Economic and Social Council

2014 Substantive Session

12^th Meeting (AM)

Economic and Social Council, Opening Coordination, Management Meetings,

Adopts Five Decisions, Holds Subsidiary-Body Elections

 

The Economic and Social Council opened today the first set of four coordination and management meetings in its 2014 session, deciding the theme for the humanitarian affairs segment to be “The future of humanitarian affairs: towards greater inclusiveness, coordination, interoperability and effectiveness”.

The decision - which also set out two panels on “Effective humanitarian assistance” and “Serving the needs of people in complex emergencies” during the humanitarian segment - was one of five decisions adopted by the Council, as it carried out functions previously performed during its “coordination” and “general” segments, in line with General Assembly resolution 68/1, on strengthening of the Economic and Social Council.  The three other coordination and management meetings in 2014 are set for 12 and 13 June; 14 to 16 July; and 17 and 18 November.

In other action, the Council appointed the Permanent Representative of Colombia as an additional member of the Ad Hoc Advisory Group on Haiti.

Three of the decisions adopted by the Council had been recommended by the Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations, and were contained in the report on its regular session.  By draft decision I, the Council, among other things, granted consultative status to 225 non-governmental organizations, reclassified the consultative status of two non-governmental organizations, and closed without prejudice consideration of requests for consultative status made by 22 non-governmental organizations.  By draft decision II, it withdrew the consultative status of Association algérienne d’alphabétisation.  By draft decision III, it took note of the report.

Speaking after action, the representative of Belarus said the activities of organizations researching sexuality and reproductive health should be considered in the context of the United Nations Charter, which defined clearly how those issues should be discussed.  Consultative status should not be used to force such issues.

The bulk of the Council’s work today centred around elections to fill numerous vacancies in 17 of its subsidiary bodies.

Also speaking in the Council today was the representatives of Colombia.

Council Vice-President Ibrahim Dabbashi (Libya) also spoke.

The Economic and Social Council will reconvene at 10 a.m. Friday, 25 April, to conclude the first set of coordination and management meetings.

Elections

International Narcotics Control Board:  The Council elected by secret ballot five members for five-year terms beginning on 2 March 2015.  Jallal Toufiq ( Morocco), Jagjit Pavadia ( India), Viroj Sumyai ( Thailand) and Francisco Thoumi ( Colombia) were elected in the first voting round.  Following a subsequent special ballot to break a tie between Zhimin Liu ( China) and Flore Ndembiyembe ( Cameroon), Bernard Leroy ( France) was elected in a third round.

Commission on Population and Development:  The Council elected, by acclamation, six members for four-year terms beginning at the first meeting of the Commission’s forty-ninth session in 2015 and expiring at the close of the fifty-second session in 2019:  Burundi and Sierra Leone (African States); Iran and the Philippines (Asia-Pacific States); Belarus (Eastern European States); and Bolivia (Latin American and Caribbean States).  Filling outstanding vacancies, it elected Nigeria, by acclamation, for a term beginning on the election date and expiring at the close of the Commission’s fiftieth session in 2017, as well as Argentina, China, Dominican Republic, Germany, Malaysia, Mongolia, Peru, Russian Federation and Serbia for terms beginning on the election date and expiring at the close of the Commission’s fifty-first session in 2018.  It postponed five outstanding vacancies for terms expiring in 2016, 2017 and 2019.

Commission for Social Development:  The Council elected, by acclamation, four members to four-year terms beginning on the first meeting of the Commission’s fifty-fourth session in 2015 and expiring at the close of its fifty-seventh session in 2019:  Algeria (African States); and Bolivia, Colombia and Mexico (Latin American and Caribbean States).  Filling outstanding vacancies, the Council elected France, Switzerland and Turkmenistan, by acclamation, for terms beginning on the election date and expiring at the close of the Commission’s fifty-fifth session in 2017.  It postponed the election of 11 members for terms expiring in 2019.

Commission on the Status of Women:  The Council elected 11 members for four-year terms beginning at the Commission’s sixtieth session’s first meeting in 2015 and expiring at the close of the sixty-third session in 2019:  Equatorial Guinea, Liberia, Malawi (African States); Iran and Mongolia (Asia-Pacific States); Albania and Bosnia and Herzegovina (Eastern European States); Colombia (Latin American and Caribbean States); and Belgium, Liechtenstein and Spain (Western European and other States).

Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice:  The Council elected 20 members for three-year terms beginning on 1 January 2015 and expiring on 31 December 2017:  Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eritrea, Kenya, Liberia, Mauritius, Morocco, Sierra Leone and Zimbabwe (African States); China, Japan, Qatar and Thailand (Asia-Pacific States); Russian Federation and Slovakia (Eastern European States); Colombia, Ecuador and El Salvador (Latin American and Caribbean States); and Canada, Germany and Italy (Western European and other States).

Commission on Science and Technology for Development:  The Council elected 15 members for four-year terms beginning on 1 January 2015 and expiring on 31 December 2018:  Angola, Côte d’Ivoire, Kenya, Mauritania, Mauritius and Uganda (African States); China, India, Iran, Pakistan and Thailand (Asia-Pacific States); Latvia (Eastern European States); Bolivia (Latin American and Caribbean States); and Sweden and the United States (Western European and other States).  Filling one outstanding vacancy, it elected Turkmenistan, by acclamation, for a term beginning on the date of election and expiring on 31 December 2016.  The Council postponed election of 10 members for terms expiring in 2016 and 2018.

Committee for Programme Coordination:  The Council nominated 13 members for election by the General Assembly for three-year terms of office beginning on 1 January 2015 and expiring on 31 December 2017:  Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea and Namibia (African States); Iran (Asia-Pacific States); Armenia, Belarus and Ukraine (Eastern European States); Brazil, Cuba, Uruguay and Venezuela (Latin American and Caribbean States); and Italy (Western European and other States).  The Republic of Korea was nominated for a term beginning on the election date and expiring on 31 December 2016.  The Council postponed the election of 10 members for terms expiring in 2014, 2015 and 2017.

Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations:  The Council elected 19 members for four-year terms beginning on 1 January 2015 and expiring on 31 December 2018:  Burundi, Guinea, Mauritania, South Africa and Sudan (African States); China, India, Iran and Pakistan (Asia-Pacific States); Azerbaijan and Russian Federation (Eastern European States); Cuba, Nicaragua, Uruguay and Venezuela (Latin American and Caribbean States); and Greece, Israel, Turkey and the United States (Western European and other States).

Intergovernmental Working Group of Experts on International Standards of Accounting and Reporting:  The Council elected five members for three-year terms, beginning on 1 January 2015 and expiring on 31 December 2017:  Cameroon and Malawi (African States); China and Kyrgyzstan (Asia-Pacific States); and the Russian Federation (Eastern European States).  It postponed the election of 33 members for terms expiring in 2017.

Executive Board of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF):  The Council elected, by acclamation, 11 members for three year-terms beginning on 1 January 2015 and expiring on 31 December 2017:  Burkina Faso and Eritrea (African States); Bangladesh and Republic of Korea (Asia-Pacific States); Belarus (Eastern European States); Colombia and Cuba (Latin American and Caribbean States); and Finland, Japan, Norway and the United States (Western European and other States).

The Council also elected, by acclamation, Australia and Canada to complete the terms of office of New Zealand and Denmark, respectively, beginning on 1 January 2015 and expiring on 31 December 2015; and Spain to complete the term of office of the United Kingdom, beginning on 1 January 2015 and expiring on 31 December 2016.

Executive Committee of the Programme of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees:  The Council elected, by acclamation, Afghanistan, Belarus, the Czech Republic, Latvia, Peru, Senegal and Slovakia, acting in line with General Assembly resolution 68/142, by which the Assembly had enlarged the Executive Committee’s membership from 87 to 94 States and requested the Council to elect additional members.

United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)/United Nations Population Fund(UNFPA)/United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS):  The Council elected, by acclamation, 11 members for three-year terms beginning on 1 January 2015 and expiring on 31 December 2017:  Guinea and Libya (African States); India and Yemen (Asia-Pacific States); Russian Federation (Eastern European States); Antigua and Barbuda and Venezuela (Latin American and Caribbean States); and Australia, Denmark, Sweden and the United Kingdom (Western European and other States). 

The Council also elected, by acclamation, Iceland, Japan and Spain to complete the terms of office of France, Switzerland and Finland, respectively, beginning on 1 January 2015 and expiring on 31 December 2015; and Italy, to complete the term of office of Ireland, beginning on 1 January 2015 and expiring on 31 December 2016.

Executive Board of the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN-Women):  The Council elected, by acclamation, Germany and Turkey to complete the terms of office of New Zealand and Iceland, respectively, beginning on 1 January 2015 and expiring on 31 December 2015; and Israel, Italy and Portugal to complete the terms of Australia, Spain and Liechtenstein, respectively, beginning on 1 January 2015 and expiring on 31 December 2016.  It also elected Denmark and Spain, by acclamation, to complete the terms of office of Norway and Sweden, beginning on 1 January 2015 and expiring on 31 December 2016.

Executive Board of the World Food Programme (WFP):  The Council elected by acclamation Swaziland, Republic of Korea, Panama, Japan and the United Kingdom for three-year terms beginning on 1 January 2015 and expiring on 31 December 2017.  It postponed the election of one member for a three-year term expiring in 2017.

Speaking after action, the representative of the Republic of Korea said that, under an agreed arrangement, his country would share the three-year term with China, assuming the seat for 2015, while China would hold it for 2016 and 2017.  China’s delegate added that the arrangement enabled both countries to contribute to the Executive Board.

Programme Coordinating Board of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS):  The Council elected, by acclamation, Burundi (African States) and Brazil (Latin American and Caribbean States) for three-year terms beginning on 1 January 2015 and expiring on 31 December 2017.  It elected Luxembourg, by acclamation, to complete Belgium’s term of office, beginning on the election date and expiring on 31 December 2015.  It postponed the election of three members for terms expiring in 2017.

Governing Council of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat):  The Council elected, by acclamation, 12 members for four-year terms beginning on 1 January 2015 and expiring on 31 December 2018:  Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Gabon, Ghana, Senegal and Zimbabwe (African States); Slovakia and Russian Federation (Eastern European States); Argentina, Ecuador and Uruguay (Latin American and Caribbean States); and the United States (Western European and other States).  Filling outstanding vacancies, the Council elected Belarus and Romania, by acclamation, for terms beginning on the election date and expiring on 31 December 2016.  It postponed the election of 13 members for terms ending in 2016 and 2018.

Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights:   The Council elected, by acclamation, seven members for four-year terms beginning on 1 January 2015 and expiring on 31 December 2018.  Elected from the African States Group were Azzouz Kerdoun ( Algeria) and Clément Atangana ( Cameroon); from the Asia-Pacific States Group, Chandrashekhar Dasgupta ( India) and Heisoo Shin ( Republic of Korea); from the Eastern European States Group, Aslan Abashidze ( Russian Federation); and from the Western European and other States Group, Maria Virginia Bras Gomes ( Portugal) and Olivier De Shutter ( Belgium).  Elected by secret ballot were Renato Zerbini Ribeiro Leãó ( Brazil) and Rodrigo Uprimny Yepes ( Colombia), from the Latin American and Caribbean States Group.

As for the Organizational Committee of the Peacebuilding Commission, Council Vice-President Oh Joon ( Republic of Korea) announced that the election of seven new members would take place following the Assembly’s election of new Economic and Social Council members during the Assembly’s sixty-ninth session.

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For information media • not an official record