Chapter VIII ORGANIZATION OF THE SESSION A. Opening and duration of the session 1. The Commission on the Status of Women held its forty-second session at United Nations Headquarters from 2 to 13 March 1998. The Commission held 13 meetings (1st to 13th). In accordance with Economic and Social Council decision 1997/227, the Open-ended Working Group on the Elaboration of a Draft Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women also met during the session. 2. In addition, the Commission held 5 meetings as the preparatory committee for the High-level Review in the Year 2000 to Appraise and Assess the Progress Achieved in the Implementation of the Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women and the Beijing Platform for Action, which the General Assembly, in its resolution 52/100, had decided to convene. 3. The session was opened by the Chairperson of the forty-first session of the Commission, Sharon Brennen-Haylock (Bahamas), who also made a statement. 4. At the 3rd meeting, on 3 March, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights addressed the Commission on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and participated in a dialogue with representatives and observers attending the session of the Commission. B. Attendance 5. The session was attended by representatives of 44 States members of the Commission. Observers for other States Members of the United Nations and for non-member States, representatives of organizations of the United Nations system and observers for intergovernmental, non-governmental and other organizations also attended. A list of participants is contained in annex III to the present report. C. Election of officers 6. At the 1st meeting, on 2 March 1998, the Commission elected the following officers by acclamation: Chairperson: Patricia Flor (Germany) Vice-Chairpersons: Karam Fadi Habib (Lebanon) Marcela Maria Nicodemos (Brazil) Nonhlanhla P. L. Tsabedze (Swaziland) Zuzana Vranová (Slovakia) 7. At the 4th meeting, on 3 March, the Commission designated Zuzana Vranová Vice-Chairperson with rapporteurial responsibilities. -63-