New Delhi
5 June 2007
Ending weeks of speculation, India on Tuesday decided to put
forward the candidature of Mr Kamalesh Sharma, who is India's High Commissioner to
the United Kingdom, for the post of the Commonwealth Secretary General.
"The Government of India believes that Ambassador Sharma is eminently equipped to
undertake this responsibility by virtue of the great interest he has shown in multilateral
global affairs and in both South-South and North-South relations and the experience he
has gained in these areas in the course of his distinguished diplomatic career, as well
as the assignment which he has undertaken on behalf of the United Nations," the
Ministry of External Affairs said.
"In his current position as a member of the Board of Governors of Commonwealth
Secretariat and the Commonwealth Foundation since 2004, Ambassador Sharma has
taken very keen interest in the activities and advocacy of the Commonwealth, and guided
the Government in India's close engagement with the Commonwealth during this period.
He has represented India at the meetings of the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group
in February and November 2005 and led India's delegation at the pre-CHOGM Foreign
Ministers Meeting in Malta," it said.
Mr Sharma has served as India's permanent representative to the United Nations in
Geneva and permanent representative in New York. He was the first special
representative of the United Nations Secretary General to independent East Timor. He
has edited the book, "Rethinking the Global Challenge".
The Commonwealth Secretary General is the Chief Executive Officer of the
Commonwealth Secretariat, which is the main inter-governmental agency of the
Commonwealth.
The Secretary General is elected by heads of government for no more than two four-year
terms. The second term of the current secretary general is coming to an end in March
2008 and his successor will be elected at the Commonwealth Heads of Government
Meeting in Kampala in November this year.
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