India re-elected to UN organ on economic, social issues; Pak loses out

United Nations: India has been re-elected to the UN’s principal organ on economic, social and environmental issues for another three-year term.

India was among 18 nations to win election to the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). India obtained 183 votes, the second highest after Japan in the Asia Pacific category. Election to fill the 18 vacancies in ECOSOC was held on Thursday.

India was seeking re-election to ECOSOC as its current term is set to expire this year. Pakistan, whose term on the Council is expiring this year, too was seeking re-election to the UN body but lost as it got only one vote.

“Another day, another election...India wins again. Thanks to support of @UN Member States, India re-elected to ECOSOC (Eco & Social Council),” India’s Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Syed Akbaruddin tweeted.

India’s re-election to ECOSOC comes just a day after leading expert on international law Neeru Chadha won a crucial election to the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS), becoming the first Indian woman to be elected as judge to the tribunal. Chadha got 120 votes, the highest in the Asia Pacific group and was elected in the first round of voting itself.

Having obtained the required two-thirds majority, the nations elected members of ECOSOC for a three-year term beginning January 1 2018 are Belarus, Ecuador, El Salvador, France, Germany, Ghana, India, Ireland, Japan, Malawi, Mexico, Morocco, Philippines, Spain, Sudan, Togo, Turkey and Uruguay.

France, Germany, Ghana, Ireland and Japan were among nations seeking re-election.

ECOSOC, one of the six main organs of the United Nations, is the principal body for coordination, policy review, policy dialogue and recommendations on economic, social and environmental issues, as well as for implementation of the internationally agreed development goals.

The Council’s 54 member Governments are elected by the General Assembly for overlapping three-year terms. Seats on the Council are allotted based on geographical representation with 14 allocated to African states, 11 to Asian states, 6 to Eastern European states, 10 to Latin American and Caribbean states, and 13 to Western European and other states.