PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE OF ITALY ELECTED PRESIDENT OF ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL FOR 1999

20 January 1999

Press Release
ECOSOC/5809

PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE OF ITALY ELECTED PRESIDENT OF ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL FOR 1999

19990120 Representatives of Indonesia, Lesotho and Colombia Elected as Vice-Presidents

Francesco Paulo Fulci of Italy was elected President of the Economic and Social Council for 1999 by acclamation this morning, as the Council met to elect its Bureau and to consider its provisional agenda.

Mr. Fulci -- Italy's Permanent Representative to the United Nations and a former Vice-President of the Council -- paid tribute to the past President, Juan Somavia of Chile, and his Vice-Presidents. He identified poverty eradication, and problems in Africa as the key issues proposed for discussion by the Council in 1999.

The Council also elected three Vice-Presidents by acclamation: Makarim Wibisono (Indonesia) Percy Metsing Mangoaela (Lesotho) and Alfonso Valdivieso (Columbia). A fourth Vice-President, to be nominated by the Eastern European Group of States, will be elected later; in the interim, Alyaksandr Sychov (Belarus), the previous Eastern European Group Vice-President, would continue in that role.

The Council adopted its provisional agenda for the year, pending discussion at its organizational session to b held from 2 to 5 February.

The representatives of Guyana (speaking on behalf of the "Group of 77" developing countries and China), Japan, the United States, and Germany (on behalf of the European Union) addressed the meeting.

Nitin Desai, Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, also made a statement. He noted that strengthening Secretariat support for the Council was a key element of the Secretary-General's reform agenda. The process had started, and would continue.

The next formal meeting of the Economic and Social Council will be held at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, 2 February.

Committee Work Programme

The Economic and Social Council met this morning to elect its Bureau and to consider other organizational matters.

Statements

JUAN SOMAVIA (Chile), the outgoing Economic and Social Council President, explained that the Presidency of the Council was subject to geographic rotation, and this year it was the turn of a representative of the Western European and Other States Group. Their nominated candidate was Francesco Paolo Fulci (Italy).

Mr. Fulci was then elected President by acclamation.

Mr. FULCI (Italy), then took control of the meeting. He paid tribute to his predecessor, saying that Mr. Somavia had fostered a "renaissance" in the Economic and Social Council.

He said his first priority as President of the Council would be to bring it back to its home, explaining that while the Economic and Social Council Chamber was rarely used for Council meetings because there were not enough seats, additional seating could be installed. He also intended to re-open, on a permanent basis, the Office of the Economic and Social Council President.

In describing the topics to be discussed at the organizational session of the Council, from 2 to 5 February, the President advised that the Council would address the task assigned to it by the General Assembly to look at globalization and at the financial crisis. In April, a meeting with the Bretton Woods institutions would seek to strengthen cooperation between the United Nations and the international financial institutions. The substantive session of the Council would take place in Geneva in July. The high-level segment would be devoted to the theme of poverty eradication. Poverty was the main enemy.

Facts and figures related to poverty had been amply documented, he said. Now concrete action and results were needed. The total number of chronically undernourished had increased from 822 to 828 million over the past three years. That negative trend must be reversed. He proposed that five panel discussions on poverty be held. Another important topic this year would be peace and development for Africa.

The Secretary-General's 1998 report on the work of the Organization had drawn attention to a dormant United Nations Charter Article, Article 65, that the Economic and Social Council might provide information to the Security Council at its request, he said. The time to wake that dormant provision had come, and one such request had already been received in 1998 on Africa. Furthermore, the Security Council had referred to Article 65 in a Presidential Statement in

Economic and Social Council - 3 - Press Release ECOSOC/5809 1st Meeting (AM) 20 January 1999

December calling for a comprehensive, concerted and determined approach to problems in Africa. He planned to contact the Security Council President to ascertain what follow-up the Security Council suggested.

To tackle the issues, dialogue and collaboration among the main United Nations organs was absolutely indispensable, he said. He also announced that the Secretary-General would address the Council at its organizational session.

He then advised the Council that it was required to elect four Vice- Presidents. The nomination for Vice-President from the Asian States Group was Makarim Wibisono (Indonesia). The African States Group had nominated Percy Metsing Mangoaela (Lesotho), and the Latin American and Caribbean States Group had nominated Alfonso Valdivieso (Columbia).

Those candidates were then elected by acclamation.

The PRESIDENT then advised the Council that the Chairman of the Eastern European States Group had explained that the Group required more time for consultations before it could nominate a candidate. In accordance with the Rules of Procedure, the previous Eastern European Vice-President, Alyaksandr Sychov (Belarus) would continue to serve as Vice-President until his successor was elected.

The Council then adopted its provisional agenda without a vote.

JUNE A. PERSAUD (Guyana), speaking on behalf of the "Group of 77" developing countries and China, thanked the previous Economic and Social Council Bureau, and welcomed the election of the new Bureau.

The Council was now poised to more effectively respond to its Charter mandate, she said. It had also made progress in collaboration with the Bretton Woods institutions. Meetings with them would afford another opportunity to advance the debate on the management of globalization.

The Group looked forward to informal meetings on indicators for measurement of progress in the implementation of United Nations conference outcomes, she said. It welcomed the opportunity presented by the high-level meeting on poverty, as well as the discussion of the crucial issue of coordination and follow up of United Nations activities for African development. The Group would play an active role in the discussion of modalities for a review of the Council in the year 2000.

YUKIO SATOH (Japan) extended his Government's congratulations to the members of the Bureau on their election. Progress in strengthening the Council had been made in the last year, but more work was required if it was to fulfil its role. Japan was committed to that goal.

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BETTY KING (United States) congratulated the Bureau on its election. Yesterday, she had said the Economic and Social Council lived and died on the strength of its leadership. She was expecting a lot of Council life over the next year. She also supported the return of the Council to its chamber.

GERHARD WALTER HENZE (Germany), on behalf of the European Union, congratulated the Bureau and President on their election, and expressed gratitude to the previous Bureau. The Union shared a great common interest in the work of the Council and would continue working on its reform, he added.

NITIN DESAI, Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, thanked the outgoing President and Bureau for their work. A cooperative and collaborative process had been built between the intergovernmental process, represented by the Bureau, and the Secretariat, he added. Strengthening the Secretariat support of the Council was a key to the Secretary-General's reform agenda. That had started and would continue.

He said he looked forward to working with the new President and Bureau. The President's opening statement had laid down a challenge for this year, and he hoped it would be met.

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