VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Indonesia won a vote in the United Nations, Wednesday, June 17, to be one of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) members for the 2021-2023 period, representing the Asia-Pacific, along with Japan and Solomon Island.

The election, held with no plenary session owing to safety concerns in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, involved some 190 permanent representatives to cast their votes, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs noted in a statement received by Antara News Agency in Jakarta on Thursday.

Indonesia secured 186 votes from the total ballot, while Japan pocketed 185 votes, and Solomon Island garnered 187 votes. The council has 54 nations as its members for a three-year work period.

This is the 12th time that Indonesia joins the ECOSOC after earlier for the 2012-2014 period, while in 1970 and 2000, it was honored to be the council’s president, while in 1969, 1999, and 2012, it served as the vice president.

For this period, Indonesia is committed to actively participating to accomplish the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in 2030, as well as growing roles on strategic issues, especially in several bodies under the ECOSOC, including the FAO and WHO, according to the ministry.

This membership holds significance for Indonesia in the form of encouraging post-pandemic economic and social recoveries, mirroring its global governance, and enhancing the national priority program that aligns with the SDGs, among others.

The Presidential Office emphasized that it was an honor for Indonesia to garner greater trust from the international community, as the country was also elected as a member of the UN Security Council for 2019-2020 period and the UN Human Rights Council for the 2020-2022 period.

"The Government of Indonesia is immensely grateful and really lauds the trust and honor bestowed on the country from the international community for being chosen to be the ECOSOC member for the 2021-2023 period," Fadjroel Rachman, President Joko Widodo’s spokesperson, noted.

"We express our gratitude to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Minister Retno Marsudi, as well as the cabinet of Indonesia Maju for its collaborative support in Indonesia's diplomacy, and also to the people of this country," he added. (ANTARA)