General Assembly Elects 18 Members of Economic and Social Council, Confirms 13 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 2015.  Those elected today were Argentina, Austria, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Estonia, France, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Honduras, India, Japan, Mauritania, Pakistan, Portugal, Trinidad and Tobago, Uganda and Zimbabwe.

The 18 outgoing members were Austria, Belarus, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Cuba, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Ethiopia, France, Germany, Greece, India, Indonesia, Japan, Lesotho, Libya, Nigeria and Portugal.  Of those, Austria, Burkina Faso, France, Germany, Greece, India, Japan and Portugal were re-elected.

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

As of 1 January 2015, the remaining States making up the 54-member body will be Albania, Antigua and Barbuda, Bangladesh, Benin, Bolivia, Botswana, Canada, China, Colombia, Congo, Croatia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Denmark, Georgia, Guatemala, Haiti, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Mauritius, Nepal, New Zealand, Panama, Republic of Korea, Russian Federation, San Marino, Serbia, South Africa, Sudan, Sweden, Togo, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, United Kingdom and the United States.

Ahead of that action, the Assembly also declared 13 States nominated by the Council, namely Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Namibia, Iran, Armenia, Belarus, Ukraine, Brazil, Cuba, Uruguay, Venezuela and Italy elected members of the Committee for Programme and Coordination — the main subsidiary organ of the Council and the Assembly for planning, programming and coordination.  Their three‑year term of office would begin on 1 January 2015.

Member States were reminded that the Council had postponed the nomination of three Members from the Asia-Pacific States and four Members from the Western European and other States for election for a three-year term in that Committee beginning on 1 January 2015.  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 election and expiring on 31 December 2015.  The Assembly would act on those vacancies upon nomination by the Council.

The General Assembly will reconvene at 10 a.m. on Thursday, 30 October, to consider the report of the International Court of Justice and the report of the International Criminal Court as well as to take action on a draft resolution under the agenda item “Sport for Development and Peace”.

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 1 January 2015: Argentina, Austria, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Estonia, France, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Honduras, India, Japan, Mauritania, Pakistan, Portugal, Trinidad and Tobago, Uganda and Zimbabwe.