TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Indonesia secures seat on United Nations Economic and Social Council
It will be the 12th time Indonesia has held non-permanent membership on the council. The country has been appointed as the council’s president twice in 1970 and 2000.
Change Size
Indonesian Ambassador to the United Nations Dian Triansyah Djani (second left) speaks to colleagues during a UN Security Council briefing at the UN headquarters in New York, on Jan. 21. (Courtesy of/Indonesian Mission to the United Nations)
Indonesia has secured a seat on the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) for the 2021 to 2023 term.
The country gained 186 out of 190 votes as a representative from the Asia-Pacific region during a closed-door voting session at the UN headquarters in New York, United States, on Wednesday, the Foreign Ministry stated.
It will be the 12th time Indonesia has held non-permanent membership on the council. The country has been appointed as the council’s president twice in 1970 and 2000.
As a member of the council, Indonesia is committed to actively achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
“Indonesia will double down on efforts to utilize its role to address strategic issues, especially under ECOSOC’s bodies, such as the Food and Agricultural Organization [FAO], World Health Organization [WHO], International Maritime Organization [IMO], International Civil Aviation Organization [ICAO] and International Atomic Energy Agency [IAEA],” the statement read.
The ministry added that securing a seat on the ECOSOC was important for the country’s hopes to drive a post-COVID-19 economic and social recovery.
Indonesia’s membership will also be important to show global leadership in the achievement of SDGs and the advancement of national programs that are in line with the global development goals.
Read also: Sustainable development crucial in Indonesia’s COVID-19 recovery, experts say
Indonesia also holds non-permanent membership in two other UN bodies. Its membership on the UN Security Council will end in December while it will sit on the UN Human Rights Council for the 2020 to 2022 period.
The ECOSOC is one of six principal organs of the UN and is responsible for coordinating the economic and social fields of the organization, specifically in regard to the 15 specialized agencies, eight functional commissions and five regional commissions under its jurisdiction.
It consists of 54 member states, elected annually for overlapping three-year terms.
This year’s election of ECOSOC members was different from previous years, as a plenary meeting was not held to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
The other Asia-Pacific countries elected to the council were Japan with 185 votes and Solomon Islands with 187.
Guatemala, Bolivia, Argentina and Mexico were elected to represent Latin America and the Caribbean, while Libya, Liberia, Nigeria, Madagascar and Zimbabwe were selected as representatives from Africa.
Bulgaria was the only Eastern European country to secure a seat, while Austria, Germany, Portugal, France and the United Kingdom were chosen to represent Western Europe.
