A/RES/57/20 1. Takes note of the fact that the impact of an increase in the membership of the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law on the secretariat services required to properly facilitate the work of the Commission would not be material enough to quantify and that the increase would therefore have no financial implications; 2. Decides to increase the membership of the Commission from thirty-six to sixty States, bearing in mind that the Commission is a technical body whose composition reflects, inter alia, the specific requirements of the subject matter; the regional representation resulting from this increase in membership, which takes those requirements into account, shall not be a precedent for the enlargement of other bodies in the United Nations system; 3. Decides also that the twenty-four additional members of the Commission shall be elected by the General Assembly for a term of six years, except as provided in subparagraph (b) below, in accordance with the following rules: (a) In electing the additional members, the General Assembly shall observe the following distribution of seats: (i) Five from African States; (ii) Seven from Asian States; (iii) Three from Eastern European States; (iv) Four from Latin American and Caribbean States; (v) Five from Western European and other States; (b) Of the twenty-four additional members elected at the first election, to be held during the fifty-eighth session of the General Assembly, the term of thirteen members shall expire on the last day prior to the beginning of the fortieth session of the Commission, in 2007; the President of the General Assembly shall, by drawing lots, select these members as follows: (i) Two from those elected from African States, two from those elected from Eastern European States and two from those elected from Western European and other States; (ii) Four from those elected from Asian States; (iii) Three from those elected from Latin American and Caribbean States; (c) The twenty-four additional members elected at the first election shall take office from the first day of the thirty-seventh session of the Commission, in 2004; (d) The provisions of section II, paragraphs 4 and 5, of General Assembly resolution 2205 (XXI) shall also apply to the additional members; 4. Appeals to Governments, the relevant United Nations organs, organizations, institutions and individuals, in order to ensure full participation by the Member States in the sessions of the Commission and its working groups, to consider making voluntary contributions to the Trust Fund established to provide travel assistance to developing countries that are members of the Commission, at their request and in consultation with the Secretary-General. 52nd plenary meeting 19 November 2002 2