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While most of the Indian leaders chose to deliver speeches at the UN General Assembly in English, Atal Bihari Vajpayee chose to do something else.

Though Vajpayee was fluent in English, he spoke to the General Assembly in Hindi! Imagine delivering a speech in Hindi at the UN General Assembly, where there are representatives from across the world and English is the dominant mode of communication.

It was the first time an Indian leader addressed the UN in Hindi, or any other language other than English. Vajpayee was making clear India’s stand on various issues like nuclear disarmament, state-sponsored terrorism and reforms. Between 1977 and 2003, Vajpayee had addressed the General Assembly seven times.

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Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit made her way into the history of the United Nations when she went on to become the first ever female president of the UN General Assembly.

Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit became the president for a year from September, 1953 after Lester B Pearson, the famous Canadian diplomat. Before representing India in the United Nations, she worked as India’s ambassador to the Soviet Union, the United States, Mexico, Ireland and Spain. She began working for the UN in 1946 and in 1979, she was appointed as the Indian representative of the UN Human Rights Commission.

India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru was her brother.

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Dr. Yasmin Ali Haque joined as India’s UNICEF Representative in July 2017. She is responsible to make sure that the rights of the underprivileged children are taken care of. She coordinates the efforts of the UN to transform the lives of children by ensuring quality education, and sufficient nutrition.

Before coming to India, Yasmin worked as the Deputy Director of the UNICEF’s Office of Emergency Operations. She played a major role in formulating the policies for effective response to children during times of crisis. She is also noted for being the first UNICEF representative in South Sudan. She had also worked in Bangladesh, Ghana and Sri Lanka.

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Many of us know Shashi Tharoor as a leading politician who uses complex English words like floxinoxinihiliphication. Shashi Tharoor had worked with the United Nations for almost thirty years.

Before rising to being an administrator at highest levels, Shashi Tharoor worked as a peacekeeper and a refugee worker. Peacekeeping after the Cold War was one of his major responsibilities. He then served as a senior advisor to the Secretary-General.

In 2001, he was appointed as the Under-Secretary General for Communications and Public Information under Kofi Annan. Tharoor was nominated by the government of India in the Secretary-General election.

However, he retired from the UN in 2007 after finishing second in the selection of UN Secretary-General. He then returned to India to become a leading figure in Indian politics.

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We all remember some advertisements because celebrities like Sachin Tendulkar or Alia Bhatt featured in them. When a notable person advertises a product, we are more likely to remember it. The UN too makes use of this idea. The UN takes help of many notable people to advocate a specific course and they are known as Goodwill Ambassadors.

UNICEF, the UN wing that works for the upliftment of children around the world has a long list of Goodwill Ambassadors. These ambassadors use their fame to draw the attention of people towards important issues.

So far, there have been five UNICEF Goodwill Ambassadors from India-Aamir Khan, Priyanka Chopra, Sharmila Tagore, Shahrukh Khan and Hima Das. Hima das, who holds the national record for 400 metres, is the first Youth Ambassador of UNICEF India.

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‘Why is that we have never heard voices in connection with the freedom of people under the suppression and the tyranny of Pakistani authorities on the other side of the cease- fire line?’ asked V K Krishna Menon to everyone gathered at the UN Security Council on 23 January, 1957. This question was part of V K Krishna Menon’s legendary marathon speech.

V K Krishna Menon is noted for delivering the longest speech in the history of the UN. Defending India’s position on Kashmir, Menon spoke for eight hours. He collapsed on to the Security Council floor towards the end of the speech.

With a doctor constantly monitoring his blood pressure, he returned to continue the speech after an hour. He had to be hospitalized and therefore, the speech was completed on the following day.

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