ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL FILLS SEATS ON INTERNATIONAL NARCOTICS CONTROL BOARD

Economic and Social Council                                

2004 Organizational Session                                

12^th Meeting (PM)

ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL FILLS SEATS ON INTERNATIONAL NARCOTICS CONTROL BOARD

The Economic and Social Council this afternoon filled vacancies on a number of its subsidiary bodies, including the International Narcotics Control Board, to which it elected seven members by secret ballot.

In a resumed organizational session leading to its July substantive session, Council President Marjatta Rasi (Finland) first announced the results of this morning’s secret ballot for the International Narcotics Control Board, involving government-nominated candidates, which were as follows:  Gilberto Gerra (Italy), 34; Dawood Abdool Satar Jackaria (Mauritius), 15; Audrone Astauskiene (Lithuania), 2; Alexis Ruzindaza (Rwanda), 2; Rima Vaitkiene (Lithuania), 0.  The winner, Mr. Gerra, will serve a term that begins today and ends on 1 March 2007.

The President then announced the results of another secret ballot held this morning.  That procedure was used to elect a further member of the International Narcotics Control Board, from a list of candidates provided by the World Health Organization, to a one-year term beginning on 2 March 2005.  It yielded the following results:  Philip Emafo (Nigeria), 36; J.M. Mario Argandona-Yanez (Bolivia), 9; Witold Wieniawski (Poland), 8.  Mr. Emafo was declared the winner.

This afternoon, another secret ballot was held to elect five members to the International Narcotics Control Board, from a list of candidates nominated by governments, for five-year terms beginning on 2 March 2005.  The results were:  Brian Watters (Australia), 44; Sevil Atasoy (Turkey), 35; Tatyana Borisnovna Dmitrieva (Russian Federation), 28; Camilo Uribe Granja (Colombia), 28; Joseph Bediako Asare (Ghana), 26; Maria Elena Medina-Mora Icaza (Mexico), 26; Liu Yao (China), 17; Farouk Mahmoud Helmy Aboul Atta (Egypt), 17; Salomon Rataemane (South Africa), 14; Romeo Sanga (Philippines), 8; Muhammad Aziz Khan (Pakistan), 6; Milan Skrlj (Slovenia), 3; Lufwendo Saboi (Zambia), 3; Nakhaima Anthony (Uganda), 2; Petr Zvolsky (Czech Republic), 2; Mesfin Wolde-Tensai Araya (Ethiopia), 1; Bahane Mani Silver Niyibizi (Uganda), 0; and Aaron Zulu (Zambia), 0.

The top four vote-earners, all of whom were declared winners, were Mr. Watters, Ms. Atasoy, Ms. Dmitrieva and Mr. Granja.  However, because Mr. Asare and Ms. Medina-Mora Icaza had tied, a second ballot was held with the following results: Mr. Asare, 28; Ms. Medina-Mora Icaza, 24.  Mr. Asare was declared the fifth winner.

Turning to the Intergovernmental Working Group of Experts on International Standards of Accounting and Reporting, the Council then elected Sri Lanka, by acclamation, to a term beginning today and ending on 31 December 2005.  The CzechRepublic was also elected by acclamation to a term starting today and expiring on 31 December 2006.

Elections for the following vacancies were postponed:  one seat from the Asian States, two seats from the Latin American and Caribbean Group and three seats from the Western European and Other States, for terms beginning today and ending on 31 December 2005; and one seat from the Latin American and Caribbean States for a term starting today and expiring on 31 December 2006.

The Council also decided to postpone elections for three additional outstanding vacancies.  Two of those, for the Executive Board of the International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women, were for the EasternEuropeanStates and entailed terms beginning today and ending on 31 December 2006.  The third, for the Committee for the United Nations Population Award, was for a member of the Latin American and Caribbean Group and involved a term starting today and expiring on 31 December 2006.

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