Ruchira Kamboj, India’s Top Woman Diplomat at UN, Retires after 4 Decades of Service

By R Anil Kumar

UNITED NATIONS, June 2. Ruchira Kamboj, a distinguished civil servant, was the All India women’s topper of the 1987 Civil Services batch and the topper of the 1987 Foreign Services batch.

Ruchira Kamboj, India’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, announced her retirement on Saturday, June 1, marking the end of a career that spanned over 35 years.

Kamboj, who joined the Indian Foreign Service in 1987, was the first woman to hold the prestigious position of India’s Ambassador to the UN.

On social media, Kamboj, aged 60, shared her farewell message: “Thank you, Bharat, for extraordinary years and unforgettable experiences,” posted on her X handle.

A Look at Ruchira Kamboj’s Illustrious 37-Year Diplomatic Career

Kamboj, a distinguished civil servant, was the All India women’s topper of the 1987 Civil Services batch and the topper of the 1987 Foreign Services batch. She formally assumed her role as Permanent Representative to the UN in New York on August 2, 2022.

Kamboj’s active presence on social media, highlighting India’s achievements at the UN, drew widespread attention. Her retirement announcements at the UN were met with responses from people across various sectors, including former ambassadors and ordinary citizens. Who said “37 years of service, Sheer grace & steel – Your impact shall endure.”

Fluent in Hindi, English, and French, Kamboj began her diplomatic career as the Third Secretary at the Indian Embassy in France from 1989 to 1991. She held various positions throughout her career, including Counsellor at India’s Permanent Mission to the UN in New York from 2002 to 2005, where she dealt with a wide range of political issues, including UN Peacekeeping, UN Security Council Reform, and the Middle East crisis.

Kamboj also served as the Deputy Head of the Office of the Secretary-General at the Commonwealth Secretariat in London and as India’s Chief of Protocol from 2011 to 2014, becoming the first and only woman to hold this position.

During her tenure at UNESCO in Paris, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) assigned her to New Delhi in May 2014 to oversee the swearing-in ceremony of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This event was notable for the presence of Heads of State and Government from SAARC countries and Mauritius.

Kamboj is married to businessman Diwakar Kamboj, and they have a daughter.