US President Joe Biden nominated a Kashmiri-origin diplomat as Under Secretary for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights, a key State Department position, as the new administration takes over the country.
Uzra Zeya, who had quit the foreign service in 2018 in protest against the policies of President Donald Trump, as per a report by Press Trust of India, has been nominated as per the key nominations for the Department of State.
Zeya served most recently as CEO and President of the Alliance for Peacebuilding, where she drew on over two decades of diplomatic experience in Near East, South Asian, European, human rights, and multilateral affairs.
From 2012 to 2014, Zeya served as Acting Assistant Secretary and Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labour, reported PTI.
Zeya has also served as Deputy Executive Secretary to the Secretary of State, Director of the Executive Secretariat Staff, and as UN General Assembly Coordinator. She is a recipient of the Légion d’honneur, France’s highest civilian honour, a Presidential Rank Award, and fifteen Superior Honour and Senior Performance Awards.
On the key State Department nominations announced by Biden, Vice President-elect Kamala Harris said, “This remarkable team of distinguished diplomats and seasoned leaders reflects the very best of our nation”.
