The country gained 186 out of the 190 votes as a representative from the Asia-Pacific region during a closed-door voting session at the UN headquarters in New York on June 17, the ministry said in a statement.

It will be the 12th time Indonesia has held non-permanent membership on the council. The country has been appointed as the council’s president twice in 1970 and 2000.

The other Asia-Pacific countries elected to the council were Japan with 185 votes and Solomon Islands with 187.

Indonesia will double down on efforts to utilise its role to address strategic issues, especially under ECOSOC’s bodies, such as the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), World Health Organization (WHO), International Maritime Organization (IMO), International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the statement read.

The ECOSOC is one of the six principal organs of the UN and is responsible for coordinating the economic and social fields of the organization, specifically in regard to the 15 specialised agencies, eight functional commissions and five regional commissions under its jurisdiction.

It consists of 54 member states, elected annually for overlapping three-year terms./.VNA