What happens if there is no clear result in the first round? If the result of the election fails to fill all vacancies on the committee in accordance with the criteria set out in the treaty, the rules of procedure provide for additional rounds of voting to be conducted until all vacancies have been filled. The procedure involves multiple rounds of voting, some with restricted lists of candidates and some with unrestricted lists, designed to encourage the formation of a consensus and a clear result to be obtained as quickly as possible. Please refer to the relevant rules of procedure for more detail. What happens if a treaty body member resigns or dies in office? Treaty body members are elected for four year terms. Occasionally, for unforeseen reasons, a member may need to resign their position before the end of their term. Other casual vacancies can arise when members die whilst in office. There are two ways in which the treaties address casual vacancies: (1) appointment of a new member by the State party which nominated the original member; or (2) organization of a by-election to elect new member. (1) Appointment of a new member by the original nominating state Most treaties provide for the State party which nominated the resigned or deceased member to appoint a replacement from amongst its nationals to serve the remainder of the term. However, such appointments are subject to approval either by the Committee (CERD, CEDAW, CRC, CMW) or by the other States parties (CAT, CED). 24