CEDAW
UNITED
NATIONS
Convention on the Elimination
of All Forms of Discrimination
against Women
Distr.
GENERAL
CEDAW/SP/1994/3/Add.4
2 February 1994
ORIGINAL: ENGLISH
MEETING OF STATES PARTIES TO THE
CONVENTION ON THE ELIMINATION
OF ALL FORMS OF DISCRIMINATION
AGAINST WOMEN
Seventh meeting
New York, 7 February 1994
Item 5 of the provisional agenda*
Election, in accordance with article 17, paragraphs 4 and 5,
of the Convention of 12 members of the Committee on the
Elimination of Discrimination against Women to replace
those whose terms are due to expire on 15 April 1994
Note by the Secretary-General
Addendum
1. The Secretary-General, in compliance with article 17, paragraph 3, of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, invited the States parties to the Convention to submit their nominations, by 10 November 1993, for the election of 12 members of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women. The 19 nominations that were received by that date were published in document CEDAW/SP/1994/3. One additional nomination was published in document CEDAW/SP/1994/3/Add.1, another two nominations were published in document CEDAW/SP/1994/3/Add.2 and an additional four were published in document CEDAW/SP/1994/3/Add.3. The Secretary-General has now received one more nomination as follows:
Justice Desirée P. Bernard - Guyana
2. Biographical data concerning the above-mentioned candidate, as furnished by her Government, is annexed hereto.
* CEDAW/SP/1994/1.
94-06105 (E) 030294 /...
Annex
Desirée Patricia Bernard
Date of birth: 2 March 1939
Nationality: Guyanese
Marital status: Single
Professional qualifications and experience
Bachelor of Laws Degree, University of London (LL.B) (Hons.)
Practised as a solicitor in the High Court of the Supreme Court of Guyana, 1964-1980
Admitted to the Roll of Solicitors in England in 1977
Appointed to act as a magistrate in juvenile and maintenance courts, 1970
Appointed first woman judge of the High Court of the Supreme Court of Guyana, 1 October 1980
Appointed Commissioner of Oaths and Notary Public, 1976
Appointed first woman judge of the Court of Appeal of Guyana, May 1992. At present the only woman holding such a position in the Caribbean
Membership in organizations and committees
A. National
Elected Treasurer of Business and Professional Women's Club of Guyana, 1966
Elected Charter President of the Georgetown Toastmistress Club, 1967, and served until 1972
Elected Secretary of the Guyana Law Society, 1968, and elected President of the Society, 1972
Elected to the Committee of the Georgetown Twining Association, 1970 to promote twining with the city of Ottawa, Canada
Founder member of Guyana Consumers' Association
Member of the Council of the University of Guyana since 1971
Founder member of the Conference on the Affairs and Status of Women in Guyana
Appointed member of the Adoption Board of Guyana, 1972, and later served as Deputy Chairman for several years
Member of the Legal Practitioners' Committee of Guyana, which is responsible for discipline of legal practitioners, 1972-1979
Member of the Board of Directors of the Guyana Legal Aid Clinic
Member of Guyana Labour Code Commission, 1975-1980
Appointed member of the Income Tax Board of Review, 1976
First President of the Guyana Association of Women Lawyers; held this post for two years
Appointed Chairman of the Legislation Committee of the Guyana Commission for the International Year of the Child, 1979
Only female member of the Judicial Service Commission of Guyana since 1982
Elected President of the All-Guyana Netball Association, 1987
Member of the Board of Trustees of the Guyana Girl Guides Association
Appointed first woman Chancellor of the Anglican Diocese of Guyana, and first in the Province of the West Indies
B. Regional
First Secretary of Caribbean Women's Association, 1970-1974; at present serving as a resource person
Member of the Caribbean Council of Legal Education, 1970-1980
Elected first and only female President of the Organisation of Commonwealth Caribbean Bar Associations, 1976; made Honorary Life Member, 1980
Served as member and Chairman of the Caribbean Steering Committee for Women's Affairs, 1978 (later established as the Women and Development Unit of the University of the West Indies)
Member of the Caribbean Task Force on Abortion, 1978
C. International
Honorary member of the Canadian Bar Association, 1976-1978
Member and Country Vice-President of the International Federation of Women Lawyers
Member of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, 1982-1992; served as Rapporteur, 1982-1984 and as chairperson, 1985-1989
Member of the Commonwealth Lawyers' Association
Member of the International Association of Women Judges
Outstanding achievements
Gave voluntary service to the Guyana Legal Aid Centre, 1975-1980
Was appointed Chairman of a Committee established by the President of Guyana in 1981 to examine all laws with a view to abolishing discrimination against women and against children born out of wedlock. As a result of recommendations, several discriminatory laws against women were abolished and the Bastardy Act repealed. A new Act was passed granting children born out of wedlock equal status with children born in wedlock. The Equal Rights Act was passed, as well as the Act giving some proprietary rights to women living in common law relationships
Has written several articles and delivered papers and lectures on the legal rights of women and children
Attended Ninth Commonwealth Law Conference in Auckland, New Zealand and presented a keynote paper on violence and the family as well as a paper on the domestic application of international human rights norms as it affects women
In 1991, presented paper on the effect of the common law on Caribbean jurisprudence in Tortola, British Virgin Islands, to celebrate twentieth anniversary of the establishment of the Caribbean Council of Legal Education
Awards
Awarded the Cacique Crown of Honour, the third highest national award of Guyana, for outstanding service in the improvement of the status of women
Received award from the Women's Unit of the University of Guyana for outstanding contribution in the field of law
Awarded medal of service from the Caribbean Women's Association
Received award from the University of the West Indies Guild of Graduates, New York chapter, in November 1992 for commitment to the rights of women and children and dedication to scholarship and Caribbean jurisprudence
Other information
Attended Conference of Women Lawyers of the Caribbean and Latin America held in Airlie, Virginia, United States of America, 1975
Attended International Women's Year Conference, Mexico, 1975
Attended Fifth Commonwealth Law Conference in Edinburgh, Scotland, as President of the Organization of Commonwealth Caribbean Bar Associations, 1977
Attended annual conference of the International Federation of Women Lawyers, Santa Fe, New Mexico, United States of America, 1979
Attended mid-Decade Women's Conference, Copenhagen, Denmark, 1980, as a resource person for the non-governmental forum
Attended end-of-Decade World Conference for Women, Nairobi, Kenya, to present the report of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women as its contribution to the World Conference
Visited Japan in 1988 as Chairperson of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women and met with women's groups and members of the Prime Minister's Advisory Council on Women's Affairs
Visited China at the invitation of the All China Women's Federation
Resource person of the Division for the Advancement of Women of the United Nations Secretariat and, as such, attended the regional seminar held in Antigua in April 1992 to sensitize government officials responsible for women's affairs about the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women
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