Vidisha Maitra was one of the two nominated candidates from the Group of Asia-Pacific States (FILE)
United Nations:
In a significant victory for India at the United Nations, Indian diplomat Vidisha Maitra was elected to the UN Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budget Affairs (ACABQ), a subsidiary body of the General Assembly.
In the Asia-Pacific Group of States, Maitra, First Secretary of the Permanent Mission of India to the UN, obtained 126 votes.
The 193-member General Assembly appoints the members of the Advisory Committee. Members are selected on the basis of broad geographic representation, personal qualifications, and experience.
Ms. Maitra was one of the two nominated candidates from the Group of Asia-Pacific States. In the group, Ali Mohammed Faeq Al-Dabag of Iraq got 64 votes.
The Fifth Committee of the General Assembly, which deals with administrative and budgetary matters, recommended Ms. Maitra to the Assembly for a period of three years starting on January 1, 2021.
The victory comes as India prepares to sit on the UN Security Council as a non-permanent member for a two-year period starting in January 2021.
India’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador TS Tirumurti, said in a video message that Ms Maitra was elected to the UN CCAAP on Friday “in a strong show of support from UN member states.” .
She expressed her confidence that Ms Maitra “will bring an independent, objective and much needed perspective of gender balance to the functioning of the CCAAP”.
Mr. Tirumurti expressed his gratitude to all member states who supported India in this “crucial election and placed their faith in our candidate.”
He said the CCAAP makes sure that the contributions of funds to the UN system have a good effect and that the mandates are properly funded. He noted that India’s membership of the CCAAP is particularly relevant now that the UN budget has come under increasing pressure.
“India has a stellar record of bringing professional audit experience to the UN and contributing prominent professionals to UN bodies,” he said, adding that with India’s growing obligations in both assessed and voluntary contributions to the UN, ” We take the responsibility for the administrative and budgetary management of the functioning of the UN very seriously. “
Tirumurti emphasized that this takes on greater importance in the context of India’s mandate in the Security Council for 2021-22.
The CCAAP is made up of 16 members appointed by the Assembly individually.
The main functions of the Advisory Committee are to examine the budget presented by the Secretary General to the General Assembly and report on it, and advise the General Assembly on any administrative and budgetary matter submitted to it.
It also examines, on behalf of the General Assembly, the administrative budgets of the specialized agencies and the proposals for financial arrangements with those agencies; and consider and report to the General Assembly on the auditors’ reports on the accounts of the United Nations and the specialized agencies.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is automatically generated from a syndicated feed.)
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