Ruchira Kamboj

Her Excellency Ruchira Kamboj
Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations
In office 1 August 2022 (2022-08-01) – 31 May 2024
President	Droupadi Murmu
Preceded by	T. S. Tirumurti
Succeeded by	Vacant
Indian Ambassador to Bhutan
In office February 2019 – June 2022
Preceded by	Jaideep Sarkar
Succeeded by	Sudhakar Dalela
High Commissioner of India to South Africa
In office July 2017 – February 2019
Preceded by	Ruchi Ghanashyam
Permanent Representative of India to UNESCO
In office April 2014 – July 2017
Preceded by	Vinay Sheel Oberoi
Succeeded by	Vinay Mohan Kwatra
Chief of Protocol
In office June 2011 – April 2014
Preceded by	Sunil Kumar Lal
Succeeded by	Jaideep Mazumdar
Personal details
Born	(1964-05-03) 3 May 1964 Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India
Spouse	Diwakar Kamboj
Children	1
Education	Master of Arts (Political Science)
Occupation	Diplomat

Ruchira Kamboj (née Patni, born 3 May 1964) is a retired Indian Foreign Service officer of the 1987 batch, who last served as India's Permanent Representative to the United Nations from August 2022 to May 2024 until her retirement. She has previously served as High Commissioner of India to South Africa, first female Indian Ambassador to Bhutan and Permanent Representative of India to UNESCO, Paris.

On 21 June 2022, Kamboj was appointed as the Ambassador/Permanent Representative – designate of India to the United Nations in New York. Her appointment makes her the first female Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations. She assumed charge as PR-designate on 1 August 2022 and served their till 31 May 2024.

Early life and education

Her father was an Indian Army officer and her mother was a Sanskrit professor at University of Delhi. Since her father was in the army, she did her schooling in various cities like Delhi, Vadodara, and Jammu. Thereafter she completed her higher education from the Isabella Thoburn College, Lucknow, and Delhi University with a post- graduate degree in Political Science and International Relations.

In 1987 she went on to top the women's category in the Civil Services Examination.

Professional Career

She began her diplomatic career in Paris, France, where she was posted as the Third Secretary in the Indian Embassy to France from 1989 to 1991. During this time, she studied French at the Institut Catholique, Paris, and the Alliance Française Paris. Upon completing her language studies, she served as Second Secretary in the Indian Embassy to France, dealing with Political Issues.

From Paris, she returned to Delhi and worked as Under Secretary in the Europe West Division of India's Ministry of External Affairs from 1991 to 1996, handling relations with France, the UK, the BENELUX countries, Italy, Spain, and Portugal. In this role, she also managed India's relationship with the Commonwealth of Nations, representing the country at the 14th Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in October 1995 in Auckland, New Zealand.

From 1996 to 1999, she served in Mauritius as First Secretary (Economic and Commercial) and Head of Chancery at the Indian High Commission in Port Louis. She was closely involved with the State Visit of Prime Minister Deve Gowda to Mauritius in 1998 and the State Visit of Prime Minister I.K. Gujral to South Africa in 1997 when she was sent on special duty to South Africa to assist with the visit.

Returning once more to Delhi, she served as Deputy Secretary and later Director in charge of Foreign Service Personnel and Cadre in the Ministry of External Affairs from June 1999 until March 2002, one of the longest-serving tenures in this key administrative position at the Ministry.

United Nations, New York

Ruchira Kamboj was posted as Counsellor at India's Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York from 2002-2005, where she dealt with a wide range of political issues, including UN Peacekeeping, UN Security Council Reform, the Middle East crisis etc. Upon release of Secretary General Kofi Anan's Blue Ribbon Panel Report in December 2014, she was part of the G-4 team that worked on the reform and expansion of the United Nations Security Council, which is yet a work in progress. In this period, she also doubled as the Mission's Head of Chancery and dealt successfully with four Prime Ministerial visits coinciding with the opening of the annual session of the United Nations General Assembly in September every year.

Cape Town, South Africa

From 2006 to 2009, she served as India's Consul General in Cape Town, South Africa, where she maintained a close liaison with the Parliament of South Africa. During this time, she organized the President of India's visit to Cape Town in 2008 and the President of the Congress Party's visit in 2007, which was recognized as a State Visit by the Government of South Africa.

Commonwealth Secretariat, London

Ruchira Kamboj was selected as the Deputy Head of the Office of the Secretary General at the Commonwealth Secretariat in London. She was one of two Staff Officers to the Commonwealth Secretary General in a multilateral setting, overseeing a wide range of political and economic issues. During this period, she also attended the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in 2009 in Trinidad and Tobago.

Chief of Protocol

From 2011-2014, she was India's Chief of Protocol, the first and only lady so far in Government to have held this position. In this capacity, she directed all outgoing visits of the President of India, the Vice President of India, the Prime Minister of India and the External Affairs Minister of India. She also dealt with all incoming Heads of Government and State to India. As Chief of Protocol, all High Commissioners/Ambassadors to India worked closely with her on day to day administration issues including delicate issues surrounding the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.

As Chief of Protocol, she was involved in the organization of international Summits in India inclusive of the 4th BRICS Summit in New Delhi in 2012 and the 11th Council of Ministers' Meeting of the Indian Ocean Rim Association at Bangalore, India in 2011. She also successfully steered the ASEAN India Commemorative Summit in December 2012 marked by the presence of 10 Heads of State and Government in New Delhi. The second edition of the India ASEAN car rally covering 8000 km through 8 Asian countries concluding at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi was a highlight of the Summit. The entire organization of the rally was overseen by her. In 2013, she directed the 11th Asia Europe Foreign Ministers' Meeting held at Gurgaon, Haryana which was attended by 52 Foreign Ministers from Asia and Europe with over 1500 participants.

Prime Minister Modi’s Swearing-in Ceremony

In her third engagement with multilateralism, she was appointed as India's Ambassador to UNESCO in Paris in April 2014. However, in May 2014, she was called by the Ministry of External Affairs for a special assignment to oversee the swearing-in ceremony of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which was attended by Heads of State and Government from SAARC countries and Mauritius. Upon completing this special assignment, she returned to her duties in Paris.

Ambassador/Permanent Representative of India to UNESCO, Paris

Ruchira Kamboj had an outstanding three-year tenure at UNESCO, achieving many firsts. In 2016, she successfully added three historic Indian sites to UNESCO's World Heritage list: Nalanda Mahavihara, the Capitol Complex of Chandigarh, and Khangchendzonga National Park, completing an unprecedented hat trick for any country. Earlier, in 2014, she was part of the team that inscribed Rani ki Vav and The Great Himalayan National Park to the World Heritage List. In 2015, she included Varanasi and Jaipur as India's first Creative Cities in the UNESCO list. In December 2016, she led India to victory when Yoga was declared as the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by the 24-member Inter-Governmental Committee for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage. In July 2017, she spearheaded the effort to inscribe Ahmedabad as India's first World Heritage City , with the full support of the World Heritage Committee of UNESCO. Under her leadership, India established its first UNESCO Chair on Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment at Amrita Vishwavidyapeetham, Kerala.

In April 2016, she organized an International Conference on Zero at UNESCO, showcasing India's rich tradition in Mathematics and Science. The conference featured prominent mathematicians from France, the Arab world, and India, including Fields Medallists Professor Manjul Bhargava from Princeton University and Professor Laurent Lafforgue from IHES, France. As a tribute by India to the world of mathematics and science, a bust of the ancient Indian mathematician Aryabhata was gifted to UNESCO, now adorning the principal entrance of the organization, serving as a reminder of this unique and historic event.

India-Africa Forum Summit – III, October-November 2015

In August and October 2015, she was recalled from Paris on a special assignment to assist in organizing the 3rd India-Africa Forum Summit in New Delhi, which featured the presence of Heads of State and Government from the 54-member African Union. During this period, she also directed a special program on the 'Weaves of Benares,' showcasing the rich textile tradition of India's spiritual capital for the benefit of the distinguished visitors.

High Commissioner for India to South Africa and to the Kingdom of Lesotho

Ruchira Kamboj served as the High Commissioner of India to South Africa, with concurrent accreditation to the Kingdom of Lesotho, from July 2017 through March 2019. Her tenure included the first-ever India-South Africa Business Summit in Johannesburg on April 29-30, 2018, led by Commerce & Industry Minister Suresh Prabhu with a high-level business delegation from CII. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj participated in the unique commemoration of the 125th anniversary of the Pietermaritzburg 'incident,' celebrating people-to-people ties between India and South Africa on June 7-8, 2018. This event was a precursor to Mahatma Gandhi’s 150th birth anniversary celebrations, which were set to begin in India on October 2, 2018. A unique two-sided bust of Gandhiji and an interactive digital museum were installed at Pietermaritzburg station, Durban, South Africa, coinciding with the commemoration. The resolution of the Denel issue led to the renewal of defense ties between India and South Africa after a long hiatus. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Johannesburg in July 2018 for BRICS10 reaffirmed the importance of the India-South Africa relationship and BRICS. Another highlight of her tenure was the visit of South African President Cyril Ramaphosa as the Chief Guest for India’s 70th Republic Day Parade in January 2019. These events reflected a historic and accelerating partnership between the two nations.

Ambassador of India to the Kingdom of Bhutan

Ruchira Kamboj was appointed as the 18th Ambassador of India to Bhutan in February 2019, becoming the first female diplomat from India to hold this position. She officially assumed her role upon presenting her credentials to His Majesty the Druk Gyalpo Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, King of Bhutan, on May 17, 2019.

During her tenure, numerous significant initiatives were successfully undertaken across various sectors, both traditional and newly identified areas of cooperation. Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Bhutan on a state visit from August 17 to 18, 2019. The RuPay Card was introduced in Bhutan in two phases, Phase I and Phase II. The Bhim App was also launched in Bhutan. Seven new trade routes were opened with Bhutan, including Allhay, facilitating the movement of essential and non-essential goods during the Covid pandemic. In the IT sector, the India-Bhutan E-Library project was completed; the connection between the National Knowledge Network of India and its counterpart, Druk-Ren, was established, and arrangements were made for a Third International Internet Gateway for Bhutan. The groundwork for the launch of the India-Bhutan Satellite project was laid in 2021-22. In recognition of India's positive and contributory role during the Covid pandemic in strengthening India-Bhutan relations, His Majesty, The King of Bhutan, conferred Bhutan's highest civilian honor, the Order of the Druk Gyalpo, upon Prime Minister Narendra Modi, coinciding with Bhutan's National Day on December 17, 2021.

PR / Ambassador of India to the United Nations, New York

Kamboj formally assumed the position of PR / Ambassador of India to New York 2 August 2022.

During her tenure, she notably represented India in the UN Security Council from August to December 2022, achieving the unique distinction of becoming the first Indian woman to preside over the Security Council in December 2022.

Her stint at the UN was marked by several accomplishments:

• In October 2022, she chaired the first meeting of the UN Security Council Counter-Terrorism Committee held outside New York in seven years, culminating in the adoption of the New Delhi Declaration—a major milestone.
• In December 2022, she served as the President of the UN Security Council, where she led two signature meetings in an open format focused on reformed multilateralism and counter-terrorism, aligning with India's foreign policy priorities. A Presidential Statement on counter-terrorism was adopted under her presidency. Additionally, under her stewardship, a bust of Mahatma Gandhi was installed in the prestigious North Lawns of the UN and was inaugurated by Secretary-General António Guterres and Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar.
• A historic moment of her term was the adoption of a Resolution spearheaded by India to establish a peacekeeping memorial wall, receiving support from 190 member states—the highest support ever for any UN resolution.
• She highlighted International Yoga Day on 21 June 2023, setting a Guinness World Record for the most nationalities participating in a single yoga session, in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
• Two international conferences were significant highlights: the Conference on Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam in October 2023 and the first International Conference on Digital Public Infrastructure in April 2024.

Publications

She has authored numerous op-eds for a variety of publications. Additionally, her expertise has led to invitations to speak at forums both in India and around the world, including appearances at Harvard University and Columbia University.

External links

• https://www.iol.co.za/thepost/gandhis-teachings-needed-indian-high-commissioner-15136510