Akbaruddin takes India to hearts of NYC school kids

UNITED NATIONS:  India's Permanent Representative to the United Nations Ambassador Syed Akbrauddin addressed the students of Hunter's Point Community Middle School in Queens on Thursday. He chose to speak on the role of India as a peace loving nation at the United Nations and on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Syed Akbaruddin visited the Middle School in the Long Island City section of Queens and addressed seventh grade NYC Junior Ambassadors classroom about his role in New York City and with the United Nations.    

NYC Junior Ambassadors is a program of the Mayor's Office for International Affairs and is an exciting initiative focused on engaging 7th graders in all five boroughs of New York City to see themselves as global citizens through a connection with the United Nations. Through this unique program nearly 275 students have received curated tours of the United Nations New York campus.

This year 11 students at the Hunters Point Community Middle School visited the United Nations as part of the program and the visit of Ambassador Akbaruddin to their classroom constitutes the second part of this program. The class is incorporating the United Nations into their curriculum through learning about the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The New York City Mayor's Office for International Affairs works to foster positive relations and encourage collaboration between the international community and New York City's agencies and local neighborhoods. New York City is home to the largest diplomatic community in the world - 193 Permanent Missions, 114 Consulates and the headquarters of the United Nations.

Through innovative programming and unique opportunities, NYC Junior Ambassadors (NYCJA) seeks to leverage the United Nations as a resource for NYC seventh graders and empower students in all five boroughs of New York City to become actively engaged with the United Nations and its mission of addressing some of the most pressing challenges in the world. NYCJA seeks to expose a diverse array of teachers and students to the United Nations as a tool for teaching and learning in a variety of fields - from science to arts to civics.

The Mayor's Office for International Affairs launched the competition to join the 2015 class of NYC Junior Ambassadors in October 2015 in celebration of UN Day and the 70th Anniversary of the United Nations.  Key partners include the NYC Department of Education the NYC Department of Youth and Community Development the United Nations and the United Nations Foundation. Over the fall of 2015 more than 80 educators competed to join the inaugural class of NYC Junior Ambassadors. 

After much deliberation, eleven 7th grade classrooms and afterschool programs across the fivew boroughs were selected on the basis of essays written by educators.  As part of NYCJA teachers and students will receive a curated tour of the United Nations headquarters that is matched to the class's curricular interests. United Nations diplomats will also visit each classroom to engage the students and learn more about different neighborhoods of the City.

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, 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.  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.  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.

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. 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.