Economic and Social Council Fills Vacancies in 17 Subsidiary Bodies, Adopts 4 Decisions Pertaining to Organizational Matters

The Economic and Social Council filled vacancies in 17 subsidiary bodies today through election by acclamation, secret ballot and nomination, also adopting four decisions pertaining to organizational matters.

In three rounds of secret ballot, the Council elected India, Morocco, France, Paraguay and Thailand from among candidates nominated by Governments as members of the International Narcotics Control Board for a five-year term, beginning on 2 March 2025 and expiring on 1 March 2030.

Prior to that, the Chair proposed that the election of five members from among candidates nominated by the Governments should be held first, followed by the election of one member from among the candidates nominated by the World Health Organization (WHO).  The representative of Lithuania asked for clarification concerning the legal basis for changing the process to which the Chair cited a precedent from 1996.

To the Statistical Commission, the Council elected by acclamation the Dominican Republic, Italy, Mexico, Poland, Switzerland and the United Kingdom for a four-year term of office beginning on 1 January 2025. Japan and the United Arab Emirates were elected for the same term of office by secret ballot.

To the Commission on Population and Development, the Council elected by acclamation Australia, Belgium, Canada, Germany, Haiti and Malawi for a four-year term of office beginning at the first meeting of the Commission’s fifty-ninth session in 2025 and expiring at the close of its sixty-second session in 2029.  Further, Lebanon was elected by acclamation to fill an outstanding vacancy for a four-year term of office beginning at the first meeting of the Commission’s fifty-eighth session in 2024 and expiring at the close of its sixty-first session in 2028.

To the Commission for Social Development, the Council elected by acclamation China, Cuba, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Paraguay, Senegal, South Africa, Suriname, Thailand and Turkmenistan for a four-year term of office beginning at the first meeting of the Commission’s sixty-fourth session in 2025 and expiring at the close of the Commission’s sixty-seventh session in 2029.  It also elected Iran, from the  Asia-Pacific States, by acclamation, for a term beginning on the date of election and expiring at the close of the Commission’s sixty-sixth session in 2028.

To the Commission on the Status of Women, the Council elected by acclamation Belize, Chile, Ethiopia, India, Italy, Lithuania, Nigeria, the Philippines, South Africa, the United Kingdom and the United States for a four-year term of office beginning at the first meeting of the Commission’s seventieth session in 2025 and expiring at the close of its seventy-third session in 2029.

To the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, the Council elected by acclamation Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Cuba, El Salvador, France, the Gambia, Germany, Kazakhstan, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Republic of Korea, Thailand, Togo, Tunisia, the United Arab Emirates and the United States for a three-year term of office beginning on 1 January 2025.  By secret ballot, Albania and Latvia were elected from among candidates from the Eastern European States, for the same term.

To the Commission on Science and Technology for Development, the Council elected by acclamation Austria, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Finland, the Gambia, Indonesia, Iran, Japan, Paraguay, Peru, the Philippines, Portugal, Switzerland and Zambia for a four-year term of office beginning on 1 January 2025.  Estonia and Poland were elected for the same term of office by secret ballot.

To the Intergovernmental Working Group of Experts on International Standards of Accounting and Reporting, the Council elected by acclamation Burundi, Kenya, Mexico, Uganda and Zambia for a three-year term of office beginning on 1 January 2025.

To the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the Council elected by acclamation Azerbaijan, Algeria, China, Romania, Morocco, Thailand, Italy and Germany for a four-year term of office beginning on 1 January 2025.  Mexico was elected for the same term of office by secret ballot.

To the Executive Board of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) the Council elected by acclamation Australia, Bolivia, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, France, Germany, India, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Mauritania, Nigeria, Portugal, the Republic of Korea and Slovenia for a three-year term of office beginning on 1 January 2025.  It also elected Denmark and Spain to fill the vacancies caused by the resignations of Finland and Japan, beginning on 1 January 2025 and expiring on 31 December 2025; and Switzerland to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Austria, beginning on 1 January 2025 and expiring on 31 December 2026.

To the Executive Committee of the Programme of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the Council elected by acclamation Guatemala and Ukraine.

To the Executive Board of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)/United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)/United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS), the Council elected by acclamation Belgium, Chad, Côte d’Ivoire, Denmark, the Dominican Republic, Georgia, Germany, India, Madagascar, Mozambique, Solomon Islands, Sweden, Tajikistan and Zambia for a three-year term of office beginning on 1 January 2025.  It also elected Australia to fill the vacancy arising from the resignation of Italy, beginning on 1 January 2025 and expiring on 31 December 2025; as well as Austria, Ireland and Luxembourg to fill the vacancies arising from the resignation of Portugal, Iceland and France, beginning on 1 January 2025 and expiring on 31 December 2026.

To the Executive Board of the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN-Women), the Council elected by acclamation Albania, Antigua and Barbuda, Bolivia, Cabo Verde, Equatorial Guinea, India, Kyrgyzstan, Mauritania, the Netherlands, Nepal, Peru, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Uganda, the United Kingdom and Viet Nam for a three-year term of office beginning on 1 January 2025.  Further, the Council elected by acclamation Canada and Denmark to fill the vacancies arising from the resignations of Australia and Luxembourg, beginning on 1 January 2025 and expiring on 31 December 2025.  To the Executive Board of the World Food Programme (WFP) the Council elected by acclamation India, Mali, Norway, the Republic of Korea and Sweden for a three-year term of office beginning on 1 January 2025.  The Czech Republic was elected by secret ballot from among candidates from the Eastern European States, for the same term.  The Council also elected France and Italy to fill the vacancies caused by the resignation of Australia and Spain, beginning on 1 January 2025 and expiring on 31 December 2025.

To the Committee for the United Nations Population Award, the Council elected by acclamation Burundi and the Gambia for a three-year term of office beginning on 1 January 2025.

To the Programme Coordinating Board of the Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), the Council elected by acclamation China, Haiti, Japan, Lesotho, the Netherlands, Portugal, Senegal and the United Kingdom for a three-year term of office beginning on 1 January 2025.  Poland was elected by secret ballot, for the same term, from among the candidates from Eastern European States.

To the Organizational Committee of the Peacebuilding Commission, the Council elected by acclamation the Republic of Korea for a two-year term of office beginning on 1 January 2025, or until that country ceases to be a member of the Economic and Social Council.  Kenya was elected for the same term of office by secret ballot.  Elections to fill remaining vacancies will be held later in 2024.

The Council also nominated Belgium, Botswana, France, Haiti, Kenya, Lithuania, Paraguay and the Russian Federation for election by the General Assembly to the Committee for Programme and Coordination for a three-year term of office beginning on 1 January 2025.

The representative of the United States disassociated from consensus on the election of Cuba and Iran to the Commission for Social Development.  The Governments of those countries continue to repress their citizens seeking to exercise the freedoms of expression and assembly, he said.  He also disassociated from consensus on the election of Iran to the Commission on Science and Technology for Development, stating that the regime acts counter to the Commission’s core mission of fostering open, inclusive technological development.  It weaponizes technology to intimidate its people, while also disregarding the international community’s concerns about the expansion of its nuclear programme “in ways that have no credible civilian purpose”, he added.

Iran’s delegate rejected those allegations and said that statement was irrelevant to the current agenda item.  Cuba’s delegate said it is ironic that the same country which enforces a blockade against his country and supports bloody military regimes elsewhere is giving human rights lessons in this room.

At the outset of the meeting, the Council adopted four decisions on various organizational matters.  Regarding the dates of the meeting on the transition from relief to development and of the humanitarian affairs segment (document E/2024/L.4), the Council decided to change the dates of the meeting from 18 June 2024 to 24 June 2024 and of the segment from 19-21 June 2024 to 25-27 June 2024.  Regarding the theme of the meeting on the transition from relief to development (document E/2024/L.5), the Council decided it will be “Transition from relief to development:  transformative actions to build resilience, promote sustainable solutions and address challenges and gaps for the most vulnerable in crisis contexts”.

The Council also decided the theme of the humanitarian affairs segment of the 2024 session of the Economic and Social Council will be “Putting humanity first in the face of conflicts and climate change:  strengthening humanitarian assistance and respect for international humanitarian law, and promoting effectiveness, innovation and partnerships” (document E/2024/L.6). 

Further, it decided to extend, on an exceptional basis, the deadline for receiving new applications for consultative status from 1 June 2024 to 14 June 2024 (document E/2024/L.7).