Each treaty sets out procedures according to which the Secretariat must organize the
nomination procedure. The common elements are as follows:
1. At least four months before the elections are due, the Secretary-General
addresses a letter to all States parties inviting them to submit nominations
within two months.
2. Nominations should include a curriculum vitae for the nominee setting out
their competence in the field required by the treaty in question. In all cases,
nomination papers should be sent to the Secretary of the relevant treaty
body in Geneva (c/o OHCHR); it is not necessary to send nominations or
duplicates to the Secretary-General’s office in New York nor to the OHCHR
Office in New York since any communications with these offices will be
forwarded immediately to Geneva.
3. The Secretary-General prepares a list of nominees in alphabetical order
including the nominating State party which is sent to all states parties.
The documents are also made available on the web pages of the relevant
treaty body on the OHCHR website (www.ohchr.org).
What happens if a nomination is received after the deadline?
The Secretariat sets a deadline for submission of nominations, two or three months
before the date of the election, in accordance with the treaty provisions. This deadline serves the practical purpose of allowing sufficient time for the document containing the list of nominees and their resumes to be compiled and translated into
the official languages and circulated to all States parties in time for States to weigh
the merits of their candidatures and decide which nominees to vote for. Delegates
should make every effort to respect the deadline for nominations.
The Secretariat often receives nominations after the deadline. In such cases, the
Secretariat cannot guarantee that the candidate’s details can be processed, trans13
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