Indian officialelected to key UNadvisory committee

India continued its winning streak in the crucial UN elections, with another official unanimously elected to a key advisory panel that helps examine the world body's budget and management initiatives, a day after an Indian lawyer won membership of the International Law Commission.
Mahesh Kumar, First Secretary in India's Permanent Mission to the UN, was yesterday elected by acclamation to the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ).
The committee plays a crucial role in helping the General Assembly's Fifth Committee, which deals with administrative and budgetary issues, examine the organisation's budget and numerous management initiatives.
Kumar was elected along with Takeshi Akamatsu of Japan and Ye Xuenong of China from the Asia-Pacific States to three-year terms startingJanuary2017.

India's Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Syed Akbaruddin tweeted after the election, "another young Indian wins seat at top. Mahesh Kumar elected today by acclamation to Administrative & Budgetary Committee (ACABQ)."
Kumar's election comes just a day after 33-year-old Indian lawyer Aniruddha Rajput won a hotly-contested election in the UN General Assembly for membership tothe International Law Commission, the UN organ tasked with the progressive development of international law and its codification.

Rajput got 160 votes, topping the Asia-Pacific group in voting that was held by way of secret ballot.
A career diplomat from the Indian Foreign Service, Kumar has served in various capacities in Brussels, Tel Aviv and Ramallah, in addition to New Delhi. He has considerable work experience relating to development partnership projects and administrative and budgetary matters, according to his profile submitted to the UN.

He recently served as Head of the Representative Office of India to the State of Palestine, based in Ramallah where his responsibilities included the supervision of the ongoing implementation of USD 4-million development projects that are funded by India.
He has an M Phil from Centre for European Studies, School of International Studies, at Jawaharlal Nehru University.
India's Madhav Dhar was reappointed by acclamation for a three-year term beginning January2017 to the United Nations Investments Committee, which advises the Secretary-General on investment strategy and reviews the investments of the UN Joint Staff Pension Fund at its quarterly meetings.