United Nations CEDAW/SP/2020/2
Convention on the Elimination Distr.: General 29 April 2020 of All Forms of Discrimination against Women Original: English
Meeting of States parties to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women Twenty-first meeting New York, 29 June 2020 Item 5 of the provisional agenda* Election of members of the Committee
Election, in accordance with article 17 (4) and (5) of the Convention, of 11 members of the Committee to replace those whose terms are due to expire on 31 December 2020
Note by the Secretary-General
1. In accordance with article 17 (4) of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, the twenty-first meeting of States parties to the Convention will be convened by the Secretary-General at United Nations Headquarters on 29 June 2020 for the purpose of electing 11 members of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women from a list of persons nominated by States parties to replace those whose terms are due to expire on 31 December 2020 (see sect. I below). The names of persons nominated by States parties appear in section II. The names of the other 12 members who will continue to serve on the Committee until 31 December 2022 appear in section III. 2. In accordance with the procedure set out in article 17 (3) of the Convention, the Secretary-General, in a note verbale dated 19 December 2019, invited States parties to submit their nominations for the election of 11 members of the Committee, within two months. All the curricula vitae received by 6 March 2020 are included herein. Addenda to the present note will be issued for any subsequent nominations received. 3. Listed below, in alphabetical order, are the names of the persons nominated for election to the Committee and the States parties that have nominated them. The biographical data of the nominees, as provided by the States parties concerned, are contained in the annex to the present note. 4. In addition, in compliance with paragraph 12 of General Assembly resolution 68/268, the current situation with respect to the composition of the Committee, reflecting the balance in terms of geographical distribution and gender representation, professional background and different legal systems, as well as the tenure of current members, is contained in sections I and III of the present document. The biographical
* CEDAW/SP/2020/1.
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data of current members is available from the web page of the Committee (see www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/CEDAW/Pages/Membership.aspx). 5. In paragraph 13 of the same resolution, the General Assembly encouraged States parties, in the election of treaty body experts, to give due consideration, as stipulated in the relevant human rights instruments, to equitable geographical distribution, the representation of the different forms of civilization and the principal legal systems, balanced gender representation and the participation of experts with disabilities in the membership of the human rights treaty bodies.
I. List of the 11 members whose terms expire on 31 December 2020
6. The members’ professional backgrounds, legal systems and further biographical data may be found on the membership web page of the Committee by clicking on the names of the individual members (see www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/CEDAW/Pages/ Membership.aspx).
Member Country of nationality Member since
Nicole Ameline (Vice-Chair) France 2009 Gunnar Bergby Norway 2017 Marion Bethel Bahamas 2017 Esther Eghobamien-Mshelia Nigeria 2018 Hilary Gbedemah (Chair) Ghana 2013 Nahla Haidar El Addal Lebanon 2013 Dalia Leinarte Lithuania 2013 Rosario G. Manalo Philippines 2017a Bandana Rana (Vice-Chair) Nepal 2017 Wenyan Song China 2017 Aicha Vall Verges Mauritania 2017
a Ms. Manalo was also a member of the Committee from 1999 to 2006.
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II. List of persons nominated by States parties
Candidate Nominated by
Brenda Akia Uganda Nicole Ameline France Marion Bethel Bahamas Leticia Bonifaz Alfonzo Mexico Corinne Dettmeijer-Vermeulen Netherlands Esther Eghobamien-Mshelia Nigeria Hilary Gbedemah Ghana Nahla Haidar El Addal Lebanon Asma Khader Jordan Dalia Leinarte Lithuania Sohoyata Maïga Mali Rosario G. Manalo Philippines Yergebekov Moldiyar Kazakhstan Vera Nkwate Ngassa Cameroon Bandana Rana Nepal
Natasha Stott Despoja Australia Aicha Vall Verges Mauritania Jie Xia China
7. In a note dated 28 May 2020, the Permanent Mission of Togo to the United Nations Office and other international organizations in Geneva informed the secretariat of the decision of its Government to withdraw the nomination of Akanti Aissah épse Ouro-Akondo as a candidate for election to the Committee. 8. The curricula vitae of the nominees, as provided by the States parties concerned, are contained in the annex to the present note.
III. List of the 12 members who will continue to serve on the Committee until 31 December 2022
9. The members’ professional backgrounds, legal systems and further biographical data may be found on the membership web page of the Committee by clicking on the names of the individual members (see www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/CEDAW/Pages/ Membership.aspx).
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Member Country of nationality Member since
Gladys Acosta Vargas (Vice-Chair) Peru 2015 Hiroko Akizuki Japan 2019 Tamader Al-Rammah Saudi Arabia 2019 Louiza Chalal Algeria 2015 Naéla Gabr Egypt 2007a Lia Nadaraia (Rapporteur) Georgia 2015 Aruna Devi Narain Mauritius 2017 Ana Peláez Narváez Spain 2019 Rhoda Reddock Trinidad and Tobago 2019 Elgun Safarov Azerbaijan 2019 Genoveva Tisheva Bulgaria 2019
a Ms. Gabr was also a member of the Committee from 1999 to 2003.
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Annex
Curricula vitae of candidates*
Brenda Akia (Uganda)
Date and place of birth
22 March 1986, Kumi, Uganda.
Working languages
English, working knowledge of French.
Current position/function
• Legal, policy and advocacy advisor on women’s and girls’ rights at the Uganda Association of Women Lawyers (FIDA-Uganda), the leading women’s rights organization in Uganda. • In this position, my main functions include leading and managing women and girls’ rights projects and international, regional, and national advocacy; monitoring and documenting human rights violations against women and girls in Uganda and in the region; monitoring Uganda’s compliance with international and regional women’s rights instruments ratified by Uganda; and providing legal and policy advice to senior FIDA Uganda management. • Leading and managing in-depth legal research, including fact-finding field research and investigations and analysis into issues of women’s and girls’ rights and prosecution/adjudication/accountability for violations of women’s and girls’ rights in Africa, with a focus on the 12 Member States of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region. • Writing reports aimed at documenting and highlighting human rights violations committed against women and girls to promote positive human rights change. • Leading advocacy, including formulation of advocacy strategies and research projects on women’s and girl’s rights to influence and lobby relevant stakeholders to undertake positive legislative, policy, and programmatic reforms. • Training key stakeholders, including policy makers, members of parliament, judicial officers, police officers, and other professionals working on women’s and girls’ rights to build their capacity on how to effectively interpret and apply international and regional human rights instruments and national legislation to prosecute and adjudicate human rights violations committed against girls and women in peace time, conflict, post-conflict, and humanitarian situations. • Monitoring the implementation and compliance of international and regional women and human rights instruments by African governments. • Providing legal and policy advice to ensure effective formulation, implementation, and monitoring of legal cases and project activities aimed at promoting women’s and girls’ rights.
Educational background
I am currently a Ph.D. research candidate on conflict-related sexual violence at the University of Pretoria, South Africa. I have an LL.M. degree from Humboldt-
* Curricula vitae are issued without formal editing.
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Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany, in cooperation with the University of the Western Cape, Cape Town, South Africa; an LL.B from Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda; and a postgraduate diploma in legal practice from the Law Development Center, Kampala, Uganda. I am enrolled as an advocate of the High Court of Uganda and all courts subordinate. I also have a certificate in civic and intellectual leadership from the University of Dar-es-Salaam, University of Nairobi, and Makerere University UONGOZI Leadership Institute and a certificate in international criminal law from the International Principles Academy Nuremberg, Germany.
Other main activities in the field relevant to the mandate of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women
• Leading fundraising initiatives aimed at collecting funds to address the impact of rights violations suffered by women and girls. For example, in 2019, I successfully led the #withoutmum Rockefeller campaign in Uganda aimed at enhancing maternal health rights that resulted in the Rockefeller Foundation dedicating $100 million to addressing maternal and child mortality by 2030 and the selection of Uganda as one of the two beneficiaries; • Writing Op-Eds on women’s and girls’ rights and international justice in Uganda’s leading newspapers, The Daily Monitor and the New Vision, to highlight the need for the Government of Uganda to adopt and effectively implement legislation, policies, international and regional women’s rights instruments, and programmes aimed at enhancing women’s and girls’ rights and promoting accountability for violations of their rights; • Participating in panels and round-table discussions to highlight the impact of rights violations faced by women and girls in peace time, conflict, post-conflict, and humanitarian situations and challenges to promoting accountability and ending impunity for rights violations suffered by women and girls based on fact- finding field investigations that I have conducted; • Leading advocacy campaigns on women’s and girls’ rights, including formulation of advocacy strategies to influence and lobby relevant stakeholders to undertake positive legislative, policy, and programmatic reforms, including ratifying and domesticating international and regional human rights instruments aimed at promoting respect for women’s and girls’ rights.
List of most recent publications in the field of discrimination against women and advancement of their human rights
• “We should do more to end gender-based violence,” http://www.monitor.co.ug/ OpEd/Commentary/We-should-do-more-to-end-gender-basedviolence/- /689364/2548074/-/10aapcv/-/index.html; • “No Way Out: Child Marriage and Human Rights Abuses,” http://www.hrw.org/ sites/default/files/reports/tanzania1014_forinsert_ForUpload.pdf; • “Joint Letter to Tanzanian Constitutional Assembly:” http://www.hrw.org/sites/ default/files/related_material/2014_Tanzania_WRD.pdf; • “Prioritize Enacting of the Marriage and Divorce Bill,” http://www.monitor.co.ug/OpEd/Commentary/Prioritise-enacting-of-the- Marriage-and-DivorceBill/-/689364/2660260/-/erj7ua/-/index.html; • “Is Dominic Ongwen A Victim or Culprit of International Crimes?” Published February 3, 2015 in New Vision, Uganda Daily Newspaper.
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Nicole Ameline (France)
Date and place of birth
4 July 1952, Saint-Vaast-en-Auge, France.
Working languages
French and English
Current position/function
• Vice-Chair, Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (Chair from 2013–2014)
Main professional activities
• Former French Minister of Gender Equality and Professional Equality: drafted and implemented a women’s empowerment plan; established a legislative framework to combat domestic violence; formulated a policy on equal pay for work of equal value; formulated measures to fight stereotypes, prejudice and discriminatory traditions; • Former Representative of the French Government to the International Labour Organization and former Ambassador for Social and Equality Issues in International Relations: supported women’s access to senior political positions; provided expert advice on the social dimension of globalization; • Led efforts to promote the Women, Peace and Security Agenda: participated in discussions and in the formulation of texts on women’s role in conflict resolution and peace building; incorporated this dimension into the work of international defence bodies (the Parliamentary Assembly of NATO); visited crisis and conflict zones; • As CEDAW Chair (2013–2014) and Vice-Chair (since 2019): worked on treaty body reform and the inclusion of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the work of CEDAW; advocated for the consideration of women’s empowerment issues in the modern economy.
Educational background
• Paris Institute of Political Studies (Sciences Po) • DESS in Public Law, Community Law option, Caen University
Other main activities in the field relevant to the entity
• Provided expertise and advice to governments in the drafting of work equality policies; • Chair of a trust fund for gender equality at work; • Organized and participated in events worldwide on gender equality; • Collaborated with the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) to promote the integration of gender equality in the work of national Parliaments; • Worked on an initiative for girls’ education in Egypt and the Mediterranean region.
List of most recent publications in this field
• N/A
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Marion Bethel (Bahamas)
Date and place of birth
31 July 1953, Nassau, Bahamas.
Working languages
English, working knowledge of French and Spanish.
Current position/function
• Member, Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (since 2017): Chair of the CEDAW Working Group on Inquires under the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (2019–2020); member of the CEDAW Working Group on trafficking in women and girls in the context of global migration; member of the CEDAW Working Group on working methods; • Counsel and Attorney-at-law; Partner, Sears & Co Chambers, Nassau, Bahamas (since 1994); • Member, Council of the University of the West Indies Open Campus, Jamaica (since 2015).
Main professional activities
• Country Rapporteur for a constructive dialogue once per year; Participation in constructive dialogues and adoption of concluding observations for each country; • Advocate for the economic and social rights of women and girls in relation to gender and tax justice, social security, right to housing, food, water, adequate standard of living; • Advocate for the rights of vulnerable and marginalized women and girls who experience intersecting forms of discrimination, including ethnic minority women, lesbian, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and intersex women, women with disabilities, women belonging to religious minorities, women human rights defenders; • Participation in follow-up procedures in relation to concluding observations; • Participation in drafting of General Recommendations on gender-based violence against women, the right of girls and women to education, gender-related dimensions of disaster risk reduction in the context of climate change, trafficking in women and girls in the context of global migration; • Participation in the consideration and adoption of decisions on individual communications at each session of the Committee; • Participation in the consideration and adoption of inquiry reports concerning the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Kyrgyzstan; • Participation in informal meetings with United Nations bodies and specialized agencies and with national human rights institutions.
Educational background
• Council of Legal Education, London, England, Bar Certificate • Cambridge University, England, Bachelor of Arts (Law); Master of Arts (Law)
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• Columbia University, New York, Master of Arts (Education) • McGill University, Canada, Bachelor of Arts (Spanish)
Other main activities in the field relevant to the mandate of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women
• Gender consultant, The Bahamas Crisis Centre on gender-based violence against women and girls, Nassau, Bahamas; • Strategic engagement with and support to Zonta Club of New Providence on gender-based violence against women and girls; • Active engagement in producing policy briefs and review of shadow reports submitted by non-governmental organizations to CEDAW; • Engagement with non-governmental organizations on the gender-related dimensions of climate crisis and disaster risk reduction; • Engagement with IWRAW-Asia Pacific on women’s rights to and at work and other CEDAW-related issues.
List of most recent publications in the field of discrimination against women and advancement of their human rights
• “The criminalisation of marital rape and intimate partner sexual violence in the Commonwealth”, commissioned and published by Sisters for Change, England, 2019 • “The human rights of women and girls”, Keynote address at the 100th anniversary celebration of Zonta International, Florida, 2019 • “Womanish Ways: Freedom, Human Rights and Democracy”, a video- documentary on the women’s suffrage movement in The Bahamas • “Principles of equality between women and men and non-discrimination on the basis of sex” • “Violence against women and the responsibility of the State” • “Statelessness and the right to nationality in The Bahamas”
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Leticia Bonifaz Alfonzo (Mexico)
Date and place of birth
13 April 1959, Comitán, Chiapas
Working languages
Spanish, English and Italian
Current position/function
• Consultant for the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and professor at the National Autonomous University of Mexico
Main professional activities
• Gender and human rights consultant for various government institutions, non-governmental organizations and private companies, for the development of laws, analysis of contentious cases, development of public policies, and training of public servants.
Educational background
• Bachelor degree and a PhD in Law by the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM)
Other main activities in the field relevant to the mandate of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women
• Part of the Council of the System for the protection Girls, Boys and Adolescents (of SIPINNA), as well as part of the Assembly of the Council to Prevent Discrimination, CONAPRED.
List of most recent publications in the field of discrimination against women and advancement of their human rights
• Coordinator of the Human Rights collection published by the Supreme Court of Justice (2018). The evolution of women’s rights from the Constitution of 1917. 100 Anniversary Constitution 1917 (2017). Various opinion articles in the national newspaper El Universal.
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Corinne Dettmeijer-Vermeulen (Netherlands)
Date and place of birth
9 July 1949, The Hague, The Netherlands.
Working languages
English (fluent), French (professional working knowledge); German (working knowledge) and Dutch (native language).
Current position/function
Professor at Leiden University, the prestigious Cleveringa Chair (2018–2019) on rule of law, freedom and responsibility, based primarily at the departments of criminal law, juvenile law and children’s rights. Since 2019: Chair of Social Advisory Board of the Immigration and Naturalization Service; • Since 2018: Vice-Chair of Advisory Board of Child Helpline International; • Since 2017: Member of Expert Advisory Council of the Global Fund to End Modern Slavery (GFEMS); • Since 2018: Member of Advisory Board of UN-Women – The Netherlands; • Since 2018: Member of Netherlands Helsinki Committee; • Since 2014: Member of Santa Marta Group; • Since 2012: Member of Advisory Board of Master study Juvenile Law, Leiden University; • Since 2010: Member, Advisory Board, European Institute for Crime Prevention and Control (HEUNI), appointed by the United Nations Secretary- General; • Since 2010: Member, Research Advisory Committee, Amsterdam Sexual Abuse Case (ASAC) -study in day care centres; • Since 2003: Member of Council for Leiden University Fund.
Main professional activities
• Member of judiciary (1974–2009): judge assistant; prosecutor District Court, Rotterdam; juvenile and family judge; criminal judge, Vice-President of District Courts of The Hague and Dordrecht; • National Rapporteur on Trafficking in Human Beings and Sexual Violence against Children (2006–2017): Produced close to 35 reports on trafficking in human beings, including trafficking for harvesting of organs; child pornography; child sex tourism; sexual violence against children. Made in the periodical and thematic reports 215 recommendations to national and local governments, law enforcement, judiciary and institutions relevant to fight against human trafficking or sexual violence against children, of which more than 80 percent were adopted. Conducted qualitative and quantitative research and translated outcomes into guidelines for policy-making; reports reflect both national and international perspectives (www.nationaalrapporteur.nl). Always stressed the position of girls and women and their particular vulnerability to sexual violence, trafficking in human beings and migration situations. Developed and maintained contact with significant and diverse national and
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international stakeholders, governmental and non-governmental organizations, Parliament, judiciary, law enforcement, youth protection agencies, medical world, academia, media, etc.
Educational background
• Law degree, Leiden University, The Netherlands (1973).
Other main activities in the field relevant to the mandate of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women
• (Keynote) speaker at many (international) conferences, including the Pontifical Academy, on the subjects of trafficking in human beings, migration in the context of trafficking, and sexual violence against women and children. • Increased awareness in the Netherlands of both trafficking in human beings and sexual violence against children by fulfilling an advisory role for numerous national and international non-governmental organizations on these subjects.
List of most recent publications in the field of discrimination against women and advancement of their human rights
• Wrote amicus brief on invitation for the United States Supreme Court regarding compensation for victims of child pornography; • Many publications, other than the reports, on trafficking in human beings and sexual violence against children; • Initiated collaboration with UNODC to issue a report on hidden trafficking in human beings in the Netherlands using ground-breaking methodology to estimate the population involved, providing more in-depth knowledge of where to target anti-trafficking policy. UNODC has duplicated this methodology in other countries in order to monitor Sustainable Development Goal 16.2.
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Esther Eghobamien-Mshelia (Nigeria)
Date and place of birth
21 April 1959, Ibadan, Nigeria.
Working languages
English.
Current position/function
• Convener and founder, Women Arise Development and Humanitarian Initiative (WADHI): a Nigerian organization committed to finding customized solutions to inequalities, gender injustice and exclusion, particularly women’s continued exclusion from financial and economic markets, technology and peace and security management processes. • Chairperson, Ministerial Technical Committee on Private Sector Initiatives: builds partnerships and collaboration to facilitate the development of private sector-led stimulus initiatives to promote gender sensitive corporate social responsibility, inclusion, accountability and good governance drawing on the competencies of women from all walks of life and mobilizing male gender champions.
Main professional activities
• Work with partners and financial institutions to bridge gender gaps in the socio- economic sector and create market access while reducing funder’s financial/ investment risks and undertake research on women’s financial exclusion, gender, trade and market access, together with leading banks in Nigeria such as the Bank of Industry, Stanbic, the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment and the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs; • As Head of Gender for the Commonwealth, led the implementation and reporting by national women’s machineries on progress towards global gender policies and targets as well as the establishment of the Commonwealth Women’s Forum under the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meetings (CHOGM); conducted Cabinet-level training on gender-responsive budgeting; • Convening and facilitating high-level ministerial, bilateral and multi-lateral partnership meetings to mainstream gender into key sectors and broker partnerships for women’s organizations; • Supporting the development and review of gender policies at national and international levels; • Gender training and institutional mainstreaming expert and consultant on the development of national action plans for the implementation of United Nations Security Council resolution 1325 (2000) on women, peace and security; • Multi-sector training specialist on women’s socio-economic empowerment; • Consultant on gender and trade issues including trade and procurement policies, financial policies, access for loans, credit and markets; • Supporting the implementation of Ministerial Committee thematic groups on women’s leadership and political development, infrastructure, technology and industry, women’s access to justice and gender-based violence, women, peace and security, education, health and climate change.
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Educational background
• Masters in Women Studies, University of Washington, Seattle (1996) • B.Ed. (Hons) Guidance Counselling, University of Ibadan, Nigeria (1980) • Value-based Leadership (Certificate) Aspen Institute for Humanistic Studies, Colorado (2011) • Global Leadership Exchange (Certificate) Eisenhower USIA Exchange Programme, (2003) • Women’s Leadership (Certificate) African Women’s Leadership Institute, Uganda (1999) • Graduate Certificate in Public Policy, University of Washington, Seattle (1996) • International Institute of Education (Certificate) Hubert H. Humphrey Programme (1996)
Other main activities in the field relevant to the mandate of the Convention on the Elimination of all forms Discrimination against Women
• Innovator of “KOWGO” an indigenous gender friendly online/offline mobile technology-based application for addressing the gender digital divide. KOWGO helps to provide financial literacy lessons and templates for traders and to track of business records; • Provided digital technology training for women’s groups, women small and medium enterprises, judges, civil society organizations and faith-based organizations; • Development of gender tools, templates and manuals for gender-based violence management; • Advocacy for women’s empowerment in core economic sectors, access to markets, gender-based violence response, women’s political representation; led the Commonwealth regional colloquia series on women in leadership; • Organized and provided business support services for women entrepreneurs; • Review of gender policy documents, national and state action plans on women, peace and security; • Development of strategic and action plans for national and sub-national women’s institutions and projects and negotiating partnerships with regional and international organizations; • Preparation of technical and policy briefs, thematic reviews and position papers on gender equality and women’s empowerment including country reports; • Coordinated the design, delivery and monitoring of result-focused gender interventions for the Canadian International Development Agency country programme in Nigeria; • Facilitated the establishment of a donor gender-coordination group; setup and management of the CIDA gender response fund, and donor basket funds on elections in Nigeria; • Coordinated the implementation of the Ministry of Women Affairs ministerial technical committee’s strategic plan on private sector, gender and Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) implementation;
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• Drove engagements with the WTO, World Bank, ITC-she-trades, private sector organizations, Commonwealth Secretariat, British High Commission and UN- Women to implement global and national gender policy frameworks.
List of most recent publications in the field of discrimination against women and advancement of their human rights
• Gender-based Violence Protection Officers Manual and Guidelines; • Violence against Persons Prohibition Act Implementation Assessment, EU/British Council Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption Project; • Global Sentinel article on women, peace and security (https://globalsentinelng.com/2018/01/17/); • Second National and State Action Plans on Security Council resolution (2000) on women, peace and security; • Technical Strategy paper on CEDAW country reporting for the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development, Nigeria (2016); • “Gender and state of finance policies”, Commonwealth Finance Ministers Reference Report; • Commonwealth Handbook on Gender Responsive Investments (2013); • “Gender perspectives on the state of finance policies”, Commonwealth Finance Ministers Reference Report, Henley Media Group Ltd. (2011); • “Wielding the mandate rightly: Action toolkit for women in decision making”, published by jENdA, A Journal of Culture and African Women Studies, Issue 12 (2008).
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Hilary Gbedemah (Ghana)
Date and place of birth
1 October 1953, Nsawam, Ghana
Working languages
English
Current position/function
Rector, The Law Institute, Labone, Ghana’s premier vocational law training institute undertaking training of non-legal personnel in paralegal studies, and of legal persons in specific aspects of the law they require courses in. Functions include lecturing in family law, human rights, legal aspects of human resource management and employment discrimination, law of succession, alternative dispute resolution and contract; research, curriculum development and administration.
Main professional activities
• Research in law, gender and human rights, human resources law; • Producing publications and academic writings; consultancy work in relevant fields; • Curriculum development for vocational law programmes, production of training materials; • Implementation of para-legal training programmes within and outside the Institute; • Establishing partnerships, networks and building coalitions with non-governmental organizations, the private sector, governmental and international stakeholders • Advocacy on contemporary human rights issues (inheritance and property rights of spouses, affirmative action and women’s equal representation, economic rights, access to, and management of natural resources: water, forestry, mining); • Supervision of office administrative functions, ensuring quality control in the output of the Institute.
Educational background
• Since 2015: doctoral candidate (law and education), University of Northampton, U.K. 2015 • LLM. (Master’s degree in law), Georgetown University, Washington D.C. 1996 • LLB (Hons.) University of Ghana, Legon, 1995; B.L. (professional law qualification), 1977 • Women in senior management, Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration • International humanitarian law (certificate), Henri Dunant Institute, Geneva, 1998
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Other main activities in the field relevant to the mandate of the Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women
• Engaged with civil society organizations in identifying discriminatory articles in the 1992 Constitution of Ghana, for submission to the Constitutional Review Commission in 2011. Also engaged with stakeholders to identify Ghanaian laws with discriminatory impact. • Engaged in legislative advocacy, community and national level sensitization on the Property Rights of Spouses Bill and the Intestate Succession Bill. • Produced and presented a paper to the International Labour Organization with chapters on prostitution of and trafficking in girls. • Was a member of the Technical Advisory Team on Affirmative Action of the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection of Ghana, and has written, trained, lobbied and advocated on the issue. • Member of Netright, a coalition of civil society organizations; made a presentation on the platform of Netright on women’s economic rights at the Beijing+15 NGO Forum. • Formed entrepreneurial club ‘Women on the Move’ to assist young women in business, and was a contributor to the World Bank International Finance Corporation, Women, Business and the Law 2012: Removing Barriers to Economic Inclusion. • Worked with legal awareness programme, advancing the legal rights of rural areas women, and establishing their claim-making power. • As CEDAW Chair, has represented the Committee and made presentations in several international fora in Europe, Africa and Asia, under all the articles of the Convention, especially on gender-based violence, education employment and health.
List of most recent publications in the field of discrimination against women and advancement of their human rights
• Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa: Successes and Challenges from Ghana’s Perspective, SOTU Vol. 3 (2013) • “Trokosi: Twentieth Century Female Bondage – A Ghanaian Case Study”, in Bond, Johanna (ed.), Voices of African Women: Women’s Rights in Ghana, Uganda, and Tanzania, Durham, North Carolina: Carolina Academic Press (2006) • Rape and defilement: Interventions available to victims of rape and defilement; Safety planning – Preventing rape and defilement
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Nahla Haidar El Addal (Lebanon)
Date and place of birth
22 July 1951, Lebanon.
Working languages
Arabic, English, French. Knowledge of Spanish.
Current position/function
• Member, United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) • Commissioner, International Commission of Jurists (ICJ)
Main professional activities
• More than 30 years of professional experience mainly within the United Nations system, in various capacities, both at headquarters and in the field, ranging from social development to human resources management, emergency management training and capacity-building, humanitarian affairs, peace-building, development cooperation, and human rights; • Deputy focal point for the advancement of women, United Nations Office at Geneva; • Senior Director External Relations, Communications and Public Outreach (WIPO) focusing on United Nations Development Group (UNDG); • Deputy Executive Director, War Torn Societies Project (UNOPS), in charge of outreach and learning for peace building projects in Guatemala, Rwanda, Macedonia, empowering women at the community level through participatory action research and dialogue processes; • Chief of Section covering North, Central and Eastern Africa, the Middle East and Afghanistan (UNOCHA) with a special emphasis on humanitarian assistance, protection issues and women in conflict; • Human Resources Officer, United Nations Headquarters and UNOG, focusing among other issues on improving the representation of women at senior level within the United Nations Secretariat; • Social Affairs Officer (UNESCWA), working on community development projects throughout the Western Asia region, including special projects aiming at a better integration of women in development; • Lawyer trainee, Beirut Bar Association.
Educational background
• Advanced university degree in law, major in sociology of law, Panthéon- Sorbonne, Paris; • Licence en droit, major in international law, Université St Joseph, Beirut • Licence en sociologie, sociologie du développement, Ecole Supérieure des Lettres, Beirut.
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Other main activities in the field relevant to the mandate of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women
• Throughout her career in the multilateral field, has been very active in gender mainstreaming and in the field of human rights, more recently as an elected Commissioner of the International Commission of Jurists; • Served on several internal United Nations panels investigating claims of discrimination, including gender discrimination; • Acted as an advisor to different non-governmental organizations such as AMEL International and MENTOR Arabia on a pro bono basis to streamline a gender perspective into their policies and programmes; • Acted as a consultant to an international non-governmental organization in the evaluation of development and humanitarian assistance at the field level (i.e. Sudan, Yemen); • Contributed to several United Nations reports on the status of women within the Secretariat, as well as other reports and training materials on various topics addressing gender concerns such as the protection of civilians in armed conflict, women in disasters, humanitarianism and war, the Humanitarian Response Index (HRI) and the OHCHR initiative “Faith for Rights”; • Since 2013: Member of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW). Acted as country rapporteur and member of different country task forces at several sessions of the Committee. In addition, carried out the following functions: • Member of the Working Group on Communications under the Optional Protocol to the Convention; • Member of the working group on inquiries under the Optional Protocol to the Convention; • Rapporteur for general recommendation No. 37 on the gender-related dimensions of disaster risk reduction in the context of climate change adopted in 2018; • Chair of the working group on engagement with national human rights institutions (NHRIs); • Rapporteur on Reprisals; • Member of the working group on trafficking in women and girls in the context of global migration; • Member of the working group on general recommendation No. 35 (2017) on gender-based violence against women, updating general recommendation No. 19; • Member of the working group on general recommendation No. 32 (2014) on the gender-related dimensions of refugee status, asylum, nationality and statelessness of women; • Member of the task force on women in conflict prevention, conflict and post- conflict situations; • Member of the working group on working methods with a special emphasis on the implementation of General Assembly resolution 68/268 on treaty body strengthening;
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• Member of the team of focal points on the 2020 review of the human rights treaty body system; • Member of the working group on the Convention, UN-Women and the Sustainable Development Goals; • Different activities in representation of the Committee and in support of policy- making and capacity building through advocacy and training for government officials, jurists and civil society activists at international, regional and national levels (Algeria, Japan, Jordan, Egypt, France, Morocco, Russia, Tunisia, Lithuania and the United Kingdom); • Participated in different expert group meetings on, inter alia, women in migration, women and health.
List of most recent publications in the field of discrimination against women and advancement of their human rights
• N/A
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Asma Khader (Jordan)
Date and place of birth
25 January 1952, Az-Zababida, State of Palestine.
Working languages
Arabic and English
Current position/function
• Member of the Council of Commissioners and Vice-President of the Independent Election Commission established as part of political reform and constitutional amendments in Jordan in 2011: responsible for managing public elections at national, regional and local levels; working for fair, inclusive and transparent democratic elections; • Chairperson, Advisory Board, Sisterhood is Global Institute, a women’s rights non-governmental organization in Jordan.
Main professional activities
• Practiced Law for 38 years as a human rights, women’s rights and legal reform lawyer; • 2007–2014: Secretary General of the Jordanian National Commission for Women; • 2003–2005: Minister of State, Spokesperson of the Government and Minister of Culture; • Former Senator, Member of the 26th session of the Jordanian House of Senates;
Educational background
• B.A. degree in law
Other main activities in the field relevant to the mandate of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women
• Former member of the Executive Committee of the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ), Geneva; • 1993–1997: Elected President for the Jordanian Women’s Union and President of SIGI/Jo, a women’s rights organization; • 1990: Member of the Royal Committee for the Drafting of the National Charter; • Member of the Board of Trustees of the National Center for Human Rights in Jordan for 12 years; • Human rights and women’s rights expert and activist at different institutional and personal levels.
List of most recent publications in the field of discrimination against women and advancement of their human rights
• N/A
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Dalia Leinarte (Lithuania)
Date and place of birth
25 October 1958, Lithuania.
Working languages
English and Russian.
Current position/functions
• Professor at Vytautas Magnus University, Andrei Sakharov Research Centre for Democratic Development; • Member of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW); • Chair, CEDAW Working Group on the General Recommendation on trafficking in women and girls in the context of global migration; • CEDAW focal point on the 2020 Review of the United Nations human rights treaty body system; • Member, Working Group on Communications under the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women; • Fellow Commoner at Lucy Cavendish College, University of Cambridge.
Main professional activities
Research
• Family history; women’s movements; women and nationalisms; women and totalitarian regimes; trafficking in women; human rights.
Expertise
• Chair of the Working Group on developing the Second National Action Plan (NAP) on the implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 (2000) on women, peace and security; • Consultant of the Inter-Ministerial Commission on Equal Opportunities of Women and Men, Lithuania; • Member of the Management Board of the European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE), European Union.
Educational background
• Habilitated Doctor of History, Vilnius University, Lithuania (2009); • Ph.D. in History, Vytautas Magnus University, Lithuania (1996).
Other main activities in the field relevant to the mandate of the Convention on the Elimination of All forms of Discrimination against Women
• As CEDAW rapporteur for the General Recommendation on trafficking in women and girls in the context of global migration, participated in: second global convening on trafficking in women and girls in the context of global migration, organized by IWRAW-Asia Pacific in Nairobi, Kenya; regional
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expert meeting on the CEDAW General Recommendation trafficking in women and girls in the context of global migration for MENA, organized by the UN- Women Regional Office for the Arab States in Cairo, Egypt; expert meeting on violence against women and trafficking in human beings, organized by MONIKA – multicultural women’s association and the National Council of Women of Finland in Helsinki; first global convening on trafficking in women and girls in the context of global migration, organized by IWRAW-Asia Pacific in Bangkok, Thailand; expert meeting on the CEDAW General Recommendation on trafficking in women and girls in the context of global migration, organized by OHCHR in Geneva, Switzerland; regional consultations on the CEDAW General Recommendation on trafficking in women and girls in the context of global migration in Panama City, Panama.
List of most recent publications in the field of discrimination against women and advancement of their human rights
Monographs
• Family and the State (forthcoming in 2020); • The Lithuanian Family in its European Context, 1800–1914: Marriage, Divorce and Flexible Communities; • Adopting and Remembering Soviet Reality: Life Stories of Lithuanian Women, 1945–1970; • Trafficking in Women and Prostitution in Lithuania; • Cohabitation in Europe: a Revenge of History? Dalia Leinarte & Jan Kok (editors); • Women’s Experiences of Repression in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, Dalia Leinarte, Kelly Hignett, Melanie Ilic, Corina Snitar.
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Sohoyata Maïga (Mali)
[Original: French]
Date and place of birth
22 December 1952, Kidal, Mali
Working languages
French
Current position/function
• Former magistrate (1979–1992) • Member of the Malian bar (since 1992) • Commissioner (2007–2020), Special Rapporteur on Rights of Women in Africa (2007–2015); Vice-Chairperson (2015–2017) and outgoing Chairperson (2017– 2019) of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights • Chairperson of the Working Group on Indigenous Populations/Communities in Africa of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights • Chairperson of the Committee on the Protection of the Rights of People Living with HIV (PLHIV) and Those at Risk, Vulnerable to and Affected by HIV
Main professional activities
• As a lawyer: consultations, legal assistance, defence before the courts and tribunals of Mali and other African countries. • As a Commissioner of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights: general activities concerning the promotion of human rights and fact-finding; information visits and national dialogues on HIV/AIDS and the rights of indigenous peoples; training and awareness-raising activities for government stakeholders, national human rights institutions and non-governmental organizations in more than 47 States parties on the African human rights system and the general comments, decisions and recommendations of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights; participation in the examination of 63 periodic reports from 42 States parties to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights; drafting of concluding observations; drafting of thematic resolutions; participation in the examination of individual communications and complaints and in the drafting of decisions; issuance of urgent appeals to Heads of State in relation to alleged human rights violations.
Educational background
• Magistrate’s diploma with highest honours, National School for the Judiciary, International Department, Paris (1977–1979) • Master’s degree in private law, National School of Administration, Mali, ranked first in the legal sciences graduating class (1972–1976) • Several certificates and training certifications related to the African human rights system and to the topic of the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa (Maputo Protocol) and women’s rights.
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Other main activities in the field relevant to the mandate of the Convention on the Elimination of All forms of Discrimination against Women
• Advocacy and information activities related to the ratification, domestication and implementation of the Maputo Protocol by States parties • Examination of 15 initial periodic reports of States parties to the Maputo Protocol and drafting of concluding observations • Development of four general comments on articles of the Maputo Protocol concerning sexual and reproductive rights, women’s rights in the context of HIV, marriage, legal separation, divorce and inheritance • Drafting of the regional plan of action of the Economic Community of West African States for the implementation of Security Council resolution 1325 (2000) • Organization of national dialogues and regional conferences in States parties on women’s rights, the impact of conflict on women’s rights, and the decriminalization of abortion • Joint activities with the mechanisms the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights concerned with women’s rights, on the basis of the 2012 Addis Ababa road map
List of most recent publications in the field of discrimination against women and advancement of their human rights
• “La protection internationale des victimes des violences basées sur le genre: réalité et perspectives” (International protection of victims of gender-based violence: reality and outlook) • “Rapport sur le mariage d’enfants dans 10 pays à forte prévalence” (Report on child marriage in 10 high-prevalence countries) • “Lignes directrices sur la violence sexuelle et ses conséquences en Afrique” (Guidelines concerning sexual violence and its impact in Africa) • “Étude sur la situation des femmes défenseures des droits de l’homme en Afrique” (Study on the situation of women human rights defenders in Africa) • “Rapport analytique sur les dispositions sexospécifiques discriminatoires et les écarts en matière d’égalité des sexes dans les législations nationales des pays de la Communauté Économique des Etats de l’Afrique de l’Ouest” (Analytical report on discriminatory gender-specific provisions and gender equality gaps in the national laws of Economic Community of West African States countries)
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Rosario G. Manalo (Philippines)
Date and place of birth
2 October 1935, Manila, The Philippines.
Working languages
Filipino, English, French and Spanish.
Current position/function
• Member, Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW); • Since 2002: Foreign Affairs Senior Adviser, Department of Foreign Affairs; • Chairperson, Independent Commission of Enquiry (ICOE); • Examiner for Foreign Service promotional examinations from Counsellor to Chiefs of Mission.
Main professional activities
Ambassador Manalo is currently engaged in gender equality and women empowerment issues, through her work as: • Director, Center for Gender Equality and People Empowerment, Philippine Women’s University (PWU); • Dean and lecturer, Helena Z. Benitez School of International Relations and Diplomacy, Philippine Women’s University; • Professional lecturer in various universities in the Philippines.
Educational background
• Ph.D. Graduate in Social Development, Philippine Women’s University; • MA in International Relations and Diplomacy, Long Island University, Brooklyn, New York; • MA in Public Administration, University of the Philippines; • Bachelor of Laws, University of the Philippines; • Bachelor of Science in Foreign Service and in Jurisprudence, University of the Philippines.
Other main activities in the field relevant to the mandate of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women
• 2017–2018: Rapporteur of CEDAW; • Plans to host the regional expert meeting in Asia Pacific in 2020 on the draft CEDAW General Recommendation on trafficking in women and girls in the context of global migration; • Has established a one-semestral course on gender and development in the Philippine Women’s University; • Worked with the Commission on Higher Education of the Philippines to promote gender equality in all the higher education institutions which are to be components of the ASEAN integration;
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• Chaired, among others, the Senior Officials Meeting during the UNESCAP Asian and Pacific Conference on Gender Equality and Women Empowerment: Beijing + 20 Review in 2014.
List of most recent publications in the field of discrimination against women and advancement of their human rights
• Prepared a manual for the Department of Foreign Affairs to train Filipino diplomats to pursue gender mainstreaming and to help overseas Filipino workers to understand CEDAW and how to access it to protect their human rights; • Wrote a paper on the human rights mechanism in ASEAN focusing on the protection of women and the girl child based on CEDAW.
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Yergebekov Moldiyar (Kazakhstan)
Date and place of birth
13 March 1979, Kazakhstan
Working languages
Kazakh, English, Russian and Turkish
Current position/function
• Associated Professor at Suleyman Demirel University, Department of Social Science, School of Media (Kazakhstan); • Member of UN-Women Regional Civil Society Advisory Group for Europe and Central Asia (RCSAG); • 2016–2019: Member of UN-Women-Kazakhstan Civil Society Advisory Group; • Co-Founder of FemAgora Public Fund.
Main professional activities
• Member of the Working Group on Anti-Discrimination Law for the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan (with the support of the Friedrich Ebert Foundation, Kazakhstan); • 2018–2020: Member of a research group of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan (title of the project: “Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women in the Context of ‘Mangilik el- Eternal Country’ National Idea, the Project of the Welfare State in Kazakhstan”); • Co-organizer of the female and feminist festival “FemAgora Central Asia”.
Educational background
• Ph.D. in radio-television and cinema, Ankara University (Turkey), 2010 • Master’s degree in radio-television and cinema, Ankara University (Turkey), 2003 • Bachelor’s degree in journalism, International Kazakh-Turkish University (Kazakhstan), 2000
Other main activities in the field relevant to the mandate of the Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women
• “Men of Kazakhstan are HeForShe: Moldiyar Yergebekov”, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X0hcIorbgj8&t=4s • “Speaker TedXwomenAbaySt.: Sexual discrimination begins in childhood, Moldiyar Yergebekov” (2016), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v= WLuHQOyozpI&t=10s • Women and Independence (2016), https://www.the-steppe.com/news/mneniya/ 2016-12-20/independence-and-women-ru • “Woman’s voice and rights” (2016), http://2016.zhascamp.kz/programs/ 7d7749d9-7058-4ee4-ba86-8050cba835ef/
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• Moldiyar Yergebekov, “Patriarchal values kill a man, not honor” (2017), https://7kun.kz/moldiar-ergebekov-erkekti-oltiretin-namys-emes-patriarkhal- hyndylyk/ • “Representation of Women in Contemporary Kazakh Cinema”, The Central Eurasian Studies Society’s (CESS), 18th Annual Conference, October 5–8, 2017, University of Washington, Seattle, USA, with Amina Zhemeney • The story of female rights, Islamization, and sex GAKKU TV (2019), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fiUSz3bH2kY
List of most recent publications in the field of discrimination against women and advancement of their human rights
• Problems of including and teaching gender equality courses in the media schools of Kazakhstan (December 2019), Newsletter of the Kazakh National Women’s Teacher Training University
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Bandana Rana (Nepal)
Date and place of birth
15 August 1961, Kathmandu, Nepal.
Working languages
English, Nepali, Hindi, basic knowledge of French.
Current position/function
• Since 2017: Member, Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW Committee); Vice-Chair since 2019; CEDAW focal point of women, peace and security; • Chair, Board of Directors, Global Network of Women Peacebuilders (GNWP); • Member, Think Tank of the Ministry of Women, Children and Senior Citizen; Member, High-level Steering Committee on United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 of the Nepalese Government; • Co-Founder and Strategic Director of Saathi, a non-governmental organization working on violence against women in Nepal; • Co-Chair, Asia Pacific NGO CSW Committee.
Main professional activities
• Provide strategic support and advice to the Ministry of Women, Children and Senior Citizens on the implementation of the National Strategy on Gender Equality and strengthening monitoring and evaluation in line with the regional and global commitments for the advancement of women, such as under the CEDAW Convention, the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and the Sustainable Development Goals; • Provide strategic and technical guidance in the development, implementation and localization of the second National Action Plan on United Nations Security Council resolution 1325 in Nepal; conduct training among conflict-affected communities and ensure that emerging women, peace and security issues are incorporated in all peace building programs; • As Chair of the Board of the Global Network of Women Peacebuilders, provide strategic advice to the programme team and conduct capacity building programmes for developing National Action Plans for the implementation of United Nations Security Council resolution 1325 and sustainable peace in conflict-affected countries; • As strategic director/Advisor of Saathi, design, convene and conduct programmes aimed at promoting gender equality, e.g. convene national and provincial conferences, design and lead necessary research, strengthen government/civil society partnership, conduct training and capacity building programmes, youth mobilization programmes, lead advocacy campaigns and outreach programmes to address harmful practices and all forms of inequality; • Actively engaged in producing policy briefs, review and position papers on gender equality and women’s empowerment, particularly focusing on the implementation of the CEDAW Convention, the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and the Sustainable Development Goals.
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Educational background
• Postgraduate diploma in women in journalism, FOJO Sweden (1997); • Postgraduate diploma in project management, Atlanta Management Institute, USA (1992); • Postgraduate diploma in news and current affairs, Radio Netherlands Training Center, the Netherlands (1987); • Master degree (One Year in English Literature, 1983) and Bachelor degree (Psychology, Culture and Major English), Tribhuwan University (1981–82).
Other main activities in the field relevant to the mandate of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women:
• Actively involved in using CEDAW for promoting gender equality and addressing discrimination and violence against women through capacity building, media mobilization and developing communication tools on CEDAW and its linkages with the Beijing Declaration and Programme for Action, the International Conference on Population and Development, the Sustainable Development Goals and United Nations Security Council resolution 1325; • Has provided critical advice to line Ministries, departments, provincial governments and civil society on expanding and applying the mandate of CEDAW in policy formulation, programme implementation and monitoring and evaluation; • Conducted orientation and training on CEDAW General Recommendation No. 30 (20139 on women in conflict prevention, conflict and post-conflict situations and its significance to women, peace and security and sustainable peace in Nepal and numerous other countries in the region; • Has promoted youth engagement in peace building through the CEDAW lens with training, movement building and mobilization in Nepal and beyond; • As chair of the former CEDAW task force and now focal point on women in conflict prevention, conflict and post conflict situations, engaged in providing emerging updates on women, peace and security to CEDAW, ensuring that women, peace and security is critically addressed in constructive dialogues with States parties and concluding observations; • Has also initiated strengthening synergy between the committee and other United Nations mandates to strengthen women, peace and security commitments; • Contributed to the drafting of the CEDAW General Recommendations No. 35 (2017) on gender-based violence against women, updating General Recommendation No. 19 (1992); No. 36 (2017) on the right of girls and women to education; and No. 37 (2018) on gender-related dimensions of disaster risk reduction in the context of climate change; member of the CEDAW working group responsible for drafting a general recommendation on trafficking in women and girls in the context of global migration; • Actively engaged in providing counselling, litigation and reintegration support to women survivors of violence through the women shelters that she co-founded.
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List of most recent publications in the field of discrimination against women and advancement of their human rights
• Beijing+25 Report (2019), Beijing+20 Report (2014); Beijing+15 Report (2009); • Reviewed and provided substantive inputs to GNWP Policy Brief on “Strengthening Synergies between CEDAW and WPS Resolutions”; • First Year Monitoring Report (2012) and Mid Term Monitoring Report (2014) on the Implementation of the National Action Plan for the implementation of United Nations Security Council resolutions 1325 and 1820 (Nepalese Government); • An indicative study on the implementation of the Domestic Violence Crime and Punishment Act - OSF/Saathi (2011); • Situational Analysis of Gender-Based Violence in Surkhet and Dang Districts of Nepal, UNFPA/Saathi (2008); • Produced numerous video documentaries and social video spots to draw public attention on prevalent gender inequality and discrimination issues.
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Aicha Vall Verges (Mauritania)
Date and place of birth
28 May 1965, Kiffa, Mauritania.
Working languages
French, Arabic and English (intermediate level).
Current position/function
• Economist and civil servant; • President of the Association for Women’s Preventive Health, which aims to protect and defend women’s rights to health through awareness raising on their health rights and on the prevention of deadly diseases as well as through advocacy with policy makers to ensure the women’s enjoyment of their rights to health; • President of the network “Equity”, which promotes equity of rights of both sexes, the empowerment of women and the demographic dividend.
Main professional activities
• Since 2019: President, Equity network; • Since 2017: Member, Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW); Vice-Chair of the CEDAW Working Group on Inquiries; Rapporteur for several country reviews; member of several country task forces; member of the working groups on the right of girls and women to education, gender-based violence against women, trafficking in women and girls in the context of global migration, and on the Convention, UN-Women and the Sustainable Development Goals; focal point on sexual and reproductive health; • Since 2008: President, Association for Women’s Preventive Health; • 2010–2018: Chairperson, National Commission of Women of the Union for the Republic party; • 2017: Administrator of the National Industrial and Mining Company (SNIM); • 2013–2014: Minister of Social Affairs, Children and the Family; • 2011–2013: State Inspector General; • 2008: State Secretary for information technologies and communication; • January 2005 to July 2008: Assistant Director General of the National Agency for the Promotion of Youth Employment; • 1992–2005: Recruitment in the public service; Division Chief at the Rural Sector Department; Head of Section, Economic Studies, Ministry of Economic Affairs and Development.
Educational background
• 2002–2003: Master degree in Management of Economic Policy, Center for Studies and Research on International Development (CERDI), Clermont- Ferrand, France (grade: good); • 1987–1991: Bachelor degree in Economics, Management Option (major in promotion), Nouakchott, Mauritania (grade: good);
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• 1986: Secondary school diploma (Baccalaureate), bilingual scientific series.
Other main activities in the field relevant to the mandate of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women
• 2017–2019: Coordination of advocacy for the elimination of discrimination against women including: the extension of the scope of the CEDAW Convention, the right of women to participate in peace and security processes (in particular in Sahel countries), women’s equal access to decision-making, the fight against all forms of violence against women, the rights of women to health and education, women’s empowerment and the demographic dividend, and trafficking in women and girls in the context of migration; • Monitoring the process of updating the Personal Status Code of Mauritania (2019); • Establishment of a framework for an exchange with religious leaders for a better harmonization of interpretations of religious texts relating to the rights of women; • Training of Parliamentarians on gender issues; • Monitoring the process of finalizing the draft framework law on combatting gender-based violence in Mauritania; • Coordination and supervision of health education programmes and grants for rural women.
List of most recent publications in the field of discrimination against women and advancement of their human rights
• Instruments internationaux de promotion des droits des femmes (International instruments for the promotion of the rights of women), 2018; • Participation politique des femmes : ODD pour l’égalité des droits des femmes (Political participation of Women: SDGs for equal rights of women), 2019; • Situation de l’accès des victimes de violences basées sur le genre aux services (Situation of access to services for victims of gender-based violence), 2019; • Migration des femmes africaines : défis et perspectives (Migration of African women: challenges and perspectives), 2019; • Rapport de plaidoyer pour une meilleure représentativité des femmes dans les postes de décision (Advocacy report for women’s enhanced representation in decision-making positions), 2018; • Violences faites aux femmes en milieu de travail : état des lieux, politiques et stratégies (Violence against women in the workplace: situation, policies and strategies), 2016.
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Natasha Stott Despoja (Australia)
Date and place of birth
9 September 1969, Rose Park, South Australia
Working languages
English
Current position/function
• Chair of Our Watch, an Australian initiative focused on the prevention of violence against women and their children; • Non-Executive Director of Global Citizen; • Member of the Global Women’s Institute Leadership Council; • Member, Advisory Council of the 50/50 by 2030 Foundation, an Australian foundation focused on increasing women’s representation in leadership positions; • Member, Australian National University Council.
Main professional activities
• 2013–2016: Australian Ambassador for Women and Girls; • Represented Australia at gender-focussed multilateral and regional meetings including the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women, the Human Rights Council, APEC Women and the Economy Forum, Pacific Women Business Leaders Dialogue; • Member of the United Nations High Level Working Group on the Health and Human Rights of Women, Children and Adolescents (2017); • 2015–2017: Member of the World Bank Gender Advisory Council; • Senator for South Australia (1995–2008) and Leader of the Australian Democrats party (2001–2002), Australian Parliament.
Educational background
• Honorary Visiting Research Fellow, University of Adelaide (2019) • Honorary Doctorate, University of South Australia (2019) • Bachelor of Arts (political science, history), University of Adelaide (1991)
Other main activities in the field relevant to the mandate of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women
• Ms. Stott Despoja has extensive applied legislative and policymaking experience and a thorough understanding of international law and treaties, acquired in her role as a Senator in the Australian Parliament. During this time, she pursued various gender equality initiatives, including tabling Australia’s first paid maternity leave bill in the Australian Parliament and advocating for Australia’s ratification of the CEDAW Optional Protocol. • In her role as the Chair of Our Watch, Ms. Stott Despoja has overseen the development of the first-ever national framework for the prevention of violence against women. This framework has been referenced by other countries and has
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informed the finalisation of the United Nations framework to underpin action to prevent violence against women.
List of most recent publications in the field of discrimination against women and advancement of their human rights
• On Violence, Melbourne University Press, 2019 • “Women, peace and security: Australia in the UNSC”, International Humanitarian Law Magazine, 2015
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Vera Nkwate Ngassa (Cameroon)
Date and place of birth
21 May 1964, Bamenda, Cameroon
Working languages
English and French
Current position/function
• Since 2012: Vice-President, Court of Appeals of the South West Region Cameroon; appellate judge and human rights/gender expert and adviser, Law Report Committee; • Since 2013: Expert human rights trainer for the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Women’s Empowerment, Cameroon; Expert, UNODC Sahel Victim Protection Programme; • Since 2000: Lecturer, Department of Women and Gender Studies, University of Buea, Cameroon.
Main professional activities
• Legal and judicial officer for the past 32 years; • As Chief Prosecutor, took initiative to bring accountability for all offences against women, securing groundbreaking convictions for violence against women; • Featured in the BBC International Award winning documentary “Sisters In Law”. Successfully advocated for gender sensitive law reform; • As a judge, has been judging with a gender perspective, creating a culture of incorporating international norms relevant to women in decisions; • Human rights and judicial education expert, specialized in women’s rights who has been training and building capacity for policy makers and the judiciary in Cameroon as well as internationally; • Has been teaching women’s human rights, researching and training at the universities for the past 19 years; • Retained by UNODC as expert in violence against women and victim protection programme for Sahel States since 2015.
Educational background
• 2011–2012: LL.M. in international legal studies (with distinction); certificate in international human rights (comparative women’s human rights), Georgetown University, Washington D.C.; Fellow, Georgetown Women Public Policy and Law (leadership and advocacy for women in Africa) • 1982–1985: License en droit (English private law), University of Yaoundé, Cameroon • April 2017: Justice Rapid Response Investigating Conflict Related Sexual/ Gender Based Violence
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Other main activities in the field relevant to the mandate of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women
• Active engagement with non-governmental organizations and civil society since 1994; • As Public Education Officer for the International Association of Women Judges (IAWJ), has implemented women’s human rights and access to justice projects for 20 years, the most recent being the Government of Netherlands/IAWJ Global Leadership of Women (GLOW) programme for West Africa and South East Asia; • Developed tools and manuals on gender-based violence and human trafficking; • In 2006 and 2007, participated in side panels organized by Equality Now and IAWJ at the Commission on the Status of Women; • Within FIDA, contributed to shadow reports to the CEDAW Committee; • Since 2009, has monitored the application of the CEDAW Convention in judicial and administrative decisions and has trained the judiciary across West Sahel Africa on incorporating international norms, especially the CEDAW Convention, in domestic decisions.
List of most recent publications in the field of discrimination against women and advancement of their human rights
• “Gender Approach to Court Actions”, Editions Saagraph, 1998 (ISBN 2-911208-13-7) • “Gender Law Report”, Friedrich Ebert Editions Saagraph, 1999 • “Issues in Women’s Land Rights in Cameroon “, Langaa Publishing, 2012 (ISBN 9956-726-834) • Victim-friendly Court Manual (Justice for victims of sexual and gender-based violence), International Association of Women Judges, April 2014 • Besides Ratification: Applying International Norms in Gender-Based Violence Cases (GLOW)
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Jie Xia (China)
Date and place of birth
November 1960, Heilongjiang, China
Working languages
Chinese and English
Current position/function
• Vice-President and Member of the Secretariat of the All-China Women’s Federation (ACWF)
Main professional activities
• Since joining the All-China Women’s Federation in February 2017, she has actively promoted the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action in China. She has headed several delegations to and delivered speeches on a series of high-level regional and international events. She has promoted the integration of women’s dialogue into several inter-state exchange mechanisms, enhancing the visibility of gender issues in international governance. • Deputy Chairperson, 12th National People’s Congress of China. • A significant part of her career was devoted to the work at prefectural and provincial levels, serving as Member of the Standing Committee of both Henan and Heilongjiang Provincial CPC Committees, and Director-General of Organization Department of both Henan and Heilongjiang Provincial CPC Committees.
Educational background
• She graduated from Harbin Normal University in 1983 with a Bachelor’s degree of Arts. • In 2000, she obtained her Master degree in Business Administration from the Northeast Forestry University of China. • In 2016, she graduated with a Doctorate degree in Management in Harbin Engineering University. • She also studied at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada, from 2003 to 2004, and at the École Nationale d’Administration in France in 2006.
Other main activities in the field relevant to the mandate of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women
• She has put forward proposals on women’s issues to the legislative body, and vigorously promotes the translation of the principles of non-discrimination and equality into national legislation and policy measures. With her efforts and dedication, 31 provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities in China have established gender equality assessment mechanisms, and many have developed local implementing regulations on the Anti-Domestic Violence Law of China. • She has facilitated the introduction of relevant laws and regulations on women’s land rights, equal participation in the labour market, etc. She advocates widely to raise awareness on the CEDAW Convention among the general public, and
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relentlessly promotes the implementation of CEDAW and its concluding observations in China.
List of most recent publications in the field of discrimination against women and advancement of their human rights
• Safeguarding Women’s Human Rights and Promoting the Overall Development: New Achievements of Human Rights in China, 2017 • “Implementation of New Strategy of Development”, People’s Daily, 4 January 2016
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