Shamma Jain (born 1959) is an Indian senior diplomat who served as the Indian ambassador to Greece from June 2017 up to October 2019. She has also served as the ambassador of India to

Panama Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Cos ...

Costa Rica Costa Rica (, ; ; literally "Rich Coast"), officially the Republic of Costa Rica ( es, República de Costa Rica), is a country in the Central American region of North America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the no ...

Nicaragua Nicaragua (; ), officially the Republic of Nicaragua (), is the largest country in Central America, bordered by Honduras to the north, the Caribbean to the east, Costa Rica to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Managua is the cou ...

Ivory Coast Ivory Coast, also known as Côte d'Ivoire, officially the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, is a country on the southern coast of West Africa. Its capital is Yamoussoukro, in the centre of the country, while its largest city and economic centre is ...

Liberia Liberia (), officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the West African coast. It is bordered by Sierra Leone to Liberia–Sierra Leone border, its northwest, Guinea to its north, Ivory Coast to its east, and the Atlantic Ocean ...

Sierra Leone Sierra Leone,)]. officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered by Liberia to the southeast and Guinea surrounds the northern half of the nation. Covering a total area of , Sierra ...

and

Guinea Guinea ( ),, fuf, 𞤘𞤭𞤲𞤫, italic=no, Gine, wo, Gine, nqo, ߖߌ߬ߣߍ߫, bm, Gine officially the Republic of Guinea (french: République de Guinée), is a coastal country in West Africa. It borders the Atlantic Ocean to the we ...

from 2008 to 2011. Aside from serving as an ambassador, Jain has worked in other diplomatic positions, including as the Deputy Chief of Mission in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

, political counsellor in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

, and at the permanent delegation of India to

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 ...

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

Early life and education

Shamma Jain was born in

Jammu Jammu is the winter capital of the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), Jammu and Kashmir. It is the headquarters and the largest city in Jammu district of the union territory. Lying on the banks of the river Tawi Ri ...

, Jammu & Kashmir. She was awarded the Chancellor's gold medal for B.A. in political science at

University of Jammu A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, the ...

. She received double master's degrees in Philosophy and Politics from

Jawaharlal Nehru University Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) is a public major research university located in New Delhi, India. It was established in 1969 and named after Jawaharlal Nehru, India's first Prime Minister. The university is known for leading faculties and r ...

in New Delhi. She was the recipient of the prestigious UGC Fellowship.

Career

Jain began her diplomatic career with 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 ...

in 1983. Prior to being appointed as the Indian Ambassador to Panama, she headed the Counter Terrorism Division, overseeing all matters related to counter terrorism diplomacy, and the Policy Planning & Research Division at the Ministry of External Affairs in New Delhi. Ambassador Jain also served as the Joint Secretary of the

Indian Council of World Affairs Indian or Indians may refer to: Peoples South Asia * Indian people, people of Indian nationality, or people who have an Indian ancestor ** Non-resident Indian, a citizen of India who has temporarily emigrated to another country * South Asia ...

, India's oldest foreign policy think tank. Jain used to be the Deputy Chief of Mission at the Embassy of India in Rome, Italy. She also served as First Secretary of the Indian Delegation to

in Paris, and as Political Counselor at the

Embassy of India, Washington, D.C. The Embassy of India in Washington, D.C. is the diplomatic mission of the Republic of India to the United States. It is headed by the Indian Ambassador to the United States. The current Ambassador is Taranjit Singh Sandhu. India also has consula ...

from 1997 to 2001, where she was responsible for bilateral political and strategic ties between the United States and India. From 2003 to 2005, she served as the Deputy Chief of Mission and

Chargé d'Affaires A ''chargé d'affaires'' (), plural ''chargés d'affaires'', often shortened to ''chargé'' (French) and sometimes in colloquial English to ''charge-D'', is a diplomat who serves as an embassy's chief of mission in the absence of the ambassador ...

Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...

, Philippines. Prior to this, she was the Director of

SAARC The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) is the regional intergovernmental organization and geopolitical union of states in South Asia. Its member states are Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, ...

with responsibility for advancing India's policy agenda in the South Asia region. Ambassador Jain has also held diplomatic assignments in

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...

and

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

. Jain was the 2009 Commencement speaker at the

University of Liberia The University of Liberia (UL or LU in older versions of abbreviation) is a publicly funded institution of higher learning located in Monrovia, Liberia. Authorized by the national government in 1851, the university opened in 1862 as Liberia Coll ...

, where she was awarded the degree of Doctor of Letters (Honoris Causa). She also served as the commencement speaker for the British Institute of Management and Technology's 2009 graduating class. She has one son, Ishan.

Ambassador to Ivory Coast

Jain was appointed as the Indian Ambassador to Ivory Coast, with concurrent accreditation to Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea in August 2008. During her tenure, there was a dramatic increase in commercial, trade and cultural ties between West Africa and India. These closer economic links have provided the impetus for India's trade with West Africa to grow to $40 billion by 2015. She led India's efforts to deepen engagement with West Africa through intensifying relations with

Economic Community of West African States The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS; also known as in French and Portuguese) is a regional political union, political and economic union of fifteen countries located in West Africa. Collectively, these countries comprise an ...

(ECOWAS), and enhancing co-operation in the area of oil and gas, education, pharmaceuticals, mining and infrastructure. As India's ambassador to Ivory Coast, she argued that capacity building is a major thrust of India's development co-operation with Africa. She advocated for the establishment of over a hundred professional training institutes across Africa, for which India allocated $700 million. Along with the former Minister of State for External Affairs

Shashi Tharoor Shashi Tharoor (; ; born 9 March 1956 in London, England ) is an Indian former international civil servant, diplomat, bureaucrat and politician, writer and public intellectual who has been serving as Member of Parliament for Thiruvananthapuram, ...

, she was responsible for gaining Liberian support for a permanent seat for India on the

UN Security Council The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN) and is charged with ensuring international peace and security, recommending the admission of new UN members to the General Assembly, and ...

. In February 2010, Ambassador Jain and Indian Overseas Affairs Minister

Vayalar Ravi Vayalar Ravi (born 4 June 1937
) is an Indian politician, who served as the

met with a car accident during their diplomatic visit to Liberia. This occurred when a speeding driver rammed into their car in

Monrovia Monrovia () is the capital city of the West African country of Liberia. Founded in 1822, it is located on Cape Mesurado on the Atlantic coast and as of the 2008 census had 1,010,970 residents, home to 29% of Liberia’s total population. As the ...

. Liberian President

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Ellen Johnson Sirleaf (born Ellen Eugenia Johnson, 29 October 1938) is a Liberian politician who served as the 24th president of Liberia from 2006 to 2018. Sirleaf was the first elected female head of state in Africa. Sirleaf was born in Mon ...

went to the scene of the accident and arranged for them to be airlifted to

Abidjan, Ivory Coast Abidjan ( , ; N'Ko script, N’ko: ߊߓߌߖߊ߲߬) is the economic capital of the Ivory Coast. As of the Demographics of Ivory Coast, 2021 census, Abidjan's population was 6.3 million, which is 21.5 percent of overall population of the country, ...

for further medical treatment.

Ivorian civil war

Despite facing grave danger, Shamma Jain oversaw the evacuation of Indian nationals in Ivory Coast who were caught in the

Second Ivorian Civil War The Second Ivorian Civil War broke out in March 2011 when the crisis in Ivory Coast escalated into full-scale military conflict between forces loyal to Laurent Gbagbo, the President of Ivory Coast since 2000, and supporters of the international ...

in March 2011. This coincided with India voting in the UN Security Council for sanctions against

Laurent Gbagbo Koudou Laurent Gbagbo
, FPI website . ( Amidst heavy gunfire and explosions in the diplomatic area where her residence was located, Ambassador Jain remained in Abidjan to ensure the evacuation of several hundred members of the Indian community. On 8 April 2011, Jain had to be evacuated by French troops when her residence in

Cocody Cocody (, ) is a suburb of and one of the 10 urban communes of Abidjan, Ivory Coast. It is upmarket and has an abundance of mansions. Cocody is where most of the wealthy businesspeople, ambassadors, and other affluent people live in Abidjan. The U ...

, Abidjan was attacked by armed mercenaries. She had been trapped in her house, which was adjacent to

Gbagbo Koudou Laurent Gbagbo
, FPI website . ( Alassane Ouattara Alassane Dramane Ouattara (; ; born 1 January 1942) is an Ivorian politician who has been President of Ivory Coast (Côte d'Ivoire) since 2010. An economist by profession, Ouattara worked for the International Monetary Fund (IMF)French forces The French Armed Forces (french: Forces armées françaises) encompass the French Army, Army, the French Navy, Navy, the French Air and Space Force, Air and Space Force and the National Gendarmerie, Gendarmerie of the French Republic. The Preside ...

to a French military base outside Abidjan.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jain, Shamma Living people Indian women ambassadors Ambassadors of India to Greece People from Jammu and Kashmir Ambassadors of India to Ivory Coast 1959 births People from Jammu (city)

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

Ambassadors of India to Panama Ambassadors of India to Liberia Ambassadors of India to Sierra Leone Ambassadors of India to Guinea University of Jammu alumni

Early life and education

Career

Ambassador to Ivory Coast

Ivorian civil war

See also

References