India’s senior diplomat, Namgya C Khampa, represented the country at the first meeting of US President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace on Gaza, which took place in Washington on Thursday. India was represented as an observer at the meeting. The board was announced by Trump at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos last month, where he said that the board would seek to bring countries together on matters related to peace and stability.
The meeting was held at the United States Institute of Peace and included representatives from nearly 50 countries. While 27 countries were members of the Board of Peace, others, such as India and the European Union, were observers.
Who is Namgya C Khampa?
Namgya C Khampa was born in 1977. She is a 2000 batch officer of the Indian Foreign Service. With more than two decades of experience in the field of diplomacy, she has held various multilateral and bilateral assignments in key capitals around the world.
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Khampa has had two stints in the Indian diplomatic mission in China, first from 2002 to 2006 and then from 2013 to 2016. Her other assignments include a posting at the Permanent Mission of India to the United Nations in New York from 2009 to 2013. During this time, she was elected as a Member of the United Nations Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions from 2011 to 2013.
She later became the Deputy Chief of Mission in Kathmandu, Nepal. Khampa also held the position of India’s High Commissioner to Kenya, where she focused on strengthening the relationship between the two countries and increasing development. During this time, she was also accredited as India’s Ambassador to Somalia.
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Current role in Washington
Presently, Khampa is the Charge d’Affaires and Deputy Chief of Mission at the Indian Embassy in Washington, DC. Since there is no formally appointed ambassador, she heads the mission and directs the daily activities.