India was today elected to the governing council of the prestigious Statistical Institute of Asia Pacific (SIAP), one of the most active organs of the UN.
In a keenly contested poll, 16 of the 41 member countries vied for the eight seats on the council.
India and Australia were tied at 30 votes each. While, Indonesia and Korea got 26 votes, China received 26 while the Philippines, Russia and Thailand got 22 each.
Pakistan got 20 and missed being on the governing council.
The UN Statistical Institute for Asia and the Pacific (SIAP) was established in Tokyo in 1970 by 20 countries in Asia and the Pacific and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) as an international centre to bring about regional co-operation in training government statisticians from developing countries of the region.
SIAP was accorded the legal status of a subsidiary body of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) In 1995.
SIAP governing council has a representative designated by the Government of Japan and eight representatives nominated by other members.
