A/63/PV.87 General Assembly

104.  Elections to fill vacancies in subsidiary organs and other elections (a) Election of twenty members of the Committee for Programme and Coordination Note by the Secretary-General (A/63/312/Add.1) The President (spoke in Spanish): Pursuant to General Assembly decision 42/450 of 17 December 1987, the Assembly elects the members of the Committee for Programme and Coordination upon their nomination by the Economic and Social Council. Allow me to remind members that, at its 73rd plenary meeting, held on 22 December 2008, the General Assembly elected 17 members of the Committee for a three-year term of office beginning on 1 January 2009. Members will also recall that, by its decision 2006/201 D, of 30 November 2006, the Economic and Social Council postponed the nomination of one member from Western European and other States for a three-year term beginning on 1 January 2007. In that regard, the Assembly has before it a note by the Secretary-General contained in document A/63/312/Add.1. As indicated in that document, the Economic and Social Council nominated Israel for election by the General Assembly to fill the outstanding vacancy on the Committee for a term beginning on the date of election and expiring on 31 December 2009. In accordance with rule 92 of the rules of procedure, all elections should 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. May I therefore take it that the Assembly wishes to declare Israel elected a member of the Committee for Programme and Coordination for a term of office beginning on 10 June 2009 and expiring on 31 December 2009?