India re-elected to UN Economic and Social Council

UNITED NATIONS: India today overwhelmingly won its re-election to the United Nations' body on economic and social issues, the win coming just a week after it got re-elected to the world body's human rights council.

India was re-elected to the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) after it got 183 votes, the highest number in the Asia Pacific group, followed by Japan and Pakistan with 181 votes each in elections held in the 193-member UN General Assembly here today.

India's term at ECOSOC was scheduled to end this year and now it has been re-elected for a three year term beginning Jan 1 2015.

A country required two-thirds required majority of 124 to win a seat in the elections.

The General Assembly voted to elect 18 members of the Economic and Social Council.

The new members are Argentina, Austria, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Estonia, France, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Honduras, India, Japan, Mauritania, Pakistan, Portugal, Trinidad and Tobago, Uganda and Zimbabwe.

ECOSOC's 54 members are elected by the General Assembly for overlapping three-year terms.

Seats on the Council are allotted based on geographical representation with 14 allocated to African States, 11 to Asian States, six to Eastern European States, 10 to Latin American and Caribbean States, and 13 to Western European and other States.

The win comes a week after India was re-elected to the 47-nation UN Human Rights Council for the period of 2015-17.

India's current term at the human rights body was due to end on December 31, 2014.

India had competed in the Asia-Pacific group in which four seats were up for election.

India received 162 votes, the highest number in the Asia-Pacific group.