Syed Akbaruddin

Syed Akbaruddin is a 1985 batch Indian Foreign Service officer served as India's permanent representative at the United Nations at New York since January 2016 to April 2020. He has previously served as official spokesperson of India's Ministry of Foreign Affairs from 2011 to 2015 and Indian representative at IAEA from 2006 to 2011.[1][2]

His Excellency

Syed Akbaruddin

IFS
Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations
In office
1 January 2017 – 19 May 2020
PresidentPranab Mukherjee
Ram Nath Kovind
Preceded byAsoke Kumar Mukerji
Succeeded byT. S. Tirumurti
Spokesperson of the Indian Ministry of External Affairs
Joint Secretary (External Relations)
In office
1 January 2012 – 1 April 2015
Preceded byVishnu Prakash
Succeeded byVikas Swarup
Personal details
Born (1960-04-27) 27 April 1960
Kerala, India
NationalityIndian
Spouse(s)Padma Akbaruddin
OccupationDiplomat / IFS

Career

Akbaruddin is a 1985 batch Indian Foreign Service officer.[3] In his distinguished career spanning over 34 years, Akbaruddin has served in different capacities in India and abroad, starting his first foreign assignment in Cairo where he also learned Arabic. He also served twice in Saudi Arabia; in Riyadh from 1988 to 1992 and in Jeddah from 2000 to 2004 as consul-general of India and he is rightly considered an expert on the West Asia issues in India. At the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna, he was on deputation for four years and returned to India in 2011. He was the director at the Foreign Secretary's Office of the Ministry from 2004 to 2005.[4]

Akbaruddin was the official spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs of India from January 2012 to April 2015 and was succeeded by Vikas Swarup.[5] He headed the External Publicity and Public Diplomacy division of the Ministry of External Affairs in the capacity of Joint Secretary to Government of India.[6][7][8] He was also the chief coordinator for the India-Africa Summit in October 2015.[9] He was later Additional Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs (India) from April 2015 to September 2015.[10] In November 2015, Akbaruddin was appointed as India's permanent representative to the United Nations in New York, succeeding Asoke Kumar Mukerji. [11][12]

PR to the UN
Main article: Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations
Ambassador Akbaruddin welcoming Prime Minister of India Shri Narendra Modi at New York Airport on 22 September 2019 upon his arrival to participate in the 74th UNGA

Akbaruddin presented his credentials to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on January 25, 2016. [13] He has been praised inside his country and abroad for his exceptional skills at multilateral forums, protecting India's interest and setting new standards of multilateral diplomacy.[14] His work at the United Nations against terrorism, climate change and towards international peace has been unparalleled to any of his predecessors. He has been credited for blacklisting of Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar as a global terrorist by the UN Security Council.[15] On the climate front, Akbaruddin has presented India as leader and nor follower at the United Nations, by setting examples such as the inauguration of a 50-kilowatt 'Gandhi Solar Park' by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi was a first of its kind effort by India at the UN. [16] India's strong commitment to UN SDGs has been acknowledged by the top UN officials also that UN Development Programme Administrator Achim Steiner says that he is simply in awe of how India is proceeding on its fascinating journey towards meeting its SDGs. [17]

Personal life

Syed Akbaruddin was born in Kerala on 27 April 1960 to Professor Syed Bashiruddin, formerly the head of the department of Journalism and Communication at Osmania University, who headed the department for many years and served as Indian ambassador to Qatar, vice chancellor of Dr B R Ambedkar Open University and director of the research wing of the Film and Television Institute of India in Pune, and Prof. (Dr.) Zeba Bashiruddin, who was a Professor in the English department at Sri Sathya Sai University, Prasanthi Nilayam campus. She had also authored 2 books on Sathya Sai Baba.[18] He holds a Master's Degree in Politics and International Relations.[19][20]

See also
Diplomatic posts
Preceded by
Asoke K Mukerji		 Spokesperson, Ministry of External Affairs
2011–2015		 Succeeded by
Vikas Swarup
Preceded by
Asoke K Mukerji		 PR of India to the United Nations
2016-2020		 Succeeded by
T. S. Tirumurti

References
  1. "India's New UN Envoy Meets His Pakistani Counterpart". NDTV Convergence Limited. Press Trust Of India. Retrieved 14 January 2016.
  2. "Syed Akbaruddin made India's permanent representative to the UN in major MEA rejig". Economic Times. Retrieved 25 September 2015.
  3. "Hyderabadis lead India's charge on Article 370 at UN | Hyderabad News - Times of India". The Times of India.
  4. Chaudhury, Dipanjan Roy (8 December 2011). "West Asia expert Syed Akbaruddin to be MEA's spokesperson". India Today. New Delhi. Retrieved 25 September 2014.
  5. "Vikas Swarup takes charge as MEA spokesperson". The Hindu. The Hindu. Retrieved 27 April 2016.
  6. "Spokesperson's Office – Personnel". Mea.gov.in. Ministry of External Affairs. Retrieved 25 September 2014.
  7. "Syed Akbaruddin is new spokesperson of India's Foreign Office". Yahoo News. Retrieved 25 December 2011.
  8. "Organogram of the Ministry of External Affairs" (PDF). mea.gov.in. Retrieved 5 December 2014.
  9. "Syed Akbaruddin bids adieu; novelist Vikas Swarup takes over as the MEA Spokesperson". DNA. Diligent Media Corporation. 18 April 2015. Archived from the original on 19 April 2015.
  10. "Vikas Swarup takes over as Spokesperson in MEA". 18 April 2015 – via The Economic Times.
  11. "Syed Akbaruddin India's next permanent representative to UN". Mint. 16 November 2015.
  12. "Syed Akbaruddin named India's permanent representative to UN". The Times of India. 16 November 2015.
  13. "His Excellency Syed Akbaruddin; The Diplomat". The Diplomat.
  14. "Syed Akbaruddin terms 2019 a year of successes for India at UN". All India Radio.
  15. "Mohammed Masood Azhar Alvi". United Nations Security Council.
  16. "PM Modi inaugurates Gandhi Solar Park with 193 solar panels". Hindustan Times.
  17. "UN's top development official in awe of India's efforts". India Today.
  18. http://www.saibaba.ws/teachings/quranicmyths/sbqm.htm
  19. "Welcome to Permanent Mission of India to the UN , New York". www.pminewyork.gov.in.
  20. "MEA | India and the United Nations". www.mea.gov.in.
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