Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights
United Nations International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination
The Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) is an international body of 18 independent experts that monitors implementation of ICERD by its more than 100 member countries for a period of four years.
While members may be re-elected if nominated, elections take place for 9 of the 18 members every two years as a means of ensuring a progressive balance of continuity and change.
Extreme care is taken when appointing new members to this committee: these experts must be of high moral standing; consideration must be given to equitable geographic distribution; and, members must represent the diverse forms of civilization, ruling and legal systems.
The current committee membership represents a diverse group of countries: Egypt, Algeria, the Russian Federation, the United States of America, Guatemala, Burkina Faso, Togo, France, South Africa, Denmark, Brazil, India, Pakistan, Greece, China, United Kingdom, Ecuador, and Argentina. Background information and curriculum vitas on each of these members can be obtained by visiting the CERD member webpage.
All member countries must submit reports to the Committee indicating how rights are being implemented and how progress is being made. New members must report one year after acceding to the Convention; after that, they submit reports every two years.
The Committee assumes responsibility for examining each report, and provides comments and recommendations in the form of "concluding observations," which can be accessed on the CERD site (For a sample, please see the most recent 68th session, which took place February - March of 2006).
The Committee meets in Geneva twice per year for sessions lasting three weeks each. In addition to the bi-annual reporting procedure, the Convention has established three other monitoring functions: an early-warning procedure, an examination of complaints between countries, and an examination of individual complaints addressed directly to the committee (For a sample, please see the recent Early Warning and Urgent Action Procedure recommendation made in response to complaints submitted regarding the United States by the Western Shoshone National Council, the Timbisha Shoshone Tribe, the Winnemucca Indian Colony, and the Yomba Shoshone Tribe.)
Also see:
The current committee membership represents a diverse group of countries: Egypt, Algeria, the Russian Federation, the United States of America, Guatemala, Burkina Faso, Togo, France, South Africa, Denmark, Brazil, India, Pakistan, Greece, China, United Kingdom, Ecuador, and Argentina. Background information and curriculum vitas on each of these members can be obtained by visiting the CERD member webpage.
All member countries must submit reports to the Committee indicating how rights are being implemented and how progress is being made. New members must report one year after acceding to the Convention; after that, they submit reports every two years.
The Committee assumes responsibility for examining each report, and provides comments and recommendations in the form of "concluding observations," which can be accessed on the CERD site (For a sample, please see the most recent 68th session, which took place February - March of 2006).
The Committee meets in Geneva twice per year for sessions lasting three weeks each. In addition to the bi-annual reporting procedure, the Convention has established three other monitoring functions: an early-warning procedure, an examination of complaints between countries, and an examination of individual complaints addressed directly to the committee (For a sample, please see the recent Early Warning and Urgent Action Procedure recommendation made in response to complaints submitted regarding the United States by the Western Shoshone National Council, the Timbisha Shoshone Tribe, the Winnemucca Indian Colony, and the Yomba Shoshone Tribe.)
Also see:
- The Upcoming 69th Session: July 31 - August 18, 2006
- The Upcoming 70th Session: February - March, 2007