Economic and Social Council Sets Theme of Upcoming Humanitarian Affairs Segment as It Adopts 3 Decisions without Vote
The Economic and Social Council, acting without a vote, adopted three decisions today, including one setting out the theme of its upcoming humanitarian affairs segment, while also electing members to 15 subsidiary bodies.
By the decision titled “Theme of the humanitarian affairs segment of the 2021 session of the Economic and Social Council” (document E/2021/L.14), that event — scheduled for Geneva from 23 to 25 June — will focus on “Strengthening humanitarian assistance to face the challenges of 2021 and beyond: mobilizing respect for international humanitarian law, inclusion, gender, innovation and partnerships”.
In the decision titled “Economic and Social Council event to discuss the transition from relief to development” (document E/2021/L.13), the Council decided that the title of that informal activity on 22 June will be “Preventing the looming risk of multiple famines and addressing rising acute food insecurity: taking action to save lives and reduce people’s needs, risks and vulnerabilities through closer humanitarian, development and peacebuilding collaboration”.
By the decision “Extension of the deadline for the submission of quadrennial reports by non-governmental organizations in general and special consultative status with the Economic and Social Council in 2021” (document E/2021/L.15), the Council extended that deadline until 1 July.
The Council also elected members to — and filled outstanding vacancies on - the following bodies: Statistical Commission; Commission on Population and Development; Commission on the Status of Women; Commission on Narcotic Drugs; Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice; Committee for Programme and Coordination; Intergovernmental Working Group of Experts on International Standards of Accounting and Reporting; Executive Board of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF); Executive Board of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS); Executive Board of the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN-Women); Executive Board of the World Food Programme (WFP); Committee for the United Nations Population Award; Programme Coordinating Board of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS); Commission for Social Development; and the International Narcotics Control Board.
The Economic and Social Council will reconvene at a date and time to be announced.
Organizational Matters
The Council first took up the draft decision “Economic and Social Council event to discuss the transition from relief to development” (document E/2021/L.13), by which the event will be titled “Preventing the looming risk of multiple famines and addressing rising acute food insecurity: taking action to save lives and reduce people’s needs, risks and vulnerabilities through closer humanitarian, development and peacebuilding collaboration”. The event would be an informal activity, held on 22 June, consisting of a panel discussion and with no negotiated outcome.
The Council then adopted “L.13” without a vote.
It went on to consider the draft decision “Theme of the humanitarian affairs segment of the 2021 session of the Economic and Social Council” (document E/2021/L.14). By that text, the Council would decide that the theme of its 2021 humanitarian segment will be “Strengthening humanitarian assistance to face the challenges of 2021 and beyond: mobilizing respect for international humanitarian law, inclusion, gender, innovation and partnerships”. It would also take note of the proposed topics for the three panel discussions under the segment — “Health care in times of COVID-19: a global protection agenda”; “Innovation as a driver of change: the use of new and emerging technologies and humanitarian data”; and “Humanitarian action and climate change: advancing anticipatory approaches, strengthening resilience and enhancing collaboration in response to the climate crisis”.
The Council then adopted “L.14” without a vote.
Elections
The Council then elected members to fill vacancies in many of its subsidiary bodies.
The representative of Nicaragua took the floor at the outset, asking which delegation requested a secret ballot for the Statistical Commission from among candidates of Latin American and Caribbean States, the Commission on the Status of Women from among the Asia-Pacific States, and the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice from among the Latin American and Caribbean States.
SERGIY KYSLYTSYA (Ukraine), Council Vice-President, said that the United States called for the ballots.
Statistical Commission
The Council first elected the following six members, by acclamation, to serve four-year terms beginning on 1 January 2022 and expiring on 31 December 2025: Burundi, Tunisia and Zambia (African States); and Australia, Finland and the Netherlands (Western European and Other States). In a subsequent round of secret balloting, it elected the Russian Federation (Eastern European States) and Cuba (Latin American and Caribbean States) to similar four-year terms.
Commission on Population and Development
The Council then elected, by acclamation, the following 12 members for four-year terms beginning at the first meeting of the Commission’s fifty-sixth session in 2022 and expiring at the close of its fifty-ninth session in 2026: Chad, Kenya, Mauritania and Morocco (African States); China, Indonesia, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia (Asia-Pacific States); Russian Federation (Eastern European States); and the Netherlands, Portugal and the United States (Western European and Other States).
Commission on Status of Women
Again by acclamation, the Council elected the following seven members for four-year terms beginning at the first meeting of the Commission’s sixty-seventh session in 2022 and expiring at the close of its seventieth session in 2026: Cabo Verde, Egypt, Mauritania and Tunisia (African States); and Costa Rica, Panama and Trinidad and Tobago (Latin American and Caribbean States). In one round of secret balloting, it elected China, Iran, Japan, Lebanon and Pakistan (Asia-Pacific States) to similar four-year terms.
Commission on Narcotic Drugs
The Council elected, again by acclamation, the following nine members to four-year terms beginning on 1 January 2022 and ending on 31 December 2025: Algeria, Côte Ivoire, Ghana and Tunisia (African States); and Australia, Belgium, Canada, France and Switzerland (Western European and Other States).
In one round of secret balloting, it also elected Saudi Arabia, Bangladesh, Republic of Korea and Iran (Asia-Pacific States); Slovenia, Lithuania and the Russian Federation (Eastern European States); and Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia and Trinidad and Tobago (Latin American and Caribbean States) to similar four-year terms.
Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice
Once again by acclamation, the Council elected the following 14 members to three-year terms beginning on 1 January 2022 and expiring on 31 December 2024: Ghana, Libya and Togo (African States); Bahrain, India, Pakistan, Qatar and Thailand (Asia-Pacific States); Belarus and Bulgaria (Eastern European States); and Austria, Canada, France and the United States (Western European and Other States).
In one round of secret balloting, it also elected Brazil, Dominican Republic, Paraguay, Chile and Cuba (Latin American and Caribbean States) to similar terms.
Committee for Programme and Coordination
The Council elected the following five members, again by acclamation, to three-year terms beginning on 1 January 2022: Botswana and Kenya (African States); Chile and Paraguay (Latin American and Caribbean States); and the Russian Federation (Eastern European States).
Group of Experts on International Standards of Accounting and Reporting
Acting again by acclamation, the Council elected the following eight members to the Intergovernmental Working Group of Experts on International Standards of Accounting and Reporting. They will serve three-year terms beginning on 1 January 2022 and ending on 31 December 2024: Chad, Kenya, Mauritania and Morocco (African States); Philippines (Asia-Pacific States); and Brazil, Colombia and Mexico (Latin American and Caribbean States). In one round of secret balloting, it elected North Macedonia and Ukraine (Eastern European States) to similar three-year terms.
It went on to elect, again by acclamation, Egypt (African States) and the Netherlands (Western European and Other States) to fill two outstanding vacancies for terms beginning on the date of election and expiring on 31 December 2021.
Executive Board of United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)
By acclamation, the Council elected the following 10 members to serve three-year terms beginning on 1 January 2022 and ending on 31 December 2024: Algeria, Chad, Comoros, Côte d’Ivoire and Rwanda (African States); Bangladesh, Lebanon and United Arab Emirates (Asia-Pacific States); Poland (Eastern European States); and Grenada (Latin American and Caribbean States).
Executive Board of UNDP/UNFPA/UNOPS
The Council elected, by acclamation, the following 10 members to the Executive Board of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)/United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)/United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS). They will serve three-year terms beginning on 1 January 2022 and expiring on 31 December 2024: Cameroon, Chad, Côte d’Ivoire, Kenya and Lesotho (African States); Kazakhstan, Myanmar and Qatar (Asia-Pacific States); Ukraine (Eastern European States); and Costa Rica (Latin American and Caribbean States).
Executive Board of UN-Women
The Council elected, by acclamation, the following 17 members to three-year terms on the Executive Board of the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN-Women), beginning on 1 January, 2022: Cameroon, Egypt, Gambia, Kenya and South Africa (African States); Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Thailand and Turkmenistan (Asia-Pacific States); Poland and Ukraine (Eastern European States); Colombia, Dominican Republic, Guyana (Latin American and Caribbean States); Australia and Monaco (Western European and Other States).
In consideration of various resignations from the Board, the Commission also elected the Netherlands, by acclamation, to complete the term of office of Germany; Iceland to complete the term of Andorra; and Norway to complete the term of Finland, all beginning on 1 January 2022 and ending on 31 December 2022.
Executive Board of World Food Programme
Again by acclamation, the Council elected the following six members to three-year terms beginning on 1 January 2022 and expiring on 31 December 2024: Ghana (African States); India and the Republic of Korea (Asia-Pacific States); France and Sweden (Western European and Other States); and the Russian Federation (Eastern European States).
Committee for United Nations Population Award
The Council then elected, again by acclamation, the following two members to three-year terms beginning on 1 January 2022 and ending on 31 December 2024: Liberia and Mauritania (African States).
Programme Coordinating Board of UNAIDS
Acting again by acclamation, the Council elected the following eight members to the Programme Coordinating Board of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS): Botswana and Côte d’Ivoire (African States); China and Japan (Asia-Pacific States); Russian Federation (Eastern European States); Dominican Republic (Latin American and Caribbean States); and Switzerland and United Kingdom (Western European and Other States) to three-year terms beginning on 1 January 2022 and expiring on 31 December 2024.
It went on to elect Germany (Western European and Other States), also by acclamation, to complete the term of France, beginning on 3 July — the day after the latter resigns its seat — and ending on 31 December 2022.
Commission for Social Development
Filling outstanding vacancies, the Council then elected, by acclamation, the Dominican Republic (Latin American and Caribbean States) for a term beginning on the date of election and ending at the close of the Commission’s sixty-second session in 2024; and Poland (Eastern European States) and Switzerland (Western European and Other States) for terms beginning on the date of election and expiring at the close of the sixty-third session in 2025.
International Narcotics Control Board
In one round of secret balloting, the Council elected — from among candidates nominated by the World Health Organization (WHO) — Cornelis de Joncheere (Netherlands) and Richard Phillip Mattick (Australia) to five-year terms beginning on 2 March 2022 and expiring on 1 March 2027.
In a first round of secret balloting, it also elected — from among candidates nominated by Governments — David T. Johnson (United States) and Nirinomenjanahary Larissa Razanadimby (Madagascar) to similar five-year terms.
In a second round, the Council elected, to similar terms, Sevil H. H. Atasoy (Turkey) and Lu Lin (China).
In a third secret ballot, it elected, again for five years, Galina Korchagina (Russian Federation).
Action
Acting without a vote, the Council also adopted a draft decision titled “Extension of the deadline for the submission of quadrennial reports by non-governmental organizations in general and special consultative status with the Economic and Social Council in 2021” (document E/2021/L.15), by which it would decide, on an exceptional basis and without setting a precedent, to extend that deadline until 1 July 2021.