ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL HOLDS ELECTIONS TO ITS SUBSIDIARY BODIES

Press Release
ECOSOC/5752

ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL HOLDS ELECTIONS TO ITS SUBSIDIARY BODIES

Also Adopts Text Recommended by Commission on Status of Women On High-Level Review of Nairobi Strategies and Beijing Platform for Action

The Economic and Social Council this morning held elections for several of its subsidiary bodies as it resumed its organizational session.

The results of the elections were as follows:

-- Burundi, Chile, Croatia, Guinea, Haiti, Iran, Italy and Yemen for the Commission on Population and Development;

-- Algeria, Argentina, Croatia, Democratic Republic of Korea, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Iran, Spain, Sweden, Thailand and Turkey for the Commission for Social Development;

-- Colombia, France, Latvia, Liberia, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mexico, Niger, Norway, Pakistan, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Romania and the United States for the Commission on Human Rights;

-- Belgium, Burundi, Democratic Republic of Korea, Egypt, Italy, Lithuania, Mexico, Mongolia, Russian Federation, Senegal and Turkey for the Commission on the Status of Women;

-- Angola, Belgium, Cameroon, Colombia, China, Cuba, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Denmark, Germany, Guyana, Italy, Kazakhstan, Lebanon, Mozambique, Netherlands, Paraguay, Republic of Korea, Russian Federation, Tunisia and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia for the Commission on Sustainable Development;

* The 4th Meeting was held on 18 April.

Economic and Social Council - 1a - Press Release ECOSOC/5752 5th Meeting (AM) 7 May 1998

-- Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Cameroon, Chile, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Finland, Gabon, Iran, Japan, Lithuania, Mali, Pakistan, Russian Federation, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States and Viet Nam for the Commission on Human Settlements; and

-- Algeria, Bolivia, Chile, China, Colombia, Cuba, Ethiopia, France, India, Ireland, Lebanon, Pakistan, Romania, Russian Federation, Sudan, Tunisia, Turkey and the United States for the Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations.

It also elected experts from Cameroon, Ecuador, Egypt, Germany, Mexico, Nepal, New Zealand, Philippines and the Russian Federation to the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.

Elected to the Executive Board of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) were Canada, China, Denmark, France, Guyana, Pakistan, Paraguay, Russian Federation, Switzerland, Ukraine and Zimbabwe.

Also, the Council elected Belarus, Canada, Cuba, Ethiopia, Guatemala, India, Italy, Kyrgyzstan, Switzerland, Ukraine and the United States to the Executive Board of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)/United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).

To the Executive Board of the World Food Programme (WFP), the Council elected Congo, Denmark, Haiti, Morocco, Sweden and Yemen.

The Council elected Brazil, Germany, Russian Federation and Spain to the Programme Coordination Board of the Joint and Co-Sponsored United Nations Programme on Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS).

Elected to the Committee for Programme and Coordination (CPC) were Benin, China, Egypt, Japan, Republic of Korea and Uruguay.

The Council elected experts from Bolivia, Lesotho and Spain to the Board of Trustees of the International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women (INSTRAW).

Elected to the Commission on Science and Technology for Development were India, Portugal, Republic of Korea and Slovakia.

The Council elected Portugal to the Intergovernmental Working Group of Experts on International Standards of Accounting and Reporting.

Elected to the Committee on Natural Resources were experts from Ghana, Malawi, Netherlands, Philippines, Portugal and Spain.

Economic and Social Council - 1b - Press Release ECOSOC/5752 5th Meeting (AM) 7 May 1998

The Council also elected experts from the Netherlands and Zimbabwe to the Committee on New and Renewable Sources of Energy and on Energy for Development.

Elected to the Committee for the United Nations Population Award were Cape Verde, Grenada and Lesotho.

The Council also confirmed nominations to the Commission on Population and Development, the Commission on the Status of Women, and the Commission on Science and Technology for Development.

In addition, the Council agreed to defer the appointment of nominees to the Committee for Development Planning pending the outcome of the consultations on the future of that Committee.

In other actions this morning, the Council adopted a draft resolution, recommended by the Commission on the Status of Women for adoption by the General Assembly at its resumed fifty- second session. By that text, the Council recommended that the Assembly decide that the high-level plenary review 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 should be held as a special session of the Assembly for five days, from 5 to 9 June 2000.

Also this morning, the Council adopted a decision, sponsored by Mozambique, on the enlargement of the Executive Committee of the Programme of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) (document E/1998/L.7). By that decision, the Council took note of the request regarding the enlargement of the Executive Committee and recommended that the Assembly take a decision at its fifty-third session on the questions of increasing the membership of the Executive Committee from 53 to 54 States.

In addition, the Council decided to further postpone consideration of four draft decisions contained in the report of the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights on its sixteenth session, as well as the programme budget implications of those decisions.

The Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, Nitin Desai, briefed the Council on the recent meeting of the Administrative Committee on Coordination (ACC). Assistant- Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, Patrizio Civili, also addressed the Council.

The Council will meet again on 13 May to begin a three-day session on integrated and coordinated implementation and follow-up of the major United Nations conferences and summits.

Council Work Programme

The Economic and Social Council met this morning to resume its organizational session for 1998. The Council is scheduled to hold elections for several of its subsidiary bodies, propose nominees and appoint individuals to serve on them. It also has before it a draft resolution, recommended by the Commission on the Status of Women, on follow-up to the Fourth World Conference on Women.

The Council will elect members for four-year terms, beginning 1 January 1999, to fill the vacancies created in the following bodies:

-- Eight members to the 47-member Commission on Population and Development: two from African States, two from Asian States, one from Eastern European States, two from Latin American and Caribbean States, and one from Western European States and Other States. (Seats are being vacated by Algeria, Congo, Iran, Syria, The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, El Salvador, Peru and Malta.) (document E/1998/L.1/Add.3);

-- Fourteen members to the 46-member Commission for Social Development: four from African States, three from Asian States, one from Eastern European States, three from Latin American and Caribbean States, three from Western European and Other States. (Seats are being vacated by Benin, Egypt, Ethiopia, Togo, Iran, Malaysia, Mongolia, Ukraine, Argentina, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Austria, Norway and Spain.) (document E/1998/L.1/Add.3);

-- Eleven members to the 45-member Commission on the Status of Women: three from African States, two from Asian States, two from Eastern European States, one from Latin American and Caribbean States, three from Western European and Other States. (Seats are being vacated by Angola, Congo, Togo, Indonesia, Philippines, Bulgaria, Russian Federation, Mexico, Belgium, Greece and Portugal.) (document E/1998/L.1/Add.3);

-- Twenty members to the 58-member Commission on Human Settlements: six from African States, four from Asian States, two from Eastern European States, four from Latin American and Caribbean States, four from Western European and Other States. (Seats are being vacated by Brazil, Cameroon, Chile, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Finland, Gabon, Gambia, Iran, Japan, Kazakhstan, Nigeria, Pakistan, Romania, Russian Federation, Turkey, Uganda, United Kingdom, United States and Zimbabwe.) (document E/1998/L.1/Add.5);

-- Nineteen members to the 19-member Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations: five from African States, four from Asian States, two from Eastern European States, four from Latin American and Caribbean States, four from Western European and Other States. (Seats are being vacated by Bulgaria, Chile, China, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ethiopia, Greece, India, Indonesia, Ireland,

Madagascar, Paraguay, Philippines, Russian Federation, Sudan, Swaziland, Tunisia, United Kingdom and the United States.) (document E/1998/L.1/Add.9); and

-- Nine members to the 18-expert Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights: two from African States, two from Asian States, one from Eastern European States, two from Latin American and Caribbean States, two from Western European and Other States. (Seats are being vacated by Nigeria, Egypt, Australia, Philippines, Russian Federation, Ecuador, Germany, Nepal and Mexico.) Notes by the Secretary-General (documents E/1998/L.1/Add.1 and Add.14) contain biographical information on the following candidates: Mahmoud Samir Ahmed, from Egypt; Mario Michele Alessi, from Italy; Clement Atangana, from Cameroon; El Ghali Benhima, from Morocco; Virginia Bonoan-Dandan, from the Philippines; Mercedes Pulido de Briceno, from Venezuela; Mohamed Lamine Fofana, from Guinea; Paul Hunt, from New Zealand; Luvsandanzan Ider, from Mongolia; Valeri I. Kouznetsov, from the Russian Federation; Jaime Alberto Marchan Romero, from Ecuador; Bharat Patel, from Zimbabwe; Eibe Riedel, from Germany; and Nutan Thapalia, from Nepal.

The Council will elect members for three-year terms, beginning 1 January 1999, to fill the vacancies created in the following bodies:

-- Eight members to the 22-member Programme Coordination Board of the Joint and Co- sponsored United Nations Programme on Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS): two from African States, two from Asian States, one from Eastern European States, one from Latin American and Caribbean States, two from Western European and Other States. (Seats are being vacated by Congo, Germany, India, Pakistan, Paraguay, Russian Federation, Uganda and the United States.) (document E/1998/L.1/Add.8);

-- Fourteen members to the 53-member Commission on Human Rights: four from African States, three from Asian States, two from Eastern European States, two from Latin American and Caribbean States, three from Western European and Other States. (Seats are being vacated by Guinea, Madagascar, Mali, Uganda, Malaysia, Pakistan, Republic of Korea, Belarus, Ukraine, Brazil, Mexico, Denmark, France and the United States.) (document E/1998/L.1/Add.3);

-- Twenty members to the 53-member Commission on Sustainable Development: five from African States, four from Asian States, two from Eastern European States, four from Latin American and Caribbean States, five from Western European and Other States. (Seats are being vacated by Benin, Central African Republic, Gabon, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, China, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, Poland, Russian Federation, Antigua and Barbuda, Bolivia, Colombia, Guyana, Belgium, Germany, Netherlands, Sweden and Switzerland.) (document E/1998/L.1/Add.3);

-- Eleven members to the 36-member Executive Board of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF): one from African States; two from Asian States; two from Eastern European States; two from Latin American and Caribbean States; and four from Western European and Other States. (Seats are being vacated by China, Cuba, France, Namibia, New Zealand, Russian Federation, Suriname, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine and Viet Nam.) (document E/1998/L.1/Add.7);

-- Eleven members to the 36-member Executive Board of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)/United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA): one from African States; two from Asian States; two from Eastern European States; two from Latin American and Caribbean States; and four from Western European and Other States. (Seats are being vacated by Argentina, Australia, Belize, Canada, India, Madagascar, Malaysia, Netherlands, Romania, Ukraine and the United States.) (document E/1998/L.1/Add.2); and

-- Six members to the 36-member Executive Board of the World Food Programme (WFP): two from African States; one from Asian States; one from Latin American and Caribbean States; and two from Western European and Other States. (Seats are being vacated by Cameroon, Denmark, India, Paraguay, Sweden and Tunisia.) (document E/1998/L.1/Add.4).

The Council will also hold elections which have been postponed from previous sessions, as follows:

-- Fifteen members to the Commission on Science and Technology for Development for a term beginning on the date of election and expiring on a date to be determined by lot: eight from Asian States; one from Eastern European States; and six from Western European and Other States;

-- Two members to the Intergovernmental Working Group of Experts on International Standards of Accounting and Reporting for a term beginning on the date of election and expiring on 31 December 1999: one from Latin American and Caribbean States and one from Western European and Other States;

-- Four members to the Committee for the United Nations Population Award for a term beginning on the date of the election and expiring on 31 December 2000: three from African States and one from Latin American and Caribbean States;

-- Eight experts to the Committee on New and Renewable Sources of Energy and on Energy for Development, who will serve in their personal capacity, for a term beginning on the date of election and expiring on a date to be determined by lot: six from African States and two from Eastern European States; and

-- Four experts to the Committee on Natural Resources, who will serve in their personal capacity, for a term beginning on the date of election and expiring on a date to be determined by lot: one from Asian States; one from Eastern European States; and two from Western European and Other States.

The Council will also appoint three members, who have been nominated by States and will serve in their personal capacity for terms beginning on 1 July, to the 11-member Board of Trustees of the International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women (INSTRAW), one each from African States, Latin American and Caribbean States, and Western European and Other States.

Two notes by the Secretary-General (documents E/1998/L.1/Add.10 and Add.15) contain biographical information on the following candidates: Mamosebi Theresia Pholo, from Lesotho; Jacob Felicien Andriampanjava, from Madagascar; Sheila Bunwaree-Ramharai, from Mauritius; Aminata Ayeva-Traore, from Togo; Neddy Rita Matshalaga, from Zimbabwe; Ana Maria Braga da Cruz, from Portugal; Cecilia Valcarcel Alcazar, from Spain; and Esther Maria Ashton, from Bolivia.

A note by the Secretary-General (document E/1998/L.1/Add.11) states that, in view of the ongoing consultations on the mandates, composition, functions and working methods of the Council's functional commissions and expert groups and bodies, the nomination of members of the Committee for Development Planning will be deferred pending a decision on the future of the Committee.

For election by the Assembly to serve three-year terms beginning on 1 January 1999, the Council will nominate seven members to the 34-member Committee for Programme and Coordination: three from African States; three from Asian States; and one from Latin American and Caribbean States. (Seats are being vacated by China, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Japan, Republic of Korea, Togo and Uruguay.) (document E/1998/L.1/Add.6).

The Council also has before it a draft resolution, recommended by the Commission on the Status of Women for adoption by the General Assembly at its resumed fifty-second session, on follow-up to the Fourth World Conference on Women and full implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (document E/1998/L.8).

By that draft, the Council would recommend that the Assembly decide that the high-level plenary review 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 should be held as a special session of the Assembly for five days, from 5 to 9 June 2000. The Assembly would also decide that the special session should reaffirm the commitment to the Beijing Platform for Action and further focus on obstacles encountered in implementation, as well as on strategies to overcome those obstacles, with a view to fully implement the Platform as well as to take into account further action and initiatives.

The Council would also recommend that the Assembly decide that the preparatory work, which should be supported by inter-sessional consultations convened by the open-ended bureau of the Commission on the Status of Women, would be carried out by the Commission at its forty-third and forty-fourth sessions, and that those sessions would be extended by five days to complete the preparations.

The Council would further recommend that the Assembly call upon the Secretary-General, in collaboration with the regional commissions, to develop a standardized questionnaire with a focused set of indicators on all critical areas of concern as a framework to assist Governments in their assessment of and reporting on the implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action.

Statements

NITIN DESAI, Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, briefed the Council on the recent meeting of the Administrative Committee on Coordination (ACC). He said a new Office for Inter-Agency Affairs, to be located in the Department of Economic and Social Affairs, would provide the ACC with a well-organized secretariat headed at a high-level. That Office was in the process of being fully established, and it would be part of a general strengthening of Secretariat assistance for the Council and the ACC.

He stressed the important role the Council had played in strengthening inter-agency coordination. The role included an initiative taken which brought together the Council and the Bretton Woods institutions in a successful meeting that demonstrated the Council's value in the discussion of global economic issues.

The first regular session of ACC had as its substantive theme the eradication of poverty, he said. The ACC adopted a statement of commitment that encapsulated the coordinated and coherent position of all entities in the United Nations system that were engaged in the eradication of poverty. It was hoped that that statement would lead to a coordinated and coherent position on the issue and would act as an organizing principle for the Organization's work at the field level.

The ACC also looked at the various United Nations reform initiatives, he said. The ACC had initiated a new phase in which various entities in the United Nations system would carry out an assessment of the impact of the reform process and if it was strengthening the system as a whole, including identification of further measures that would need to be taken in the individual agencies and by the system as a whole. There was a very clear commitment by all ACC members in favour of renewal and reform of the United Nations system in order to enhance efficiency of the Organization as a whole.

In response to several questions by representatives, Mr. DESAI said the ACC's statement on the eradication of poverty would eventually be issued to the Council. A draft had been finalized and would be available for discussion and debate.

PATRIZIO CIVILI, Assistant-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, said he hoped that this year would mark a turning point in establishing clearer communication and coordination between the Council and the ACC. It was time to review the process of ACC reporting to the Council.

Action

The Council took up the draft resolution on the follow-up to the Fourth World Conference on Women and full implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. It adopted the text and recommended it to the General Assembly for action.

Elections

For the Commission on Population and Development, the following were elected to serve four-year terms, beginning on 1 January 1999: Burundi, Chile, Croatia, Guinea, Haiti, Iran, Italy and Yemen. Elections to fill three vacancies for Latin American and Caribbean States -- two terms expiring on 31 December 2000, and one term expiring on 31 December 2001 -- were postponed

For the Commission for Social Development, the following were elected to serve four-year terms, beginning on 1 January 1999: Algeria, Argentina, Croatia, Democratic Republic of Korea, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Iran, Spain, Sweden, Thailand and Turkey. The election of three members from African States was postponed.

For the Commission on Human Rights, the following were elected to serve three-year terms, beginning on 1 January 1999: Colombia, France, Liberia, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mexico, Niger, Norway, Pakistan, Qatar, Republic of Korea and the United States.

The Council then proceeded to a secret ballot to elect two members from the Eastern European Group of States.

The results of voting were as follows:

Number of ballot papers 54 Number of invalid ballots 0 Number of valid ballots 54 Abstentions 0 Number of members voting 54 Required majority 28

Number of votes obtained:

Hungary: 19 Latvia: 32 Romania: 41 Slovakia: 13

Having obtained the required majority, Latvia and Romania were declared elected members of the Commission on Human Rights for three-year terms beginning on 1 January 1999.

For the Commission on the Status of Women, the following were elected to serve four-year terms, beginning on 1 January 1999: Belgium, Burundi, Democratic Republic of Korea, Egypt, Italy, Mexico, Mongolia, Senegal and Turkey.

The Council then proceeded to a secret ballot to elect two members from the Eastern European Group of States.

The results of the voting were as follows:

Number of ballot papers 54 Number of invalid ballots 0 Number of valid ballots 54 Abstentions 0 Number of members voting 54 Required majority 28

Number of votes obtained:

Bulgaria: 27 Lithuania: 39 Russian Federation: 41

Having obtained the required majority, Lithuania and the Russian Federation were declared elected members of the Commission on the Status of Women for four-year terms beginning on 1 January 1999.

For the Commission on Sustainable Development, the following were elected for three-year terms beginning after the Commission's seventh session in 1999, and expiring at the close of the Commission's session in the year 2002: Angola, Belgium, Cameroon, Colombia, Cuba, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Denmark, Germany, Guyana, Italy, Mozambique, Netherlands, Paraguay, Russian Federation, Tunisia and The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.

The Council then proceeded to a secret ballot to elect four members from the Asian Group of States.

The results of the voting were as follows:

Number of ballot papers 54 Number of invalid ballots 0 Number of valid ballots 54 Abstentions 0 Number of members voting 54 Required majority 28

Number of votes obtained:

China: 41 Kazakhstan: 40 Lebanon: 41 Papua New Guinea: 12 Republic of Korea: 46 Thailand: 31

Having obtained the required majority, China, Kazakhstan, Lebanon and the Republic of Korea were declared elected members of the Commission on Sustainable Development for three- year terms beginning after the Commission's seventh session in 1999, and expiring at the close of the Commission's session in the year 2002:

For the Commission on Human Settlements, the following were elected to serve four-year terms, beginning on 1 January 1999: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Cameroon, Chile, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Finland, Gabon, Iran, Japan, Lithuania, Mali, Pakistan, Russian Federation, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States and Viet Nam. The election of two members from the African States Group was postponed.

For the Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations, the following were elected to serve four-year terms, beginning on 1 January 1999: Algeria, Bolivia, Chile, China, Colombia, Cuba, Ethiopia, France, India, Ireland, Lebanon, Pakistan, Romania, Russian Federation, Sudan, Tunisia, Turkey and the United States. The election of one member from the African States Group was postponed.

For the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the following experts were elected to serve four-year terms, beginning on 1 January 1999: Jaime Marchan Romero, from Ecuador; Javier Wimer Zambrano, from Mexico; and Valeri I. Kouznetsov, from the Russian Federation.

The Council then held a secret ballot for the election of two members from the African Group of States, two members from the Asian States Group and two members from the Western European and Other States Group.

The results of the first round of voting were as follows:

African States:

Number of ballot papers 54 Number of invalid ballots 0 Number of valid ballots 54 Abstentions 0 Number of members voting 54 Required majority 28

Number of votes obtained:

Mahmoud Samir Ahmed (Egypt): 26 Clement Atangana (Cameroon): 31 El Ghali Benhima (Morocco): 22 Mohamed Lamine Fofana (Guinea): 12 Bharat Patel (Zimbabwe): 17

Asian States:

Number of ballot papers 54 Number of invalid ballots 0 Number of valid ballots 54 Abstentions 1 Number of members voting 53 Required majority 27

Number of votes obtained:

Virginia Bonoan-Dandan (Philippines): 36 Sami Glaiel (Syria): 23 Luvsandanzan Ider (Mongolia): 16 Nutan Thapalia (Nepal): 31

Western European and Other States:

Number of ballot papers 54 Number of invalid ballots 0 Number of valid ballots 54 Abstentions 0 Number of members voting 54 Required majority 28

Number of votes obtained:

Mario Michele Alessi (Italy): 33 Paul Hunt (New Zealand): 40 Eibe Riedel (Germany): 33

Having obtained the required majority, the following were declared elected members of the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights for four-year terms beginning on 1 January 1999: Clement Atangana, from Cameroon; Nutan Thapalia, from Nepal; Paul Hunt, from New Zealand; and Virginia Bonoan-Dandan, from the Philippines.

The results of the second round of voting were as follows:

African States:

Number of ballot papers 54 Number of invalid ballots 1 Number of valid ballots 53 Abstentions 1 Number of members voting 52 Required majority 27

Number of votes obtained:

Mahmoud Samir Ahmed (Egypt): 28 El Ghali Benhima (Morocco): 24

Western European and Other States:

Number of ballot papers 54 Number of invalid ballots 0 Number of valid ballots 54 Abstentions 0 Number of members voting 54 Required majority 28

Number of votes obtained:

Mario Michele Alessi (Italy): 26 Eibe Riedel (Germany): 28

Having obtained the required majority, the following were declared elected for the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights for four-year terms beginning on 1 January 1999: Mahmoud Samir Ahmed, from Egypt; and Eibe Riedel, from Germany.

For the Executive Board of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the following were elected to serve three-year terms, beginning on 1 January 1999: Canada, China, Denmark, France, Guyana, Pakistan, Paraguay, Russian Federation, Switzerland, Ukraine and Zimbabwe.

In the elections for the Executive Board of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)/United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the following were elected to serve three-year terms, beginning on 1 January 1999: Canada, Cuba, Ethiopia, Guatemala, India, Italy, Kyrgyzstan, Switzerland and the United States.

The Council then proceeded by secret ballot to elect two members from the Eastern European States Group.

The results of the voting were as follows:

Number of ballot papers 54 Number of invalid ballots 0 Number of valid ballots 54 Abstentions 0 Number of members voting 54 Required majority 28

Number of votes obtained:

Belarus: 46 Latvia: 29 Ukraine: 32

Having obtained the required majority, Belarus and Ukraine were declared elected members of the UNDP/UNFPA Executive Board for three-year terms beginning on 1 January 1999.

For the Executive Board of the World Food Programme (WFP), the following were elected to serve three-year terms, beginning on 1 January 1999: Congo, Denmark, Haiti, Morocco, Sweden and Yemen.

In the elections for the Programme Coordination Board of the Joint and Co-Sponsored United Nations Programme on Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS), Brazil, Germany, Russian Federation and Spain were elected to serve three-year terms, beginning on 1 January 1999. The election of two members from the African States Group and two members from the Asian States Group was postponed.

In the elections for the Committee for Programme and Coordination (CPC), the following were nominated to serve three-year terms, beginning on 1 January 1999: Benin, China, Egypt, Japan, Republic of Korea and Uruguay. The Council decided to postpone the nomination of one member from the African States Group. It also decided to further postpone the nomination of one member of the Western European and Other States for a term beginning on the date of election and expiring on 31 December 1999.

Confirmations

The Council then confirmed the following nominations: to the Commission on Population and Development, Olexandr G. Osaulenko, from Ukraine; to the Commission on the Status of Women, Francoise Gaspard, from France; and to the Commission on Science and Technology for Development, Joseph R. Cobbinah, from Ghana. Those nominations were contained in a note by the Secretary-General (document E/1998/L.2/Add.2).

Appointments

The Council agreed to defer the appointment of nominees to the Committee for Development Planning pending the outcome of the consultations on the future of the Committee.

In the elections for the Board of Trustees of the International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women (INSTRAW), the following were elected to serve three-year terms, beginning on 1 July: Esther Maria Ashton, from Bolivia; and Cecilia Valcarcel Alcazar, from Spain.

The Council then proceeded by secret ballot to elect one member from the African States Group.

The results of the first round of voting were as follows:

Number of ballot papers 54 Number of invalid ballots 1 Number of valid ballots 53 Abstentions 0 Number of members voting 53 Required majority 27

Number of votes obtained:

Jacob Felicien Andriampanjava (Madagascar): 4 Aminata Ayeva-Traore (Togo): 6 Sheila Bunwaree-Ramharai (Mauritius): 18 Neddy Rita Matshalaga (Zimbabwe): 5 Mamosebi Theresia Pholo (Lesotho): 20

The results of the second round of voting were as follows:

Number of ballot papers 54 Number of invalid ballots 0 Number of valid ballots 54 Abstentions 0 Number of members voting 54 Required majority 28

Number of votes obtained:

Sheila Bunwaree-Ramharai (Mauritius): 23 Mamosebi Theresia Pholo (Lesotho): 31

Having obtained the required majority, Mamosebi Theresia Pholo, from Lesotho, was declared elected to the Board of Trustees of INSTRAW for a three-year term beginning on 1 July.

Other Elections, Postponed from Previous Sessions

For the Commission on Science and Technology for Development, the following were elected to serve a term beginning on the date of election and expiring on a date to be determined by lot: India, Portugal, Republic of Korea and Slovakia.

The Council then decided, by lot, the terms of the Eastern European States members of the Commission.

Chosen to serve terms expiring on 31 December 2001 were: the Russian Federation, Slovakia and Ukraine. The following will serve terms expiring on 31 December 1999: Belarus, Bulgaria and Romania.

For the Intergovernmental Working Group of Experts on International Standards of Accounting and Reporting, Portugal was elected to serve a term beginning on the date of the election and expiring on 31 December 1999. The election of one member from the Latin American and Caribbean States was postponed.

For the Committee on Natural Resources, the following were elected to serve a term beginning on the date of election and expiring on a date to be determined by lot: Eddy Kofi Smith, from Ghana; Owen MacDonald Kankhulungo, from Malawi; Hendrik Martinus Oudshoorn, from Netherlands; Carlos G. Tomboc, from the Philippines; Manuel Carlos Serrano Pinto, from Portugal; and Jesus Martinez Frias, from Spain. The election of one member from the Eastern European States Group was postponed.

For the Committee on New and Renewable Sources of Energy and on Energy for Development, the following were elected to serve a term beginning on the date of the election and expiring on a date to be determined by lot: Johannes Tonderayi Chigwada, from Zimbabwe, and Wilhelmus C. Turkenburg, from the Netherlands. The elections of five members from African States and two members from Eastern European States, as well as the drawing of lots to determine the terms of office, were postponed.

For the Committee for the United Nations Population Award, the following were elected to serve a term beginning on the date of election and expiring on 31 December 2000: Cape Verde, Grenada and Lesotho. The election of one member from the Group of African States was postponed.

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