Belarus elected to two UN commissions

At the organizational session of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) in New York Belarus was unanimously elected for a 4-year term to two ECOSOC functional commissions: the Commission on Population and Development and the Commission on the Status of Women, BelTA learnt from Belarus permanent representative office in the UN. The Commission on Population and Development is composed of 47 states. The Commission constitutes an intergovernmental mechanism that plays the primary role in the follow-up to the implementation of the 1994 Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development. Its main objectives are monitoring, reviewing and assessing the implementation of the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development, providing appropriate recommendations to the Council. The only time Belarus participated in the work of this commission was in 2000-2003. It is symbolic that the election of Belarus to the commission coincided with a relevant statement of President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko. In the State of the Nation Address to the Belarusian people and the National Assembly the head of state underlined that the population of Belarus should increase at least three times and the state considers it vitally important for the future of the nation. Commission on the Status of Women is a central intergovernmental body responsible for the implementation of the resolutions of the international UN conferences on women’s rights. The membership of the commission includes 45 states. The commission was created as a mechanism to promote, report on and monitor issues relating to the political, economic, civil, social and educational rights of women. The commission also prepares the recommendations for ECOSOC on most urgent problems in the area of women’s rights that require immediate resolution. Last time Belarus was elected member of the commission was 15 years ago.