Pakistan wins membership of three leading UN forums

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has won membership of three important UN forums including the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (CCPCJ), Commission on the Status of Women ( CSW) and Commission on Population and Development (CPD).

This is the sixth time Pakistan has been elected to the CCPCJ. The elections took place at a session of the 54-member Economic and Social Council ( ECOSOC), the economic arm of the UN. Pakistan will assume membership of the three commissions on Jan.1, 2022.

Munir Akram, Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the UN, said this is a “strong vote of trust and confidence by the international community on Pakistan’s role at the UN.”

Qatar, Thailand , India, and Bahrain are among the other countries elected to the CCPCJ, while China, Iran, Japan, and Lebanon are part of the CSW. Pakistan last served CSW, which is dedicated to the promotion of gender equality empowerment of women, from 2013 to 2017.

In a statement, Foreign Office (FO) spokesperson Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri said these commissions play a pivotal role in enhancing international cooperation on various social and economic issues.

“Pakistan’s simultaneous election to these three important commissions is a reflection of the international community’s confidence in the country’s active role and constructive contributions at the UN. Through its membership of these commissions, in line with their respective mandates and the country’s commitment to cooperative multilateralism, Pakistan will continue to foster international cooperation for combating transnational organised crime and improving efficiency and fairness of criminal justice administration systems, promote gender equality and women empowerment, and support initiatives aimed at assisting countries in developing their capacity to produce and analyse population data and information,” the spokesperson said.

Thestatementsaidtheelectionswereconducted at the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), a 54-member principal organ of the UN.

Pakistan’s election to the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice and the Commission on Population and Development was by the unanimous endorsement of all council members.

In the balloting to elect members for the Commission on the Status of Women, Pakistan received 50 votes out of the total 53 votes. China, Iran, Japan and Lebanon were also elected to the panel.

As a member of the body, Pakistan has been engaged in fostering international cooperation between the UN and its member states to combat national and transnational crime.