Economic and Social Council Fills Multiple Vacancies for 14 Subsidiary Bodies, Adopts 4 Decisions Pertaining to Organizational Matters

The Economic and Social Council filled vacancies in 14 subsidiary bodies today through election by both acclamation and secret ballot, also adopting four decisions pertaining to organizational matters.

To the Statistical Commission, the Council elected by acclamation Argentina, Sierra Leone, Slovenia, Ukraine, the United Republic of Tanzania and the United States to a four-year term of office, beginning on 1 January 2024.  India was elected for the same term of office by secret ballot and, per the Council’s rules of procedure, the Republic of Korea was elected for such term through the drawing of lots following two unconclusive rounds of secret-ballot voting.

To the Commission on Population and Development, the Council elected by acclamation Belarus, Finland, Jamaica and Luxembourg 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 Belarus, Japan, Madagascar, the Russian Federation, Togo and Zimbabwe for a four-year term of office, beginning at the first meeting of the Commission’s sixty-third session in 2024 and expiring at the close of its sixty-sixth session in 2028.

However, the representatives of the United States and the United Kingdom dissociated from Belarus’ election by acclamation to the Commission on Population and Development and the Commission for Social Development, along with the Russian Federation’s election by acclamation to the latter Commission.  The Russian Federation’s actions in Ukraine — facilitated by Belarus — violate international law and Ukraine’s territorial integrity, said the latter, as the former observed that electing Belarus and the Russian Federation weakens the credibility and, ultimately, the work of these bodies.

To the Commission on the Status of Women, the Council elected by acclamation Bangladesh, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Mali, the Netherlands and Sri Lanka for a four-year term of office, beginning at the first meeting of the Commission’s sixty-ninth session in 2024 and expiring at the close of its seventy-second session in 2028.  Romania was elected for the same term of office by secret ballot.  Further, the Netherlands was elected to fill the vacancy arising from the resignation of Denmark, beginning on 5 April 2023 and expiring at the last meeting of the Commission’s sixty-eighth session in 2024.

To the Commission on Narcotic Drugs, the Council elected by acclamation Argentina, Burundi, Chile, China, the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, India, Indonesia, Japan, Kenya, Mexico, Morocco, Nigeria, Peru, Qatar, Singapore, South Africa, Thailand, the United Republic of Tanzania, Uruguay and Zimbabwe for a four-year term of office, beginning on 1 January 2024.  Austria, Armenia, Finland, Hungary, Italy, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States were elected for the same term of office by secret ballot.

To the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, the Council elected by acclamation Cameroon, China, Finland, Guatemala, Indonesia, Iran, Italy, Japan, Madagascar, Mexico, South Africa, the United Kingdom, Uruguay and Zimbabwe for a three-year term of office, beginning on 1 January 2024.  Armenia and the Czech Republic were elected to the same term of office by secret ballot.

To the Committee for Programme and Coordination, the Council elected by acclamation Armenia, Brazil, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Germany, India, Iran, Israel, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Pakistan, Rwanda, South Africa, the United Kingdom, the United States and Uruguay for the three-year term of office, beginning on 1 January 2024.

To the Intergovernmental Working Group of Experts on International Standards of Accounting and Reporting, the Council elected by acclamation Algeria, Cambodia, China, Ecuador, Gambia, Germany, Guatemala, Nigeria, Peru, the Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, Togo, Türkiye, the United Kingdom, the United States and Zimbabwe for a three-year term of office, beginning on 1 January 2024.

To the Executive Board of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the Council elected by acclamation Austria, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, the Netherlands, Oman, Senegal, Sweden, Turkmenistan, the United Republic of Tanzania and the United States for the three-year term of office, beginning on 1 January 2024.  Estonia was elected for the same term of office by secret ballot.  Further, Canada, Iceland and Ireland were elected to fill the vacancies arising from the resignation of Australia, Greece and Luxembourg, beginning on 1 January 2024 and expiring on 31 December 2024.  Finland and the United Kingdom were elected to fill the vacancies arising from the resignation of Denmark and Türkiye, beginning on 1 January 2024 and expiring on 31 December 2025.

To the Executive Committee of the Programme of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the Council elected by acclamation Angola to fill the additional seat created by the General Assembly’s 15 December 2022 resolution.

To the Executive Board of the World Food Programme (WFP), the Council elected by acclamation China, the Dominican Republic, Japan, Poland, the United Kingdom and Zambia for a three-year term of office, beginning on 1 January 2024.  Further, Finland was elected to fill the vacancy arising from the resignation of France, beginning on 1 January 2024 and expiring on 31 December 2024.

To the Executive Board of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS), the Council elected by acclamation Brazil, France, Iceland, Jamaica, Nauru, Nigeria, Portugal, Tunisia and the United Kingdom for a three-year term of office, beginning on 1 January 2024.  Romania was elected for the same term of office by secret ballot.  Further, the Netherlands was elected to fill the vacancy arising from the resignation of Denmark, beginning on 1 January 2024 and expiring on 31 December 2024.  Italy was elected to fill the vacancy arising from the resignation of Türkiye, beginning on 1 January 2024 and expiring on 31 December 2025.

To the Executive Board of the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN-Women), the Council elected by acclamation Belgium and Türkiye to fill the vacancies arising from the resignation of Ireland and Italy, beginning on 1 January 2024 and expiring on 31 December 2024.  Australia, Sweden and Luxembourg were elected to fill the vacancies arising from the resignation of France, New Zealand and Switzerland, beginning on 1 January 2024 and expiring on 31 December 2025.

To the Programme Coordinating Board of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), the Council elected by acclamation Australia, Burundi, Finland and Iran for a three-year term of office, beginning on 1 January 2024.  Further, Sweden was elected to fill the vacancy arising from the resignation of Switzerland, beginning on 1 January 2024 and expiring on 31 December 2024.  To fill outstanding vacancies from the Asia-Pacific States, the Council elected Cambodia and India for a term of office beginning on 5 April 2023 and expiring on 31 December 2025.

At the outset of the meeting, the Council adopted four decisions on various organizational matters.

Regarding the meeting on the transition from relief to development (document E/2023/L.10), the Council decided that the theme of the meeting will be “Transition from relief to development:  taking action to promote resilience, sustainable solutions and recovery in climate-related disasters and crisis contexts”.  It also decided that the meeting will be held in Geneva on 20 June 2023.

The Council also decided, by the terms of another draft text, that the theme of the humanitarian affairs segment of its 2023 session will be “Strengthening humanitarian assistance at a time of unprecedented global humanitarian needs:  driving transformation and solutions to address the urgent challenges of rising food insecurity and the risk of famine, protection risks and climate change” (document E/2023/L.11).

It also decided to appoint the Permanent Representative of Saint Kitts and Nevis as an additional member of the Ad Hoc Advisory Group on Haiti (document E/2023/L.8).

Speaking after the adoption of that decision, the representative of Canada welcomed the addition of Saint Kitts and Nevis, which will enrich the quality of the Advisory Group’s work and provide useful insight to promote Haiti’s socioeconomic development.

Taking note of a request to enlarge the membership of the Executive Committee of the Programme of UNHCR, the Council decided to recommend that the General Assembly, by its seventy-eighth session, decide on the question of enlarging the membership of the Executive Committee from 108 to 109 States (document E/2023/L.9).

Introducing that draft decision, the representative of Guatemala pointed out that her country is a signatory to the primary international conventions on human rights, and that the High Commissioner’s Office is a strategic partner for Guatemala.  She underlined the need to provide sustainable, comprehensive responses to challenges relating to human mobility.