Committee on the Rights of the Child
The Committee is composed of 18 independent experts whose primary task is to review reports submitted by States parties to the Convention and the Optional Protocols. The Committee’s approach is non-confrontational and attempts to engage States parties in a constructive dialogue to accurately assess the situation of children in a country.
2010 Committee Election Results
On 21 December 2010, States parties to the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) attended their 13th Meeting at the United Nations in New York to elect nine members of the Committee on the Rights of the Child. For a detailed account of the voting process, click here.
The new members will officially take over their new function in March 2011 and will serve until February 2015.
For a full list of candidates, click here.
Giving Candidates a Chance to Share their Views
For the first time in the CRC elections, the NGO Group and CRIN joined forces to interview the nominees for 2010 elections and provide them with the opportunity to talk about their experience in children's rights; what they think they can contribute to the work of the Committee; what they consider to be the key issues in child rights; and their vision for the Committee.
The candidates were interviewed on a voluntary basis and all the posted interviews have been checked and approved by the relevant candidates.
To read these written submissions, click here.
How Committee Members are Elected
Committee members are elected in their personal capacity, to four-year terms. The need to ensure that all geographical areas and principal legal systems are represented is taken into consideration in their selection. The Convention only requires that Committee members be of “high moral standing” and competent in the fields covered by the Convention.
Other possible criteria could include: demonstrated expertise in the field of human rights, particularly children’s rights; the ability to devote sufficient time to the work of the Committee; representation from a wide variety of professional backgrounds; experience working with non-governmental organizations; awareness and sensitivity to cultural differences; and fluency in one of the three working languages (English, French or Spanish) of the Committee.
The NGO Group has prepared a fact sheet (also available in French and Spanish) which provides information on the election of Committee members and explains how NGOs can participate in both the nomination and election processes. Elections are held every other year during the month of December with the next elections taking place in December 2010.
Current Membership
The current membership of the Committee (2009-2011) is:
|
Name |
Nationality |
Term expires |
| Ms. Agnes Akosua AIDOO (Vice-Chair) |
Ghana |
02.2011 |
| Ms. Hadeel AL-ASMAR | Syrian Arab Republic | 02.2013 |
| Mr. Luigi CITARELLA | Italy | 02.2011 |
| Mr. Kamel FILALI (Vice-Chair) | Algeria |
02.2011 |
| Mr. Peter GURAN | Slovakia | 02.2013 |
|
|
Hungary |
02.2011 |
| Ms. Azza El Ashmawy | Egypt |
02.2011 |
|
|
Thailand
Tunisia |
02.2013
02.2011 |
| Mr. Lothar Friedrich KRAPPMANN (Rapporteur) |
Germany |
02.2011 |
| Ms. Yanghee LEE (Chairperson) |
Republic of Korea |
02.2013 |
| Ms. Rosa María ORTIZ (Vice-Chair) | Paraguay |
02.2011 |
| Ms. Marta Mauras PEREZ | Chile |
02.2013 |
| Mr. Awich POLLAR |
Uganda |
02.2013 |
| Mr. Dainius PURAS |
Lithuania |
02.2011 |
| Mr. Kamla Devi Varmah | Mauritius |
02.2013 |
| Ms. Susana VILLARAN de la PUENTE | Peru | 02.2013 |
|
Mr. Jean ZERMATTEN (Vice-Chair) |
Switzerland
|
02.2013 |
The NGO Group has prepared a brief introduction to Committee members which highlights their professional backgrounds and relevant experience in the area of child rights.
Past Membership
A list of past Committee membership (1991-2005) is also available.