Official Minsk had hoped to secure a seat on the Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), but failed. Estonia and Ukraine won the seats allocated to the Eastern European region.
The committee consists of 19 members from five geographical regions elected for four-year terms. The election determining the committee’s composition for the 2027-2031 period took place on April 8.
The Eastern European region has two seats on the committee. Three countries competed for the two places: Belarus, Ukraine and Estonia. Through a secret ballot, ECOSOC members elected Estonia and Ukraine. Estonia received 44 votes, Ukraine 38 and Belarus 23.
In the other regions, the number of candidate countries matched the number of available seats. ECOSOC approved their election.
As a result, from 2027 the committee will include Britain, Israel, India, Cameroon, China, Côte d’Ivoire, Cuba, Mexico, Nicaragua, the United Arab Emirates, Peru, Saudi Arabia, the United States, Sudan, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, Estonia and South Africa.
The Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations is responsible for granting NGOs consultative status with the United Nations. NGOs with such status gain the right to interact with ECOSOC and other UN bodies and receive access to special UN events.
