June 8, 2021
The ECOSOC works to improve environmental, social and economic sustainability through multilateral consensus.
Cultural engagement, human rights, social progress and employment are other important ECOSOC focus areas.
India was elected to the Executive Board of UN Woman and the World Food Programme in April 2021.
India’s presence at the ECOSOC table will help advance the accomplishment of global development goals through innovative approaches.
According to a news report in Mint, India has been elected to join the United Nations’ 54 member Economic & Social Council (ECOSOC) for the 2022-24 period. India is joined by fellow Asia-Pacific states including Kazakhstan, Oman and Afghanistan on the completion of the voting process.
The ECOSOC is one of the important instruments of the United Nations as it helps further the tripartite agenda of environmental, social and economic sustainability through its operations. The organization is primarily concerned with a host of international developmental goals that broadly encompass healthcare, employment, social progress, cultural engagement and human rights. International debate and consensus on methods to improve the status quo of socio-economic reality and public infrastructure form the backbone of the ECOSOC decision-making process.
India was also elected to three other United Nations entities in April 2021 including the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, Executive Board of the UN Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women) and the Executive Board of the World Food Programme with the terms commencing from January 1, 2022.
The ECOSOC also takes charge of the follow-up action after major UN conferences and summits linked to the three pillars of sustainable development. It does this alongside the implementation of the sustainable development goals set by the UN.
India’s emphasis on the Sustainable Development Goals, has resulted in the creation and implementation of several programmes and policies. The Economic Survey for 2020-21 highlights the improvement made in developmental indicators including sanitation, standards of living, life expectancy and sustainability goals. Sustainability was indicated as a strong policy focus area given the ongoing activities of the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC), and the ‘One Sun One World One Grid’ initiative concretized under the aegis of the International Solar Alliance. India’s presence at the ECOSOC table will help advance the accomplishment of global development goals through innovative approaches.