General Documents Not Relating To Specific States - Meetings of State Parties or of the UN Economic and Social Council - CESCR - Election of Members of the Committee - 1996

UNITED

NATIONS

Economic and Social Council

Distr.

GENERAL

E/1996/19

17 April 1996

ENGLISH

ORIGINAL: ENGLISH/FRENCH/

SPANISH

Resumed organizational session

for 1996

ELECTIONS, NOMINATIONS AND CONFIRMATIONS

Election of nine members of the Committee on Economic, Social

and Cultural Rights

Note by the Secretary-General

1. By its resolution 1985/17, the Economic and Social Council decided to establish a Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights to undertake functions relating to the implementation of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and to assist the Council in fulfilling its responsibilities under the Covenant.

2. In accordance with that resolution, the Council, at its resumed organizational session of 1992, elected by secret ballot, from a list of persons nominated by States parties to the Covenant, nine experts as members of the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, for a four-year term beginning on 1 January 1993 and ending on 31 December 1996 (decision 1992/216). The current membership of the Committee is given in annex I below.

3. At its present session, the Council is to elect nine members of the Committee for a four-year term, beginning on 1 January 1997. The terms of the following members expire on 31 December 1996: Madoe Virginie AHODIKPE (Togo), Juan ALVAREZ VITA (Peru), Dumitru CEAUSU (Romania), Abdessatar GRISSA (Tunisia), María de los Angeles JIMENEZ BUTRAGUEÑO (Spain), Kenneth Osborne RATTRAY (Jamaica), Chikako TAYA (Japan), Philippe TEXIER (France), Margerita VYSOKAJOVÁ (Czech Republic).

4. In a note verbale dated 22 December 1995, the Secretary-General invited the States parties to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights to submit their nominations for membership in the Committee. The names of the persons nominated as at 15 March 1996 are set out below, together with the States parties that nominated them.

96-09215 (E) 290496 /...

*9609215*

Name Proposed by

Madoé Virginie AHODIKPE Togo

Ivan ANTANOVICH Belarus

Dumitru CEAUSU* Romania

Krzysztof DRZEWCKI Poland

Tarik EZZAKI Morocco

Abdessatar GRISSA* Tunisia

Luvsandanzangiin IDER Mongolia

María de los Angeles JIMÉNEZ BUTRAGUEÑO* Spain

Félix LOMPO Niger

José Roberto MEJIA TRABANINO El Salvador

Ariranga Govindasamy PILLAY Mauritius

Kenneth Osborne RATTRAY* Jamaica

Nicos SYMEONIDES Cyprus

Philippe TEXIER* France

Vojtech TKÁČ Slovakia

_________________________

* Nominated for re-election.

5. Biographical information on the persons nominated is contained in annex II below. Any further nominations received by the Secretary-General will be brought to the attention of the Council in addenda to the present note.

6. As at 15 March 1996, there were 133 States parties to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. The number of States parties by regional group and the number of seats to be allocated to each region under subparagraph (b) of Council resolution 1985/17 are as follows:

States parties as Seats

Regional group at 15 March 1996 allocated

African States 40 4

Asian States 21 3

Eastern European States 22 3

Latin American and Caribbean States 27 4

Western European and other States 23 4

Total 133 18

7. Accordingly, the number of vacancies in each geographical region to be filled by the Council is as follows:

Regional group Number of vacancies

African States 2

Asian States 1

Eastern European States 2

Latin American and Caribbean States 2

Western European and other States 2

Total 9

Annex I

COMMITTEE ON ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL RIGHTS

(18 members; four-year term)

Term expires on

31 December

Ade Adekuoye (Nigeria) ............................ 1998

Mahmoud Samir Ahmed (Egypt) ....................... 1998

Madoe Virginie Ahodikpe (Togo)* ................... 1996

Philip Alston (Australia) ......................... 1998

Juan Alvarez Vita (Peru)* ......................... 1996

Virginia Bonoan-Dandan (Philippines) .............. 1998

Dumitru Ceausu (Romania)* ......................... 1996

Abdessatar Grissa (Tunisia)* ...................... 1996

María de los Angeles Jiménez Butragueño (Spain)* .. 1996

Valeri I. Kouznetsov (Russian Federation) ......... 1998

Jaime Alberto Marchan Romero (Ecuador) ............ 1998

Kenneth Osborne Rattray (Jamaica)* ................ 1996

Bruno Simma (Germany) ............................. 1998

Chikako Taya (Japan)* ............................. 1996

Philippe Texier (France)* ......................... 1996

Nutan Thapalia (Nepal) ............................ 1998

Margerita Vysokajová (Czech Republic)* ............ 1996

Javier Wimer Zambrano (Mexico) .................... 1998

_________________________

* Retiring member.

Annex II

BIOGRAPHICAL DATA ON CANDIDATES FOR ELECTION TO THE COMMITTEE

ON ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL RIGHTS

Madoe Virginie AHODIKPE (Togo)*

Education and degrees

1975: First degree (licence) in law, University of Dijon.

1974-1975: Judicial studies certificate I and II, Dijon.

1976: Second degree (diplome d'études approfondies) in Criminal Sciences, University of Montpellier.

1976: Diploma in magistrature.

Professional experience

1976-1977: National College of Magistrates, Paris.

1978: Practical training at the Tribunal de grande instance at Dijon.

1978-1982: Deputy Public Prosecutor at Lomé.

1982-1984: Dean of examining magistrates at the Court of Lomé.

1984-1986: President of the First Correctional Division of the Court of Lomé.

1986-1989: President of the Court of First Instance at Vogan, Togo.

1989-1993: Counsellor at the Appeals Court, Lomé.

June 1993-present: Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions at the Appeals Court, Lomé.

Other activities

1988: - Training course in the implementation of international standards, held in Lomé by the United Nations Centre for Human Rights.

- Study trip to the United States of America on the topic of women in the development process.

_________________________

* Current member of the Committee.

1990: - Headed the Togolese delegation to the Congress of the African Federation of Women Lawyers and Women in Legal Careers in Abidjan.

- Member of the International Association of the African Federation of Women Lawyers and Women in Legal Careers.

- Founding member of the Togolese Association of Women Lawyers and Women in Legal Careers.

- General Treasurer (and Founding member) of the Association for the Promotion of the Rule of Law.

- Administrative Secretary of the Pan-African Democracy Watch.

Ivan ANTANOVICH (Belarus)

Employment/political experience

1969-1974: Staff member, United Nations Secretariat; edited the International Review of Criminal Policy of the United Nations.

1976-1977: Representative of the former Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic to the Human Rights Commission.

1980-1990: Deputy, Supreme Soviet of the former Byelorussian SSR; Chief, Commission on Education and Culture of the Supreme Soviet.

1978-1992: Vice-Chancellor in Charge of Research, Academy of Social and Political Sciences, Moscow.

1992-1995: Director, Research Institute "Belinformprognose".

1995 to present: Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs of Belarus.

Academic qualifications

Ph.D. in Philosophy and Anthropology; Professor of Social and Political Sciences; full member (academician), Russian Academy of Social and Political Sciences; full member (academician), Academy of Geopolitics of the Republic of Belarus.

Publications

Author of 15 books on the problems of social development, the modernization of transitory societies, and the dynamics of socialization and culture. Among the latest: Sociodynamics of Power (Moscow, 1990) and Sociodynamics of Ideology (Minsk, 1994).

Other relevant experience

Adviser to Mr. Gorbachev on social reform issues, 1987-1991; adviser and political analyst to the Prime Minister of Belarus, 1992-1994; political adviser to the President of Belarus, 1994 to present.

Extensive lecturing experience at, for example, the University of Quebec, the University of New Delhi, Harvard University and Atlantic University. Participant in a number of international research teams studying contemporary social problems, such as poverty, migration, social stratification and crime prevention and control.

Dumitru CEAUSU (Romania)*

Education

1956-1960: Law Faculty, University of Bucharest.

1966-1969: Docteur ès sciences politiques, Graduate Institute of High International Studies, University of Geneva.

Employment

1960-1966: Attaché, thereafter Third Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Romania.

1969-1972: Second Secretary, thereafter First Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

1972-1977: First Secretary, then Counsellor, Permanent Mission of Romania to the United Nations.

1981-1985: Counsellor and Minister-Counsellor, Embassy of Romania to the former Federal Republic of Germany.

1985-1990: Counsellor, Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

1990-1992: Deputy Director, Legal, Treaties and Human Rights Division, Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

1992-1993: Minister-Counsellor, Chargé d'affaires a.i., Embassy of Romania to Norway.

1994 to present: Director, Legal Affairs and Treaty Division, Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

International meetings

and conferences

1967 and 1969: Expert on the Romanian delegation to the General Assembly.

1966: Expert on the Romanian delegation to the Economic and Social Council.

1965: Expert on the Romanian delegation to the International Labour Conference.

1972-1977: Alternate member of the Romanian delegation to the General Assembly.

_________________________

* Current member of the Committee.

1976-1977: Alternate representative of Romania to the Security Council.

Third United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea (New York and Caracas sessions).

1978-1983: Representative of Romania to the Subcommission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities.

1993 to present: Representative of Romania to the Committee for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.

Publications

Thesis entitled "Peaceful settlement of international disputes through procedures of direct understanding" (1971, in French); articles in Romanian magazines on the law of the sea, the definition of aggression, the principles of international law, and human rights.

Languages English, French and German.

Krzysztof DRZEWICKI (Poland)

Education

Silesian University, Katowice: LL.M., 1972.

University of Gdańsk: LL.D., 1978 and Dr. Hab., 1989.

Employment/work experience

Participated in sessions of the International Institute of Human Rights (Strasbourg, 1979 and 1980); in 1986, received Diploma from the Centre for Studies and Research in International Law and International Relations of The Hague Academy of International Law. Research and teaching in international public law; specialization in international law of human rights, international humanitarian law and international organizations. Lecturer and researcher, University of Gdańsk, Faculty of Law and Administration (1973 to present); Professor of Public International Law (1992 to present); Senior Researcher, Norwegian Institute of Human Rights, Oslo (1989-1991). Delivered guest lectures at the Universities of Oslo, Lund, Sheffield, Nottingham, Aberdeen, Barcelona (Universidad Autónoma), Syracuse (Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs) and Buffalo (State University); and taught at international courses on human rights law (Strasbourg, Poznań, Åbo/Turku and Barcelona) and on international humanitarian law (Warsaw Summer School). NSZZ Solidarność Trade Union, National Commission, International Department, Gdańsk: adviser on international labour standards and human rights (1994); in that capacity, member of the Polish ILO Tripartite Committee, Warsaw (1990-1994).

International meetings and conferences

Representative of the Government of Poland to the control organs of the European Convention on Human Rights (1994 to present). Participated in the International Labour Conferences of the ILO (Geneva, 1989-1994) (Committee on the Application of Standards) as a workers' adviser on behalf of NSZZ Solidarność Trade Union within the tripartite delegation of Poland. Representative of the Government of Poland as an adviser at the Commission on Human Rights (Geneva, 1993 and 1995). Member of the Committee of Experts for the Improvement of Procedures for the Protection of Human Rights, the Council of Europe (1993-1995), and member of the Steering Committee for Human Rights, the Council of Europe (1995 to present).

National expert proposed by the Government of Poland for the needs of the Human Dimension Mechanism of the Conference/Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE/OSCE) (1992 to present); in that capacity, expert member of the mission by the CSCE/OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities to Albania (August 1993).

Head of the Polish delegation to the CSCE/OSCE implementation meetings on human dimension issues (Warsaw, 1993 and 1995).

Chairman of the Working Group on Assistance to Democratic Institutions of the Council of the Baltic Sea States (1995 and 1996).

Publications

Of a total of more than 70 publications, some recent examples are: "The right to work and rights in work", in Economic, Social and Cultural Rights: A Textbook, A. Eide, C. Krause and A. Rosas, eds. (Dordrecht/Boston/London: Martinus Nijhoff Publishers, 1995); "Implementation of social and economic rights in Central and Eastern Europe: transforming from planned economy to market economy", Nordic Journal of International Law, vol. 64, No. 3 (1995); "The European social charter and Polish legislation and practice" and (with A. Rosas) "Social rights in a united Europe", in Social Rights as Human Rights: A European Challenge, K. Drzewicki, C. Krause and A. Rosas, eds. (Åbo: Institute For Human Rights, 1994); "Pluralism and freedom of association: the case of trade unionism", in The Strength of Diversity: Human Rights and Pluralist Democracy, A. Rosas and J. Helgesen, eds. (Dordrecht/Boston/London: Martinus Nijhoff Publishers, 1992). A more extensive list of publications is available for consultation in the files of the Secretariat.

Tarik EZZAKI (Morocco)

University degrees and diplomas

1974: First degree (licence) in economic sciences, Faculty of Law, University of Rabat.

1979: Second degree (diplôme d'études superieures) in economic sciences, Faculty of Law, University of Casablanca.

1986: Doctorate in economic sciences, Faculty of Law, University of Casablanca.

Professional experience

1971-1972: Urban tax inspector, Casablanca.

1974: National service in the merchant navy, Casablanca.

1975: Assistant lecturer, Faculty of Law, University of Casablanca.

1979: Lecturer, Faculty of Law, University of Casablanca.

1984: Adviser, International Chamber of Commerce, Casablanca.

1985-1993: Lecturer, School of Banking, Casablanca.

1986: Senior lecturer, Faculty of Law, University of Casablanca.

1990: Professor, Faculty of Law, University of Casablanca.

1991: Professor and co-founder, School of Advanced Management Studies, and academic adviser.

Publications, research and lectures

Infrastructure et développement au Maroc (Rabat: Editions Stouky, 1981); Le rôle de l'infrastructure des transports dans la transformation de l'environnement économique et le développement régional, essay on industry location; "La diffusion de l'influence economique par l'infrastructure des transports" (1990); "Des transports au Maghreb dans la perspective d'un regroupement economique regional", paper presented at the symposium organized by the Association of Engineers of the Hassania School of Public Works, 31 October and 1 November 1991; "Aménagement du territoire et décentralisation industrielle à l'heure de l'ecologie", lecture delivered to the Rotary Club International, Casablanca, on 22 June 1992.

Political activities

1984: Member of the commission of senior officials of the Union Constitutionelle (UC); drafted economic programme of UC.

1985: Participated in various events and studies; Chairman of the Regional Planning Commission of UC.

1989-1993: Member of the Advisory Commission to the Political Bureau.

Abdessatar GRISSA (Tunisia)*

Education

1962: B.A. in Economics, University of Nottingham.

1967: Ph.D. in Economics, Brown University.

Employment/other relevant experience

1963-1965: Teaching assistant, Brown University.

1966-1967: Assistant professor, University of Connecticut.

1967-1970: Consultant, Ministry of Planning and Economics of the Government of Tunisia.

1972: Teacher and consultant in international finance and trade, economic development, micro- and macroeconomics.

1970-1972: Research consultant, OECD development centre.

1972: Professor of Economics, University of Tunis.

1982-1984: Dean of business school.

1984-1985: Consultant, International Monetary Fund; also taught postgraduate courses on international finance at the School of Business Administration, George Washington University.

1989: Fulbright Scholar, Northern Arizona University; taught international finance.

1985-1988: Member of the Tunisian Economic and Social Council.

1993-1996: Expert on the Economic, Social and Cultural Rights Committee.

Publications

"Speculation and the stability of flexible exchange rates: the case of the French and British experience in the 1920s", doctoral thesis (Providence, Rhode Island: Brown University, 1967); Agricultural Policies and Employment: The Case of Tunisia (Paris: OECD, 1978); The International Sugar Trade and its Effects on Developing Countries (French); "International commerce and economic development", Revue Africaine du Management (1977, French); "Reciprocal trade and economic growth in developing countries", paper presented at a United Nations conference (March 1977); "The EEC-Maghreb agreements and development

________________________

* Current member of the Committee.

aid", paper presented at a seminar in May 1979 (Faculté de droit et des sciences economiques de Tunis, 1981, French); Evolution of the Tunisian Economy from Independence in 1956 to the Present (Arab League, 1984, Arabic); State Enterprises and the Growth of External Indebtedness of the Developing Countries (IMF, 1985); "Bureaucracy, State enterprise and the Tunisian economy", in Institutional Environment and Economic Development, Jeffrey Nugent and Mustapha Kamel Nabli, eds. (North Holland Publishing Co., 1989); "The privatization of State enterprise in Tunisia", in Politics of the Tunisian Economy, P. Zartman, ed. (Johns Hopkins University Press, forthcoming, French).

Luvsandanzangiin IDER (Mongolia)

Education

1963: Diploma, Institute of International Relations, Moscow.

1981: Diploma, Diplomatic Academy, Moscow.

1965: Six-month English language course, Leeds University.

Professional experience

1963-1972: Department of International Organizations, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Mongolia.

1973-1976: Second Secretary, Embassy of Mongolia to the United Kingdom of

Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

1977-1979:

1981-1986: Director, Department of International Organizations, Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

1986-1989: Counsellor, Embassy of Mongolia to France; Permanent Representative of Mongolia to UNESCO.

1989-1992: Director, Department of Treaty and Legal Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

1992-1993: Adviser, Department of Treaty and Legal Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

January 1993

to present: Adviser, Supreme Court of Mongolia.

Participation in international conferences and bodies

1962-1985: Attended sessions of the General Assembly as a member, adviser and expert of the delegation of Mongolia.

1972: Rapporteur of the Third Committee of the General Assembly.

1977: Vice-Chairperson of the Third Committee of the General Assembly.

1977-1985: Representative of Mongolia to the Commission for Social Development.

1979: Vice-Chairperson of the Commission for Social Development.

1985: Chairperson of the Commission for Social Development.

1991-1994: Member of the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.

María de los Angeles JIMENEZ BUTRAGUEÑO (Spain)*

Academic qualifications

First degree (licencia) in philosophy and letters from the University of Alcalá de Henares, Madrid.

Doctorate studies at the University of Alcalá de Henares, Madrid.

Professional activities

Member of the Cuerpo Superior de Administradores Civiles del Estado (retired).

Posts occupied: for 39 years, held various positions at the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, working in the Documentation and Publications Service, the General Directorate of Employment, and the General Technical Secretariat, where she drafted reports on national and international matters (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, Council of Europe, International Labour Organization, United Nations). She currently works for the journal Economía y Sociología del Trabajo (Economics and Sociology of Labour) published by the Ministry of Labour and Social Security.

Participation in United Nations activities

- Presentation of the two initial reports on articles 6 to 9 and 10 to 12 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (New York, April 1980 and April 1982).

- Appointed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as a member of the Spanish delegation to a seminar on the economic role of women in the Economic Commission for Europe region (Vienna, 15-19 October 1984).

- Appointed by the Economic and Social Council as a member of the Sessional Working Group of Governmental Experts on the Implementation of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (1983-1986).

- Instructor for a human rights training course in San José, Costa Rica (November and December 1987).

- Participated in a seminar on economic, social and cultural rights organized in Maastricht by the International Association of Lawyers and the University of Limburg, and in the drafting of the final document (known as the Limburg Principles).

_______________________

* Current member of the Committee.

- Elected by the Economic and Social Council for three consecutive terms (1987 to 1988, 1989 to 1992 and 1993 to 1996), as an independent expert on the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights; participated in a total of 13 sessions.

- Participated in the European Conference on International Human Rights Standards (Barcelona, 13 to 17 January 1992).

- Participated in a seminar of experts on the use of indicators to supervise the progressive realization of economic, social and cultural rights, and presented the communication "Evaluación del nivel y forma actual de utilización de los indicadores en los diversos órganos de las Naciones Unidas" (Assessment of the current level and manner of the use of indicators in the various United Nations bodies) (Geneva, 25 to 29 January 1993).

Participation in International Labour Organization activities

- Participated in the sixty-sixth and sixty-seventh sessions of the International Labour Conference (1980 and 1981), as a member of the Committee for Equal Opportunities and Equal Treatment for Men and Women Workers: Workers with Family Responsibilities, which adopted Convention No. 156 and Recommendation No. 165.

- Published the article "Legislación protectora e igualdad de oportunidades y de trato para las mujeres en España" (Protective legislation, equal opportunities and equal treatment for women in Spain), in the International Labour Review (Vol. 101, No. 1) (January to March 1982).

Participation in Council of Europe activities

- Participated, as the representative of the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, in the sixth and seventh meetings of the committee of experts on protection against unemployment (Strasbourg, May and November 1979).

Professional activities in the field of women's rights

- Member of the delegation of the General Directorate of Employment of the Ministry of Labour and Social Security to the first Ibero-American Congress on the Occupational Advancement of Workers; presented the report "La promoción profesional de la mujer, factor de desarrollo económico y social" (Professional Advancement of Women as a factor for economic and social development) (1967).

- Appointed by the Ministry of Labour to the National Commission for Women's Employment (1972-1975).

- Drafted the report of the Commission, "Women and Work", for the first World Conference on Women (Mexico City, 1975).

- Participated in the drafting of the two reports submitted by the Ministry of Labour to the second and third World Conferences on Women (Copenhagen, 1980, and Nairobi, 1985).

- Participated in the special events organized by the United Nations Centre for Human Rights and the International Centre for Human Rights and Democratic Development (Canada) during the fourth World Conference on Women (Beijing, 4 to 8 September 1995).

DECORATIONS

- Cordon of Dame of the Order of Civil Merit.

- Commendation of the Order of Civil Merit.

- Commendation of the Orden de Isabel la Católica.

Félix LOMPO (Niger)

Positions held

1980 to 1983: Deputy Head of District at the Service de l'animation (rural development and education service) in Agadez.

Legal adviser, CONAPO Division (Population Directorate).

Academic qualifications

1983: Baccalauréat (secondary school diploma).

1990: Master's degree in law.

1993: Certificate in population and development.

Education

1983 to 1990: Faculty of Law, University of Niamey.

Training

1993: Course in population and development at the Institut d'études politiques, Paris.

1995: Course in design and management of population programmes at the Centre d'études et recherches sur la population pour le développement.

Publications

Discrimination à l'égard de la femme nigérienne quant à la transmission du droit de la nationalité: regards sur la population (1993); La planification familiale dans le droit musulman: regards sur la population (1993); La Politique nationale de population dans l'ordonnancement juridique nigérien: regards sur la population (1993); Etude juridique en vue de la mise en oeuvre de la politique nationale de population; Vers la définition d'un cadre juridique pour la protection de l'enfant au Niger.

Technical notes

"Etude juridique sur la nuptialité au Niger" (1992); "Observations sur le document d'accord du Projet Population" (1992); "Observations et propositions sur la Convention relative à l'élimination de toutes les formes de discrimination à l'égard des femmes à l'intention du ministre du Développement social, de la Population et de la Promotion de la Femme" (1992).

"Observations sur le code de la famille à l'intention du ministre du Développement social" (1992); "Note technique sur la participation de la délégation nigérienne à la Conférence Internationale sur la Population et le Développement à l'intention du ministre du Développement social, de la Population et de la Promotion de la Femme"; "Note technique sur les thèmes et concepts mis entre crochets à la Pré-Conférence de New York"; "Note technique sur les projets Subvention au secteur sanitaire et Santé familiale et démographie".

National committees and other bodies

Member of the Comité technique national sur la population (National Technical Committee on Population).

Member of the Comité de sélection et de suivi du programme Entreprenariat jeunesse (Selection and Supervision Committee of the Youth Entrepreneurship Programme).

Member of the Comité de préparation de l'Année internationale de la Famille (Preparatory Committee for the International Year of the Family).

Country focal point for the development of the Projet population-santé (Population and Health project).

Country focal point for the assessment of the Subvention au secteur sanitaire (Health Sector Subsidy) and Santé familiale et démographie (Family Health and Demography) projects.

José Roberto MEJÍA TRABANINO (El Salvador)

Holds a degree in International Relations from the National Autonomous University of Mexico. Member of the University of El Salvador. Has taught university classes in international relations. Acted as presidential commissioner for human rights up to and including 1994, and served in the same capacity on an international level. Currently works on social programmes and projects at the National Secretariat for the Family, and acts as its technical representative on the Central American Council for Social Integration, which coordinates the region's human development activities, pursuant to agreements entered into by Central American social agencies.

Was in charge of the Central America Directorate, and later the International Organizations Directorate (including responsibility for human rights), in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of El Salvador. From 1986 to 1994, he was a member of the delegation of El Salvador to the meetings of the Third Committee of the United Nations General Assembly, of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights, and of the Sub-Commission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities. From 1988 to 1994, at the sessions of the General Assembly of the Organization of American States, he participated in the committee which considered human rights issues. In 1994, he took part in the International Conference on Population and Development, the fourth Conference of First Ladies of Latin American and Caribbean Countries, and the expanded meeting of the Presiding Officers of the Regional Conference on the Integration of Women into the Economic and Social Development of Latin America and the Caribbean. In 1993, he participated in the Regional Meeting for Latin America and the Caribbean of the World Conference on Human Rights.

He is a career civil servant, and a member of the diplomatic establishment of the Republic of El Salvador.

He participated in the ninth Training Course on International Law, organized by the Inter-American Juridical Committee in Rio de Janeiro, 1982; the fourth Interdisciplinary Course on Human Rights at the Inter-American Institute of Human Rights in San José, Costa Rica, 1986; and various national and Central American courses and seminars on human rights and social issues (1990 to 1996).

Ariranda Govindasamy PILLAY (Mauritius)

Education

1966-1969: B.Sc. Econ. (Hons.), London School of Economics and Political Science, University of London.

1971: LL.B. and B.A. (Hons.), Merlon College, Oxford.

1972: Bar Examination (Second-class Hons.), Lincoln's Inn.

1974: UNESCO fellowship on copyright; practical training in France and Tunisia.

1976: WIPO fellowship on patents and trademarks; research work at the Max Planck Institute, Munich.

1979: UNITAR fellowship in international law; studied at the Hague Academy of International Law, and did practical training at the World Bank and United Nations Headquarters.

1981: United Nations Human Rights fellowship; did research on constitutional law and human rights at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London.

1985: United Nations fellowship for a one-month international law seminar, United Nations Office at Geneva.

Employment

1972-1981: Successively Crown Counsel, Senior Crown Counsel and Principal Crown Counsel.

1982-1984: Assistant Solicitor-General, responsible for drafting many important legislative enactments; co-founder and secretary, Mauritius Law Review.

1984: Parliamentary Counsel; in that capacity, drafted many important pieces of legislation, such as the Sales Tax Act of 1984 and the Copyright Act.

1987 to present: Judge of the Supreme Court of Mauritius; has acquired a rich and varied experience in all kinds of cases, including all aspects of human rights, given that the Supreme Court has unlimited original and appellate jurisdiction in civil and criminal matters, as well as a special constitutional jurisdiction.

1994-1995: Acting Senior Puisne Judge on several occasions.

As Judge of the Supreme Court, had the opportunity of twice chairing moot competitions in Zimbabwe and Swaziland as the representative of the Chief Justice of Mauritius on the subject of human rights; also took part in various seminars organized for judges on copyright, trademarks, patents and human rights.

1994 to present: Chairman, Council of Legal Education, a body that conducts vocational and training courses and examinations for prospective law practitioners, issues certificates of competency and prescribes a code of ethics for law practitioners.

1995 to present: Member, Judicial and Legal Service Commission (three-year term); the Commission is the body responsible for the appointment of all judicial and legal officers.

Kenneth Osborne RATTRAY (Jamaica)*

Substantive position

Solicitor General and a principal legal adviser to the Government of Jamaica.