Economic and Social Council, in Organizational Meeting, Takes Up Draft Decisions, Fills Seven Vacancies in Subsidiary Bodies
The Economic and Social Council today adopted one draft decision on the distribution of seats for experts in the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, deferred action on the theme for the Council’s integration segment in 2016, and filled vacancies in some subsidiary bodies.
Acting without a vote on E/2016/L.2, the 54-nation body decided to conduct the Indigenous Forum’s future triennial elections, starting with the ones to be held at its coordination and management meeting in April 2016, in accordance with the following distribution of seats among the regional groups. That distribution would be reflected as such: one seat each for African States, Asia-Pacific States, Eastern European States, Latin American and Caribbean States, and Western European and other States. Three seats would rotate, on a recurring basis, among the five regional groups.
The Council then turned to a draft decision E/2016/L.4, by which it would decide the theme for the 2016 integration segment to be “Reimagining digital technologies for a sustainable future”.
The representatives of Japan and Mexico expressed a concern that the process and thinking leading up to the Bureau’s choice of the theme were not clear. Echoing those delegations, the representative of the United States requested to delay action on the draft to make room for further consultations.
Council President Oh Joon (Republic of Korea) explained that the previous integration segment earlier this year had discussed the theme. Based on those deliberations, the International Telecommunication Union proposed the theme, to which no one in the Bureau had objection, he said. It was necessary to take prompt action on the theme because functional commissions and subsidiary bodies needed to be informed of the theme to prepare for their work.
The Council deferred action on the draft decision to give delegates more time to discuss, with the understanding that they had no objection to the draft’s other proposal to change the dates of the next integration segment to 13-15 June 2016, in order to avoid a conflict with the World Summit on the Information Society Forum scheduled 2-6 May 2016.
Taking up the matter of elections, nominations, confirmations and appointments, the Council elected Finland to the Commission on Population and Development for a term beginning at the first meeting of the Commission’s fiftieth session in 2016 and expiring in 2020. The election of three outstanding vacancies, including one member each from Asia-Pacific, Latin America and Caribbean, and Western European and Other States, were postponed.
For the Committee for Programme and Coordination, Council President Oh noted that the election of the members of that Committee involved a two-step process, including the nomination of members and the election by the General Assembly. Iraq was nominated for election by the General Assembly for a term beginning on the date of election and expiring on 31 December 2017. Three outstanding vacancies from the Western European and other States were postponed.
The Council then turned to the election of one member of the Committee for Development Policy to fill a vacancy arising from the resignation of Claudia Sheinbaum-Pardo of Mexico. Leticia Merino of Mexico was elected to the Committee for a term beginning on 1 January 2016 and expiring on 31 December 2018.
For the Committee for the United Nations Population Award, the Council elected Poland for a term beginning on 1 January 2016 and expiring on 31 December 2018. Elections of three members from the African States, and three members from the Western European and other States, all for a three-year term beginning on 1 January 2016, were postponed.
To fill two outstanding vacancies on the Programme Coordinating Board of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), the Council elected the Netherlands and the United Kingdom to the Board for terms beginning on 1 January 2016 and expiring on 31 December 2018. Also in connection with the Programme Coordinating Board of UNAIDS, Council President Oh said that France would resign its seat on the Board effective 31 December 2015. To assume the resigned seat, Monaco was elected for a term beginning on 1 January 2016 and expiring on 31 December 2016.
The Council then elected Georgia as a member of the Organizational Committee of the Peacebuilding Commission for a term beginning on 1 January 2016 and expiring on 31 December 2016.
The Economic and Social Council will reconvene at a date and time to be announced.
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* The 3rd and 4th Meetings were covered in Press Releases GA/EF/3429 of 23 October 2015 and GA/EF/3438 of 11 November 2015, respectively.