Turkmenistan, Ashgabat, Nov. 12 / Trend H. Hasanov /
The UN General Assembly has elected Turkmenistan and Kyrgyzstan to the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) in 2013-2015, the UN News Centre said.
The Economic and Social Council was established by a United Nations charter as the principal body responsible for coordinating the economic, social and related work of 14 UN specialised agencies, nine functional commissions and five regional commissions.
The council serves as the central forum for discussing international economic and social issues and formulating recommendations toward the policy for member states and the UN system. It is responsible for:
* Promoting higher standards of living, full employment, and economic and social progress;
* Determining the methods of resolving international problems in economic, social and health services;
* Promoting international cooperation in the field of culture and education
* Promoting the universal respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms.
In general, around 18 ECOSOC members were elected at the last UN General Assembly. It comprises Albania, Croatia, the Netherlands, Canada, San Marino, United States, Bolivia, Colombia, Haiti, Benin, Mauritius, South Africa, Sudan, Tunisia, Nepal and Kuwait.
Around 54 countries are involved in the council's activity. The General Assembly elects them, renewing the board by a third annually.
Places are distributed in the following way: 14 seats fall to African countries, 11 - Asian countries, six - Eastern European States, 10 - Latin American and Caribbean countries and 13 Western European and other countries.
Ashgabat has previously announced such initiatives as the creation of the UN Energy Council to resolve the problems of the international energy supply and concrete proposals to resolve the situation in Afghanistan.
The UN Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia has been operating on a permanent basis in Ashgabat.