Harsh Vardhan Shringla (born 1962) is Chief Coordinator for India’s G20 Presidency in 2023. He has previously served as

Foreign Secretary of India The foreign secretary of India ( IAST: ''Videśa Saciva'') is the top diplomat of India and administrative head of the Ministry of External Affairs. This post is held by an Indian foreign service officer of the rank of secretary to the govern ...

, Ambassador to USA, High Commissioner to Bangladesh and Ambassador to Thailand. Harsh V Shringla, India's new Abmassadir to Thailand
''

Ministry of External Affairs of India The Ministry of External Affairs (abbreviated as MEA; hi, विदेश मंत्रालय, Videśa Mantrālaya, translit-std=ISO) of India is the government agency responsible for implementing Indian foreign policy. The Ministry of Ext ...

'', 29 October 2013.

Educational background

Harsh Vardhan Shringla graduated from the St. Stephen's College, Delhi University after being schooled at Mayo College, Ajmer. He worked in the private and public sectors in India prior to joining the

Indian Foreign Service The Indian Foreign Service (IFS) is the diplomatic service and a central civil service of the Government of India under the Ministry of External Affairs. The Foreign Secretary is the head of the service. Vinay Mohan Kwatra is the 34th and the ...

. He has published papers on conflict prevention, economic diplomacy, the Indian diaspora, and India-Bangladesh relations.

Diplomatic career

Ambassador Shringla joined the IFS in 1984 and in the course of a diplomatic career spanning over 35 years, he held a variety of positions in the

Ministry of External Affairs (India) The Ministry of External Affairs (abbreviated as MEA; hi, विदेश मंत्रालय, Videśa Mantrālaya, translit-std=ISO) of India is the government agency responsible for implementing Indian foreign policy. The Ministry of Ext ...

, New Delhi and abroad besides becoming India's Ambassador/High Commissioner to the USA, Bangladesh and Thailand. Abroad, he served in different Missions of India in France (

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

); Permanent Mission to the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

; Vietnam (

Hanoi Hanoi or Ha Noi ( or ; vi, Hà Nội ) is the capital and second-largest city of Vietnam. It covers an area of . It consists of 12 urban districts, one district-leveled town and 17 rural districts. Located within the Red River Delta, Hanoi is ...

and

Ho Chi Minh City , population_density_km2 = 4,292 , population_density_metro_km2 = 697.2 , population_demonym = Saigonese , blank_name = GRP (Nominal) , blank_info = 2019 , blank1_name = – Total , blank1_ ...

); Israel and South Africa (

Durban Durban ( ) ( zu, eThekwini, from meaning 'the port' also called zu, eZibubulungwini for the mountain range that terminates in the area), nicknamed ''Durbs'',Ishani ChettyCity nicknames in SA and across the worldArticle on ''news24.com'' from ...

Ambassador of India to Thailand

Shringla went on his first Ambassadorial assignment to the

Kingdom of Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 mi ...

and served for two years from January 2014 to January 2016.

High Commissioner of India to Bangladesh

Shringla served as High Commissioner of India to Bangladesh from January 2016 to January 2019. During this period, Prime Minister

Sheikh Hasina Sheikh Hasina Wazed (''née'' Sheikh Hasina ; ; bn, শেখ হাসিনা ওয়াজেদ, Shēkh Hasinā, , born 28 September 1947) is a Bangladeshi politician who has served as the Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Prime Minister ...

of Bangladesh visited India in April 2017 adding a new chapter to strengthening the bilateral relationship, which Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi described as heralding of a ‘Sonali Adhyay’ or a Golden Era in the bilateral ties. He is also credited to play important role as co-chair of the India-Bangladesh Joint Boundary Working Group in finalizing the contours of the Land Boundary Agreement with Bangladesh.

Ambassador of India to the United States

Shringla assumed charge as

Indian Ambassador to the United States The Indian Ambassador to the United States of America is the chief diplomatic representative of India to the United States, housed in the Embassy of India, Washington, D.C. The current ambassador is Taranjit Singh Sandhu who succeeded Harsh Vard ...

and within two days of his arrival, he presented his credentials to the President of the United States

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...

on 11 January 2019. In a short but intense period of just one year, Shringla played an instrumental role in improving the US-India political ties. He traveled across the US to expand the reach of his country in the US and became a bridge for people-to-people ties between India and the US. He traveled to 21 US states during his one year tenure where he made a concerted effort to reach out to students, Indian-origin community, working professionals and the government officials at States level. During his stint in the US, the Howdy Modi event took place in Houston on 22 September 2019 where Indian Prime Minister and the United States President jointly addressed a gathering of over 50,000 people.

Foreign Secretary of India

On 29 January 2020, Shringla assumed the charge of Foreign Secretary of India as the 33rd

Foreign Secretary The secretary of state for foreign, Commonwealth and development affairs, known as the foreign secretary, is a minister of the Crown of the Government of the United Kingdom and head of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. Seen as ...

. While addressing media ahead of taking charge, Shringla acknowledged the responsibilities and challenges that came with it and added that he would work under the leadership of Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister of India for a more secure and prosperous India. As Foreign Secretary of India, he visited

Myanmar Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John C. Wells, Joh ...

in December 2021 and emphasized India's interest in seeing Myanmar's return to democracy at the earliest; release of detainees and prisoners; resolution of issues through dialogue and complete cessation of all violence in relation to the

2021 Myanmar coup d'état A coup d'état in Myanmar began on the morning of 1 February 2021, when democratically elected members of the country's ruling party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), were deposed by the Tatmadaw—Myanmar's military—which then veste ...

. On April 1, 2022 he was succeeded by Vinay Mohan Kwatra as the 34th

. After his superannuation from the Indian Foreign Service, Shringla is appointed Chief G20 Coordinator for India's G20 Presidency in 2023.

Publications

Shringla has written on a number of topics such as international economy, climate change, preventive diplomacy and India-US bilateral relations, including ''The United Nations and Conflict Prevention: Balance Between Sovereignty and Action'' ( Indian Journal of International Law) and ''Project Granite at the New International Airport in Israel'' (CUTS International, 2011). Shringla has also contributed articles in newspapers and magazines on a diverse range of topics including an Op-ed piece in

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

, ''India Is Building a More Prosperous Kashmir'' giving the context and objectives of India's decision to abrogate the temporary Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir.

Personal life

Shringla is an avid reader and sports enthusiast, with an interest in mountaineering and hockey. He had been on a number of mountain expeditions including to

Everest Mount Everest (; Tibetan: ''Chomolungma'' ; ) is Earth's highest mountain above sea level, located in the Mahalangur Himal sub-range of the Himalayas. The China–Nepal border runs across its summit point. Its elevation (snow heigh ...

Base Camp, Friendship Peak in

Himachal Pradesh Himachal Pradesh (; ; "Snow-laden Mountain Province") is a state in the northern part of India. Situated in the Western Himalayas, it is one of the thirteen mountain states and is characterized by an extreme landscape featuring several peaks ...

. He was a liaison officer for the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra in 1996. He represented

St. Stephen's College, Delhi St. Stephen's College is a constituent college of the University of Delhi, widely regarded as one of the oldest and most prestigious colleges for arts and sciences in India. It was established in 1881 by the Cambridge Mission to Delhi. The college ...

in hockey at inter-college and other tournaments and received College Colors for this. Shringla was born in Mumbai, to a

Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

Sikkimese father and a

Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

mother. His father was also part of the Indian civil service. He speaks French,

Vietnamese Vietnamese may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Vietnam, a country in Southeast Asia ** A citizen of Vietnam. See Demographics of Vietnam. * Vietnamese people, or Kinh people, a Southeast Asian ethnic group native to Vietnam ** Overse ...

and Nepali apart from

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

and other Indian languages. He is married to Mrs. Hemal Shringla and has one son. His surname, Shringla is a birth record misspelling of Tshering la, his father's surname.

Awards and honors

* He was awarded the JT Gibson Award for Outstanding Alumni by Mayo College, Ajmer in 2017. * The ICFAI University, Sikkim bestowed on him a D. Litt Honoris Causa Honorary Doctorate degree on 9 September 2019.

References

External links

Foreign Secretary’s Bio Data
Ministry of External Affairs of India, New Delhi, India {{DEFAULTSORT:Shringla, Harsh Vardhan 1962 births Living people People from Mumbai People from Darjeeling St. Stephen's College, Delhi alumni Ambassadors of India to the United States Indian Foreign Service officers Mayo College alumni Ambassadors of India to Thailand High Commissioners of India to Bangladesh Indian Foreign Secretaries