The United Nations General Assembly has elected Nigeria and 17 other countries into the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) of the UN.
The new ECOSOC members will serve for three years, effective from January 1, 2021.
NAN reports that the election held on Wednesday in New York.
Of the 14 seats usually reserved for African Countries on the council, only 5 were vacant and those seats went to Nigeria, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar and Zimbabwe, following their endorsement and the presentations by their respective sub-regional organisations
To represent the Asia-and Pacific states were Indonesia, Japan, and the Solomon Islands, while Bulgaria was elected to represent the Eastern European Group.
Argentina, Bolivia, Guatemala and Mexico were elected to represent the Latin American and Caribbean Group on the council; while Austria, France, Germany, Portugal, and the United Kingdom were elected to fill five vacant seats reserved for “Western European and other” states.
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ECOSOC is considered the heart of the United Nations, established by the UN Charter in 1946. It is responsible for the coordination, policy review, policy dialogue, and recommendations on the economic, social, and environmental agenda of the UN.
This will be Nigeria’s third time of serving on the ECOSOC since 2012, and is coming within two years after its last term in the council.
This membership positions Nigeria to advance the interest of the African continent as a whole. Under the UN Charter, the ECOSOC is also responsible for promoting higher standards of living, employment and economic and social progress.