CAT/C/44/2* GRULAC 1 Africa 10 WEOG 12 Asia 1 3. The fiftieth ratification automatically gives rise to an unavoidable challenge to the entire system of prevention of torture, as the membership of the Subcommittee thereby increases from 104 to 25, which will make it the largest expert body in the United Nations. 4. It is hoped that the additional members needed to bring the number to 25 will be elected in 2010. This will entail a complex, informed process in order to ensure the most geographically representative and multidisciplinary membership. 5. The current geographical distribution in the Subcommittee is extremely uneven. There are no members from Africa or Asia, even though there are States parties in each of those regions, and Western Europe and Latin America are overrepresented, as can be seen from the following table. Current geographical distribution Region Ratification (%) Membership (%) Africa 12 0 Asia 12 0 Eastern Europe 33 30 GRULAC 24 40 WEOG 18 30 6. The General Assembly (resolution 63/167) has encouraged States parties to take action to ensure an equitable geographical institution in the membership of the treaty bodies. The Subcommittee trusts that, in the election of new members to the Subcommittee at the next meeting of the States parties, the following points will be considered: • Equitable geographical distribution in its membership would give the Subcommittee greater legitimacy and acceptance, in addition to enriching its work. It is also important to establish gender balance in the Subcommittee and to include specialists in particular areas, including health. • With 50 States parties, the recommended distribution of members would be as follows: Africa 3, Asia 3, Western Europe 5, Eastern Europe 8 and Latin America 6. 7. As a matter of priority in this transition, it is incumbent on the current membership of the Subcommittee to lay the foundations for methods of work and to apply the 4 GE.10-41876 For a list of the current members of the Subcommittee, see annex II. 5