Economic and Social Council

2002 Organizational Session

4^th Meeting (AM)

ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL SELECTS MEMBERS OF 20 SUBSIDIARY BODIES

United States among Those Elected to Commission on Human Rights

Following a year's absence from the Commission on Human Rights, the United States this morning was one of the countries to be elected as a member of that body by the Economic and Social Council.  Also elected, appointed or nominated were members to 19 other organizations.

Also elected by acclamation to the Commission on Human Rights were Burkina Faso, Gabon, Swaziland, Zimbabwe, Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Australia, Germany and Ireland.  By secret ballot, the Council elected China, Japan, Sri Lanka and Ukraine.  United Arab Emirates and Hungary did not obtain the required majority.

For the Commission on Sustainable Development, the Council elected members from the groups of African, Eastern European, Latin American and Caribbean, and Western European and other States by acclamation.  By secret ballot, it elected Fiji, Japan and the Republic of Korea from the group of Asian States.  The United Arab Emirates did not obtain the required majority.

Candidates from African, Eastern European, Latin American and Caribbean and Western European and Other States were elected by acclamation to the Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations.  From the group of Asian States, China, India, Iran and Pakistan were elected by a secret ballot.  The Democratic People's Republic of Korea and Lebanon did not obtain the required majority.

Experts for the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights from the group of Asian, Latin American and Caribbean and Western European and Other States were elected by acclamation.  From the group of African States, the experts from Algeria and Cameroon were elected by secret ballots.  Likewise, the Council elected from among candidates from the Eastern European group the expert from the Russian Federation.  The experts from Egypt and Bulgaria did not receive the required majority.

Ergul Tuncbilek (Turkey, group of European and Other States) was elected by acclamation to the Board of Trustees of the International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women (INSTRAW).  Lulwa A. Al-Misned (Qatar, group of Asian States) was elected by secret ballot.  The candidates from Syria and Jordan did not receive the required majority.

The Council also elected, nominated or appointed:

-- One member for the Statistical Commission;

-- Nine members for its Commission on Population and Development;

-- 13 members for the Commission for Social Development;

-- 10 members for the Commission on the Status of Women;

-- 20 members for the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice;

-- 13 members of the Commission on Science and Technology for Development;

-- 17 candidates for the Committee for Programme and Coordination;

-- 18 members for the Governing Council of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme;

-- Nine members of the Intergovernmental Working Group of Experts on International Standards of Accounting and Reporting;

-- 24 experts of the Committee of Experts on Public Administration;

-- 14 members of the Executive Board of United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF);

-- Four members of the Executive Committee of the Programme of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR);

-- 14 members of the Executive Board of the United Nations Development Programme/United Nations Population Fund;

-- Five members of the Executive Board of the World Food Programme (WFP); and

-- Seven members to the Programme Coordination Board of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS).

The election of experts of the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources for Development was postponed on request of Venezuela (on behalf of Group of 77 Developing Countries and China).

The Council postponed elections for vacancies on the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues and the Committee for the United Nations Population Award.

Elections, Appointments and Nominations

The Council completed its Statistical Commission by electing Costa Rica from the Group of Latin American and Caribbean States, for a term of office expiring on 31 December 2005.  The member of the Commission was elected by acclamation.

The Council then elected, also by acclamation, eight members of the Commission on Population and Development for a four-year term beginning on 1 January 2003:  Democratic Republic of the Congo and Mauritania from the Group of African States; Iran and the Philippines from the Group of Asian States; Hungary from the Group of Eastern European States; Bolivia and El Salvador from the Group of Latin American and Caribbean States; and Luxembourg from the Group of Western European and other States.

For the term of office to expire on 31 December 2005, the Council elected India by acclamation and further postponed the election of two members from Asian States.  Also postponed was the election of two members from Latin American and Caribbean States for a term of office expiring on 31 December 2004.

For the Commission for Social Development, for a four-year term of office beginning on 1 January 2003, the Council elected 13 members, by acclamation: Central African Republic, Libya, Senegal and Zambia from the Group of African States; India, Iran and Pakistan from the Group of Asian States; Argentina, Dominican Republic and Suriname from the Group of Latin American and Caribbean States; and Malta, Spain and Turkey from the Group of Western European and other States. 

The Council postponed to a later stage the election of one member from Eastern European States for the same term of office.

As the Council proceeded to the election of the 15 members of the Commission on Human Rights for a three-year term beginning on 1 January 2003, it elected, by acclamation, Burkina Faso, Gabon, Swaziland and Zimbabwe from the Group of African States; Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay from the Group of Latin American and Caribbean States; and Australia, Germany, Ireland, United States from the Group of Western European and other States.

Since there were more candidates from the Groups of Asian and Eastern European States than there were vacancies, the elections of those candidates were taken by secret ballot.  The Council elected China, Japan, and Sri Lanka, which obtained majority in the elections from the Group of Asian States, and Ukraine from the Group of Eastern European States.  The United Arab Emirates and Hungary did not obtain the required majority.

Ten members of the Commission on the Status of Women were then elected without a vote for a four-year term beginning on 1 January 2003.  Algeria, Congo and Nigeria were elected from the Group of African States; India and Thailand from the Group of Asian States; Russian Federation from the Group of Eastern European States; Bolivia from Latin American and Caribbean States; Belgium, Canada and Turkey from the Group of Western European and other States.

The Council agreed to postpone the election of 1 member from Eastern European States for a 4-year term beginning on 1 January 2003.

For the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, 20 members were elected, without a vote, for a 3-year term beginning on 1 January 2003:  Algeria, Central African Republic, Ethiopia, Gambia, Mauritania, Sudan, Uganda and Zambia from the Group of African States; China, Japan, Pakistan and Republic of Korea from the Group of Asian States; Croatia and Russian Federation from the Group of Eastern European States; El Salvador, Nicaragua and Peru from Latin American and Caribbean States; and Austria, Germany and Italy from Western European and other States.

The Council then elected, by acclamation, Ethiopia, Guinea-Bissau, Sudan and Uganda from the Group of African States; Hungary and Russian Federation from Eastern European States; Honduras, Jamaica and Saint Lucia from Latin American and Caribbean States; Australia, Netherlands, United Kingdom and United States from Western European and other States as members of the Commission on Sustainable Development for a 3-year term beginning at the organizational meeting of the Commission’s twelfth session in 2003 and expiring at the close of its fourteenth session in 2006.

Three candidates from the group of Asian States –- Fiji, Japan and Republic of Korea -- were elected by the secret ballot.  The United Arab Emirates did not obtain the required majority.

For two postponed vacancies for the term beginning at the Commission's eleventh session in 2002 and expiring at the close of its thirteenth session in 2005, Democratic Republic of the Congo and Gabon were elected by acclamation from the Group of African States.

For the Commission on Science and Technology for Development, 13 members were elected, by acclamation, for a four-year term beginning on 1 January 2003: Ethiopia, Lesotho, Morocco and Sudan from African States; Bangladesh, China, India and Iran from Asian States; Belarus and Romania from Eastern European States; Chile and Paraguay from Latin American and Caribbean States; and Germany from Western European and other States.  The elections for remaining four vacancies for the same term of office and three vacancies left from last year for the term of office to expire on 21 December 2004 were postponed to a later date.

As it went on to conduct elections to the Committee for Programme and Coordination, the Council nominated, by acclamation, Benin, Central African Republic, Gabon and South Africa from African States; India, Indonesia, Iran and Pakistan from Asian States; Armenia, Republic of Moldova and Ukraine from Eastern European States; Argentina, Brazil, Cuba and Nicaragua from Latin American and Caribbean States; and Germany and United Kingdom from Western European and other States.  With regard to remaining vacancies, the Council agreed to postpone to a later stage the nomination of three members from Western European and other States for election by the General Assembly for a 3-year term beginning on 1 January.

For the Governing Council of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme, the Council elected, by acclamation, 18 members for a four-year term beginning on 1 January 2003:  Burkina Faso, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Malawi, Senegal and Sierra Leone from the Group of African States; Indonesia, Iran, Japan and Pakistan from Asian States; Poland and Russian Federation from the Group of Eastern European States; Argentina, Brazil and Chile from the Group of Latin American and Caribbean States; Netherlands, Turkey, United States and United Kingdom from the Group of Western European and other States.

The Council agreed to postpone to a later stage the election of one member from African States and one member from Latin American and Caribbean States for a four-year term beginning on 1 January 2003.

As it turned to the membership of the Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations, the Council elected, by acclamation, Cameroon, Comoros, Côte d’Ivoire, Senegal and Zimbabwe from African States; Romania and Russian Federation from Eastern European States; Chile, Colombia, Cuba and Peru from Latin American and Caribbean States; France, Germany, Turkey and the United States from the Western European and Other States for a four-year term beginning 1 January 2003.

China, India, Iran and Pakistan were elected by a secret ballot from the Group of Asian States.  The Democratic People's Republic of Korea and Lebanon did not obtain the required majority.

Nine members of the Intergovernmental Working Group of Experts on International Standards of Accounting and Reporting were elected by acclamation for a three-year term beginning on 1 January 2003:  Niger, Namibia, South Africa and Uganda from the Group of African States; China from Asian States; Russian Federation from Eastern European States; and France, Germany and United Kingdom from Western European and other States. 

The election of one member from African States, two members from Asian States, three members from Latin American and Caribbean States and six members from Western European and other States for a three-year term beginning on

1 January 2003 was postponed to a later stage, as was the election of 1 member from Eastern European States and 1 member from Latin American and Caribbean States for a term expiring on 31 December 2003.

In its resolution 2001/45 of 20 December 2001, the Council decided that the Group of Experts on the United Nations Programme in Public Administration be renamed the Committee of Experts on Public Administration.  Pursuant to that resolution, the Council had to consider the nomination by the Secretary-General of 24 experts who would serve on the Group in their personal capacity for a four-year term expiring on 31 December 2005.  The approved candidates were:  Jaime Rodriguez Arana-Munoz (Spain), Marie-Francoise Bechtel (France), Rachid Benmokhtar Benabdellah (Morocco); Jocelyne Bourgon (Canada), Luiz Carlos Bresser-Pereira (Brazil), Petrus Compton (St. Lucia), Guiseppe Franco Ferrari (Italy), Geraldine Fraser-Moleketi (South Africa), Werner Jann (Germany), Jin Liqun (China), Barbara Kudrycka (Poland), Gonzalo D. Martner Fanta (Chile), Kuldeep Mathur (India), Atangana Mebara (Cameroon), Bechara Merhej (Lebanon), Jose Oscar Monteiro (Mozambique), Akira Nakamura (Japan), Apolo Nsibambi (Uganda), Dennis Rondinelli (United States), Otton Solis-Fallas (Costa Rica), Patricia  Tomas (Philippines), Sakir Thiam (Senegal), Borwornsak Uwanno (Thailand) and Volodymyr Yatsuba (Ukraine).

For the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the Council elected, by acclamation, Virginia Bonoan Dandan (Philippines) from the Group of Asian States; Jaime Marchan Romero (Ecuador) and Alvaro Tirado Mejia (Colombia) from the Group of Latin American and Caribbean States; and Maria Virginia Bras Gomez (Portugal) and Eibe Riedel (Germany) from the Group of Western European and other States for a four-year term beginning on 1 January 2003.

The representatives of African and Eastern European States were elected by a secret ballot.  Azzouz Kerdoun (Algeria) and Clement Atangana (Cameroon) were elected from the Group of African States; and Yuri Kolosov (Russian Federation) from the Group of Eastern European States.  Mahmoud Samir Ahmed (Egypt) and Krassimira Sredkova (Bulgaria) were not elected.

On request from the representative of Venezuela (on behalf of the Group of 77 developing countries and China), the elections of 24 experts for the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources for Development were postponed to a later date.

Also postponed was the election for one postponed vacancy for the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues.

Eleven members of the Executive Board of the United Nations Children’s Fund were elected by acclamation:  Eritrea and Ghana from African States; India and Iran from Asian States; Republic of Moldova from Eastern European States; Nicaragua and Peru from Latin American and Caribbean States; and Canada, Germany, United Kingdom and United States from Western European and other States.

The Council also elected Spain to complete France’s term through 31 December 2004; Luxembourg to complete the Netherlands’ term of office ending 31 December 2004; and Denmark to complete Norway’s term of office through 31 December 2003.

Following the decision by the General Assembly to expand the Executive Committee of the Programme of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the Council elected, by acclamation, Ecuador, Guinea, New Zealand and Yugoslavia as its new members.

Eleven members of the Executive Board of the United Nations Development Programme/United Nations Population Fund were elected by acclamation:  Cape Verde and Tunisia from African States; India and Nepal from Asian States; Russian Federation from Eastern European States; El Salvador and Uruguay from Latin American and Caribbean States; and Australia, Japan, Italy and Norway from Western European and other States.  They will serve for a three-year term beginning on    1 January 2003.

Also elected were Sweden, France and Germany to complete terms of office through 31 December 2003 of Luxembourg, Spain and Turkey, respectively.

Malawi from African States; Iran from Asian States; Mexico from Latin American and Caribbean States; Japan and Sweden from Western European and other States were elected to the Executive Board of the World Food Programme for a three-year term beginning on 1 January 2003.  Election of one member from Eastern European States was postponed.

For the Board of Trustees of the International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women (INSTRAW), Ergul Tuncbilek (Turkey) was appointed by acclamation from Western European and other States for a three-year term beginning on 1 July 2002.  From the Group of Asian States, Lulwa A. Al-Misned (Qatar) was elected by secret ballot.  Hannan El-Amalki (Syria) and Amal Adib Sabbagh (Jordan) did not receive the required majority.  The Council decided to postpone the appointment of one member from African States.

The elections for three postponed vacancies at the Committee for the United Nations Population Award were further postponed to a later date.

For the Programme Coordination Board of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), the Council elected, by acclamation, Côte d’Ivoire from African States; Myanmar from Asian States; Guatemala from Latin American and Caribbean States; and Canada and Denmark from Western European and other States, for a three-year term beginning on 1 January 2003.

The Council also elected Canada to complete Greece’s term of office through 31 December 2002, and Ireland to complete Italy’s term ending 31 December 2003.