Dushanbe, 15.04.2016. /NIAT “Khovar”/. On June 14, 2016, Tajikistan was elected to become a member of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) for the term 2017-2019.
According to the Permanent Mission of Tajikistan to the United Nations, 18 countries were elected yesterday to become members of the Economic and Social Council.
In the course of elections of 18 new ECOSOC members at the UN General Assembly on June 14, Tajikistan was supported by 183 out of 185 UN member states participating in the voting, considerably exceeding the required minimum of two-thirds of the votes.
Along with the candidacy of Tajikistan from the Group of Asia and Pacific States, China (182), United Arab Emirates(180) and the Republic of Korea (179) were elected for the membership of ECOSOC.
Among the other regional groups in the membership of ECOSOC were also elected Azerbaijan (176), the Russian Federation (169), United Kingdom (172) Norway (177), Venezuela (177), and other countries.
The Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) is the United Nations’ central platform for reflection, debate, and innovative thinking on sustainable development.
ECOSOC, one of the six main organs of the United Nations established by the UN Charter in 1946.
The Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) was established under the United Nations Charter as the principal organ to coordinate economic, social, and related work of the 14 UN specialized agencies, functional commissions and five regional commissions. The Council also receives reports from 11 UN funds and programmes. ECOSOC serves as the central forum for discussing international economic and social issues, and for formulating policy recommendations addressed to Member States and the United Nations system.
It is responsible for:
• promoting higher standards of living, full employment, and economic and social progress;
• identifying solutions to international economic, social and health problems;
• facilitating international cultural and educational cooperation; and encouraging universal respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms.
• To the extent necessary, the Council is authorized to convene special meetings on humanitarian emergencies.
ECOSOC has the power to make or initiate studies and reports on these issues. It also has the power to assist the preparations and organization of major international conferences in the economic and social and related fields and to facilitate a coordinated follow-up to these conferences. With its broad mandate, the Council’s purview extends to over 70 percent of the human and financial resources of the entire UN system.
The Republic of Tajikistan considers the ECOSOC as a central intergovernmental forum for the discussion of social, economic and environmental issues and advocates for strengthening the role of ECOSOC in the coordination of policies and activities on the above issues, as well as to achieve a better balance in all three pillars of sustainable development.