India Assumes Chair of 62nd Session of UN Commission for Social Development – News18

India on Thursday assumed the chairship of the 62nd Session of the Commission for Social Development. This is the first time in nearly 50 years the country has held this position within the UN agency.

“India takes immense pride in assuming this Chairmanship and remains steadfast in its commitment to leading with its core principles, working diligently for the welfare and prosperity of the global community,” India’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Ruchira Kamboj, said in a tweet on Thursday as she assumed the Chair on behalf of India.

In a statement, the Permanent Mission of India to the UN said Kamboj assumes the role with a primary focus on bolstering international cooperation concerning social development matters.

India’s election as the Chair of the 62nd Session of the Commission for Social Development on February 15 marks a “momentous occasion” as it was the first time since 1975 that India has held this position within the Commission for Social Development, it said. The Chair is backed by vice-chairs from Luxembourg, North Macedonia, Dominican Republic, and a forthcoming African State election.

The 62nd session of the Commission for Social Development centers around the theme “Fostering Social Development and Social Justice through Social Policies to accelerate Progress on the Implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and to achieve the overarching goal of poverty eradication.”

This theme highlights the essential link between social development and social justice as the foundation for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. Ambassador Ruchira Kamboj assumes the chairship and emphasizes the commission’s crucial role as an eminent intergovernmental body dedicated to addressing social challenges.

The commission’s purpose includes advising the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) on social policies, particularly on matters in the social field not covered by specialized inter-governmental agencies. With 46 members elected based on equitable geographical distribution for four-year terms, India is a member of the 62nd session, with its term expiring in 2027.

Since the World Summit for Social Development in Copenhagen in 1995, the Commission for Social Development has been the key UN body in charge of following up and implementing the Copenhagen Declaration and Programme of Action.

(With PTI inputs)