Akbaruddin to present his UN Ambassador credentials on Friday

Senior diplomat Syed Akbaruddin would present his credentials as India's permanent representative to the United Nations to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Friday.

The former high-profile spokesman of the Ministry of External Affairs, Akbaruddin had previously served at the Indian Mission to the UN as First Secretary during 1995-98 and focused on UN Security Council Reform and Peace-Keeping.

In a message posted on the Mission's website ahead of presenting his credentials, Akbaruddin said India has all the necessary credentials to be included as a permanent member of the reformed United Nations Security Council.

India, a founding member of the United Nations since signing the UN Charter in San Francisco in 1945, takes pride in its contribution to the process of decolonization, which enabled the vast majority of developing countries under colonial rule to become independent and join as equal members of the UN, the 1985-batch foreign service officer said.

"Our commitment to help maintain international peace and security has been demonstrated by more than 170,000 troops from the Indian armed forces, who have participated in 43 of the 68 UN peacekeeping missions so far with distinction and valor," Akbaruddin said.

"We have placed emphasis on the UN Charter’s provisions to bring about the settlement of international disputes by peaceful means," he said, adding that India is a major participant in the formulation and implementation of the UN socio-economic and humanitarian development agenda.

"We aim to build on our experience in implementing the Millennium Development Goals in identifying and negotiating the Sustainable Development Goals, which will in turn help draw up the Post-2015 Development Agenda at the 70th anniversary Summit of the United Nations in 2015," he said.

Prior to his UN assignment, 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 Organization of African Unity in this milestone event.

He also served as an international civil-servant at the International Atomic Energy Agency 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.

In his first few speeches soon after this arrival early this month, Akbaruddin urged the world body to show a common resolve to rise above semantic definitional differences and work on the long overdue Comprehensive Convention on International terrorism.