Bharat lost Vice Chair post at UNESCO to
Pakistan last week, in which Islamabad’s candidate got 38 votes while Bharat’s received
18.
Pakistan’s win as vice chair of the
UNESCO Executive Board for 2023-2025 from the Asia Pacific Group, is being seen
as a huge setback for Indian diplomats in the UN.
Sources stated the External Affairs Ministry
and Human Resource Development Ministry — which handles UNESCO in the Indian Government
and appoints the Indian representative in Paris — were assessing reasons and
the impact of the defeat.
Sources said Bharat’s representative at
the UNESCO Vishal Sharma, a political appointee, was asked about the reasons
for Bharat’s dismal performance, where it garnered less than 50 per cent of
votes.
The elections transpired during the
218th session of the UNESCO executive board held in Paris last Friday.
Reacting to this development, a
statement from Pakistan foreign office expressed gratitude to the executive
board members and all UNESCO Member States for their overwhelming support and belief
in Pakistan’s candidature.
“Pakistan is grateful to members of the
executive board and all member states of Unesco for their overwhelming support
and the trust reposed in its candidature,” read the statement.
It said Pakistan will carry out its
responsibilities with a deep sense of commitment, credibility, honest dialogue
and mutual respect.
Indian diplomats have taken pride in
their victories at the UN and international organisations in the past, and a
defeat with a large margin is usually seen as a failure by the establishment.
NE Watch Desk
