Ruchira Kamboj is an Indian diplomat of IFS cadre and was appointed as the Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations on June 21, 2022. Previously, she served as India’s High Commissioner to South Africa. She is also the first female Ambassador of India to Bhutan and Ambassador/Permanent Representative of India to UNESCO in Paris.
Wiki/Biography
Ruchira Kamboj (née Patni) was born on Sunday, May 3, 1964, in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India (age 60; as of 2024). Her zodiac sign is Taurus. The daughter of an army officer, Ruchira Kamboj grew up going to school in different cities of Delhi, Vadodara and Jammu. Her childhood was guided by her father’s uncompromising insistence on punctuality and good dress. She was the All India Women’s Champion in 1987 in the Civil Service category and the 1987 Champion in the IFS category.
Cover photo of the tournament success review in August 1987, featuring top All India women’s player Ruchira Kamboj, civil service
appearance
Height (approximately): 5′4″
Hair color: black
Eye color: black
family
Parents and siblings
Her late father was an Indian Army officer and her mother was a writer and Sanskrit professor at Delhi University.
husband and children
Her husband Diwakar Kamboj is a businessman. They have a daughter, Sarah.
Ruchira Kamboj and her husband Diwakar Kamboj
Ruchira Kamboj and her daughter Sara
Profession
Ruchira Kamboj joined the Indian Ministry of External Affairs in 1987. Her first diplomatic posting was as Third Secretary at the Indian Embassy in Paris (1989-1991). After returning to Delhi, she served as Deputy Secretary, European and Western Division, Ministry of External Affairs, India (1991-1996). As deputy minister, she was responsible for France, the United Kingdom, the Benelux countries, Italy, Spain and Portugal. In this position, she was also responsible for handling India’s relations with Commonwealth countries, representing India at the 14th Commonwealth Heads of State Meeting held in Auckland, New Zealand, in October 1995. In 1996, she moved to Mauritius as First Secretary (Economy and Commerce) and Chief of Staff, High Commission of India in Port Louis. She assisted Prime Minister IK Gujral on his visit to South Africa in 1997 and Prime Minister Deve Gowda on his visit to Mauritius in 1998. She served as deputy secretary from June 1999 to March 2002 and later as in-charge of the diplomatic staff and cadre in the Ministry of External Affairs, Delhi. In 2002, she was appointed Counselor at the Permanent Mission of India to the United Nations in New York. There, she worked on a variety of political issues, including United Nations peacekeeping, United Nations Security Council reform, and Middle East crises. From 2006 to 2009, she served as the Consul General of India in Cape Town, South Africa, a position in which she worked closely with India. Liaise with the South African Parliament. Thereafter, she was elected Deputy Director of the Office of the Secretary-General at the Commonwealth Secretariat in London. In 2011, she became India’s first female chief of protocol and served until 2014. During this period, she hosted the visits of the President of India, the Vice President of India, the Prime Minister of India and the Minister of External Affairs of India. India. As Chief of Protocol, she works closely with all High Commissioners/Ambassadors to India on day-to-day administrative matters, including sensitive issues surrounding the Geneva Convention on Diplomatic Relations. During this period, she organized international summits in India, including the 2012 BRICS Summit in New Delhi, the 2012 ASEAN-India Memorial Summit in New Delhi, and the 11th Asia-Europe Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Gurgaon. In 2014, she moved to Paris after becoming India’s Ambassador to UNESCO; she was the first woman to hold this position. During her three years at UNESCO, Varanasi and Jaipur were inscribed on UNESCO’s list as India’s first Creative Cities in 2015, and Ahmedabad in 2017 India’s first World Heritage City. She led the Indian delegation to the UNESCO World Heritage Committee in 2016. Istanbul is home to three Indian heritage sites – the Nalanda University ruins in Bihar, Konchenzonga Park in Sikkim and the Parliament House in Chandigarh – inscribed on the World Heritage List. Earlier, in 2014, she led the team to inscribe the historic landmark ‘Rani ki Vav’ in Gujarat into the World Heritage List. In December 2016, yoga was included in the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, winning global recognition. She organized the high-level segment of the International Zero Issues Conference where HRD Minister Smriti Irani unveiled a bronze bust of ancient Indian mathematician and astronomer Aryabhata at the UNESCO headquarters, Showcasing the great and glorious tradition of India in the field of Mathematics and Mathematics. science. As a gift to UNESCO, the bust adorns the main entrance to the organization as a reminder of this unique and historic event. Kamboj was recalled to India on special assignment to preside over the first swearing-in ceremony of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on May 26, 2014. She then resumed her work in Paris.
Photos of Ruchila Kamboj assisting Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to UNESCO Headquarters in Paris in 2015
In 2015, she was recalled on special duty to help organize the third India-Africa Forum Summit, which was attended by heads of state and government from the 54 African Union member states. During this period she also directed a special program on “The Weaving of Benares”, aimed at showcasing the rich textile tradition to distinguished visitors. She assumed office as the High Commissioner of India to South Africa on August 24, 2017, and concurrently served as the High Commissioner of the Kingdom of Lesotho from July 2017 to March 2019.
Ruchira Kamboj presented her credentials as the High Commissioner of India to South Africa to South African President Jacob Zuma in 2017
From May 2019 to July 2022, she served as the Ambassador of India to Bhutan.
Ruchila Kamboje presented her credentials to His Majesty King Jigme Khesar Namgye Wangchuk in Tashkho Dzong in 2019
On June 21, 2022, she was appointed as India’s Ambassador/Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York; she is India’s first female Permanent Representative to the United Nations, succeeding TS Tirumurti. She takes over this role on August 1, 2022. On June 1, 2024, she announced her retirement from the Foreign Service via a Twitter post. During her 35-year tenure, she held various positions, including India’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations.
Thank you, Bharat 🇮🇳, for the extraordinary years and unforgettable experiences. pic.twitter.com/VbkKlW6wOg
— Ruchira Kamboj (@ruchirakamboj) June 1, 2024
Facts/Trivia
- She learned French while serving as Third Secretary at the Indian Embassy in Paris from 1989 to 1991.
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education