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Summary: States Parties to the Convention on
the Rights of the Child elected four
new members and reelected one
member to the committee that
monitors the Convention. The new
members are Mr. Ibrahim Abdul Aziz
Al-Sheddi (Saudi Arabia); Ms. Ghalia
Mohd Bin Hamad Al-Thani (Qatar);
Ms. Saisuree Chutikul (Thailand); Mr.
Luigi Citarella (Italy).
Committee on the Rights of the Child: Membership Update
This February, five members of the Committee on the Rights of
the Child reached the end of their terms. In the election for the
new term, held on February 26th, Ms. Marilia Sardenberg was re-
elected, and four new nominees were voted into place. Mr.
Ghassan Rabbah, a former Committee member, was a candidate
for the new term; however he was not re-elected, having
received 37 of the 185 votes.
In the first round, Ghalia Mohd Bin Hamad Al-Thani (Qatar) and
Luigi Citarella (Italy) were elected out of 21 total candidates. Out
of 185 votes, Al-Thani received 93, and Citarella 97. The required
majority minimum for this election was 93 votes. In the second
voting round, Saisuree Chutikul (Thailand) received 105 of the
184 votes, and Committee veteran Marilia Sardenberg (Brazil)
received 95. The minimum for the second round was also 93
votes. In the third and final voting round, Ibrahim Abdul Aziz Al-
Sheddi (Saudi Arabia) was elected with 91 votes. The minimum in
this round was 85.
The following are new members who were voted onto the
Committee for the next term:
Mr. Ibrahim Abdul Aziz Al-Sheddi (Saudi Arabia)
A native of Saudi Arabia, Mr. Al-Sheddi currently acts as the
Deputy Minister of Education for Cultural and External Relations,
in addition to holding the post of Secretary-General of Saudi
National Commission for Child Welfare. Mr. Al-Sheddi began his
professional life as a teacher at the intermediate school level and
has since held a number of supervisory positions concerning the
welfare of children, including Secretary-General of Saudi National
Commission for Child Welfare. He also acted as the Chairman of
the committee, which prepared the report of the Kingdom of
Saudi Arabia on measures adopted for the implementation of the
CRC. Mr. Al-Sheddi has completed a number of research projects
on children and childhood, as well as published a book on
education plans of regional and international educational
organisations.
Ms. Ghalia Mohd Bin Hamad Al-Thani (Qatar)
Ms. Al-Thani comes to the Committee from Qatar and brings with
her an expertise in Paediatrics. Currently, she is the Chairperson
of the Paediatrics Department and holds numerous additional
leadership positions in her field of expertise, including being a
Fellow of the Royal College for Paediatrics and Child Health. More
specifically, Ms. Al-Thani concerns herself with children and adults
with special needs. She is the Chair of the Committee for Special
Needs which strives to improve community awareness about such
individuals, as well as to set up a legislation that would provide
rights for a better existence for the mentally handicapped in
society. Ms. Al-Thani is also a member of the Advisory Committee
Supreme Council for Family Affairs.
Ms. Saisuree Chutikul (Thailand)
From Thailand, Ms. Chutikul is an active member and chairperson
of numerous organisations, including the National Commission on
Women's Affairs. She is also a National Youth Commission
Member, and the Chairperson of the Committee on Eradication of
Trafficking in Children and Women. Ms. Chutikul is also a member
of the National Committee on Drafting the National Policy and
Plan of Action on Human Rights for Thailand, and is responsible
for chapters on children's rights, women's rights, as well as
general human rights education.
As a Cabinet minister, Ms. Chutikul was responsible for children,
youth, and social development. At this post, she initiated the
changes in many laws and regulations, such as increasing
maternity leave and revising child nationality laws. As a senator,
Ms. Chutikul initiated various clauses in the revised Labour Law,
including on gender equality and the prohibition of sexual
harassment. Ms. Chutikul was also a member of the United
Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW). Her work
on this commission included advocacy for women's rights as well
as emphasis on the girl child. Ms. Chutikul also organises
seminars and training courses for police and social workers on
child abuse and violence against women and children. She also
finds time to make keynote presentations at various international
and regional meetings on children and women.
Mr. Luigi Citarella (Italy)
Mr. Citarella is from Italy and currently acts as the Secretary-
General of the Interministerial Committee for Human Rights. He
is also a member of the Italian delegation to the General
Assembly of the United Nations, and of the Italian delegation to
the Commission for Human Rights of the United Nations. His
major professional activity is teaching. Mr. Citarella is a professor
of Human Rights at the post-graduate level. He teaches in the
Faculty of Political Science at the University of Rome, as well as
several other universities. He was also the Italian delegate to
the inter-sessional working group of the Commission on Human
Rights on the involvement of children in armed conflict. He was
also responsible for the first and second periodic reports of Italy
on the CRC. Mr. Citarella recently published a handbook on the
international aspects of family law.