Ban Ki Moon appoints the wife of Indian Ambassador to the U.N. as Assistant Secretary-General for UN Women

Ban Ki Moon, "on the recommendation of Michelle Bachelet", appointed Lakshmi Puri of India to the position of Assistant Secretary-general of UN Women.

While many diplomats at the UN are calling this appointment as a move from Ban Ki Moon to secure and solidify India's and its Ambassador (H.E. Hardeep Singh Puri) support for a second term, some of them questioned the qualifications and timing of appointment.

To be fair, Ms. Lakshmi Puri has had a long career with UNCTAD (7 yrs - Dir Trade in Goods and Services) and UN HQs - OHRLLS (3 yrs - Dir High Rep Least Dev Countries) on her own, as well as a distinguished career with India's Foreign Service.