Former Indian envoy

Envoy (title)

In diplomacy, an Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary is, under the terms of the Congress of Vienna of 1815, a diplomat of the second class, ranking between an Ambassador and a Minister Resident....

 to Austria

Austria

Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...

, Sheel Kant Sharma, on March 1, 2008 became the ninth secretary-general of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation

South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation

The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation is an organisation of South Asian nations, founded in December 1985 by Ziaur Rahman and dedicated to economic, technological, social, and cultural development emphasising collective self-reliance. Its seven founding members are Bangladesh,...

 (SAARC) for three years. Sharma, 53, an expert on energy, succeeds Lyonpo Chenkyab Dorji

Chenkyab Dorji

Lyonpo Chenkyab Dorji is a Bhutanese diplomat. He had been the secretary-general of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation from March 1, 2005 to February 29, 2008.-Early life:...

, who in 2005 became the first SAARC chief from Bhutan. Dorji’s term ended on February 28, 2008. His term was succeeded by Fathimath Dhiyana Saeed

Fathimath Dhiyana Saeed

Fathimath Dhiyana Saeed is a Maldivian diplomat, and serves as the tenth secretary-general of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation . She is the first woman to hold this post since the organization's inception in 1985...

 in 2011.

Academic Background

Master of Science

Master of Science

A Master of Science is a postgraduate academic master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is typically studied for in the sciences including the social sciences.-Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay:...

 (Nuclear Physics

Nuclear physics

Nuclear physics is the field of physics that studies the building blocks and interactions of atomic nuclei. The most commonly known applications of nuclear physics are nuclear power generation and nuclear weapons technology, but the research has provided application in many fields, including those...

) from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Mumbai

Mumbai

Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...

 (1971)
Ph.D.

Ph.D.

A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...

 (High Energy Physics) from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Mumbai (1974)
Professional Background:
July 1973 : Joined Indian Foreign Service

Indian Foreign Service

The Indian Foreign Service is the foreign service of India. It is the body of career diplomats of India.The Indian Foreign Service is part of the Central Civil Services of the Government of India...

1976-77 : Served as Third Secretary/Second Secretary in Kuwait

Kuwait

The State of Kuwait is a sovereign Arab state situated in the north-east of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the south at Khafji, and Iraq to the north at Basra. It lies on the north-western shore of the Persian Gulf. The name Kuwait is derived from the...

/Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...

1978-81 : Under Secretary in the Middle East

Middle East

The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...

 desk, Ministry of External Affairs covering at various stages countries from Iran

Iran

Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...

, Iraq

Iraq

Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....

 to North Africa

North Africa

North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Northern Africa includes eight countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, and...

1981-82 : Fellow in the Institute of Defence Studies & Analysis  (IDSA), N. Delhi
1982-83 : Deputy Secretary (North), Ministry of External Affairs, dealing with Nepal

Nepal

Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...

 and Bhutan

Bhutan

Bhutan , officially the Kingdom of Bhutan, is a landlocked state in South Asia, located at the eastern end of the Himalayas and bordered to the south, east and west by the Republic of India and to the north by the People's Republic of China...

.
1983-86 : First Secretary (Disarmament), Permanent Mission of India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

, Geneva

Geneva

Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...

 and Alternate Representative of India to UN Conference on Disarmament.
1986-89 : Counsellor and Deputy Chief of Mission, Embassy of India, Algiers

Algiers

' is the capital and largest city of Algeria. According to the 1998 census, the population of the city proper was 1,519,570 and that of the urban agglomeration was 2,135,630. In 2009, the population was about 3,500,000...

1989-91 : Director (United Nations Division) and Disarmament Head, Ministry of External Affairs, New Delhi
1991-94 : Joint Secretary (South & Disarmament), Ministry of External Affairs in-charge of India's relations with ASEAN, Indo-China and South Pacific

Oceania

Oceania is a region centered on the islands of the tropical Pacific Ocean. Conceptions of what constitutes Oceania range from the coral atolls and volcanic islands of the South Pacific to the entire insular region between Asia and the Americas, including Australasia and the Malay Archipelago...

.
1994-2000 : Seconded to the International Atomic Energy Agency

International Atomic Energy Agency

The International Atomic Energy Agency is an international organization that seeks to promote the peaceful use of nuclear energy, and to inhibit its use for any military purpose, including nuclear weapons. The IAEA was established as an autonomous organization on 29 July 1957...

, Vienna

Vienna

Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...

 for the post of senior professional in External Relations & Policy Coordination Division, for a job as international civil servant.
Sept.2000 - July 2003 : Returned to MEA in India as Joint Secretary (Disarmament & International Security Affairs), covering all disarmament issues, bilateral security dialogues and dialogues on nuclear non-proliferation, export controls and defence Cooperation, security forums such as ARF, CICA, UNSC and other ad hoc groupings on security issues such as Pugwash.
July 2003 - July 2004 : Additional Secretary (International Organisations), Ministry of External Affairs with previous charge expanded to include other international organisations.
28 July 2004 - Feb 2008 : Ambassador of India to Austria and Permanent Representative of India to all international organisations in Vienna.
1 March 2008 - onwards : Secretary General of SAARC.

Publications

Research articles co-authored in Physical Review-D  (1971), Physical Review Letters

Physical Review Letters

Physical Review Letters , established in 1958, is a peer reviewed, scientific journal that is published 52 times per year by the American Physical Society...

 (1972)
Articles in newspapers and periodicals (Times of India, Mainstream and Sunday) during 1981-82 on nuclear disarmament issues
As Member of the UN Study Group on Verification (1989–91) co-authored the UN Report on Verification in 1991
As Member of the UN Study Group on Defensive Security Concepts (1991–93), co-authored the UN Report on Defensive Security Concepts
Wrote a UNIDIR Monograph on Verification of Fissile Materials Cut-Off and Non-use of Nuclear Weapons (1992)
Article in the IAEA Bulletin - 1995
Paper presented at the Pugwash Conference on Energy in Malta

Malta

Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...

 (1995)
Co-authored UN panel's report on missile in all their aspects in 2002

Conferences attended as representative of India/delegate:
Non-Aligned Summit, New Delhi (1983)
Kuala Lumpur

Kuala Lumpur

Kuala Lumpur is the capital and the second largest city in Malaysia by population. The city proper, making up an area of , has a population of 1.4 million as of 2010. Greater Kuala Lumpur, also known as the Klang Valley, is an urban agglomeration of 7.2 million...

 (2003), Annual Six Nation Summits on Nuclear Disarmament (1985–89)
Conference on Disarmament (1983–86)
United Nations General Assembly

United Nations General Assembly

For two articles dealing with membership in the General Assembly, see:* General Assembly members* General Assembly observersThe United Nations General Assembly is one of the five principal organs of the United Nations and the only one in which all member nations have equal representation...

 (1983–86, 2000- 2003)
U.N. Disarmament Commission (1984–86, 2001)
UN Conference Rio+5 (1997)
IAEA General Conference (1994–99) and since 2004
International Conferences on Nuclear and Energy Issues (1994–99)
ARF Ministerial Meetings (2000–04)

Languages: French

French language

French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...

 and Arabic

Arabic language

Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...

Hobbies and Extra-curricular Interests: Literature, readings on science & technology. Member of India International Centre and India Habitat Centre;

Sports and Leisure: Basketball

Basketball

Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...

, Tennis

Tennis

Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...

, Swimming

Swimming (sport)

Swimming is a sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation .-History: Competitive swimming in Europe began around 1800 BCE, mostly in the form of the freestyle. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native...

, Yoga

Yoga

Yoga is a physical, mental, and spiritual discipline, originating in ancient India. The goal of yoga, or of the person practicing yoga, is the attainment of a state of perfect spiritual insight and tranquility while meditating on Supersoul...

, Chess

Chess

Chess is a two-player board game played on a chessboard, a square-checkered board with 64 squares arranged in an eight-by-eight grid. It is one of the world's most popular games, played by millions of people worldwide at home, in clubs, online, by correspondence, and in tournaments.Each player...