Opening 2018 Coordination, Management Meeting, Economic and Social Council Elects Members, Fills Outstanding Vacancies to Subsidiary Bodies
The Economic and Social Council today began the coordination and management meetings of its 2018 session with the election of members to a number of subsidiary bodies.
It elected members to, and filled outstanding vacancies on, the following bodies: Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations; Commission on Population and Development; Commission for Social Development; Commission on the Status of Women; Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice; Commission on Science and Technology for Development; Committee for Programme and Coordination; Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights; and Intergovernmental Working Group of Experts on International Standards of Accounting and Reporting; Executive Board of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF); Executive Committee of the Programme of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees; Executive Board of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)/United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)/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); Programme Coordinating Board of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS); Governing Council of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat); and Statistical Commission.
The Council will meet again at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, 17 April, to continue its coordination and management meeting.
Elections
The Economic and Social Council held elections to fill vacancies in many of its subsidiary bodies.
Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations: The Council elected by acclamation 11 members to serve a four-year term beginning on 1 January 2019: Burundi, Libya, Nigeria, Sudan and Swaziland (African States); Estonia and the Russian Federation (Eastern European States); and Greece, Israel, Turkey and the United States (Western European and Other States). In one round of secret balloting, the Council also elected Bahrain, China, India and Pakistan (Asia‑Pacific States); and Brazil, Cuba, Mexico and Nicaragua (Latin American and Caribbean States) to serve the same four-year term.
Commission on Population and Development: The Council elected by acclamation five members to serve a four-year term, beginning at the first meeting of the fifty-third session in 2019 and expiring at the close of the fifty-sixth session in 2023: Democratic Republic of the Congo and Togo (African States); Iran and Malaysia (Asia-Pacific States); and Belarus (Eastern European States). It postponed the election of two members from the Latin American and Caribbean States and one member from the Western European and Other States.
Turning to outstanding vacancies, the Council elected by acclamation India for a term beginning on the date of election and expiring at the close of the fifty-fourth session in 2021; and Côte d’Ivoire for a term beginning immediately and expiring at the close of the fifty-fifth session in 2022. It postponed the election of three outstanding vacancies: one from the Asia-Pacific States, for a term beginning on the date of election and expiring at the close of the fifty‑fourth session in 2021; and one from the African States and one from the Asia-Pacific States for a term beginning on the date of election and expiring at the close of the fifty-fifth session.
Commission for Social Development: The Council elected by acclamation nine members to serve a four-year term beginning at the first meeting of the fifty‑eighth session in 2019 and expiring at the close of the sixty-first session in 2023: Chad, Morocco, Sierra Leone and South Africa (African States); Iraq (Asia-Pacific States); Argentina, Colombia and Guatemala (Latin American and Caribbean States); and Israel (Western European and Other States). It postponed the election of two members from the Asia Pacific States, one member from the Eastern European States and two members from the Western European and Other States.
It also elected by acclamation India and Kuwait (Asia-Pacific States), filling outstanding seats, for a four-year term beginning on the date of election and expiring at the close of the fifty-ninth session.
Commission on the Status of Women: The Council elected by acclamation 11 members to serve a four-year term beginning at the first meeting in 2019 of the sixty-fourth session and expiring at the close of the sixty-seventh session in 2023: Equatorial Guinea, South Africa and Togo (African States); Bangladesh and Malaysia (Asia-Pacific States); Armenia and Belarus (Eastern European States); Cuba (Latin American and Caribbean States); and Australia, Germany and the United States (Western European and Other States).
Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice: The Council elected by acclamation 17 members to serve a three-year term beginning on 1 January 2019 and expiring on 31 December 2021: Algeria, Burkina Faso, Nigeria and Swaziland (African States); India, Iraq, Iran, Kuwait and Thailand (Asia-Pacific States); Belarus (Eastern European States); Brazil, Cuba and Mexico (Latin American and Caribbean States); Austria, France, Turkey and the United States (Western European and Other States). It postponed the election of one member from the Eastern European States and two members from the Latin American and Caribbean States.
It also elected by acclamation Eritrea, filling an outstanding seat, for a term beginning on the date of election and expiring on 31 December 2020.
Commission on Science and Technology for Development: The Council, considering Hungary’s resignation of its seat on the Commission effective 31 December 2018, elected by acclamation Serbia (Eastern European States) to complete that Member State’s term of office beginning on 1 January 2019 and expiring on 31 December 2020.
In one round of voting, the Council elected China, Iran, Nepal and Thailand for a four-year term to begin on 1 January 2019.
It postponed the election of one member from the African States, one from the Asia-Pacific States, three from the Latin American and Caribbean States and one from the Western European and Other States for a four-year term from 1 January 2019.
It then elected by acclamation Finland (Western European and Other States), filling an outstanding vacancy, for a term beginning from the date of election and expiring on 31 December 2020.
Committee for Programme and Coordination: The Council elected by acclamation five members to be nominated for election by the General Assembly to three-year terms, beginning 1 January 2019. They included Angola and Ethiopia (African States); Russian Federation (Eastern European States); Argentina (Latin American and Caribbean States); and France (Western European and Other States). The Council postponed the nomination of two members, including one from the Latin American and Caribbean States and one member from the Western European and Other States.
It went on to elect by acclamation Chad (African States) and Italy (Western European and Other States) to be nominated for election by the General Assembly for a term beginning on the date of election by the Assembly and ending on 31 December 2020.
There would remain three outstanding vacancies on the Committee: one from the Western European and Other States for a term expiring on 31 December 2018, and one from the Latin American and Caribbean States for a term expiring on 31 December 2020.
Committee for Development Policy: Rhonda King (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines), Chair of the Economic and Social Council, said the Council would consider the election of 24 members to that Committee later in its session.
Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights: The Council elected by acclamation five members to serve a four-year term, beginning on 1 January 2019. They included Heisoo Shin (Republic of Korea) from the Asia-Pacific States; Aslan Khuseinovich Abashidze (Russian Federation) from the Eastern European States; Reato Zerbini Ribeiro Leão (Brazil) and Rodrigo Uprimny Yepes (Colombia) from the Latin American and Caribbean States; and Olivier De Schutter (Belgium) from the Western European and Other States.
In one round of secret balloting, the Council also elected Peters Sunday Omologbe Emuze (Nigeria) from the African States to the same four-year term.
In a second round of secret balloting, the Council elected Asraf Ally Caunhye (Mauritius) from the African States, also to the same four-year term.
The Council postponed the election of one member from the Asia-Pacific States and one member from the Latin American and Caribbean States for a four-year term from 1 January 2019.
Intergovernmental Working Group of Experts on International Standards of Accounting and Reporting: The Council elected by acclamation nine members to serve a three-year term beginning on 1 January 2019 and expiring on 31 December 2021: Kenya and Nigeria (African States); Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and the Philippines (Asia-Pacific States); Albania and Belarus (Eastern European States); and Brazil and Colombia (Latin American and Caribbean States). It postponed the election of two members from the African States, one member from the Asia-Pacific States and one member from the Latin American and Caribbean States.
The Council also elected by acclamation Botswana, Cameroon and South Africa (African States), China (Asia-Pacific States) and the United Kingdom (Western European and Other States), filling outstanding seats, for a term beginning on the date of election and expiring on 31 December 2020.
It postponed elections for the following outstanding vacancies: two members from the Asia-Pacific States and one member from the Latin American and Caribbean States for a term beginning on the date of election and expiring on 31 December 2018, and one member from the African States, two members from the Asia-Pacific States, three members from the Latin American and Caribbean States, and seven members from the Western European and Other States for a term beginning on the date of election and expiring on 31 December 2020.
Executive Board of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF): The Council elected by acclamation 14 members for a three-year term to begin on 1 January 2019: Benin, Burundi, Cameroon, Djibouti and Morocco (African States); Bangladesh, Mongolia and Pakistan (Asia-Pacific States); Lithuania (Eastern European States); Mexico (Latin American and Caribbean States); and Australia, Canada, France and Luxembourg (Western European and Other States).
It also elected by acclamation Portugal and Switzerland (Western European and Other States) to complete the term of office of Germany and Norway, respectively, beginning on 1 January 2019 and expiring on 31 December 2019; and Denmark and Switzerland (Western European and Other States) to complete the term of office of Greece and Iceland, respectively, beginning on 1 January 2019 and expiring on 31 December 2020.
Executive Committee of the Programme of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees: The Council — acting on a decision by the General Assembly, contained in resolution 72/151, to enlarge the Executive Committee from 101 to 102 States — then elected by acclamation Zimbabwe to serve on that body.
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 14 candidates to serve three-year terms beginning on 1 January 2019: Botswana, Cameroon, Gambia, Rwanda and South Africa (African States); India, Republic of Korea and Vanuatu (Asia-Pacific States); Ukraine (Eastern European States); Mexico (Latin American and Caribbean States); and Belgium, Canada, Italy and the Netherlands (Western European and Other States).
It went on to elect by acclamation Turkey (Western European and Other States) to complete the term of office of Luxembourg beginning on 1 January 2019 and expiring on 31 December 2019; and Australia, Sweden and Monaco to complete the terms of office of Finland, Portugal and Switzerland, respectively, beginning on 1 January 2019 and expiring on 31 December 2020.
Executive Board of the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN-Women): The Council first elected by acclamation Israel to complete the term of office vacated by Turkey, expiring on 31 December 2019. It also postponed the election of one member for a term beginning on 1 January 2019 and expiring on 31 December 2019.
It then elected by acclamation 16 members for a three-year term beginning on 1 January 2019: Angola, Ghana, Kenya and Morocco (African States); Bangladesh, India, Mongolia, Nepal and Saudi Arabia (Asia-Pacific States); Georgia and Hungary (Eastern European States); Chile, Colombia and Cuba (Latin American and Caribbean States); and Ireland and Turkey (Western European and Other States).
It went on to postpone the election of one member of the African States for a term beginning on 1 January 2019 and expiring on 31 December 2021. It also elected, again by acclamation, Australia and Sweden to complete the terms of office of Canada and the Netherlands, respectively, for a term beginning on 1 January 2019 and expiring on 31 December 2019.
Executive Board of the World Food Programme (WFP): The Council elected by acclamation six members to serve three-year terms, beginning on 1 January 2019: Burkina Faso, Iran, Republic of Korea, Russian Federation, Sweden and Switzerland. It also elected Luxembourg and Spain to complete the term of office of Norway and Greece, respectively, beginning on 1 January 2019 and expiring on 31 December 2019.
Committee for the United Nations Population Award: The Council postponed the election of three members from the African States, three members from the Asia-Pacific States, one member from the Eastern European States, two members from the Latin American and Caribbean States, and one member from the Western European and Other States for a three-year term beginning on 1 January 2019. The Chair appealed to regional groups to submit nominees as soon as possible.
Programme Coordinating Board of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS): The Council then elected by acclamation nine members to serve a three-year term beginning 1 January 2019: Liberia and Namibia (African States); China and Japan (Asia-Pacific States); Russian Federation (Eastern European States); Brazil (Latin American and Caribbean States); and Belgium, Sweden and the United Kingdom (Western European and Other States.
Governing Council of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN‑Habitat): Next, the Council elected by acclamation 11 members for a four-year term beginning 1 January 2019: Cameroon, Liberia, Mauritania and Zambia (African States); Iran, Iraq, Japan and Kazakhstan (Asia-Pacific States); Russian Federation and Poland (Eastern European States); and Argentina (Latin American and Caribbean States).
It postponed the election of two members from the African States, three members from the Latin American and Caribbean States, and four members from the Western European and Other States for a three-year term beginning on 1 January 2019. It also further postponed one vacancy from the Latin American and Caribbean States for a term beginning on the date of election and expiring on 31 December 2020, and four vacancies from the Western European and Other States, including two for a term expiring on 31 December 2018, one for a term expiring 31 December 2019 and one for a term ending on 31 December 2020.
Organizational Committee of the Peacebuilding Commission: The Chair announced that the election of seven Council members to that body would take place later in 2018.
Statistical Commission: Filling an outstanding vacancy, the Council elected by acclamation Equatorial Guinea (African States) to a term beginning on the date of election and expiring on 31 December 2021, thus completing that Commission’s membership.