NEW DELHI (Diya TV) —Ruchira Kamboj, India’s first female Permanent Representative to the United Nations, has retired after a 35-year career. During her tenure, she served as an envoy to Bhutan, South Africa, and UNESCO.
Kamboj, who began her career with the Indian Foreign Service (IFS) in 1987, took to X to say “Thank you, Bharat, for the extraordinary years and unforgettable experiences.” Her tenure at the UN in New York coincided with major global conflicts, including the Russia-Ukraine and Israel-Hamas wars, where she played a major role in navigating diplomatic discussions.
Kamboj’s career is marked by numerous firsts. She topped the All India Women’s Civil Services batch and the Foreign Service batch in 1987. She became India’s Permanent Representative to the UN in 2022. Fluent in Hindi, English, and French, Kamboj began her diplomatic journey in Paris as the Third Secretary at the Indian Embassy to France from 1989 to 1991.
Her initial stint at the UN was as a Counsellor at India’s Permanent Mission in New York from 2002 to 2005. During this period, she handled a range of political issues, including UN Peacekeeping and UN Security Council Reform. She also served as the Deputy Head of the Office of the Secretary-General at the Commonwealth Secretariat in London.
Kamboj was India’s Chief of Protocol from 2011 to 2014, becoming the first and only woman to hold this position. In May 2014, she directed the swearing-in ceremony of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a high-profile event attended by heads of state from SAARC countries and Mauritius.
She also served as the Indian Ambassador to Bhutan in February 2019 and as the High Commissioner of India to South Africa, with concurrent accreditation to Lesotho, from July 2017 to early 2019.
