CONVOKE

With the entry in force of the Optional Protocol of the United Nations Convention against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, last June 22nd, 2006, which Mexico is part from April 11th, 2005, it began the process for the establishment of the Sub-Committee for the Prevention of Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (Sub-Committee for the Prevention). With this, it was invited to States parties to submit candidates to consider as possible members of that Sub-Committee.

In the firs stage, the Sub-Committee for the Prevention will be composed by 10 experts that will exercise their function in their personal capacity and for a therm of four years.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs convokes to Mexican candidates that accomplish with the necessary characteristics to fulfill the mandate of the Sub-Committee, to present their candidacy.

1. Sub-Committee mandate:

The Article 11 of the Optional Protocol establishes the mandate of the Sub-Committee for the Prevention:

a) Visit the places of detention and make recommendations to States Parties concerning the protection of persons deprived of their liberty against torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment;

b) Advise and assist States Parties, when necessary, in the creation of national preventive mechanisms;

c) Maintain direct, and if necessary confidential, contact with the national preventive mechanisms and offer them training and technical assistance with a view to strengthening the protection of persons deprived of their liberty against torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment;

d) Make recommendations and observations to the States Parties with a view to strengthening the capacity and the mandate of the national preventive mechanisms for the prevention of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment;

e) Cooperate, for the prevention of torture in general, with the relevant United Nations organs and mechanisms as well as with the international, regional and national institutions or organizations working towards the strengthening of the protection of all persons against torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.

2. Candidates profile:
According to Article 5.2 of the Optional Protocol, members of Sub-Committee shall be persons of high moral character, having proven professional experience in the field of the administration of justice, in particular criminal law, prison or police administration, or in the various fields relevant to the treatment of persons deprived of their liberty.

Likewise, Article 5.6 of the Optional Protocol specifies that members of Sub-Committee shall serve in their individual capacity, shall be independent and impartial and shall be available to serve the Subcommittee on Prevention efficiently. It must be underlined that the Protocol restricts the composition of the Sub-Committee in function of the geographical distribution of its members, the representation of different forms of civilization and legal systems of the States parties and in function of the necessity of a balanced gender representation on the basis of the principles of equality and non-discrimination.

With these objectives in mind, it is considered that the personal and professional qualities of ideal profile are:

• Bachelor degree or equivalent theoretic knowledge on international Law, international relations, medicine, psychology or other required for the job of the Sub-Committee. It will be appreciated a specialization on criminal law, prison administration or victims studies or other specialties that are required by the Sub-Committee.
• Experience in the area of human rights: for candidates with bachelor degree, it is required 8 years of experience, 6 years if they count with master’s degree and 4 if they have a doctorate. This experience must include a minimum of three years at international area and 5 at the national area.
• Wide knowledge in international law of human rights, mainly in the matter of prevention against torture.
• Practical experience: management and function of detention or deprivation of liberty centers, preferably in more than one country, as well as the compare norms that regulates them and the respective international norms; visits to detention centers and documentation of practices in base of empirical studies to that respect.
• Basis knowledge in psychology and medicine according to the established in the Istanbul Protocol, for the detection of the practice of bad treatment and torture, as well as to sustain and analyze the investigation and documentation of torture and the treatment to torture victims.
• Particular ability to communicate and to relation with governmental authorities, NGO and persons deprived of their liberty.
• Inter-personal abilities to relation and work in multidisciplinary and pluri-cultural environments and groups.
• It will be considered the acquired recognition to national level by the candidate with respect of his/her dedication, level of commitment and work developed in the ambit of the prevention of torture.

3. Selection process
Candidates shall send their resume, with references of publications on the subject if they were, to the office of the General Direction of Human Rights and Democracy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, located at Plaza Juarez 20, 14th Floor, Downtown, CP 06010, Mexico City. Fax number 91595619, or by e-mail to jsanson@sre.gob.mx, lately on Monday, October 9th, 2006.
Afterwards, Ministry of Foreign Affairs will transmit to Sub-Commission of Harmonization of the Commission of Governmental Policy the list of candidates with the pertinent documents for its study and analysis.
If none of the candidates gather the profile characteristics, it could be declared desert this convoke.
Candidates that have the requisites will be convoked by the Sub-Commission of Harmonization for an interview on Monday, October 16th, 2006 at the facilities of the Ministry of Interior.
Finally, the Sub-Commission of Harmonization will send the recommendation to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who will inform in a term no longer than 15 days on the proposed candidacy.