Lok Bahadur Thapa elected president of UN Economic and Social Council, a first for Nepal

Nepal’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Lok Bahadur Thapa, has been elected as the president of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). This is the first time Nepal has held this position.

Taking over the role on Thursday, Ambassador Thapa called the moment historic for Nepal. He said the election reflects Nepal’s strong commitment to multilateralism over the past 70 years as a UN member.

“The world is currently facing multiple crises, including conflicts, climate change, economic uncertainty, and rising inequality,” Thapa said. “We are also dealing with renewed competition among major powers, growing cyber threats, a struggling sustainable development agenda, rising humanitarian needs, and a $4 trillion annual funding gap for developing countries.”

In such a situation, he said ECOSOC’s role is more relevant and important than ever.

Before Thapa, the position was held by Canada’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Bob Rae, who officially handed over the role during the ceremony.

What is ECOSOC?

ECOSOC is one of the six main bodies of the United Nations. It works on global economic and social issues and promotes international cooperation in development.

The council has 54 member states elected by the UN General Assembly for a three-year term, based on regional representation. It coordinates the work of various UN agencies, commissions, and bodies involved in areas like development, human rights, and economic policy.

Established 80 years ago, ECOSOC also plays a key role in approving decisions related to the graduation of Least Developed Countries (LDCs). Recommendations from the UN’s Committee for Development Policy are reviewed and passed by ECOSOC before being submitted to the General Assembly for final approval.

Ambassador Thapa stressed the importance of ECOSOC in ensuring inclusive global development, saying, “No one should be left behind. This council must lead the way in setting the global development agenda.”

He also called for strong commitment and participation from all UN members and stakeholders, stating, “ECOSOC belongs to all of us.”

Alongside Thapa, four vice presidents were also elected for the upcoming term:

• Amar Bendjama (Algeria)
• Héctor Gómez Hernández (Spain)
• Wellington Darío Bencosme Castellanos (Dominican Republic)
• Paruyr Hovhannisyan (Armenia)