H. E. Mr. Syed Akbaruddin, Ambassador of India to the United Nations
Ambassador Syed Akbaruddin is a senior Indian diplomat with considerable multilateral experience. Since joining the Indian Foreign Service in 1985 he has represented India’s interests in various capacities, promoting friendly ties across the globe.
Prior to his assignment as the Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations, Amb. Akbaruddin was the Chief Coordinator of the India-Africa Forum Summit held in October 2015 in New Delhi. All 54 African States who are members of the United Nations participated along with the African Union in this milestone event.
As the Official Spokesperson of India’s Ministry of External Affairs during 2012-2015 he was a member of Indian delegations to the UNGA and various other multilateral and bilateral meetings at the Summit and Ministerial level. He effectively used social media tools to considerably expand public diplomacy outreach.
Ambassador Akbaruddin also served as an international civil-servant at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna from 2006-2011. During this period he worked as Head of the External Relations and Policy Coordination Unit and also as the Special Assistant to the Director-General of the IAEA.
Ambassador Akbaruddin had previously served at the Indian Mission to the United Nations as First Secretary during 1995-98 and focused on UN Security Council Reform and Peace-Keeping. He was a member of the Advisory Committee on Administrative & Budgetary Questions (ACABQ) during 1997-98.
Ambassador Akbaruddin has also served as Counsellor at the Indian High Commission in Islamabad. He is proficient in Arabic. During 2000-2004 he was the Consul General of India, Jeddah in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and prior to that was First Secretary in Riyadh and Second Secretary/Third Secretary in Cairo, Egypt.
Ambassador Akbaruddin has a Master’s Degree in Political Science and International Relations. He is married to Mrs. Padma Akbaruddin and they have two sons.
He is an avid and passionate sports enthusiast.
Amb. Kanwal Sibal, Former Foreign Secretary of India
Dr. Kanwal Sibal joined the Indian Foreign Service in July 1966, eventually serving as the Foreign Secretary of India from July 2002 to November 2003.
He Served in Paris (August 1968 to July 1973), Dar-es-Salaam (August 1976 to October 1979), Lisbon (February 1980 to July 1982), and Kathmandu (July 1982 to September 1985). Dr. Sibal also served as Joint Secretary (Administration/West Europe) in the Ministry of External Affairs of the Government of India from January 1986 to April 1989, the Ambassador of India to Turkey (April 1989 to July 1992), the Deputy Chief of Mission, Embassy of India, Washington (August 1992 to September 1995), the Ambassador of India to Egypt (September 1995 to March 1998), and the Ambassador of India to France (March 1998 to June 2002).
Dr. Kanwal Sibal graduated from the World Information Distributed University with the scientific degree of International Doctor of Philosophy and the scientific degree of Grand Doctor of Philosophy, in June 2006. Dr. Kanwal Sibal is the First Grand Doctor of Philosophy in India. He received the title of Full Professor from the European Academy of Informatization and the World Information Distributed University-WIDU.
Consul General of India, Binaya Srikanta Pradhan
Amb. Binaya Srikanta Pradhan is a career diplomat of the 2002 batch of the Indian Foreign Service. He speaks English, Russian, Hindi, and Odiya languages. His diplomatic career includes senior roles in Indian Embassies in Moscow, Turkmenistan, and Pakistan from 2004 to 2012. During 2012-14, he managed India’s relations with Afghanistan and Iran at the Ministry of External Affairs, New Delhi.
From 2014 to 2019, Amb. Pradhan served as the Chief of Staff to the Minister of Petroleum & Natural Gas, Government of India. His international engagements extended to being the Deputy Chief of Mission in the Embassy of India, Moscow, from June 2019 to July 2021.
Prior to his current role as Consul General of India, New York, he held the position of High Commissioner of India to Tanzania and Permanent Representative to the East African Community (EAC) from August 2021 to January 2024. During this period, the India-Tanzania relationship was elevated to a ‘Strategic Partnership,’ and the first overseas campus of the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras in Zanzibar, Tanzania, was set up.
Amb. Pradhan demonstrates a keen interest in economic and energy diplomacy. Beyond his diplomatic pursuits, he enjoys playing golf. He is married to Ms. Monalisa, and they are proud parents of two daughters, Dibyanshi and Diya.
