India wins six elections in UNECOSOC bodies

India has won six elections to United Nations (UN) Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) bodies, five of them unanimously. In these polls, India won places on executive boards of four UN bodies, three commissions and committee.

NGO Committee

India faced an election within the Asia-Pacific group only for Non-Governmental Organisations (NGO) Committee. India polled highest number of votes, receiving 46 votes, followed by Pakistan with 43, China received 39. The NGO committee of UN is considered influential because it scrutinises NGOs applying for consultative status with UNECOSOC and can recommend or block them. India will serve four-year term on panel starting January 2019.

Executive Boards

India won elections to Executive Boards of UN Development Programme (UNDP), UN Population Fund (UNFPA) and UN Office for Project Services (UNOPS). India will serve three-year terms from January 2019 on those executive boards.
Executive Board of UN-Women
India was also elected separately on this executive board for three-year term starting January 2019. UN-Women work for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women.

Commissions

India was elected on UN Commission on Population and Development and it will have term till September 2021. India was also elected on the UN Commission for Social Development and shall have four-year term starting immediately. It was also elected UN Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice and will serve three-year term starting January 2019.
UN Commission on Population and Development: It assist UNECOSOC by arranging for studies and advising it on population issues and trends, integrating population and development strategies and population and related development policies and programmes.
Commission for Social Development: Its purpose is advice UNECOSOC on social policies of general character and in particular on all matters in social field not covered by specialised inter-governmental agencies.
Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice: It acts as principal policymaking body of UN in field of crime prevention and criminal justice. Its mandate includes improving international action to combat national and transnational crime and efficiency and fairness of criminal justice administration systems.

UNECOSOC

The Economic and Social Council is UN’s central platform for reflection, debate, and innovative thinking on sustainable development.’ It is one of six main UN organs which were established by UN Charter. EcoSoc is principal body for coordination, policy review, policy dialogue and recommendations on economic, social and environmental issues as well as for implementation of internationally agreed development goals. It supervises subsidiary and expert bodies in the economic, social and environmental fields.

Month: Current Affairs - April, 2018