NEW YORK: Pakistan’s ambassador to the United Nations Maleeha Lodhi was on Thursday unanimously elected as one of the four vice presidents of the Economic and Social Council (Ecosoc), the economic arm of the United Nations.
Ambassador Lodhi, who was elected by acclamation after her candidature was endorsed by the 54-member body, will assume the Asia Pacific seat in the Ecosoc bureau.
Norway’s ambassador and Permanent Representative to the UN, Mona Juul, was elected by acclamation as the president of the body, replacing Rhonda King of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
Along with Lodhi, Permanent Representative of Armenia to the UN Mher Margaryan (representing Eastern European states) and Deputy Permanent Representative of Mexico Juan Sandoval Mendiolea (representing Latina American and Carribean states) were also elected. The election for the vice president for African states will be held later.
In a post shared on Twitter, Lodhi said that her election as the vice president of the Ecosoc is a “vote of confidence from the global community”.
“Ecosoc is at the heart of implementation of the 2030 agenda for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and mobilising financing for SDGs,” she added.
Speaking to reporters following the vote, Lodhi said that her election to such an “important organ demonstrates the faith of [the] international community in Pakistan and the competence of its diplomats”.
She said Pakistan has always engaged intensely and enthusiastically with economic and social development activities at the UN. Lodhi added that the country was fulling engaged in the reform process of the UN Development System and played a “leading role” in reshaping the UN system to effectively respond to needs and challenges of the sustainable development agenda.
Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the UN said that in her new position, she would play an important role in shaping the UN development agenda and would advance the interests of developing countries, increasing synergy between the General Assembly and Ecosoc.
“As vice president of the Council, I will continue to strive to build an atmosphere of mutual trust and partnerships in the spirit of multilateralism,” she added, while attributing her win to the efforts of her team at the Pakistan Mission to UN. She noted that it was the second time in the last three years that Pakistan had been given the position.
