UN committee advances nominations amid disputes over Cuban and Israeli candidates

The UN General Assembly’s Fifth Committee has recommended candidates for five bodies, including 10 places on its budget advisory committee, amid objections from the United States over Cuba’s nominee and a Kuwaiti request for a secret ballot on Israel’s candidate for an audit body.

The committee sent the 10 Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ) nominations to the full Assembly by acclamation on 6 November. The UN account says the candidates, if approved, would serve three-year terms from 1 January 2027. It does not mean they have yet been appointed.

The US representative said his delegation joined the consensus to follow the practice of electing uncontested candidates by acclamation, but disassociated itself from Cuba’s candidate. Cuba’s representative called the US remarks disrespectful and said the committee’s technical work should not be politicised.

The nomination of Israel’s candidate to the Independent Audit Advisory Committee prompted a separate dispute. Kuwait requested a secret ballot before the meeting. The UN account says Israel’s Shai Mizrahi received 134 votes from 182 valid ballots, with 48 abstentions. The US representative criticised the request, while Israel’s representative said the candidate was being challenged despite regional-group endorsement.

The Fifth Committee also recommended candidates for the International Civil Service Commission, the Committee on Contributions and the Investments Committee. Its recommendations go to the General Assembly for approval.

The ACABQ examines UN budgets and advises the Assembly on administrative and financial questions. Cuban diplomat Richard Tur de la Concepción was among the candidates, according to the independent Cuban news outlet 14ymedio. The UN press account’s published list contains apparent duplicated and malformed names, so the other names on its slate cannot be reliably reported from that list.