A/33/PV.50 General Assembly

Before taking up the agenda item to be considered this morning I should like to refer briefly to the award of human rights prizes as envisaged in General Assembly resolution 2217 A (XXI) of 19 December 1966. 2. In accordance with recommendation C contained in the annex to that resolution, the award was given for the first time on 9 December 1968 and on a second occasion on 10 December 1973 to persons who had made outstanding contributions to the promotion and protection of the human rights and fundamental freedoms embodied in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and in other instruments of the United Nations relating to human rights adopted since the proclamation of the Declaration on 10 December 1948. 3. This year the prizes are being awarded on the occasion of the celebration of the thirtieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on Monday, 11 December, since 10 December falls on a Sunday. The selection of the recipients was entrusted to a special committee composed of the President of the General Assembly, the President of the Economic and Social CouncH, the Chairman of the Commission on Human Rights, the Chairman of the Commission on the Status of Women and the Chairman of the Sub-Commission on the Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities. NEW YORK 4. In view of the fact that the award of the United Nations Human Rights Prizes is being made in the year in which we are celebrating the thirtieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and that for the first time organizations as well as individuals have been selected, the special committee to select the winners of the United Nations human rights prizes decided to recommend that the number of prizes should be increased to eight this year. I take it that the Assembly has no objection to that proposal.

I now wish to announce to the General Assembly the names of the eight individuals and organizations which the special committee has decided to select as recipients of the United Nations Human Rights Prize in 1978. They are the following: the late Reverend Dr. Martin LUther King, Jr., Begum Ra'Ana Liaquat Ali Khan, Prince Sadruddin Aga Khan, Mrs. Helen Suzman, Amnesty International, the International Committee of the Red Cross, the Union nationale des femmes de Tunisie, and Vicaria de la Solidaridad, of Santiago, Chile. 6. The awards will be presented in the evening 0f Monday, 11 December 1978, at a special ceremony to commemorate the thirtieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

As representatives will recall, the decision to postpone the election of the remaining four members of the Economic and Social Council was taken by the Assembly at its 44th plenary meeting, on 3 November 1978. 8. There remain four seats to be fIlled: three for group B, Asian States; and one for group C, Latin .American States. In accordance with rule 94 of the rules of procedure, we have held three restricted ballots, all of which were inconclusive. 9. We must therefore, in accordance with the rules of procedure, proceed to an unrestricted ballot. 10. I should like to remind the Assembly that member!i,. have the right to vote for any country from group B and group C, except, of course, those which are already members of the Economic and Social Council and those * Resumed from the 44th meeting. A/33/PV.50 11. Before we begin the balloting, I call on the representa- tive ofIran.

In its capacity as Chairman of the' Asian gr~up of States for the month of November, my delegation would like to make the follOWing announcement. Having obtained the required two-thirds majority, Cyp- rus, Indonesia and Pakistan were elected members of the Economic and Social Council for a three-year term begin- ning 1 January 1979 (decision 33/311).1 13. The Asian group of States met last week and I am happy to announce that as a result of that meeting the Asian group was able to arrive at an· agreed slate. The following countries are the candidates accepted and en- dorsed by the group, and we hope that the General Assembly will vote for them: Cyprus, Indonesia and Pakistan.

One seat remains to be filled in group C. I call on the representative of Ecuador on a point of order.

In view of the result of the voting, I should like, on behalf of the Latin American group of States and having consulted the two countries concerned, to ask that the voting in this election be resumed next week, at a date to be decided by you, Mr. President. 14. The Chairman of the Asian group, on behalf of the group, would like to express its thanks to the delegations of Nepal and Jordan for having made it pOSSible for the group to arrive at an agreed slate. " 15. The PRESIDENT (interpretation from Spanish): The< ballot papers are now being distributed. I request members to write the names of three countries from group B and one country from group C. Ballot papers containing more than those names will be declared invalid.

If there is no objection, the Assembly will accept the proposal made by the representative of Ecuador.

I propose to suspend the meeting while the ballots are being counted.

The General Assembly will now proceed to the election of five non-permanent members of the Security Council to replace those whose terms of office expire on 31 December 1978. The five outgoing member'S are the following: Canada, Federal Republic of Germany, India, Mauritius and Vene- zuela. Those five countries cannot· be re-elected and therefore their names must not appear on the ballot papers. The meeting was suspended at 11.20 a. m. and resumed at 11.45 a.m.

The result of the voting is as follows: 22. Apart from the five permanent members, the Security Council will in 1979 include thn following States: Bolivia, Czechoslovakia, Gabon, Kuwait and Nigeria. The names of those States, therefore" should not appear on the ballot papers. 146o 146 1 145 97 23. Of the five non-permanent members which will remain in office in 1979, three are from Africa and Asia, one from Eastern Europe and one from Latin America. Therefore, in accordance with paragraph 3 of resolution 1991 A (XVIII) of 17 December 1963, the non-permanent members to be elected should be as follows: two from African and Asian States, one from Latin American States and two from Number ofvotes obtained: Cyprus , ' 134 Indonesia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132 Pakistan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129 Nepal -. . . . . . . . . . . .. 9 Jordan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 4 Bangladesh . . . .. 9 1 See also the 43rd meeting, para. 23, and the 52nd meeting, para. 9. Number ofvotes obtained: Cuba . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 75 Barbados 67 AGENDA ITEM IS Election of five non-permanent members of the Security Council 24. In accordance with existing practice, the required number of candidates receiving the largest r"'mber of votes and not less than the required majority W!.L be declared elected. In the case of a tie vote for the last place, there will be a restricted ballot limited to those candidates which have obtained an equal number of votes. May I take it that the General Assembly agrees to that procedure?

In accordance with rule 92 of the rules of procedure, the election shall be held by secret ballot and there shall be no nominations. 26. However, at the request of the groups concerned, I shall call on, the representative of New Zealand, the chairman of the group of Western European and other States, and the representative of Ecuador, the chairman of the group of Latin American States.

In my ~apacity as' chairman for this month of the group of West~rn European and other States, I have been asked to inform you, Mr. PreSident, and all other members of the General Assembly that there are three candidates from that group for the two vacancies in the Security Council to be ftIled from the group ofWestern European and other States at the present elections. Those three candidates-in strictly alpha- betical order of course-are: Malta, Norway and Portugal.

On behalf of the Latin American group, I wish to reiterate that for the vacancy on the Security Council there is a single candidate endorsed by the group: Jamaica.

The ballot papers will now be distributed. May I request representatives to use only the ballot papers that have been distributed and to write on them the names of the five Member States for which they wish to vote. As I have indicated, the ballot papers should not include the names of the .five permanent members of the Council, of the five outgoing n()..~·permanent members or of the five countries that are already non-permanent members for 1979. Any ballot paper containing more than five names will be declared invalid.

I propose now to suspend the meeting while the ballots are being counted. Number ofvotes obtained: Jamaica 145 Zambia 144 Norway 118 Bangladesh . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 84 Portugal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 84 Malta . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 81 Japan , 65 Comoros '. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 1 Peru 1 Having obtained the required two-thirds majority, Jamaica, Norway and Zambia were elected non-permanent members of the Security Council for a two-year term beginning 1 January 1979 (decision 33/310].2

There remain two seats to be filled. The fIrst vacancy is from the group of African and Asian States. Shice an African State has already been elected, that seat will go to an Asian State. The other vacancy is from the group of Western European and other States. In accordance with rule 94 of the rules of procedure, we shall hold a ballot restricted to the following candidates: for the Asian States: Bangladesh and Japan; for the Western European and other States: Malta and Portugal. Ballot papers will now be distributed.

I propose now to suspend the meeting while the ballots are being counted.

The result of the voting is as follows: Number ofballot papers: 149 Invalid bailots: 0 'Number ofvalid ballots: 149 Abstentions: 0 Number ofmembers voting: 149 Required majority: 100 Number o/votes obtained: Bangladesh •...........•....•...... 87 Portugal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . • . . . . . . . • .. 77 2 See also the S1st meeting, paras. 9 and 21.