This morning’s election for the new UN Women executive board was watched closely by governments and human rights organizations concerned with the candidacies of Iran (as part of the Asian regional group) and Saudi Arabia (as a top developing country contributor).
UPDATE: Iran was denied a seat, receiving only 19 votes among the Asian group of states elected. Philippines received one vote, but had formally withdrawn before the vote. Saudi Arabia was seated in 1 of the two developing countries contributor seats, along with Mexico, as part of a clean slate.
The executive board consists of 41 members, chosen from the five UN regional groups and top contributors to the new entity. The African and Western European & Others regional groups offered a clean slates and all of their nominees were elected without objection. Clean slates were also put forward for the 4 seats reserved for top contributors (Norway, United Kingdom, United States, and Spain) and the 2 seats for top developing country contributors (Saudi Arabia and Mexico). These six contributors were also seated without objection from ECOSOC members, including Saudi Arabia. Contested slates were offered from the Asian, East European and Latin American & Caribbean regional groups.
Preliminary Results:
| Regional Group | Candidate | Vote Count | Term |
| African | Angola | – | 3 years |
| Cape Verde | – | 3 | |
| Congo | – | 3 | |
| Côte d’Ivoire | – | 2 | |
| Democratic Republic of the Congo | – | 2 | |
| Ethiopia | – | 3 | |
| Lesotho | – | 2 | |
| Libya | – | 2 | |
| Nigeria | – | 3 | |
| Tanzania | – | 2 | |
| Asian | Bangladesh | 54 | 2 years |
| China | 53 | 3 | |
| Indonesia | 53 | 3 | |
| Japan | 53 | 3 | |
| Korea, Republic of | 53 | 3 | |
| India | 52 | 2 | |
| Kazahkstan | 52 | 3 | |
| Malaysia | 52 | 2 | |
| Pakistan | 50 | 2 | |
| Timor-Leste | 36 | 2 | |
| Iran | 19 | Not elected | |
| Philippines | 1 | Not elected | |
| East European | Russia | 46 | 2 years |
| Ukraine | 43 | 3 | |
| Estonia | 42 | 2 | |
| Hungary | 38 | 3 | |
| Albania | 35 | Not elected | |
| Armenia | 1 | Not elected | |
| GRULAC | Brazil | 48 | 2 years |
| Argentina | 47 | 2 | |
| Peru | 47 | 3 | |
| Dominican Republic | 44 | 3 | |
| El Salvador | 40 | 2 | |
| Grenada | 39 | 3 | |
| Chile | 1 | Not elected | |
| WEOG | Denmark | – | 3 years |
| France | – | 2 | |
| Italy | – | 2 | |
| Luxembourg | – | 3 | |
| Sweden | – | 3 | |
| Top Contributors | Norway | – | 3 years |
| Spain | – | 3 | |
| United Kingdom | – | 3 | |
| United States | – | 3 | |
| Top Developing Country Contributors | Mexico | – | 3 years |
| Saudi Arabia | – | 3 |
