A/48/PV.33 General Assembly

This morning the General Assembly will proceed to the election of 18 members of the Economic and Social Council to replace those members whose term of office expires on 31 December 1993. The 18 outgoing members are: Argentina, Austria, Botswana, Chile, France, Germany, Guinea, Japan, Malaysia, Morocco, Peru, Somalia, Spain, the Syrian Arab Republic, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey and Yugoslavia. I should like to remind members of the Assembly that, as of 1 January 1994, the following States will continue to be represented on the Economic and Social Council: Angola, Australia, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Belarus, Belgium, Benin, Bhutan, Brazil, Canada, China, Colombia, Cuba, Denmark, Ethiopia, Gabon, India, Italy, Kuwait, the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, Madagascar, Mexico, Nigeria, Norway, the Philippines, Poland, the Republic of Korea, Romania, the Russian Federation, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Swaziland, Ukraine, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the United States of America and Zaire. This record is subject to correction. Corrections should be sent under the signature of a member of the delegation concerned within one week of the date of publication to the Chief of the Verbatim Reporting Section, Room C-178, and incorporated in a copy of the record. NEW YORK The names of those 36 States should therefore not appear on the ballot. According to paragraph 4 of General Assembly resolution 2847 (XXVI) of 20 December 1971, and taking into account the number of States which will remain members of the Council after 1 January 1994, the 18 members should be elected as follows: five from African States; three from Asian States; one from Eastern European States; four from Latin American and Caribbean States; and five from Western European and other States. The ballot papers reflect that pattern. I should like to inform the Assembly that the candidates, not exceeding the number of seats to be filled, receiving the greatest number of votes and a two-thirds majority of those present and voting will be declared elected. In the case of a tie vote for a remaining seat, 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. I shall now call upon representatives who wish to make statements before we proceed to the election.

Membership of the Economic and Social Council is important, mainly for the following two reasons. First, contributing to the activities of different organs of the Organization is part of the collective Distr. GENERAL A/48/PV.33 9 November 1993 ENGLISH Afghanistan, after 14 years of foreign domination and occupation, is once again taking its place in this international forum and is trying to participate actively in the activities of the Organization. We consider that to be our Charter obligation. With regard to our particular problems and needs at this very critical stage of our life as a war-stricken country, we want to bring to the attention of the relevant organs of the Organization, including the Economic and Social Council, the particular needs of the Afghan nation, whose destruction in the past 14 years of war may not have a parallel in history. In addition to losing 1.5 million of its population, our country has lost its total economic infrastructure and is faced with enormous economic, social, cultural, educational, health and other multifaceted problems that have been left us as a legacy of the former Soviet Union’s aggression against our homeland. Moreover, to ensure a balance in the representation of interest groups in the Economic and Social Council, Afghanistan concluded that membership of the Council would appropriately ensure representation of the least developed and land-locked developing countries. For these reasons, we submitted our candidature for membership of the Economic and Social Council. However, it was not convenient for the Group of Asian States to be unable to arrive at an agreed slate and accordingly for there to be contesting candidates. The delegation of the Islamic State of Afghanistan, in a spirit of accommodation and to facilitate the process of election of the Asian candidates for membership of the Economic and Social Council, has decided to withdraw this year. It is our earnest expectation that Member States will give favourable consideration to Afghanistan’s renewed candidature for 1995-1996.

Notwithstanding the generous support for our candidature to membership on the Economic and Social Council, which we deeply appreciate, my delegation should like to announce that it does not insist on its candidature for this year and that it wishes to postpone it till next year out of a desire to maintain the unity of the Group of Asian

I call on the representative of Zimbabwe, as Chairman of the Group of African States.

My Head of State, President Robert Gabriel Mugabe, has already expressed our pleasure at seeing you, Sir, preside over the affairs of the forty-eighth session of the General Assembly. Allow me, nevertheless, the honour and privilege, as Chairman of the Group of African States for the month of October, to reiterate his sentiments. The Economic and Social Council offers one of the best forums for constructive international dialogue and cooperation on the economic and social issues affecting our regions and peoples. The violent upheavals and conflicts that bedevil nations and regions are often to a large extent manifestations of more deeply embedded economic and social maladies. Thus, the interrelationship between peace and socio-economic well-being cannot be overemphasized. It is our hope that the awaited report from the Secretary-General on an agenda for development will give the necessary impetus to the promotion of international cooperation for social and economic advancement. The African Group is ready to participate fully and constructively to that end in the General Assembly and the Economic and Social Council. It therefore gives me great pleasure to present the candidatures of Egypt, Ghana, Senegal, the United Republic of Tanzania and Zimbabwe for election to the Economic and Social Council. All these countries have been fully endorsed by the African Group. On behalf of the Group, I commend those five countries to the General Assembly for its consideration.

I now call upon the representative of Indonesia, as Chairman of the Group of Asian States.

As Chairman of the Asian Group for the month of October 1993, having heard the statements of the representatives of Afghanistan and the Syrian Arab Republic, I should like to inform the Assembly that the following countries have decided to withdraw their candidatures: Afghanistan, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, the Syrian Arab Republic and the United Arab Emirates.

I now call on the representative of the Russian Federation, as Chairman of the Group of Eastern European States.

As Chairman of the Eastern European Group, I should like to inform the Assembly that the Group has endorsed the candidacy of Bulgaria for membership of the Economic and Social Council, in the post to be filled by our Group. We are convinced that Bulgaria’s participation will enhance the practical effects of the work of the Council, which will be undertaking major tasks resulting from the new geopolitical and economic realities.

I now call on the representative of Cuba, as Chairman of the Group of Latin American and Caribbean States.

The Latin American and Caribbean Group has always attached great importance to the work of the Economic and Social Council. As Chairman of the Group for the month of October, I have the honour to inform the Assembly that for the four positions to be filled from our region the Group has endorsed the candidacies of Chile, Costa Rica, Paraguay and Venezuela.

I now call on the representative of New Zealand, as Chairman of the Group of Western European and Other States.

I am very pleased, on behalf of the Group of Western European and Other States, to advise the General Assembly that for the five positions to be filled from our area on the Economic and Social Council for the period beginning 1 January 1994 there are five candidatures: France, Germany, Greece, Ireland and Portugal. These candidates have been fully endorsed by the Group.

In accordance with the rules of procedure, we shall proceed now to the election by secret ballot, taking into account the statements made by the representatives of Afghanistan, the Syrian Arab Republic, Ballot papers marked A, B, C, D and E will now be distributed. I request representatives to use only those ballot papers and to write on them the names of the States for which they wish to vote. A ballot paper containing more names from the relevant region than the number of seats assigned to it will be declared invalid. Should they appear on a ballot paper, names of Member States which do not belong to that region will not be counted at all. At the invitation of the President, Mr. Yahya (Brunei Darussalam), Mrs. Valle Camino (Cuba), Mr. Silis (Latvia), Ms. Iiyambo (Namibia) and Ms. Nicolaisen (Norway) acted as tellers. A vote was taken by secret ballot.

The result of the voting is as follows: Group A - African States Number of ballot papers: 171 Number of invalid ballots: 0 Number of valid ballots: 171 Abstentions: 2 Number of Members voting: 169 Required two-thirds majority: 113 Number of votes obtained: Egypt 167 Ghana 166 Zimbabwe 166 Senegal 165 United Republic of Tanzania 165 Zambia 1 Number of ballot papers: 171 Number of invalid ballots: 0 Number of valid ballots: 171 Abstentions: 0 Number of Members voting: 171 Required two-thirds majority: 114 Number of votes obtained: Japan 149 Indonesia 129 Pakistan 97 Kazakhstan 63 Papua New Guinea 59 Group C - Eastern European States Number of ballot papers: 171 Number of invalid ballots: 2 Number of valid ballots: 169 Abstentions: 8 Number of Members voting: 161 Required two-thirds majority: 108 Number of votes obtained: Bulgaria 161 Group D - Latin American and Caribbean States Number of ballot papers: 171 Number of invalid ballots: 0 Number of valid ballots: 171 Abstentions: 3 Number of Members voting: 168 Required two-thirds majority: 112 Number of votes obtained: Venezuela 166 Chile 164 Paraguay 158 Costa Rica 155 Ecuador 1 Uruguay 1 Number of ballot papers: 171 Number of invalid ballots: 0 Number of valid ballots: 171 Abstentions: 2 Number of Members voting: 169 Required two-thirds majority: 113 Number of votes obtained: Ireland 164 France 161 Portugal 160 Greece 159 Germany 156 Malta 6 New Zealand 2 Spain 1 Sweden 1

I congratulate the States which have been elected members of the Economic and Social Council. Since one seat remains to be filled from among the Asian States, we shall now proceed to the first restricted ballot. This second round of balloting shall be restricted to those two States from among the Asian States which were not elected but obtained the largest number of votes in the previous ballot, namely, Kazakhstan and Pakistan. This is in accordance with rule 94 of the rules of procedure. Ballot papers will now be distributed. I request representatives to write on the ballot papers the name of the State for which they wish to vote. Ballot papers will be declared invalid if they contain the name of a State

The result of the voting is as follows:

This restricted ballot has been inconclusive. In accordance with the rules of procedure, we should continue the series of restricted ballots. In view of the lateness of the hour, however, I propose that further balloting be postponed until 3 p.m.