Economic and Social Council Fills 16 Subsidiary-body Vacancies, Voting by Acclamation, Secret Ballot in Resumed Organizational Session
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| Department of Public Information • News and Media Division • New York |
Economic and Social Council
2011 Organizational Session
10th Meeting (AM)
Economic and Social Council Fills 16 Subsidiary-body Vacancies, Voting
by Acclamation, Secret Ballot in Resumed Organizational Session
In a resumed organizational session today, the Economic and Social Council filled vacancies on 16 of its subsidiary bodies, electing most of the new members by acclamation and holding three secret ballots.
Secret ballots were held to elect a total of seven members — Australia, Belgium, Egypt, Germany, Iran, Mexico and the United States — to the International Narcotics Control Board, and two, Norway and Spain, to the Commission on Population and Development.
Outstanding vacancies were also filled in the following subsidiary bodies: the International Narcotics Control Board; Statistical Commission; Commission on Population and Development; Commission for Social Development; Commission on the Status of Women; Commission on Narcotic Drugs; Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice; Commission on Sustainable Development; Commission for Programme and Coordination; Intergovernmental Working Group of Experts on International Standards of Accounting and Reporting; and the Commission on Science and Technology for Development.
Similar action was taken in respect of the Executive Board of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF); Executive Committee of the Programme of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR); Executive Board of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)/United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)/United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS); Programme Coordinating Board of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS); and the Governing Council of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat).
The 54-member Council is the principal organ for the socio-economic and related work of the United Nations. Its subsidiary bodies include 14 specialized agencies, nine functional commissions, five regional commissions, standing committees, expert and related bodies. The Council also receives reports from 11 of the Organization’s funds and programmes, serving as the central forum for economic and social issues and as a policy adviser to States and to the United Nations system.
Candidates in today’s proceedings were elected on the basis of equitable geographical distribution, and were mostly endorsed by the five regional groups representing African, Asian, Eastern European, Latin American and Caribbean, and Western European and other States.
The Economic and Social Council will resume its organizational session tomorrow, 28 April, at 10 a.m.
International Narcotics Board
In action to fill seven vacancies on the International Narcotics Board, the Council conducted a secret ballot to elect members for five-year terms, beginning on 2 March 2012.
It voted first to elect two members from among five candidates nominated by the World Health Organization (WHO).
Results for World Health Organization Nominees
Number of Ballots:
54
Number of invalid ballots:
0
Number of valid votes:
54
Number of abstentions:
0
Number of members voting:
54
Majority required:
28
Number of votes obtained
Alfredo Pemjean Gallardo ( Chile)
18
Hamid Ghodse ( Iran)
24
Wayne Hall ( Australia)
26
Adeeba Kamarulzaman ( Malaysia)
14
Sri Suryawati ( Indonesia)
24
As no candidate obtained the necessary majority, the Council then proceeded to a second ballot, limited to the four candidates who had received the highest number of votes.
Number of Ballots:
54
Number of invalid ballots:
0
Number of valid votes:
54
Number of abstentions:
0
Number of members voting:
54
Majority required:
28
Number of votes obtained
Alfredo Pemjean Gallardo ( Chile)
20
Hamid Ghodse ( Iran)
29
Wayne Hall ( Australia)
28
Sri Suryawati ( Indonesia)
25
Having obtained the required majority and the largest number of votes, Hamid Ghodse ( Iran) and Wayne Hall ( Australia) were elected to the Board.
The Council then held a secret ballot to elect five members from among candidates nominated by Governments.
Results for Government Nominees
Number of Ballots:
54
Number of invalid ballots:
0
Number of valid votes:
54
Number of abstentions:
0
Number of members voting:
54
Majority required:
28
Number of votes obtained
Carlos Maria Alvarez Vera ( Spain)
16
Raymond Yans ( Belgium)
36
David T. Johnson ( United States)
32
Patricia Llerena ( Argentina)
23
Jorge Montaño ( Mexico)
29
Herifidy Jocelyn Randrianarijaona ( Madagascar)
9
Ahmed Kamal Eldin Samak ( Egypt)
33
Werner Sipp ( Germany)
36
Valiantsina Vasilevna Volomyr Tsimoshyna ( Belarus)
6
Volomyr Andriyovych Tymoshenko ( Ukraine)
11
Zhang Honghong ( China)
28
Having obtained the required majority and the largest number of votes, Raymond Yans ( Belgium), David T. Johnson ( United States), Jorge Montaño ( Mexico), Ahmed Kamal Eldin Samak ( Egypt) and Werner Sipp ( Germany) were elected to the Board.
Statistical Commission
The Council then elected, by acclamation, the following eight members to the Statistical Commission for a four-year term, beginning on 1 January 2012: Niger, United Republic of Tanzania, Mongolia, Oman, Czech Republic, Hungary, Cuba and the United States.
Commission on Population and Development
By acclamation, the Council then elected six members to the Commission on Population and Development for four-year terms, beginning at the Commission’s first meeting in 2012. Elected from the Group of African States were Egypt, Uganda and the United Republic of Tanzania. Japan was elected from the Group of Asian States, the Republic of Moldova from the Group of Eastern European States, and Spain from the Group of Western European and other States.
The Council then took action to fill outstanding vacancies, electing Iran and Turkmenistan from the Group of Asian States; and Ecuador and El Salvador from the Group of Latin American and Caribbean States.
Council President Lazarous Kapambwe ( Zambia) said the election of two members from the Group of Western European and other States would be done by secret ballot.
The Council also postponed the election of one member from the Group of Asian States.
Commission for Social Development
Taking further action to fill vacancies, the Council then elected, by acclamation, the following 12 members to the Commission for Social Development, for four-year terms beginning at its fifty-first session in 2012 and expiring at the close of the fifty-fourth session in 2016: Liberia, Mauritania, Nigeria, Sudan, Japan, Mongolia, Republic of Korea, Belarus, Russian Federation, Ecuador, United States and Germany.
The Council agreed to postpone the election of two members from the Group of Latin American and Caribbean States and one from the Group of Western European and other States.
Commission on the Status of Women
By acclamation, the Council then elected the following 10 members to four-year terms on the Commission on the Status of Women, beginning in 2012: Niger from the Group of African States; China and Indonesia from the Group of Asian States; Russian Federation from the Group of Eastern European States; Brazil, Cuba and the Dominican Republic from the Group of Latin American and Caribbean States; and Finland and the United States from the Group of Western European and other States.
The Council also decided to postpone the election of one member from the Group of African States.
Commission on Narcotic Drugs
Elected by acclamation to the Commission on Narcotic Drugs for four-year terms, beginning on 1 January 2012, were the following 33 members: Algeria, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Namibia, United Republic of Tanzania, Afghanistan, China, Iran, Japan, Pakistan, Republic of Korea, Thailand, Turkmenistan, Hungary, Ukraine, Poland, Guatemala, Peru, Mexico, Suriname, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Uruguay, Austria, Denmark, Germany, Israel, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, Turkey and the United States.
The Council postponed the election of two members from the Group of African States.
Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice
It then elected, by acclamation, the following 20 members to the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice for three-year terms, beginning on 1 January 2012: Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Mauritius, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Tunisia, Uganda, China, Japan, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, Croatia, Russian Federation, Colombia, Cuba, Uruguay, Austria, Germany and Italy.
The Council postponed the election of one member from the Group of African States.
Commission on Sustainable Development
Acting again by acclamation, the Council then elected the following 16 members to the Commission on Sustainable Development: Kenya, Liberia, Sudan and Uganda from the Group of African States; China, Iran and Pakistan from the Group of Asian States; Bulgaria and Hungary from the Group of Eastern European States; Argentina, Cuba and Haiti from Latin American and Caribbean States; and Australia, Ireland, United Kingdom and the United States from the Group of Western European and other States.
The Council noted that no nominees from the Group of Western European and other States had been proposed for one outstanding vacancy.
Committee on Programme and Coordination
By acclamation, the Council elected 20 members to the Committee on Programme and Coordination: Cameroon and Zimbabwe from the Group of African States; Iran, Malaysia and Pakistan from the Group of Asian States; Belarus, Bulgaria and the Republic of Moldova from the Group of Eastern European States; and Argentina, Brazil, Cuba and Uruguay from the Group of Latin American and Caribbean States.
The Council postponed the election of two members from the Group of African States, one from the Group of Asian States and five from the Group of Western European and other States.
It then decided to fill one vacancy by electing France from the Group of Western European States, deciding to postpone the election of three members from the Group of Western European and other States, and one from the Group of Asian States.
Working Group on International Standards of Accounting and Reporting
The Council went on to elect, by acclamation, six members to the Intergovernmental Working Group of Experts on International Standards of Accounting and Reporting. Elected for three-year terms, beginning on 1 January 2012, were the following: Botswana, Nigeria and Swaziland from the Group of African States; Kyrgyzstan from the Group of Asian States; Russian Federation from the Group of Eastern European States; and Argentina from the Group of Latin American and Caribbean States.
In the absence of candidates, the Council postponed the election of 15 additional members: two from the African States, two from the Asian States, two from the Latin American and Caribbean States, and nine from the Western European and other States.
It also requested regional groups to nominate at the earliest opportunity 12 candidates to fill outstanding vacancies: four from the Asian States, with terms expiring on 31 December 2012; four from the Latin American and Caribbean States, with three terms expiring on 31 December 2011 and the fourth on 31 December 2012; and four nominees from the Western European and other States, with terms expiring on 31 December 2011.
The Council went on to elect the following 11 members to the Executive Board of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), for three-year terms beginning on 1 January 2012: the Gambia and Kenya from the African States; India and the Republic of Korea from the Asian States; Albania from the Eastern European States; Cuba and Haiti from the Latin American and Caribbean States; and Japan, Norway, Spain, and the United States from Western European and other States. They were all elected by acclamation.
Additionally, following several resignations, the Council elected Canada and Portugal to complete the terms of Denmark and France, respectively, expiring on 31 December 2012; as well as Austria and Finland to complete the terms of Italy and New Zealand, expiring on 31 December 2013.
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
With regard to the Executive Committee of the Programme of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the President drew attention to the fact that the General Assembly had decided, by its resolution 65/192 (2010), to enlarge the agency’s membership from 79 to 85 States, and had requested the Council to elect the additional members.
The Council then elected Bulgaria, Cameroon, Congo, Croatia, Togo and Turkmenistan as new members.
United Nations Development Programme /United Nations Population Fund /United Nations Office for Project Services
With regard to the Executive Board for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)/United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)/United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS), the President noted that Ireland, the Netherlands and Finland would resign their seats.
Acting by acclamation, the Council elected Australia, Switzerland and Norway to replace them.
Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS
Again by acclamation, the Council elected the following three members to the Programme Coordinating Board of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), for three-year terms beginning on 1 January 2012: Congo from the African States; Iran from the Asian States; and Brazil from the Latin American and Caribbean States. Due to an absence of candidates, the Council agreed to postpone the election of two members from the Western European and other States. It also voted to permit Portugal to complete the term of the Netherlands, expiring on 31 December 2012, and Germany to complete that of Monaco expiring on 31 December 2013.
United Nations Human Settlements Programme
The Council then elected, by acclamation, 14 members to the Governing Council of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), for four-year terms beginning on 1 January 2012. Those elected were: Burkina Faso, Congo, Lesotho, South Africa, and the United Republic of Tanzania from the African Group; Bahrain, India, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Thailand from the Asian Group; Brazil, Haiti and Mexico from the Latin American and Caribbean Group; and Germany from the Western European and other States Group.
In the absence of other candidates, the Council agreed to postpone the election of two members from the Eastern European Group and three from the Western European and other States.
The Council also elected Sweden, by acclamation, to a one-year term expiring on 31 December 2014, and decided to postpone elections to fill four vacancies from among the Western European and other States, with two terms expiring on 31 December 2011 and two in 2012.
Commission on Science and Technology
Taking action postponed from its previous sessions, the Council elected three candidates, by acclamation, to fill vacancies on the Commission on Science and Technology. Those elected were Saudi Arabia from the Group of Asian States, as well as Malta and Turkey from the Group of Western European and other States. It also agreed to further postpone the election of one member from the Western European and other States.
Returning to the Commission on Population and Development, the Council elected, by secret ballot, two members from the Group of Western European and other States to the Commission on Population and Development. The candidates were Malta, Norway and Spain.
Results for Candidates from Western European and Other States
Number of Ballots:
54
Number of invalid ballots:
0
Number of valid votes:
54
Number of abstentions:
0
Number of members voting:
54
Majority required:
28
Number of votes obtained
Spain
43
Norway
36
Malta
29
Having obtained the necessary majority and the largest number of votes, Spain and Norway were elected for four-year terms, beginning at the first meeting of the Commission’s forty-sixth session in 2012 and expiring at the close of the forty-ninth session in 2016.
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