ECOSOC votes to oust Iran from Commission on status of Women; US hails it as “historic” decision.

• The UN Economic and Social Council have voted to immediately oust Iran from the N.’s premiere global body fighting for gender equality because of its systematic violation of the rights of women and girls.
• The United States has hailed it as a “historic” decision. The US-sponsored resolution was sparked by Iran’s ongoing brutal crackdown on peaceful protesters. The protest began in September after the death of a 22-year-old woman taken into custody by the morality police.
• The vote in the 54-member UN council known as ECOSOC to remove Iran from the Commission on the Status of Women for the remainder of its 2022-2026 term. Twenty-nine members supported the resolution and eight opposed it, and 16 abstained from voting.

About ECOSOC

• The Economic and Social Council is at the heart of the United Nations system to advance the three dimensions of sustainable development – economic, social and environmental. It is the central platform for fostering debate and innovative thinking, forging consensus on ways forward, and coordinating efforts to achieve internationally agreed goals. It is also responsible for the follow-up to major UN conferences and summits.
• ECOSOC was established by the UN Charter (1945), which was amended in 1965 and 1974 to increase the number of members from 18 to 54. ECOSOC membership is based on geographic representation: 14 seats are allocated to Africa, 11 to Asia, 6 to eastern Europe, 10 to Latin America and the Caribbean, and 13 to western Europe and other areas. Members are elected for three-year terms by the General Assembly. Four of the five permanent members of the Security Council have been continuously reelected because they provide funding for most of ECOSOC’s budget, which is the largest of any UN subsidiary body. Decisions are taken by simple majority vote. The presidency of ECOSOC changes annually.