Finance
In a sign of India’s diplomatic clout, it has been elected to the UN Statistical Commission and two other bodies, while China suffered a diplomatic defeat when it faced India, failing to obtain the required votes for the Commission.
The UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) elected India unopposed to the Commission on Narcotic Drugs and the Programme Coordinating Board of the Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS on Wednesday.
In the first round of voting for the Statistical Commission, where China was competing with India for seats earmarked for the Asia Pacific region, India received 46 of the 53 votes, electing it to one of the two seats for the Asia Pacific region.
China finished third with 19 votes, South Korea with 23, and the UAE with 15, necessitating a second round of voting because none of them received the majority of 27 votes required for election to the region’s second seat under the rules.
China and South Korea tied with 25 votes each in the runoff, so ECOSOC President Lachezara Stoeva drew lots to break the tie, and Seoul was chosen.
India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar tweeted, “India’s expertise in the field of statistics, diversity & demography has earned it a seat on the UN Statistical Commission.”
He congratulated India’s UN Mission team for “for coming through so strongly in a competitive election”.
Seats on most UN bodies are allocated by region, though all countries vote to select regional candidates.
India returns to the Statistical Commission after a 20-year absence, having completed its last term in 2004.
The Statistical Commission describes itself as “the highest body of the global statistical system, bringing together chief statisticians from member countries all over the world.”
At the national and international levels, it establishes statistical standards and develops concepts and methods.
Because of the extensive diplomatic and economic campaigns it has undertaken around the world, China’s poor performance in the Statistical Commission election, securing only 19 votes and trailing South Korea, came as a surprise.
Source:IANS
