The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) announced on Monday (16.10.2023) the appointment of diplomat Arindam Bagchi as India’s next permanent representative to the United Nations and related global bodies in Geneva. Bagchi is set to succeed Indra Mani Pandey (IFS:1990), the current Indian envoy to the UN in Geneva, who took on this role in July 2020 and is now returning to New Delhi after a three-year tenure.
“Arindam Bagchi (IFS:1995), presently Additional Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs, has been appointed as the next Ambassador/Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations and other International Organisations in Geneva,” the MEA said. The statement further mentioned that Bagchi would assume his new assignment in the near future.
Notably, Bagchi assumed the key role of MEA spokesperson in March 2020 during the global COVID-19 pandemic, where he adeptly handled media discussions on significant matters, including the Sino-Indian border dispute in eastern Ladakh, India’s COVID-19 strategy, and New Delhi’s G20 presidency.
Prior to his role as the MEA spokesperson, Bagchi served as the Indian envoy in Croatia in eastern Europe and as deputy high commissioner in neighboring Sri Lanka. He also worked as a director in the Prime Minister’s Office and had a stint at India’s permanent mission at the UN in New York.
