Biographical data form of candidate to the UN Committee of the Rights of the Child
Name and first name:
MAURÁS, Marta
Date and place of birth: January 1st, 1947 Santiago, Chile
Working languages:
Spanish, English, French and Portuguese
Current position/function:
Ms. Maurás is retired from active service with the UN. She presently develops
activities
With the UN as UNICEF Special Envoy for Latin America and Member of the
Leadership Council of the Global Coalition on Women and AIDS, UNAIDS.
With Government as Member, Chilean Council on Foreign Relations and Member,
Board of the Observatory on Children’s Public Policies in Chile.
With NGOs as Member, Advisory Council of ComunidadMujer in Chile; Member,
Board of Directors of LATINOBAROMETRO Corporation; and Member, Board of
Directors of the South-North Development Initiative in New York and Buenos Aires.
With Academia as occasional lecturer at the Diplomatic Academy, Ministry of Foreign
Affairs of Chile, and at the Basque University, Bilbao, Spain.
Main professional activities1:
Senior Expert with global, regional and country experience in top-level management
positions in the United Nations and advisory roles with governments, covering Latin
America, the Caribbean, Africa, Asia and her home country, Chile. Development
practitioner with experience in the management of human rights policies and
programmes, complex emergencies and reconstruction, especially related to
economic and social affairs, and women and children’s rights. Accountable for
policy advice and negotiations, political and diplomatic relations, strategic planning,
programme design and management, monitoring and evaluation, advocacy and
resource mobilization, team building and management. Advocate and
communicator in all above capacities.
Educational background:
Sociologist/Licenciada en Sociología, Catholic University of Chile.
Certificate in Public Administration, University of Connecticut, USA .
Diploma in Ontological Coaching, The Newfield Group, USA.
Other main activities in the field relevant to the mandate of the treaty body concerned:
2005 - 2007: Secretary of the Commission, UN Economic Commission for Latin
America and the Caribbean, Santiago, Chile
1998 – 2005: Director for Economic and Social Affairs in the Office of the UN
Secretary-General and Director of the Office of the UN Deputy Secretary-General,
New York, USA
1992 – 1998: Regional Director, The Americas and Caribbean Regional Office,
UNICEF, Bogotá, Colombia
1988 – 1992: Head of Africa Section, UNICEF, New York, USA
1984 – 1988: UNICEF Representative for Mozambique and Swaziland, Maputo,
Mozambique
1980 – 1984: Senior Planning Officer, UNICEF, Islamabad, Pakistan
1977 – 1979: Project Officer, UNICEF Regional Office, Santiago, Chile
1974 – 1977: Consultant, UNICEF Regional Office, Santiago, Chile
1972 – 1974: Lecturer and Researcher, Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro,
Catholic University of Chile
List of most recent publications in the field:
“La Adolescencia y la Juventud en las Políticas Públicas de Iberoamérica” Revista
FORO Chile 21, julio 2008. Año 8 – N°77.
“An Era of Women Leaders Rising?” International Women’s Forum Global
Conference, Buenos Aires, May 4-6, 2008.
“Políticas Públicas y Protección Integral de Niños y Niñas”, VI Encuentro de
Gobernadores y Gobernadoras por la Infancia, la Adolescencia y la Juventud,
Hechos y Derechos. Paipa, Colombia. Junio de 2008.
martamauras@gmail.com
+56-2-4155579
+56-98-2283270
Santiago, Chile.
October 2008.
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1 It should be noted that membership in the Committee on the Rights of the Child requires participation in
three (winter, spring and autumn) sessions of three weeks duration each per year; in addition, pre-sessional
working groups are held immediately after each session during five working days in order to prepare the
following session. The total number of weeks during which the Committee meets in Geneva therefore
amounts to 12 weeks per year.