PREPARATORY COMMITTEE FOR GENERAL ASSEMBLY SPECIAL SESSION ON WOMEN ELECTS CHRISTINE KAPALATA (UNITED REPUBLIC OF TANZANIA) CHAIRPERSON

Press Release
WOM/1195

PREPARATORY COMMITTEE FOR GENERAL ASSEMBLY SPECIAL SESSION ON WOMEN ELECTS CHRISTINE KAPALATA (UNITED REPUBLIC OF TANZANIA) CHAIRPERSON

The Preparatory Committee for the General Assembly’s June special session on women elected Christine Kapalata (United Republic of Tanzania) as Chairperson this morning, replacing Roselyn Ruth Asuma Odera (Kenya).

The Commission on the Status of Women, meeting as the Preparatory Committee for the high-level plenary review entitled “Women 2000: Gender equality, development and peace for the twenty-first century”, also elected Aicha Afifi (Morocco) to fill the position of Vice-Chairperson previously occupied by Ms. Kapalata.

Following her election, Ms. Kapalata told the Committee that it had reached a critical point in its deliberations, and must now pursue a single goal -- a successful special session.

The Preparatory Committee also adopted its draft report, introduced by Vice- Chairperson Monica Martinez of Ecuador, and agreed to entrust Ms. Martinez with responsibility for finalizing that report for submission to the special Assembly session. It also decided that two conference room papers, containing a summary of its considerations and of a panel discussion held earlier this session, would be annexed to its final report.

The representatives of Syria, Egypt, Tunisia, Libya and Sudan, and the Observer of Palestine congratulated the new Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson, and discussed procedural concerns. The representatives of Nigeria, speaking on behalf of the “Group of 77” developing countries and China, Portugal, speaking on behalf of the European Union, Canada, also on behalf of Australia and New Zealand, and Mexico also expressed their support for the new office holders. The Committee Secretary, Kate Starr Newell, responded to issues raised by Member States.

The Preparatory Committee plans to meet one more time to complete its work, possibly in the last week of May.

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