♦ Preeti Saran, a former senior Indian diplomat was elected as the chair of the prestigious UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR) on 14 September 2025.

♦ The CESCR is a key body of the United Nations that has been tasked with overseeing the implementation of international covenants on economic and social rights by the member nations.

♦ The CESCR operates under the administrative control of the UN Human Rights Commission.

♦ In her distinguished career with the Indian Foreign Service spread over 36 years, Ambassador Saran served in various capacities in India as well as in Indian missions in Asia, Africa, Europe and the Americas.

♦ She was also India’s Ambassador to Vietnam and Consul General in Toronto.

♦ Her other notable overseas assignments include her stints at the Indian missions in Moscow, Dhaka, Cairo and Geneva.