In news- India has been elected to the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), one of the six main organs of the United Nations, for the 2022-24 term. It was elected in the Asia-Pacific States category alongside Afghanistan, Kazakhstan and Oman.
More information-
- The UN Charter established ECOSOC in 1945 as one of the six main organs of the United Nations.
- It is headquartered in New York, United States.
- The Council consists of 54 Member States, which are elected yearly by the General Assembly for overlapping three-year terms.
- Seats on the Council are allocated ensuring equitable geographic rotation among the UN regional groups.
- 14 seats are being allocated to the African Group, 11 to the Asia-Pacific Group, 6 to the Eastern European Group, 10 to the Latin American and Caribbean Group and 13 to the Western European and Others Group.
- It advances the three dimensions of sustainable development – economic, social and environmental.
- It serves as the central forum for discussing international economic and social issues and formulating policy recommendations addressed to member states and the United Nations system.
- The president of the Council is elected for a one-year term and chosen from the small or medium sized states represented on the Council at the beginning of each new session.
- The presidency rotates among the United Nations Regional Groups to ensure equal representation.
- Ambassador Munir Akram of Pakistan was elected as the seventy-sixth President on 23 July 2020.
Source: The Hindu
