Indian Candidate elected as member of UN Advisory Committee
New Delhi : India had a major victory in the United Nations. Indian diplomat Vidisha Maitra has been elected a member of the United Nations Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budget Related Questions (ACABQ). It is a subsidiary part of the General Assembly. Maitra, the first secretary of India’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations, secured 126 votes in the Asia Pacific nations group.
The General Assembly appoints members to the Advisory Committee. Members are selected on the basis of broad geographical representation, personal qualifications and experience. Maitra is one of the two candidates nominated from the group of Asia-Pacific nations. Ali Mohammad Faiq al-Dabag of Iraq received 64 votes in the group. His tenure will be for three years, which will start from January 1, 2021.
This victory comes at a time when India is preparing to take charge as a temporary member of the UN Security Council for two years from January 2021. Ambassador TS Tirumurthy, India’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, said in a video message that Maitra has been elected to the United Nations ACABQ on Friday with the overwhelming support of member nations of the United Nations. He expressed confidence that Maitra “will bring an independent, objective and much-needed gender-balanced perspective into the functioning of the ACABQ.”
Thirumurthy thanked all the members who supported India in this important election and expressed confidence in its candidate. He said that at a time when the pressure on the UN budget is increasing, India’s membership in ACABQ is relevant. The Ambassador stated that India has an excellent record of bringing professional auditing experience to the United Nations and has been making outstanding contributions to UN institutions. He said that we take the responsibility of administrative and budget management of the United Nations very seriously. The ACABQ has 16 members appointed by the General Assembly on the basis of their individual capacity. The principal function of the Advisory Committee is to examine the budget submitted by the Secretary-General and report it to the General Assembly.
