The Current Composition of International Tribunals and Monitoring Bodies
Current Composition of International Tribunals and Monitoring Bodies
GQUAL surveyed a total of 93 international tribunals and monitoring bodies, making a total of 592 positions available. Excerpts of the data covered in Concept Note of the Campaign follow below.
International Tribunals
Year Founded | Tribunal | Current Members |
Current Women |
Total Historical # Members |
Total # of Women % |
1945 | International Court of Justice | 16 | 3 (19%) | 106 | 4 (3.77%) |
2002 | International Criminal Court | 18 | 6 (33%) | 47 | 19 (40.43%) |
1996 | International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea | 21 | 3 (14%) | 46 | 4 (8.7%) |
International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (“Mechanism”) | 25 | 6 (24%) | 31 | 7 (22.85%) | |
TOTAL | 80 permanent positions | 18 (22.5%) | 230 |
34 (14.78%) |
*International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda was discontinued in December 2015
*International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia was discontinued in December 2017
Regional Courts
Year Founded |
Court | Current Members |
Current Women % |
Total Historical # Members |
Total # of Women % |
1952 | European Court of Justice | 28 | 6 (21.43%) | 100 | 11 (11%) |
1979 | Court of Justice of the Andean Community | 4 | 1(25%) | ||
1907 | Central American Court of Justice | 6 | 2 (33.33%) | ||
2005 | Caribbean Court of Justice | 7 | 1 (14.29%) | 11 | 2 (18.18%) |
1991 | ECOWAS Community Court of Justice | 5 | 2 (40%) | 22 | 7 (31.82%) |
1999 | East African Court of Justice | 11 | 1 (9.09%) | 23 | 4 (17.39%) |
TOTAL | 61 positions |
13 (21.31%) | 156 | 24 (15.38%) |
Regional Human Rights Tribunals
Year Founded |
Tribunal | Current Members |
Current Women % |
Total Historical # Members |
Total # of Women % |
1979 | Inter-American Court of Human Rights | 7 | 1 (14.29%) | 37 | 4 (10.81%) |
1959 | European Court of Human Rights | 47 | 16 (34.04%) | 191 | 39 (20.42%) |
2004 | African Court on Human and People’s Rights | 11 | 6 (54.55%) | 29 | 10 (34.48%) |
TOTAL |
65 positions |
23(35.38%) | 257 | 53 (20.62%) |
International Commissions
Year Founded |
Commission | Current Members |
Current Women % |
Total Historical # Members |
Total # of Women % |
1959 | Inter-American Commission on Human Rights |
7 | 4 (57.14%) | 73 | 16 (21.92%) |
1987 | African Commission on Human and People’s Rights |
11 | 6 (54.55%) | 52 | 19 (36.54%) |
2010 | ASEAN Commission on the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Women and Children |
20 | 16 (80%) | ||
1993 | ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights |
10 | 3(30%) | 28 | 8 (28.57%) |
TOTAL | 48 positions |
29(60.42%) | 153 | 43(28.10%) |
Hybrid Tribunals
Year Founded |
Tribunal | Current Members |
Current Women % |
Total Historical # Members |
Total # of Women % |
2003 | Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia |
16 | 2 (12.5%) | 34 | 6 (17.65%) |
2013 | Residual Special Court for Sierra Leone | 16 | 5 (31.25%) | ||
2009 | Special Tribunal for Lebanon | 11 | 3 (27.27%) | 12 | 3 (25%) |
TOTAL | 43 positions |
10 (23.26%) | 46 | 9 (19.57%) |
*5 Judges are appointed by the Government of Sierra Leona and 10 appointed by the United Nations
*Special Court for Sierra Leone was discontinued in 2013
UN Treaty Bodies
Year Founded | Committee | Current Members |
Current Women % |
Total Historical # Members |
Total # of Women % |
1976 | Human Rights Committee | 18 | 6 (33.33%) | ||
1985 | Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights | 18 | 6 (33.33%) | ||
1969 | Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination | 18 | 9 (50%) | ||
2004 | Committee on the Protection of the rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of their Families | 14 | 2 (14.29%) | ||
2010 | Committee on Enforced Disappearances | 10 | 3 (30%) | ||
1979 | Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women | 23 | 21 (91.30%) | ||
1990 | Committee on the Rights of the Child | 18 | 10 (55.56%) | ||
1969 | Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities | 18 | 6 (33.3%) | ||
1987 | Committee Against Torture | 10 | 4 (40%) | ||
2007 | Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture | 25 | 12 (48%) | ||
TOTAL | 172 positions | 79(45.93%) |
UN Special Procedures
Year Founded |
Working Group/Special Rapporteurship/ Independent Expert |
Current Members |
Current Women % |
Total Historical # Members |
Total # of Women % |
2000 | SR Adequate Housing | 1 | 1 (100%) | 3 | 2 (66.67%) |
2000 | WG People African Descent | 5 | 1 (20%) | 16 | 7 (43.75%) |
1991 | WG Arbitrary Detention | 5 | 2 (40%) | 19 | |
2011 | IExp Promotion of democratic and equitable international order | 1 | 0 (0%) | 2 | 0 (0%) |
1998 | SR Education | 1 | 1 (100%) | 4 | 2 (50%) |
1980 | WG Enforced Disappearances | 5 | 1 (20%) | 23 | 2 (8.7%) |
2012 | SR Safe, Clean, Healthy Environment | 1 | 0 (0%) | 1 | 0 (0%) |
1982 | SR Extrajudicial, summary, and arbitrary executions | 1 | 1 (100%) | 6 | 2 (33.33%) |
1998 | SR Extreme poverty | 1 | 0 (0%) | 4 | 2 (50%) |
2000 | SR Right to food | 1 | 1 (100%) | 3 | 1 (33%) |
2005 | IExp foreign debt | 1 | 0 (0%) | 4 | 0 (0%) |
2010 | SR freedom of association | 1 | 0(0%) | 3 | 1 (33.33%) |
1993 | SR freedom of expression | 1 | 0 (0%) | 4 | 0 (0%) |
1986 | SR freedom of religion | 1 | 0 (0%) | 5 | 1 (20%) |
2002 | SR physical and mental health | 1 | 0 (0%) | 3 | 0 (0%) |
2000 | SR human rights defenders | 1 | 0 (0%) | 3 | 2 (66.67%) |
1994 | SR independence of judges and lawyers | 1 | 0 (100%) | 5 | 2 (40%) |
2001 | SR indigenous people | 1 | 1 (100%) | 3 | 1 (33%) |
2015 | Special Rapporteur on leprosy | 1 | 1 (100%) | 1 | 1 (100%) |
2004 | SR on IDP’s | 1 | 1 (100%) | 4 | 1 (25%) |
2005 | WG use of mercenaries | 5 | 2 (40%) | 11 | 6 (54.5%) |
1999 | SR migrants | 1 | 0 (0%) | 4 | 1 (25%) |
2005 | SR minority issues | 1 | 0 (0%) | 3 | 2 (66.67%) |
2013 | IExp older persons | 1 | 1 (100%) | 1 | 1 (100%) |
2011 | SR truth, justice, reparations | 1 | 0 (0%) | 2 | 0 (0%) |
1993 | SR discrimination | 1 | 1 (100%) | 5 | 1 (20%) |
2007 | SR slavery | 1 | 1 (100%) | 2 | 2(100%) |
2005 | IExp hhrr and international solidarity | 1 | 0 (0%) | 3 | 1 (33%) |
2005 | SR terrorism | 1 | 1 (100%) | 3 | 1 (33%) |
1985 | SR torture | 1 | 0 (0%) | 6 | 0 (0%) |
1995 | SR environmentally sound waste management | 1 | 0 (0%) | 5 | 1 (20%) |
2004 | SR trafficking | 1 | 1 (100%) | 3 | 3 (100%) |
2011 | WG hhrr and corporations | 5 | 2 (40%) | 10 | 4 (40%) |
2008 | SR water | 1 | 0 (0%) | 2 | 1 (50%) |
2010 | WG discrimination against women | 5 | 5 (100%) | 11 | 11 (100%) |
1994 | SR violence against women | 1 | 1 (100%) | 4 | 4 (100%) |
2012 | SR Belarus | 1 | 1 (100%) | 2 | 1 (50%) |
1993 | SR Cambodia | 1 | 1 (100%) | 6 | 1 (16.67%) |
2013 | IExp Central African Republic | 1 | 1 (100%) | 1 | 1 (100%) |
2004 | SR Korea | 1 | 0 (0%) | 3 | 0 (0%) |
2012 | SR Eritrea | 1 | 1 (100%) | 2 | 2 (100%) |
2011 | SR Iran | 1 | 0 (0%) | 3 | 1 (50%) |
2013 | IExp Mali | 1 | 0 (0%) | 2 | 0 (0%) |
1992 | SR Myanmar | 1 | 1 (100%) | 5 | 1 (20%) |
1993 | SR Palestine | 1 | 0 (0%) | 7 | 0 (0%) |
1993 | IExp Somalia | 1 | 0 (0%) | 6 | 1 (16.67%) |
1993 | IExp Sudan | 1 | 0 (0%) | 8 | 1 (12.5%) |
2011 | SR Syria* | 1 | 0 (0%) | 1 | 0 (0%) |
1990 | SR sale of children, prostitution, and pornography | 1 | 1 (100%) | 5 | 3 (60%) |
2009 | SR cultural rights | 1 | 1 (100%) | 2 | 2(100%) |
2014 | SR persons with disabilities | 1 | 1 (100%) | 1 | 1 (100%) |
2016 | IE on the enjoyment of human rights by persons with albinism | 1 | 1(100%) | 1 | 1(100%) |
2015 | SR on the right to privacy | 1 | 0 (0%) | 1 | 0 (0%) |
2016 | IE on protection against violence & discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity | 1 | 0 (0%) | 2 | 0 (0%) |
2016 | SR on the negative impact of the unilateral coercive measures on the enjoyment of HR | 1 | 0 (0%) | 1 | 0 (0%) |
2016 | SR on the right to development | 1 | 0 (0%) | 1 | 0 (0%) |
TOTAL | 56 Special Procedures |
81 positions | 34 (41.98%) | 247 |
* Will start once the mandate of the commission of inquiry ends.
*SR Haiti was discontinued in March 2017.
*IExp Côte d’Ivoire was discontinued in June 2017.
Other
Year Founded |
Body | Current Members |
Current Women % |
Total Historical # Members |
Total # of Women % |
1995 | World Trade Organization Appellate Body |
6 | 1 (16.67%) | 25 | 4 (16%) |
1947 | International Law Commission | 34 | 4 (11.76%) | 229 | 7(3.06%) |
TOTAL | 40 positions |
5 (12.50%) | 254 | 11(4.33%) |
Connie,Just came across your blog(from Michel-Adrien Sheppard’s blog) and wanetd to thank you for this post. I’ll be linking to it on Monday. Again thank you and I look forward to reading your blog in future.Michael
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