• UGI USER
  • Dec 20, 2022
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Iran removed from U.N. women’s rights body after protest crackdown

Why in the News?

India chose not to vote on a draft resolution to expel Iran from the main international organization (Commission on the Status of Women) that promotes gender equality and women’s empowerment at the United Nations Economic and Social Council.

What is Commission on the Status of Women (CSW)?

  • It is the principal global intergovernmental body exclusively dedicated to the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women.
  • By the ECOSOC resolution of June 1946, it was established as a functional commission of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). The Commission comprises 45 Member States of the United Nations.

What was the Resolution?

  • The United States has proposed a resolution that would ban Iran from the CSW for the balance of its 2022–2026 term due to that nation’s mistreatment of women and girls.
  • Since the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in September 2022, who passed away after being arrested by the nation’s morality police, Iran has seen unrest.
  • A recorded vote of 29 in favour, 8 opposed (Bolivia, China, Kazakhstan, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Oman, Russia, Zimbabwe), and 16 abstained (including Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Mauritius, Mexico, and Thailand) led to the adoption of the resolution.

What is the UN Economic and Social Council?

  • About:
    • Established by the UN Charter in 1945, it serves as the main forum for coordination, policy review, policy discourse, and recommendations on matters pertaining to the economy, society, and the environment, as well as the execution of internationally recognised development objectives.
    • Its 54 members were chosen for consecutive three-year terms by the UN General Assembly.
    • It serves as the primary forum for reflection, discussion, and creative thinking on sustainable development at the UN.
    • Each year, ECOSOC structures its work around an annual theme of global importance to sustainable development.
    • It coordinates the work of the 14 UN specialized agencies, ten functional commissions and five regional commissions, receives reports from nine UN funds and programmes and issues policy recommendations to the UN system and to member states.
  • Few Important Bodies under the Purview of ECOSOC:
    • International labour Organization (ILO)
    • Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
    • United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
    • World Health Organization (WHO)
    • Bretton Woods Twins (World Bank Group and International Monetary Fund)
    • United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)
    • Apart from these there are various Functional and Regional Commissions, Standing Committees, Ad Hoc and Expert Bodies as well.