Nepal elected to the United Nations Economic and Social Council

Published On: June 9, 2023 07:15 AM NPT By: Republica | @RepublicaNepal

KATHMANDU, June 9: Nepal has been elected as a member of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) in the elections held at UN Headquarters in New York on Thursday. As an elected member with the highest number of votes from the Asia Pacific region, Nepal will serve in the ECOSOC for a three-year term of 2024-2026.

Established by the UN Charter in 1945 as one of the six main organs of the United Nations, the ECOSOC is the central platform for fostering debate and innovative thinking, forging consensus on ways forward, and coordinating efforts to achieve socio-economic progress including Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

It is also responsible for the follow-up to major UN conferences and summits. It consists of 54 Member States elected by the General Assembly for a term of three years from five different regional groups.

Nepal’s election is an acknowledgment of its constructive leadership and engagement in several UN processes and its abiding faith in the purposes and principles of the United Nations, said a press statement issued by the Nepal's Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York.

Upon conclusion of the election, the Permanent Representative of Nepal to the United Nations Amrit Bahadur Rai expressed gratitude to all the UN Member States for their trust and confidence placed in Nepal. He stated that Nepal will focus to recalibrate the leading role of ECOSOC in steering and coordinating the work of the UN development system and specialized agencies to implement the SDGs as well as the Doha Programme of Action for LDCs.

In addition to Nepal, two countries from the Asia Pacific region namely Pakistan and Japan were among the 18 Member States elected by a secret ballot. Other newly elected countries were Kenya, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, and Zambia from Africa; Poland from Eastern Europe; Haiti, Paraguay, Suriname, and Uruguay from Latin America and the Caribbean; and, France, Germany, Liechtenstein, Spain, and the United Kingdom from Western Europe. All will serve a three-year term beginning from January 2024.