India Wins Re-Election to United Nation’s Eco and Social Council

The council is the main body for policy review, recommendations on economic, social and environmental issues etc

(Photo: iStock)

India has won its re-election to the United Nation’s principal body on economic, social and environmental issues, continuing its streak of being elected for a third consecutive term.

India was among 18 nations to be elected to the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) of the UN with 183 votes. Japan followed India with the second highest votes in the Asia Pacific category.

“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 was seeking re-election as its current term is set to expire this year.

Pakistan had got elected to ECOSOC for a three-year term starting January 1, 2015. Its term is set to expire on December 31, 2017, according to information about members' tenure on the ECOSOC website.

However, Pakistan's Permanent Mission said it was not a candidate for re-election.

“As per the records of the General Assembly and further confirmation by the spokesman of Pakistan Mission to the UN in New York, Pakistan was not contesting the election for the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). Pakistan is currently a member of the Council and serving as its Vice President,” its mission said.

As per information about the ECOSOC election posted on the UN website, Pakistan is among the "18 outgoing members" of the UN body.

The others are Argentina, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Estonia, France, Germany, Ghana, Honduras, India, Ireland, Japan, Mauritania, Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey, Uganda and Zimbabwe.

As per the vote tally for the ECOSOC election posted on the UN website, Pakistan is listed as having got one vote under the Asia Pacific category. In this category, Japan got 185 votes, followed by India (183), The Philippines (182) and North Korea (1).

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.

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.

(With inputs from PTI)