2016 United Nations Security Council election

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2016 United Nations Security Council election
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5 (of 10) non-permanent seats on the United Nations Security Council
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United Nations Security Council membership after the elections
  Permanent members
  Non-permanent members
Members before election
Flag of Angola.svg  Angola (Africa)
Flag of Malaysia 23px.svg  Malaysia (Asia–Pacific)
Flag of Venezuela (state).svg  Venezuela (GRULAC)
Flag of New Zealand.svg  New Zealand (WEOG)
Flag of Spain.svg  Spain (WEOG)

Elected Members
Flag of Ethiopia.svg  Ethiopia (Africa)
Flag of Kazakhstan.svg  Kazakhstan (Asia–Pacific)
Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg  Bolivia (GRULAC)
Flag of Sweden.svg  Sweden (WEOG)
Flag of Italy.svg  Italy (WEOG)

Unsuccessful candidates
Flag of Thailand.svg  Thailand (Asia-Pacific)

The 2016 United Nations Security Council election was held on 28 June [1] during the 70th session of the United Nations General Assembly, held at United Nations Headquarters in New York City. The elections were for five non-permanent seats on the UN Security Council for two-year mandates commencing on 1 January 2017. In accordance with the Security Council's rotation rules, whereby the ten non-permanent UNSC seats rotate among the various regional blocs into which UN member states traditionally divide themselves for voting and representation purposes, [2] the five available seats were allocated as follows:

Contents

The five members will serve on the Security Council for the 2017–18 period.

This was the first time a Security Council election was held in the month of June. [3] On 18 September 2014, the General Assembly adopted Resolution 68/307 to push the elections back to six months prior to the beginning of the newly elected Council members' terms. [4] Moreover, this was the first election of Kazakhstan to the Council.

Candidates

African Group

Asia-Pacific Group

Latin American and Caribbean Group

Western European and Others Group

Support

William Courtney, the former U.S. Ambassador to Kazakhstan, said that "based on the solid successes of Kazakhstan to establish CICA, Chairmanship of the OSCE and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, Kazakhstan, like no other country, deserves special trust and is a suitable candidate for a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council." [14]

Public debate

In May 2016, the World Federation of United Nations Associations hosted the first open debates for UN Member States competing for a seat as a non-permanent member to the Security Council. All five contenders participated in the debate. [15]

Result

African and Asia-Pacific Groups

African and Asia-Pacific Groups election results [16]
MemberRound 1Round 2
Flag of Ethiopia.svg  Ethiopia 185—
Flag of Kazakhstan.svg  Kazakhstan 113138
Flag of Thailand.svg  Thailand 7755
valid ballots192193
invalid ballots10
abstentions20
present and voting190193
required majority127129

Kazakhstan became the first Central Asian country to sit on the UNSC. [17]

Latin American and Caribbean Group

Latin American and Caribbean Group election results [16]
MemberRound 1
Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg  Bolivia 183
Flag of Colombia.svg  Colombia 1
Flag of Cuba.svg  Cuba 1
valid ballots193
abstentions8
present and voting185
required majority124

Western European and Other Group

Day 1

Western European and Others Group election results [16] [18]
MemberRound 1Round 2Round 3Round 4Round 5
Flag of Sweden.svg  Sweden 134————
Flag of the Netherlands.svg  Netherlands 12599969695
Flag of Italy.svg  Italy 11392949595
Flag of Belgium (civil).svg  Belgium 1————
valid ballots193193193193192
invalid ballots00001
abstentions22322
present and voting191191190191190
required majority128128127128127

Following five rounds of inconclusive voting, Bert Koenders and Paolo Gentiloni, Foreign Ministers of the Netherlands and Italy respectively, announced a proposal whereby the Netherlands and Italy would split the two-year term with each country serving one year. [19] Such arrangements were relatively common in deadlocked elections starting in the late 1950s until 1966, when the Security Council was enlarged. This however would be the first time in over five decades that two members agreed to split a term; intractable deadlocks have instead usually been resolved by the candidate countries withdrawing in favor of a third member state. [1]

Day 2

Western European and Others Group election results [20]
MemberRound 1
Flag of Italy.svg  Italy 179
Flag of the Netherlands.svg  Netherlands 4
Flag of San Marino.svg  San Marino 1
valid ballots190
invalid ballots2
abstentions6
present and voting184
required majority123

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Security Council Elections 2016" (PDF). Security Council Report. 3 June 2016. Retrieved 29 June 2016.
  2. ↑ United Nations General Assembly Session 18 Resolution1991. Question of equitable representation on the Security Council and the Economic and Social CouncilA/RES/1991(XVIII)
  3. ↑ "Security Council Elections 2015" (PDF). Security Council Report. 2 October 2015. Retrieved 2 October 2015.
  4. ↑ United Nations General Assembly Session 68 Resolution307. Revitalization of the work of the General AssemblyA/RES/68/307 10 September 2014. Retrieved 2 October 2015.
  5. ↑ EX.CL/Draft/Dec.872(XXVI) paragraph 4 (VI)) [ permanent dead link ]
  6. ↑ "EAC member states endorse Kutesa for UN". New Vision. Retrieved 20 August 2013.
  7. ↑ Schadomsky, Ludger (28 June 2016). "Ethiopia gets non-permanent UN Security Council seat". Deutsche Welle . Retrieved 29 June 2016. Africa (sic) heads of state and government had agreed on Ethiopia as a joint candidate at their summit in January, when Kenya and the Seychelles withdrew from the contest.
  8. ↑ "Seychelles bids for UN Security Council seat". Associated Press. 5 August 2012. Retrieved 20 August 2013.
  9. ↑ "Seychelles withdraws bid for UN Security Council seat". Seychelles News Agency. 16 January 2016. Retrieved 4 March 2016.
  10. ↑ "Secretary-General, Opening Annual General Debate, Urges World Leaders to Tackle Global Challenges Decisively for Sake of Future Generations". United Nations. 21 September 2011. Retrieved 7 September 2013.
  11. 1 2 "Minister Describes Use of Force to Address Problems as 'Ineffective, Meaningless and Destructive', on Fourth Day of General Assembly's Annual Debate". United Nations. 27 September 2013. Retrieved 28 September 2013.
  12. ↑ Ashayagachat, Achara (4 September 2013). "PM gears up for historic UN speech". Bangkok Post. Retrieved 7 September 2013.
  13. 1 2 "The EU, the UN and Collective Security. Making Multilateralism Effective". Istituto Affari Internazionali. 13 May 2013. Retrieved 20 August 2013.
  14. ↑ "Kazakhstan and USA successfully develop strategic partnership". FinInfo.
  15. ↑ "First Security Council Election Debates". WFUNA. 24 May 2016. Retrieved 24 May 2016.
  16. 1 2 3 United Nations General Assembly Session 70 Verbatim record106. A/70/PV.106 page 2. 28 June 2016at 10 a.m. Retrieved 4 August 2024.
  17. ↑ "Kazakh FM Outlines Priorities Following Historic Election to UN Security Council for 2017-2018". astanatimes.com. July 2016.
  18. ↑ United Nations General Assembly Session 70 Verbatim record107. A/70/PV.107 page 1. 28 June 2016at 3 p.m. Retrieved 4 August 2024.
  19. ↑ "General Assembly Elects 4 New Non-permanent Members to Security Council, as Western and Others Group Fails to Fill Final Vacancy". United Nations. 28 June 2016. Retrieved 28 June 2016.
  20. ↑ United Nations General Assembly Session 70 Verbatim record108. A/70/PV.108 page 6. 30 June 2016at 3 p.m. Retrieved 4 August 2024.
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