A/48/PV.54 General Assembly

Pursuant to General Assembly decision 43/406, the General Assembly will proceed to the election of 29 members of the Governing Council of the United Nations Environment Programme to replace the 29 members whose term of office expires on 31 December 1993. The 29 outgoing members are: Argentina, Austria, Barbados, Brazil, Burundi, China, France, Gabon, Gambia, Germany, Indonesia, Japan, Kuwait, Lesotho, Mauritius, New Zealand, Norway, Peru, Philippines, Russian Federation, Spain, Thailand, Tunisia, Ukraine, United States of America, Venezuela, Yugoslavia, Zaire and Zimbabwe. Those States are eligible for immediate re-election. 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 I should like to remind members that, after 1 January 1994, the following States will still be members of the Governing Council: Australia, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Botswana, Cameroon, Chile, Colombia, Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Denmark, Guyana, India, Islamic Republic of Iran, Italy, Kenya, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, Nigeria, Pakistan, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Rwanda, Senegal, Slovakia, Sri Lanka, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and Uruguay. Therefore, those 29 States are not eligible in this election. As you know, in accordance with rule 92 of the rules of procedure, "all elections shall be held by secret ballot" and "there shall be no nominations". However, I should like to recall paragraph 16 of General Assembly decision 34/401, whereby the "practice of dispensing with the secret ballot for elections to subsidiary organs when the number of candidates corresponds to the number of seats to be filled should become standard ... unless a delegation specifically requests a vote on a given election". In the absence of such a request, may I take it that the Assembly decides to proceed to the election on that basis?

I shall now read the names of the candidates endorsed by the regional groups: for eight seats from the African States - Burundi, Gabon, Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Sudan, Zaire, Zambia, Zimbabwe; for six seats from the Asian States - China, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Indonesia, Japan, Republic of Korea, Syrian Arab Republic; for three seats from the Eastern European States - Bulgaria, Hungary, Russian Federation; for Distr. GENERAL A/48/PV.54 24 November 1993 ENGLISH Since the number of candidates endorsed by the African States, the Asian States, the Eastern European States, the Latin American and Caribbean States, and the Western European and Other States corresponds to the number of seats to be filled in each region, I declare those candidates elected members of the Governing Council of the United Nations Environment Programme for a four-year term beginning on 1 January 1994. I wish to congratulate the States which have been elected members of the Governing Council of the United Nations Environment Programme. This concludes our consideration of sub-item (a) of agenda item 16. The Assembly will now consider sub-item (b) of agenda item 16, entitled "Election of twelve members of the World Food Council". In accordance with resolution 3348 (XXIX) of 17 December 1974, the General Assembly elects the members of the World Food Council upon their nomination by the Economic and Social Council. The Assembly has before it document A/48/368, which contains the nominations by the Economic and Social Council to fill the vacancies in the World Food Council which will occur as a result of the expiration on 31 December 1993 of the terms of office of Bangladesh, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Colombia, the Gambia, Kenya, Lesotho, Mexico, Nepal, Turkey and the United States of America. Those States are eligible for immediate re-election. I should like to remind members that, after 1 January 1994, the following States will still be members of the World Food Council: Albania, Australia, the Central African Republic, Ecuador, France, Germany, Guatemala, Guinea-Bissau, Honduras, Hungary, India, Indonesia, the Islamic Republic of Iran, Italy, Japan, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Norway, Peru and the Russian Federation. Therefore, those 20 States are not eligible in this election. As members know, in accordance with rule 92 of the rules of procedure, all elections shall be held by secret ballot. As a result, the number of candidates nominated from among the African States, the Asian States and the Latin American and Caribbean States is equal to the number of seats allocated to each of those regions. In accordance with paragraph 16 of decision 34/401, the Assembly may dispense with balloting when the number of States nominated from among the regions is equal to the number of seats to be filled. I take it that the Assembly wishes to declare those States elected members of the World Food Council for a three-year term beginning on 1 January 1994.

May I further take it that the Assembly wishes to declare the two candidates nominated from among the Western European and Other States elected members of the World Food Council for a three-year term beginning on 1 January 1994?

I congratulate the States that have been elected members of the World Food Council. Regarding the remaining vacancy from among the Eastern European States, as well the remaining vacancy from among the Western European and Other States, the General Assembly will be in a position to act on them upon the nomination by the Economic and Social Council of Member States from those regions. I therefore propose that the Assembly keep this sub-item on the agenda of the forty-eighth session. If I hear no objection, I shall take it that the Assembly agrees to that procedure.

The Assembly has thus concluded this stage of its consideration of sub-item (b) of agenda item 16. In accordance with General Assembly decision 42/450 of 17 December 1987, the Assembly elects the members of the Committee for Programme and Coordination upon the nomination by the Economic and Social Council. The Assembly has before it document A/48/369, which contains the nominations by the Economic and Social Council to fill the vacancies in the Committee that will occur as a result of the expiration, on 31 December 1993, of the terms of office of the following countries: Brazil, Bulgaria, Burundi, Chile, Colombia, Congo, Germany, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Italy, the Netherlands, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan, Poland, Trinidad and Tobago, Uganda, Ukraine and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Those States are eligible for immediate re-election. I should like to remind members that, after 1 January 1994, the following States will still be members of the Committee: the Bahamas, China, Egypt, France, Ghana, Japan, Kenya, Nicaragua, the Republic of Korea, the Russian Federation, Togo, the United States of America, Uruguay and Zambia. Therefore, those 14 States are not eligible in this election. In accordance with rule 92 of the rules of procedure, all elections shall be held by secret ballot. The following States have been nominated by the Economic and Social Council: four African States for four vacancies - Cameroon, Comoros, Congo, Senegal; four Asian States for four vacancies - India, Indonesia, the Islamic Republic of Iran, Pakistan; four Eastern European States for three vacancies - Belarus, Bulgaria, Romania, Ukraine; four Latin American and Caribbean States for four vacancies - Argentina, Brazil, Cuba, Trinidad and Tobago; five Western European and Other States for five vacancies - Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The number of States nominated from among the African States, the Asian States, the Latin American and Caribbean States and the Western European and Other States corresponds to the number of seats to be filled in each of those regions. In accordance with paragraph 16 of decision 34/401, the Assembly may, in elections to subsidiary organs, dispense with secret balloting when the number of candidates

I congratulate the States that have been elected members of the Committee for Programme and Coordination. Regarding the Eastern European States, the number of candidates nominated exceeds the number of vacancies allocated to this region. Therefore, the Assembly will now proceed to a vote by secret ballot to elect three members from the Eastern European States. Ballot papers marked "C" for the Eastern European States will now be distributed. The voting process has begun. Only the following four States nominated by the Economic and Social Council are eligible: Belarus, Bulgaria, Romania and Ukraine. I should like to stress that only the names of three of these States should be written on the ballot paper. In accordance with the rules of procedure, the States receiving the largest number of votes, and not less than the majority required, will be declared elected. I request representatives to use only the ballot papers that are being distributed and to write the names of the three States for which they wish to vote. Ballot papers containing more than three names will be declared invalid. Names of ineligible States appearing on a ballot paper shall not be counted at all.

With regard to the election of 20 members of the Committee for Programme and Coordination, the result of the voting for three Eastern European States is as follows: Number of ballot papers: 167 Number of invalid ballots: 0 Number of valid ballots: 167 Abstentions: 2 Number of Members voting: 165 Required majority: 83 Number of votes obtained: Romania 138 Ukraine 122 Belarus 120 Bulgaria 104

I congratulate the States that have just been elected members of the Committee for Programme and Coordination, and I thank the tellers for their assistance in the election. The following 20 States have thus been elected members of the Committee for Programme and Coordination for a period of three years beginning on 1 January 1994: Argentina, Belarus, Brazil, Cameroon, Canada, Comoros, Congo, Cuba, Germany, India, Indonesia, the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Netherlands, Norway, Pakistan, Romania, Senegal, Trinidad and Tobago, Ukraine and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

As indicated in document A/48/107, since the terms of office of Chile, Cyprus, France, Gabon, Japan, Kenya and the Russian Federation expire on 31 December 1993, it is necessary for the President of the General Assembly to appoint, during the current session, seven members to fill the resulting vacancies. The members so appointed will serve for a period of three years beginning on 1 January 1994. After consultations with the Chairmen of the Group of African States, the Group of Asian States, the Group of Eastern European States, the Group of Latin American and Caribbean States, and the Group of Western European and Other States, respectively, I have appointed Chile, Egypt, France, Gabon, Japan, Pakistan and the Russian Federation as members of the Committee on Conferences, with effect from 1 January 1994. May I take it that the Assembly takes note of these appointments?

We have thus concluded our consideration of sub-item (g) of agenda item 17.