conference against Racism

Expert and contributor, Latin American Regional Seminar of Experts preparatory to the Durban World Conference, Santiago, Chile

Expert contributor, United Nations colloquium on protection of human rights in migratory flows, in preparation for the Durban World Conference, Santiago, Chile

Appointed by CERD for advisory mission to Croatia during the conflict with Serbia, as part of the United Nations Technical Cooperation Programme in the Field of Human Rights

Invited by the Government of Guatemala and appointed by CERD to carry out an advisory mission in Guatemala as part of the United Nations Technical Cooperation Programme in the Field of Human Rights

Appointed by the United Nations Advisory Services and Technical Cooperation Programme in the Field of Human Rights to conduct a human rights needs assessment in El Salvador with a view to establishing a local branch of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights

Former human rights adviser to the Permanent Mission of the Argentine Republic to the United Nations Office at Geneva

Former member of the advisory board of the Anti-Racism Information Service (ARIS)

Currently Vice-President and Coordinator for Latin America, International Movement against All Forms of Discrimination and Racism (IMADR)

Organizer, IMADR Symposium on New Forms of Racism, United Nations, Geneva, 1992

Invited by the Interministerial Human Rights Commission of the French Government to speak at the Lyon Colloquium on racism and human rights as part of the commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Chair and coordinator of meeting between CERD and the International Law Commission on the subject of States’ reservations to articles of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination

Organized and chaired CERD thematic debates on non-citizens, undocumented migrants, stateless persons, refugees and prevention of genocide

Representative of Argentina and speaker at the expert workshop on the right of peoples to peace, organized by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Geneva, 15–16 December 2009

List of most recent publications in the field

“Globalization and discrimination”, special edition of Peoples for Human Rights, IMADR Journal (editor)

“Descent-Based-Discrimination. 250 million worldwide oppressed under caste and analogous sistems of inherited status”, Peoples for Human Rights, IMADR Journal, vol. 9 (IMADR, Oct. 2004) (co-editor)

Obstáculos y Alternativas en la Lucha contra el Racismo y la Xenofobia en Relación con las Poblaciones Migrantes (Obstacles and Alternatives in the Struggle against Racism and Xenophobia with Regard to Migrant Populations) (Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia (UNED), Madrid)