Syed Akbaruddin presents credentials to Ban Ki-moon
Syed Akbaruddin, India's permanent representative to the UN, presented his credentials to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. The UN Secretary General welcomed his appointment and appreciated the significant role that India plays at the United Nations. Akbaruddin expressed India's full support in helping the UN achieve its ideals and fulfilling the priorities of the Agenda 2030, including finding peaceful resolutions to all international conflicts.
A Permanent Representative to the United Nations (sometimes called UN Ambassador) is a country's foremost diplomatic representative to the United Nations. The most high-profile UN Ambassadors are assigned to the United Nations Headquarters in New York City.
Syed Akbaruddin is a 1985 batch Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer. He served at Riyadh, and was India's Consul General at Jedda from 2000-2004. He was the director in the Foreign Secretary's Office (FSO) during 2004-2005. He was on deputation at International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna for 4 years, and returned to India in 2011. He served as the MEA's Spokesperson from 2011-2015.
Indian Foreign Service officer, Syed Akbaruddin, after completing a very successful term as Ministry of External Affaris (MEA) Spokesperson in April 2015, is set to become India's next Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York. Akbaruddin, currently an Additional Secretary in the MEA, will succeed the retiring Asoke Kumar Mukerji in January 2016. This is the first-ever ambassadorial appointment for Akbaruddin.
The UN, which completed its 70th birthday this year, decided to have text-based negotiations with all 193-member countries for reforms and expansion of the UN Security Council for the first time ever. As India's UN Ambassador, Akbaruddin will be tasked with pushing India's bid for a permanent position in the UN Security Council. He will have to advocate India's position on key global issues.
Akbaruddin was reportedly handpicked by PM Narendra Modi to be the chief coordinator of one of India's biggest diplomatic events - the Third Indo-Africa Forum Summit (IAFS), which saw representation by all 54 African countries in October 2015.
