India re-elected to ECOSOC

India has won its re-election to the UN’s principal organ on economic, social and environmental issues for another three-year term. India was one among the 18 nations to win election to the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).

Salient Highlights

India has obtained 183 votes which is the second highest after Japan in the Asia-Pacific category.
Pakistan whose term is also expiring also sought for re-election but lost and got only one vote.
India’s election comes just days after India’s Neeru Chadha got elected to the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) by securing 120 votes, which is the highest in the Asia Pacific group.
The current elected members of the ECOSOC who will hold 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.
Election 
A country requires two-thirds of the total votes to become a member of ECOSOC. The ECOSOC has a total of 54 members. The Council’s 54 members are elected by the General Assembly for overlapping three-year terms. Out of the 54,  14  seats are 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.

ECOSOC

The Economic and Social Council is the ‘United Nations’ central platform for reflection, debate, and innovative thinking on sustainable development.’ EcoSoc is one of the six main UN organs which were established by the UN Charter. EcoSoc 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.’ It supervises ‘the subsidiary and expert bodies in the economic, social and environmental fields.’

Month: Current Affairs - June, 2017