Meet Ruchira Kamboj, India's next Permanent Representative to UN
What's the story
Ruchira Kamboj was appointed India's Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York on Tuesday. She is set to succeed TS Tirumurti as the Indian ambassador to the UN. Kamboj, a 1987-batch Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer, is currently serving as India's ambassador to Bhutan. She will assume her new role shortly, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a brief statement.
About
Was 1987 Civil Services batch topper among women
Kamboj was the 1987 Civil Services batch topper among women and also the Indian Foreign Service topper the same year. She began her career as the Third Secretary at the Indian Embassy in France (1989-91). During 1991-96, she was an undersecretary in the MEA's Europe West Division. Kamboj served as First Secretary and Head of Chancery at the Indian High Commission, Mauritius during 1996-99.
Career
Kamboj was Counselor at India's Permanent Mission to UN
Kamboj also served as the Counselor at India's Permanent Mission to the UN (2002-05). There, she dealt with a broad range of political matters, including UN Peacekeeping, UN Security Council Reform, and the Middle East crisis. The senior diplomat was also named India's Consul General in South Africa's Cape Town (2006-09). She became the first female ambassador of India to Bhutan in 2019.
First
India's Chief of Protocol from 2011-14
In 2011, Kamboj became the first woman—and only so far—to be appointed India's Chief of Protocol; she held the post until 2014. In this role, she directed outgoing visits of India's President, Vice-President, Prime Minister, and External Affairs Minister and was also in charge of all incoming heads of state to India. She has closely worked with all envoys to India on administration issues.