From challenges in joining foreign services to being validated for their efforts, former diplomats — Lakshmi M Puri, former UN Assistant Secretary General & Ambassador of India, and Ruchira Kamboj, former Indian Ambassador to the UN – spoke about the challenges at workplace for women at the SheShakti 2024.
On being the youngest woman entrant to the IFS, Puri said, “The role of pioneers like Muthamma ji [first woman to join the Indian Foreign Service] was to clear the way for us. She represented India with distinction and shaped the foreign policy…When I joined, it was a systemically gender-equal foreign service. Compared to other services in the world, it is a women-friendly service. There is gender bias at the individual level or the partner country.”
Recalling some incidents, she said, “In Japan, I was given administrative tasks. I protested asking for media work, sought two months, in which I made inroads in the media. Similarly, when I was under-secretary in Pakistan, when I went as liaison officer with a Sikh jatha, I was refused to be included in the delegation. I gatecrashed with Mr Natwar Singh. I was then told to have tea with Mrs Zia. Otherwise, I have been blessed…The UN is systemically gender-equal, but individual culture and biases always play a role.”
Kamboj said, “My story is one of a dream and circumstance. My father gave me the dream when I was 11. I didn’t know the weight of it. When I was 16, in college, my father died. When I realised what it meant, I made his dream my dream. I never thought I would make it to the civil services. The day the UPSC results were to come, I didn’t intend to go to check. When the doorbell rang, my mother jokingly said, “Maybe, the journalists are there.” Journalists from a magazine were there breaking the news to me that I was the civil services topper among women for the 1987 batch.”
About the challenges, Kamboj said, “I have just retired…When I look back, I have gratitude. I had opened my innings in the foreign services with a bang. Paris, Delhi, abroad, I had excellent assignments…There were disappointments, but failure and challenges shape you, as much as your success. My mantra was to move on and concentrate on my work…The challenges, biases, assumptions are there, but it is upto us women to disprove them… When I was called for special assignments, such as the 2014 swearing-in, 2015 India-Africa summit, I felt it was vindication of my work, merit. If you can navigate your ship with composure, any woman can do it.”
“India is overqualified to be counted among those who have acted on feminist foreign policy. G20 was a culmination of what has been happening in India with PM Modi leading the charge, right from Beti Bachao to reservation bill. The focus has been from women-centred to women-led development. We are internally in a position to be global standard setters. We were the only country in G20 to identify women-led development as key. India took forward the idea on the global level and consecrated it in the Delhi declaration. Around 3,000 women were involved in the event. The outcome document had two-and-a-half pages on gender equality and women empowerment…,” said Puri.
On the gender gap in international diplomacy, Kamboj said, “Of the 193 UN ambassadors, less than 50 – 47 — are women. When India was in the Security Council in 2022, five of the 15 ambassadors were women…We need to dismantle the visible and invisible barriers. For institutional changes, we need to pair younger officers with seniors for guidance. We need to invest more in women’s training in negotiation and leadership…A work environment that is accommodative of caregiving needs would be a key institutional change. Society-wise, we need to dismantle barriers and celebrate the role models who made it. A community of support for women is critical. Investing more in education will go a long way. Change is happening. In the UN, 50% senior management positions are held by women. Their all five Nordic ambassadors are women. Change is happening, bound to happen. We have set sail a ship. All of us.”
In its Season 2, News18 SheShakti celebrates the trailblazing women propelling India to the global forefront.
Under the theme ‘Breaking Barriers’, this year’s event in New Delhi on September 16 throws spotlight on how women are redefining success and driving transformative change. The summit has an inspiring line-up of pioneers from diverse fields — politics, science, arts, business, sports and entertainment — to share their ground-breaking journeys and insights on empowerment, resilience and leadership, reflecting the unstoppable momentum of women leading India’s progress.
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