ECOSOC ELECTIONS TO 21 UN BODIES

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 USUN NEW YORK 000544 SIPDIS NAIROBI: PASS TO USMISSION TO UNON E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ECOSOC UN AORC INCB SUBJECT: ECOSOC ELECTIONS TO 21 UN BODIES REF: (A) STATE 050257 (B) USUN 418 ¶1. SUMMARY: ECOSOC elected membership to 21 of its subsidiary bodies on May 18. The United States was elected to the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice. Balloting was necessary for only the International Narcotics Control Board; elected were experts from India, France, Thailand, Russia, Colombia, and South Africa. END SUMMARY. ¶2. The UN's Economic and Social Council held elections to fill vacancies in 21 of its subsidiary bodies in a resumed organizational session on May 18. Candidates were elected on the basis of equitable geographical distribution and were mostly endorsed by the five geographical groups representing Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Western European and Others. ¶3. International Narcotics Control Board: Two votes by secret ballot took place in the election of six members of the INCB for five-year terms beginning on 2 March 2010. a) The first was for one member from among candidates nominated by the World Health Organization (WHO). Rajat Ray (India) was elected by 30 votes, defeating Olaitan Alice Soyannwo (Nigeria) and Alfredo Pemjean Gallardo (Chile). b) The Council's second vote by secret ballot was for the remaining 5 members of the INCB from among candidates nominated by Governments. Elected were Marc Moinard (France),Viroj Sumyai (Thailand),Tatyana Borisovna Dmitrieva (Russian Federation),Camilo Uribe Granja (Colombia),and Lochan Naidoo (South Africa). ¶4. All other elections, appointments and nominations were settled by acclamation (see http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2009/ecosoc 6390.doc.htm). Of particular interest to the USG are the following results: a) The Statistical Commission (term 2010-2013): Botswana, Cameroon, Morocco, Russian Federation, Colombia, Australia, Italy and Norway. b) The Commission on Population and Development (term 2010-2014): Angola, Ghana, Malawi, Senegal, China, India, Malaysia, Philippines, Hungary, Russian Federation, Guatemala, St. Lucia, Luxembourg and the UK. Indonesia was elected to fill a vacancy through the 2013 session. (Note: there remain 2 vacancies.) c) The Commission on the Status of Women (term 2010-2014): Central African Republic, Comoros, Gambia, Libya, Swaziland, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Mongolia, Philippines, Republic of Korea, Argentina, El Salvador and Uruguay. d) The Commission on Narcotic Drugs (term 2010-2013): Cote d'Ivoire, Ghana, Sierra Leone, Swaziland, India, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Burma, Saudi Arabia, Belarus, Romania, Russia, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Australia, Belgium, Canada, France and the UK. e) The Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (term 2010-2012): Angola, Benin, Cameroon, Nigeria, India, Iran, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Philippines, Belarus, Ukraine, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Canada, Turkey, UK and the US. f) The Commission on Sustainable Development (term 2010-2013): Algeria, Benin, Cote d'Ivoire, Togo, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Mongolia, Thailand, Belarus, Latvia, Bahamas, Panama, Peru, Denmark, France, Netherlands and Norway. Luxembourg and the UK were elected to fill two vacancies through the 2012 session. g) The Committee for Programme and Coordination (term 2010-2012): Comoros, Namibia, Russian Federation and Israel. Separately, Israel was endorsed to fill a vacancy through ¶2009. There remain 3 vacancies. h) The Executive Board of UNICEF (term 2010-2012): Cape Verde, Congo, Malawi, Somalia, Tunisia, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, Qatar, Belarus, El Salvador, Denmark, France, Ireland and Luxembourg. Japan and the Netherlands resigned their seats effective January 2010, in favor of New Zealand and the UK through 2010. Similarly, Iceland will complete Finland's term through 2011. i) Executive Committee of the Program of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees: Djibouti and Moldova were elected USUN NEW Y 00000544 002 OF 002 so as to increase that body's membership from 76 to 78 as requested by the General Assembly. j) The Executive Board of the United Nations Development Programme/United Nations Population Fund (term 2010-2012): Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, South Africa, India, Pakistan, Qatar, Slovenia, Antigua and Barbuda, France, Japan, Netherlands and Spain. Canada and Switzerland will fill in for New Zealand and Turkey through 2010. Germany and Norway will fill in for Belgium and Sweden through 2011. k) The Executive Board of World Food Programme (term 2010-2012): Burkina Faso, Russia, India and Iran. Election of 2 members from List D was postponed. l) The Executive Board of the International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women (term 2010-2012): Honduras and St.Vincent and the Grenadines. 8 seats remain vacant. m) The Committee for the UN Population Award (term 2010-2012): Tanzania, Guatemala and Jamaica. n) The Programme Coordination Board of UNAIDS (term 2010-2012): Botswana, Japan, Poland, El Salvador, Netherlands, Sweden and the UK. Sweden will fill in for Switzerland through December 2009. Finland will fill in for Denmark through January 2011. There are 3 vacancies for the term beginning 2010. o) The Commission for Social Development (vacancies from previous elections): Brazil and Venezuela (term through the close of its 2013 session). Sweden will fill in for Denmark through the end of the Commission's 2013 session; there is still one vacancy. p) The Commission on Science and Technology for Development (term through 2012): Portugal; there is one more vacancy. q) The Governing Council of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) (vacancies from previous elections through 2012): Cote d'Ivoire and Cuba. There are 2 vacancies through 2011 and 4 vacancies through 2012. ¶5. Comment: Vacancies remain at a high level on the 10-member Executive Board of the International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women, perhaps another argument for reforming the UN's "gender architecture" (ref B). RICE