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. 

2008 Elections Results

On 16 December 2008, 3 members of the Committee were re-elected and 6 new members were elected. They will be serving a 4-year term from 1 March 2009 to 28 February 2013. The NGO Group has prepared a breakdown of the results of the elections. Further information is also available in the UN press release.

• Re-elected members: Ms. Lee (Republic of Korea), Mr. Zermatten (Switzerland) and Mr. Pollar (Uganda).
• Newly elected members: Mr. Sanphasit Koompraphant (Thailand), Ms. Marta Mauras Perez (Chile), Ms. Hadeel Al-Asmar (Syrian Arab Republic), Mr. Peter Guran (Slovakia), Ms. Susana Villarán de la Puente (Peru) and Mr. Kamla Devi Varmah (Mauritius).

Background on the 2008 Committee elections

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 2008.

The States parties have to submit their nominees by 22 August. The current list of candidates and their CVs are available on the elections page of the OHCHR website.

Current Membership

 The current membership of the Committee (2007-2009) is:
 

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.