Washington: Former career diplomat Dilip Lahiri has been elected to the United Nation's Committee for Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD).

Lahiri, 62 has served as India's Ambassador to Andorra, Bolivia, France, Peru and Spain. As many as eleven candidates were in the fray for the nine seats on the Committee. 165 Member States cast valid ballots, out of which India obtained 152.

Other countries elected to the committee by the 22nd Meeting of the States Parties to the International Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Racial Discrimination held in New York were Guatemala, Russia, Burkina Faso, United States, China, Romania, Tanzania and Colombia.

The Convention, which came into force on 4 January 1969 aims at adopting all necessary measures for speedily eliminating racial discrimination in all its forms and manifestations.

The Convention's 18-member monitoring body considers reports from States parties and - if the State concerned has accepted the Convention's Optional Protocol - considers petitions from individuals or groups alleging violations of the Convention.

Source : PTI