PART II – CERD and its Work 1. The Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) CERD, the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, was established as an independent body to monitor the implementation of the ICERD by its States parties and began its work in 1970 as the first UN treaty body. There are currently nine treaty bodies in total and subsequent bodies were established for the other UN Human Rights treaties in the following years (as of 5 July 2011): • • • • • • • • • Human Rights Committee monitors implementation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and its optional protocols; Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR) monitors implementation of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR); Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) monitors implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and its optional protocol; Committee Against Torture (CAT) monitors implementation of the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment (CAT); Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture (SPT) is established by the Optional Protocol to CAT (OPCAT); Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) monitors implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and its optional protocols; Committee on Migrant Workers (CMW) monitors implementation of the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families (ICPMW); Committee on the Right of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) monitors implementation of the International Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (ICRPD); Committee on Enforced Disappearance (CED) monitors implementation of the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance (ICPED). 1.1 Membership CERD is composed of 18 independent experts, who serve in a personal capacity (Article 8 (1) of ICERD). Each member is nominated by a State party and elected for a four-year term during a meeting of States parties (Articles 8 (4) and (5) (a)). Elections take place for half of the members at two-year intervals (Article 8 (5) (a)). In the election of the Committee members, consideration has to be given to equitable geographical distribution and to the representation of different forms of civilization as well as principal legal systems (Article 8 (1)). Under the Convention the Committee shall establish its own rules of procedure and receive no directives from outside (Article 10). 1.2 Sessions CERD meets two times a year in Geneva, usually at the Palais Wilson, headquarters of the Office of High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). While sessions usually last for three weeks, since its 75th session the Committee has been holding four week sessions to deal with the backlog of State reports. State party reports are considered by the Committee in an open meeting which other stakeholders e.g. NGOs are allowed to observe. Part of each CERD session consists of closed meetings in which concluding observations, individual communications or situations under the early warning and urgent action procedure and any other issues arising can be considered. 12 ICERD & CERD: A GUIDE FOR CIVIL SOCIETY ACTORS