Nagaraj Naidu Appointed As New UN President-Elect’s Chef de Cabinet

India’s Deputy Ambassador to United Nations Nagaraj Naidu will be the Chef de Cabinet of the President-elect of the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) Abdulla Shahid. This is for the first time that an Indian diplomat has been given this post, and his tenure will be for one year.The post is similar to chief of staff, or like in the Indian system, PM’s principal secretary.On June 7, Abdulla Shahid, Maldivian Foreign Minister President-elect of the 76th session of the UN General Assembly. He got 143 votes out of the 191 ballots cast in the 193-member General Assembly, winning against Afghanistan former Foreign Minister DrZalmaiRassoul, who got 48 votes.

“Today, I have appointed Ambassador Thilmeeza Hussain as Special Envoy of the PGA, and Ambassador Nagaraj Naidu Kumar as my Chef de Cabinet. They will be instrumental in delivering my vision for the #PresidencyOfHope,” Shahid tweeted.The General Assembly is the main deliberative, policymaking and representative organ of the United Nations. Comprising all 193 Member States of the UN, it provides a unique forum for multilateral discussion of international issues including peace and security,” Naidu said.

“It is indeed a privilege and an opportunity to serve under the leadership of President-elect Abdulla Shahid. We are looking forward to a Presidency of hope, Naidu told PTI. Shahid, accompanied by Naidu, met current General Assembly President VolkanBozkir on Wednesday to thank him for his support during the election and discuss the next steps. “Thank you Mr President, for sharing your insights and your experiences with me. We are both committed to a smooth and seamless transition to #UNGA76,” he tweeted.

An Indian Foreign Service Officer of the 1998 batch, Mr. Naidu is a fluent Chinese speaker and has served in China in four separate stints.Between 2000 and 2003, he had served at the Indian Embassy in Beijing, he served as Third and Second Secretary (Special Projects;) while between 2003 and 2006, he served as Consul (Political and Commercial) at the Indian Consulate in Hong Kong.From 2009 to 2012, he served as First Secretary and Counsellor (Economic & Commercial Affairs) at the Indian Embassy in Beijing. He took over as the Consul General at the Indian Consulate in Guangzhou, China from 2013 to 2015.From 2015 to 2017: After his return to the Foreign Ministry in New Delhi, Ambassador Naidu served as the Joint Secretary/Director General of the Economic Diplomacy Division in the Ministry of External Affairs.

During his term, the Economic Diplomacy Division of the MEA was given the “SKOCH Platinum First Prize for Smart Governance” in 2017. Mr. Naidu was also the National Coordinator for establishing the International Solar Alliance in India. He also served as a Board member in a number of Public Sector organizations including India Trade Promotion Organization (ITPO), Water & Power Consultancy Services Ltd. (WAPCOS), Invest India, and Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT).

From 2017 to 2018,Naidu served as Joint Secretary/Director General of the Europe West Division. During this period, Naidu was responsible for India’s bilateral political engagement with the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Ireland, Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Andorra, San Marino, Monaco and the European Union.Naidu has a Master’s Degree in Law and Diplomacy from Fletcher School of Law & Diplomacy (Class of 2008). He is married to Padmaja and has two children.

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