Sixty-eighth General Assembly

Plenary

40^th Meeting (AM)

General Assembly Elects 18 Members of Economic and Social Council, Confirms

Five States Nominated to Programme and Coordination Committee

The General Assembly today elected 18 members of the Economic and Social Council to serve three-year terms beginning 1 January 2014.

Those elected today were Antigua and Barbuda, Bangladesh, Botswana, China, Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Denmark, Georgia, Guatemala, Kazakhstan, New Zealand, Panama, Republic of Korea, Russian Federation, Serbia, Sweden, Togo and United Kingdom.

The 18 outgoing members were Bulgaria, Cameroon, China, Denmark, Ecuador, Gabon, Latvia, Malawi, Mexico, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Pakistan, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Russian Federation, Senegal, Sweden and the United Kingdom.  (Of those, China, New Zealand, Republic of Korea, Russian Federation, Sweden and United Kingdom were re-elected.)

The new members were elected according to the following pattern:  four from African States; four from Asia-Pacific States; three from Eastern European States; three from Latin American and Caribbean States; and four from Western European and Other States.

As of 1 January 2014, the remaining States making up the 54-member body will be Albania, Austria, Belarus, Benin, Bolivia, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Canada, Colombia, Croatia, Cuba, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Ethiopia, France, Haiti, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Japan, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lesotho, Libya, Mauritius, Nepal, Netherlands, Nigeria, San Marino, South Africa, Spain, Sudan, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan and United States.

Ahead of that action, the Assembly also declared five States nominated by the Economic and Social Council, namely Benin, China, Ethiopia, Haiti and Japan, elected members of the Committee for Programme and Coordination — the main subsidiary organ of the Economic and Social Council and the General Assembly for planning, programming and coordination.  Their three-year term of office would begin on 1 January 2014.

Member States were reminded that the Economic and Social Council had postponed the nomination of one Member from the African States and one Member from the Asia-Pacific States for election for a three-year term in that Committee beginning on 1 January 2014.  There also remained two vacancies from among the Western European and Other States for terms beginning on the date of election and expiring on 31 December 2014 and one vacancy, also from among the Western European and Other States, for a term beginning on the date of appointment and expiring on 31 December 2015.  The Assembly would act on those vacancies upon nomination by the Economic and Social Council.

The General Assembly will reconvene at 10 a.m. on Thursday, 31 October, to consider the report of the International Court of Justice and the report of the International Criminal Court.

Voting Results for General Elections

African States (4 Seats)
Number of ballot papers:		188
Number of invalid ballots:		0
Number of valid ballots:		188
Abstentions:		1
Number of Members present and voting:		187
Required majority:		125
Number of votes obtained by country:
Togo		184
Botswana		182
Democratic Republic of the Congo		182
Congo		179
Senegal		1
Gabon		1
Asia –Pacific States (4 Seats)
Number of ballot papers:		188
Number of invalid ballots:		0
Number of valid ballots:		188
Abstentions:		1
Number of Members present and voting:		187
Required majority:		125
Number of votes obtained by country:
China		187
Bangladesh		181
Kazakhstan		179
Republic of Korea		179
Eastern European States (3 Seats)
Number of ballot papers:		188
Number of invalid ballots:	1
Number of valid ballots:	187
Abstentions:	0
Number of Members present and voting:	187
Required majority:	125
Number of votes obtained by country:
Serbia	182
Russian Federation	180
Georgia	175
Lithuania	1

Latin American and Caribbean States (3 Seats)
Number of ballot papers:	188
Number of invalid ballots:	1
Number of valid ballots:	187
Abstentions:	1
Number of Members present and voting:	186
Required majority:	124
Number of votes obtained by country:
Panama	183
Antigua and Barbuda	181
Guatemala	179
Mexico	1
Western European and other States (4 Seats)
Number of ballot papers:	188
Number of invalid ballots:	0
Number of valid ballots:	188
Abstentions:	4
Number of Members present and voting:	184
Required majority:	123
Number of votes obtained by country:
New Zealand	179
United Kingdom	178
Sweden	176
Denmark	175
Greece	6
Italy	2
Portugal	1
Germany	1
Switzerland	1

Having obtained the required two-thirds majority, the following 18 States were elected members of the Economic and Social Council for a three-year term beginning on 1 January 2014:  Antigua and Barbuda; Bangladesh; Botswana; China; Congo; Democratic Republic of the Congo; Denmark; Georgia; Guatemala; Kazakhstan; New Zealand; Panama; Republic of Korea; Russian Federation; Serbia; Sweden; Togo; and United Kingdom.

* *** *

For information media • not an official record