India has been elected to the newly established Independent Audit Advisory Committee, a five-member body which is expected to contribute to improving the accountability of the UN Secretariat to the member states.
It has also been elected to the 16-member Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Question in the elections held by the UN General Assembly's budgetary committee on Friday.
Comptroller and Auditor General of India Vijayendra Nath Kaul was elected to IAAC and First Secretary in the Indian Mission to the United Nations Nagesh Singh to ACABQ. Both were elected by acclamation.
John Muwanga of Uganda, Vadim V Dubinkin of Russia and Adrian Patrick Strachan of Jamaica were also elected by acclamation to IAAC, which begins its work from January 1 amidst efforts by the UN to bring in greater discipline and have better control over financial and procurement matters following allegations of corruption and wastage.
For the fifth seat from Western Europe, for which there was a contest, David M Walker of the United States was elected defeating Rafael Munoz of Spain and Moreno Sella of Switzerland.
The members are elected for a three-year term and can contest for one more term. But among five elected for the first time, Walker and Muwanga would serve for one four-year term. This decision was taken by draw of lots.
The IAAC was mooted by the world leaders' summit in 2005 to strengthen management reforms in the UN.
It is composed of five members, one from each regional group.
In another election conducted by the budgetary committee, Nagesh Singh was elected by acclamation to the ACABQ, which advises the 192-member General Assembly on administrative and budgetary matters.
Also elected to the committee for a three-year term beginning from January 1 were Imtiaz Hussain of Pakistan, Misako Kaji of Japan, Jorge Flores Callejas of Honduras, Kramer of Canada, and Peter Maddens of Belgium.
